Sophie-Gips-Höfe & Sammlung Hoffmann

Blink and you’ll miss the plain doorway leading to this artsy trio of 19th-century courtyard complexes linking Sophienstrasse with quiet Gipsstrasse. Originally a sewing-machine factory, it now harbours stores, offices, flats, the popular Barcomi’s Deli and the Sammlung Hoffmann, a private contemporary art collection assembled by Erika and Rolf Hoffmann. In 1997 the couple opened up their two-storey apartment/gallery for guided 90-minute tours, a tradition Erika has continued since her husband’s death in 2001. Every July she rearranges the space, so you never know what you’re going to see, but most likely it’ll include works by Frank Stella, Michael Basquiat, AR Penck and other latter-day art luminaries.