Berlin for Nature Lovers

Berlin for Nature Lovers

Berlin is a very green city, about 40% of the city area are green areas, lakes and parks. When Greater Berlin was established, in 1920, the city incorporated many smaller towns, villages and farms, including the forests between them, all of which are still part of the city today.  

The Tiergarten, the big park in the center of Berlin – a park which in the past used to be the hunting grounds of the Prussian Kings – is just one out of many other beautiful parks in the city. 

The land of Brandenburg, surrounding Berlin, is called the land of a thousand lakes. There are actually more than three thousand lakes in Brandenburg alone. Berlin too has quite a few lakes, some big and some small, all within the municipal area of the city. 

Nature lovers are therefore spoiled for options. The following list holds just the main ones.

Public Parks

Tiergarten

The will-known park in the center of Berlin is easily accessible and is also the home for two beer-gardens, where one can eat a German sausage or Bretzel and drink a cold beer in a beautiful surrounding. 

Treptower Park

Home to the biggest out of three Russian Memorials in Berlin, the park runs along the Spree river. It is also home to a beer-garden, a floating restaurant and a little island in the river. 

Friedrichshain Volkspark

A lovely park between the neighborhoods of Friedrichshain and Prenzlauerberg.

Viktoriapark

Overlooking the neighborhood of Kreuzberg and home to the Prussian National Monument for the Liberation Wars (the victory over Napoleon) and a beautiful observation point, this is a much loved park.

Tempelhof

The site of the former Tempelhof Airport is today an open park where people jog, fly kites or grill.

A visit to the old Terminal Building is highly recommended. 

Park am Gleisdreieck and Schöneberger Wiese

Two connected parks in an area adjacent to the German Technology Museum. 

Schlossgarten Charlottenburg

Surrounding the Charlottenburg Palace, which itself is worth a visit, this is a beautiful park in the western part of the city.

Berlin’s Botanical Garden

Definitely worth a visit.

Britzer Garten

This beautiful park has a Tulip Festival each year from mid-April to mid-May. A section of the park is planted with thousands of colorful tulips.

Gärten der Welt (Gardens of the World)

The east Berlin version of a botanical garden is today a beautiful park with a Chinese, Japanese, Korean garden and many more. The park has a Cherry blossom festival each year in the spring.

Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island)

An island in the Havel river is home to beautiful gardens and some structures erected by the Prussian Royal family.

Lakes

Schlachtensee

Easily accessible big lake, right next to an S-Bahn station, with lots of spots to sit beneath the treas.

Krume Lanke

Another popular lake in the west part of the city. There are few wider beaches, one with green grass, or you can find a spot beneath the trees.

Großer Müggelsee (Köpenick)

Next to the neighborhood of Köpenick (once an independent town) Müggelsee is a beautiful lake with few main beaches and many options for private spots.

Wannsee

One of the famous lakes in Berlin and home to one of the most popular and well organized beaches.

On the shores of the Wannsee Conference took place on January 20th, 1942, where the plan for the Final Solution of the Jewish Problem was presented. The site is a museum well worth a visit.

Weißensee

A nice beach along a small lake in the north-eastern part of the city.