Berlin is a different city in each season. We might love the winter in Berlin, but it’s in the summer that you can enjoy everything the German Capital offers. The standard procedure to enjoy Berlin Summer is simple: go outside and do something.
It sounds easy, right? But Berlin is a huge city filled with many things to do. Because of that, we created this summer guide to make it easier for you to focus on enjoying some of the beautiful days that will come during the season.
Below, you can read our guide and get your things going.
Enjoy the Pools and Lakes Berlin has to offer
Berlin is a city surrounded by lakes, and those are the places you need to visit to cool down during the hot summer days. The city offers more than 100 different options, from outdoor pools to lakes to a pool inside the river. Berlin has something for everyone.
When it comes to pools in Berlin, more people think about the Badeschiff an der Arena. This famous pool inside the Spree is a symbol of this creative city. But more pools deserve to get famous! The new Haubentaucher in Friedrichshain is a beautiful place we still need to go. But based on the pictures we saw, it is the place to be in the summer of 2015.
If you’re looking for something more family-friendly, check out Sommerbad Neukölln or Prinzenbad in Kreuzberg. Don’t forget to have pommes with ketchup and enjoy the day like every German child in the summer.
Not all lakes around Berlin are perfect for swimming. Some of them could be better, like the Müggelsee. If you want to swim in a lake close to the city, try the Plötzensee in Wedding. If you want to go a little further, try the Schlachtensee – the cleanest swimming lake Berlin offers. And, if you have a car, you should try the Liepnitzsee with its crystal clear water a little north of Berlin.
One day, Berlin might have a swimming pool in the middle of the city, but we are not there yet. Maybe, one day we can swim next to the Museum Island and that day will be great.
Parks and Summer Picnics and Barbecues
Berlin is a green city filled with parks everywhere. Most of them have areas specially reserved for barbecues, and our favorite one is Tempelhof. This huge park in the middle of Berlin is always where we choose to barbecue. If we lived a little closer to the Tiergarten, we would go there, but… Tempelhof is nearer, and we would love to see the sunset there.
When it comes to picnics, we are split between two places: Hasenheide and the Landwehrkanal. Hasenheide has this bleak reputation, but it’s a wonderful park with lots of green space, and you can even have some fun watching the goats while you are there.
We don’t have a favorite place on the Landwehrkanal, so we cannot tell you where to go. Normally, we try to stay close to a späti, so it is easy to grab some cold beers. Most of the time, we get together close to Hobrechtbrücke or Böcklerpark to enjoy a great water view.
Where is your favorite place next to the Landwehrkanal?
Berlin Summer demands Biergartens and Spätis
When summer comes to Berlin, bars become overrated. There is nothing better to do on a warm summer evening than sitting outside and sharing some beers with a group of friends, and this is what we do every weekend. Most of the time, we are around Oranienstraße in Kreuzberg, where we split our time between Franken Bar and all the spätis the area offers.
If you want something a little more traditional, you must visit some of Berlin’s famous beer gardens. The first one that crosses our minds when we think about Biergarten is the Prater Garden in Prenzlauer Berg. If you want something closer to the water, you must visit Cafe am Neuen See, rent a boat for an hour, and just row around the lake.
Something we love doing during the summer days in Berlin is buying a beer and walking around the city without a proper direction. Just talking and walking. When the beer is over, you find a spot and grab another one. When you reach a cool place, you take pictures. When you are tired, you see a bench and sit for a while. This is what we do, and you should try it, too.
See the city from the rooftops.
The rooftops of Berlin are the best place to see the summer days go by. From up there, you can enjoy the city from a different perspective, and it is always great to watch the sky during one of the many summer sunsets.
We can’t go into our rooftop, but we have the Neukölln Arkaden in front of us, along with the Klunkerkranich and its hipsters. Maybe this is an option for you as well.
If you want something even less popular, go to the Abandoned Hospital in Neukolln or the Dörferblick on the border between Berlin and Brandenburg. You are not going to regret doing this.
Go into the Rivers and Canals
Even though Berlin is a landlocked city, the city is filled with canals, rivers, and lakes, where many people go to cool off and enjoy the water. If you want to relax by the water, rent a kayak and explore Berlin from a different angle. You can even do some Stand Paddling in the former eastern harbor, close to the famous Oberbaumbridge.
One of these days, we will go crazy, buy a small boat on Amazon, and drop it in the Landwehrkanal with some beers. We have been discussing this for a while, and maybe this is the summer we need to do it.
Take your Bike around and avoid the U-Bahn.
The best way to explore Berlin in the summer is by Bike. Berlin is an almost completely flat city filled with ample bike lanes along the main roads, and the warm days are the best excuse to explore everything this city offers.
It might be your Bike, a borrowed one, or one you rented here, but you need to see the city like that. Summer in Berlin is the best time to avoid the U-Bahn since it might smell weird if you catch our drift.
If you don’t know where to go and what to see, you should check out what Berlin on Bike can do for you. We did a short tour of Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain a while ago, and they might be what you are looking for.
Enjoy the Flea Markets
When it comes to Flea Markets in Berlin, the first place to pop in the heads of 9 in 10 people is Mauerpark. But that place can be considered a nightmare for everybody who knows more than the basic Berlin. The place is crowded, the beer is expensive, and it is filled with everything we hate about Berlin. But they have a cool karaoke that might interest those who like to sing.
So, to enjoy Berlin’s flea markets, you must avoid the Mauerpark. But, near Mauerpark, you can find the great Trödelmarkt Arkonaplatz, which has lots of furniture and other cool things. The market on Boxhagener Platz every Saturday is a good option as well. We also go to the Nowkoelln Flowmarkt occasionally; it is a great place to spend your Sunday in the sun.
Urban Exploration Berlin
The Berlin Summer is a great time to explore a less-known side of the city. The city’s turbulent past left many urban ruins waiting to be explored, legally or illegally. It is easier to see those places when it is bright outside, and you don’t need to worry about bringing a flashlight.
Some of the most well-known places in Berlin for urban exploration offer some kind of tour nowadays. If you want to see the famous Spreepark, you can just walk there and pay to see the area.
But if you are looking for something a little different. We can advise you to try your luck in Krampnitz, Blub Berlin, Chemiewerk Rüdersdorf, or even the SS Brotfabrik in Oranienburg… We wrote a huge article with all the places we explored around Berlin, you should take a look.
There are many places to explore in Berlin; one of the best sources for this is the book Abandoned Berlin. Buy it and enjoy it while the areas are still there.
It took us a while to enjoy the Berlin Summer properly. Coming from Brazil, we don’t need to wait for the summer to be able to walk around wearing shorts and a T-shirt. But moving to Berlin changed our perspective on this, which is why we came up with this summer guide to Berlin.
Now turn off your computer and go out before it is winter again.
