An evening in Berlin when you are on your own

• Socials by Detor, this site. A table here is four to six people who have not met, for dinner, drinks, coffee or brunch, in English or in German. You give a few answers once; we pick the group from them, a person checks it, we book the venue and the address arrives the day before; until then the others see only your first name and pronouns. Seats are priced per session, no membership, and the bill is your own, paid to the venue. You can bring one friend. Visitors book like anyone else; what is open this week is under "On this week" below and on the Berlin page.
• Timeleft: its Berlin dinner is on Wednesdays, with the group announced on the Tuesday and the restaurant on the day, in German or English; you pay the venue for your own food. The fixed day is its strength; start time and subscription price are only in its app.

visitBerlin, the official site, has an "Event tips in Berlin" page; when we read it, it listed ticketed highlights, not free ones. The Long Night of Museums opens museums late twice a year; dates on that page.

• A free walking tour. FreeTour.com lists "Heart of Berlin" in English, about 1h45, tip-based, from the World Clock on Alexanderplatz; GuruWalk lists "Beyond the dates", about 2h15 in German and English, pay what you want. Times on the listings.
• A language exchange. Fridays at Belushi's on Alexanderplatz, several languages, listed on Eventbrite. The vhs Sprachcafé in the Schiller-Bibliothek in Wedding is free, Wednesdays 13:00 to 15:00, for people learning German.
• Bouldering. Boulderklub in Kreuzberg is written up for its community; Der Kegel on Revaler Straße in Friedrichshain holds a FLINTA* bouldering night on the first Saturday of the month from 18:00. Even alone, a gym is an evening with people in it.

Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain are where the places on this page cluster. One nightlife guide names Monster Ronson's karaoke and Klunkerkranich as bars where you can talk to people; the clubs, says visitBerlin, get into gear after midnight.

• Getting back: on Friday and Saturday nights the U-Bahn and S-Bahn run all night, every 15 to 30 minutes; on other nights, night buses marked N replace the main lines.
• Buy tickets from official vendors; it is the one safety note on visitBerlin's page.
• Tipping and dinner hours: not checked, so not stated.

• Plan the weekend on Thursday. Guides say Berliners plan well ahead; the Friday exchange is the easiest fixed point.
• Do something with your hands first. Guides say meeting people here is easier when you have something to do at the same time.
• Stay out; at the weekend there is no last train to plan around.

Socials' Berlin tables are held in English and in German; the ones open this week are on the Berlin page.