Schmargendorf is characterized by low-rise apartment buildings and smaller multi-family houses. There are also some single-family houses and magnificent villas, especially in the direction of Grunewald, east and west of Clayallee.

The main street in Schmargendorf is Breite Straße with its many stores, snack bars, and cafés. Berkaer Straße, with the magnificent town hall on Berkaer Platz, the gallery pavilions from the 1950s, and the Carl Orff School, is also a bit busier than the rest of the district. The town hall was built around 1900 and features a floor area of almost 900 square meters, towers, stepped gables and a facade of bricks and glass mosaics. The building is certainly one of the most impressive of its kind in Berlin.

The Schmargendorf village church was built in the 13th century and is one of the smallest of the about 50 preserved village churches in Berlin. The Schmargendorf cemetery, with its old trees and several monumental burial sites, nestles next to the church. The Platz am Wilden Eber is an important stop on the course of the Berlin Marathon. Locals make sure to cheer on the runners and create a special atmosphere during this important athletic event. An infamous Schmargendorf landmark are the chimneys of the Wilmersdorf combined heat and power plant on Forckenbeckstraße, which are visible from afar.

Schmargendorf features numerous quiet, green corners and squares between its paved streets. The Messelpark is narrow, but a beautiful place for a stroll through nature. Around the Talgraben in the northeast of Schmargendorf are the Horst Dohm ice rink, the Wilmersdorf summer pool, and several sports facilities. The area is interspersed with trees. A large allotment garden area adjoins to the south.