(Pic by: https://www.visitberlin.de)
Planning your trip to Berlin? If you are thinking about going in spring or summer, you are in luck. Here is our selection of 8 things to do in Berlin outdoors.
Berlin is a very changeable city, but the biggest change is when the winter ends and the spring comes.
All the colors change; the sky, the leaves and even people’s behavior; from being in a bar all day, to spending all their time outdoors enjoying the sun. Some examples of these situations, are the 1st of May with an amazing street party, or the improvised parties in parks. It looks like a completely different city.
That’s the reason why we prepared this short list, with recommendations of things to do in Berlin outdoors, because it’s worth enjoying the magic sensation of summer in the German capital.
1-. Go to Mauerpark on Sunday
Mauerpark is a park located in the old division of the Wall between Prenzlauerberg and Wedding. On Sundays, there is a flea market with clothes, complements and other decoration second-hand items.
Especially in summer, it’s full of people playing basketball, eating at the food stands, playing music or just relaxing on the grass.This is one of the most famous things to do in Berlin, mainly in summer.
Something you can’t miss, is the midday karaoke in summer. If you go there, you will see all kinds of people singing and offering incredible funny shows. We really recommend going there, you will really enjoy it 🙂
How to arrive: Ubahn Eberswalder line 2
2-.Go for a walk in the East Side Gallery:
The East Side Gallery is the biggest outdoor gallery in the world, and the biggest part of the Berlin wall that is still conserved (1,3km).
Along the wall, you can see paintings by artists from all over the world who wanted to show the change that Berlin was going through just after the wall’s fall. All of the paintings are full of hope for the new period that the city was facing.
This is an essential visit and you can also go for a nice walk near the river. There is a small piece of grass to relax on and some bars where you can go for a drink. It’s a really nice place to be in summer.
How to arrive: Ostbahnof S-bahn
3-. Go to Gendarmenmarkt
The Genfarmenmarkt is a square located in center of Berlin, considered the most beautiful in the city. It has twin baroque churches.
The main building is the Konzerthaus, on the north side there is the Französischer Dom, and on South side, the Deutscher Dome.
The Gendarmenmarkt is named after the Gens d’Armes Regiment (armed man) that were quartered on it.
It is worth going there if you are walking through the city center. During Christmas time, there is an amazing market with a huge tree, stands to eat, Christmas decoration and even music and dancing live-shows. This is one of the prettiest Christmas market in Berlin, and one of the most known things to do in Berlin’s winter.
How to arrive: Ubahn Hausvogteiplatz, línea U2; Französische Straße, línea U6.
4-.Go for a swim in Badeschiff
Badeschiff is a floating swimming pool in Spree river. It’s located in front of Arena stadium, and it’s an ideal option during the summer.
As you know, Berlin has no beach so, the Berliners looked for different ways to refresh during summer, even though there are just a few the really hot days in summer.
Apart from the swimming pool, there are hammocks and some deck chairs in a small chill-out area made of wood and sand.
How to arrive: Ubahn Schlessisches Tor
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 08:00am- 10:00pm
Price: 5,50€ one day ticket
http://www.arena.berlin/veranstaltungsort/badeschiff/
5-.Have a barbeque in a park
One of the most typical activities in Berlin when the spring comes, is to have a barbeque or a picnic in a park. The most frequented ones are Tempelhof and Görlitzer Park.
Around May, when the sun starts to shine again in the city, the Berliners go back to the streets to take advantage of the sun from the first ray of sunlight.
On the weekends, this and other parks are full of people having picnics, playing music, chatting and even some small improvised parties take place.
It is a great plan to spend the day outdoors enjoying the sun.
How to arrive: Tempelfoh: Berlin-Tempelhof Station; Görlitzer Park: Görlitzer Banhof
6-. Walking trough the Jewish neighborhood
If you know something about Berlin’s history, you can imagine that the Jewish neighborhood is a must-see on your trip to the city.
This neighborhood is now mainly bohemian and modern, but before it was the area with the highest Jewish population in Berlin, until the national-socialist government took power.
The most interesting part of this area is in the inside of the buildings rather than on the outside, like the Hackesche Hoffe in Rosenthale Straße. It is a combination of eight Incredible courtyards and one of the most famous cabarets in Berlin “Camaleón Varieté”.
After the war, in this neighborhood there were lots of destroyed and empty buildings. It was at that moment, when the okupa movement started in Berlin. Young people begun to occupy these empty buildings, the famous Tacheles is an example of that.
In this area, you will also find the Jewish cemetery, the biggest one in Europe. One of the other essential visits, is the new Synagogue, where you will find an interesting exhibition about Jewish history and community.
If you want, you can also contract a tour to go through this neighborhood with a guide that tells you all the details about what happened there.
How to arrive: S-bahn Hacheschesmarkt
7-.Walk through Nikolaiviertel
Nikolaiviertel is the oldest residential part (from the middle- age) in Berlin near Alexanderplatz. It was built around San Nicolás church, unmistakable with its two towers more than 85 meters high.
In 1944 the neighborhood was completely destroyed by bombs until 1987 when it was rebuilt. The reconstruction was really loyal to what the neighborhood originally was.
So now, you can see a small and touching piece of the old Berlin. You will also find some bars and restaurants with typical German food and handmade beer.
These are some of the places you should visit apart from San Nicolás church:
- Knoblauchhaus, free museum located in the old house (with neoclassical architecture) of Knoblouch’s, a rich family in XVIII
- Ephraimpalais, one of the best examples of the typical Berliner palace from the XVII century.
- Heinrich-Zille-Museum, dedicated to the pieces of this famous Berliner artist.
How to arrive: U-bahn Klohstertstraßse
8-.Lakes
If you are going to visit Berlin in spring or summer, you can’t leave without going to one of Berlin’s lakes. The same as with parks, at the moment the spring/summer comes, the lakes starts to be full of people doing a picnic, having a relaxing day and swimming if the water is not too cold.
This is one of the most typical things to do in Berlin as there is no beach, Berliners use lakes as if they were beaches. They even have some artificial beaches where you have to pay for the entrance.
Some of the best lakes are: Schlachtensee, Wannsee and Müggelsee. You can reach any of them by public transport.
These are our recommendation of places to go or things to do in Berlin outdoors. Have you already visited any of them? Are you planning to go to some of them? Tell us by leaving a comment.
