I visited two of Berlin's six inscribed housing estates on a Friday morning. I had picked, surprise surprise, Falkenberg (for its beauty) and Hufeisensiedlung Britz (for its infostation/cafe, more on that later), and neither of them disappointed. Being where they are they both have very good rail connections, and I was able to make a detour for a packed lunch in Tempelhof Airfield between the two and still have a very relaxed itinerary.

I love walking around picturesque garden villages, so Falkenberg was always going to go over well. It's a bit out of place with the other examples, but it speaks volumes to Taut's brilliance and can't be omitted. It's very compact - hence why photographs of it are usually so close up - but never feels it thanks to its cleverly placed greenery. There's only one proper road, the first part of the estate to greet train users, that runs through it, so traffic basically doesn't exist to interrupt the 'vintage' feel. (For supplies or the bathroom you'll need to talk a short walk to the 'Taut Passage' shopping centre, which makes no attempt to match the vibe!)

If you want a taster of how Taut's interiors looked, you'd do well to visit Hufeisensiedlung Britz. There they have a small 'Infostation', which is in reality a community cafe that's open on Fridays and Sunday afternoons. For a mere €1.50 you can get a very nicely brewed coffee, sit outside (or at the window if you'd prefer), and really soak in the architecture - see the attached picture. They also sell postcards and t-shirts if you're into collecting WHS souvenirs, and most relevantly, they have a tiny €1 exhibit that includes a reconstruction of a typical kitchen from the time of construction. With its window looking out to the centre of the horseshoe, it's the closest you'll get to experiencing residency without actually staying there. The actual estate is built around that centrepiece apartment block unlike the spread-out nature of Falkenberg, so I spent less time actually walking around here. Said block is lovely to dander around too, of course.