Ready for the island? Then we've got you covered. Because Berlin's island landscape has more to offer than just the Museum Island ...
Tip 1: The Mierendorff Island
In the neighbourhood around Mierendorff-Platz, we start our island round-up with an urban island as it should be: Mierendorff Island in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district is basically a neighbourhood in its own right. It is surrounded to the north by the Westhafen canal, to the west by the Charlottenburg connecting canal and to the south and east by the River Spree.
What began here some time ago as an initiative by a few local residents quickly developed into an urban project with a vision: think globally, act locally - that is the motto of the initiative, which aims to make this Berlin island a prime example of urban sustainability. Today you can reap the rewards of this community project. The 5.3-kilometre island trail takes you past the newly created skate park and the CapRivi beer garden on the Spree and offers the perfect view of Charlottenburg Palace and Palace Gardens.
More info about Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Tip 2: The cultural island on Danziger Straße
Our next island is not surrounded by water, but is located between Thälmann Park and the bustling Winsstrasse neighbourhood. The Kulturinsel is an oasis for those seeking peace and quiet and culture lovers. At the same time, it is also a garden paradise. Where until a few years ago there was wasteland, tomato bushes, herbs and wildflowers now bloom in competition: events by various Pankow cultural institutions take place here regularly, including concerts by WABE, theatre performances by Theater unterm Dach and art exhibitions by Galerie Paterre.
But everyone is also welcome here outside of event times. With a strong anti-discrimination policy, Kulturinsel stands for hospitality, empowerment and community in a green setting - in the middle of the city.
Where: Kulturinsel an der Danziger Straße, Danziger Straße 101/103/105, Pankow
Tip 3: The Red Island in Schöneberg
The Red Island, also known as Schöneberg Island, already has a sense of community in its name. Although there are numerous urban legends surrounding the exact origin of its name, historians agree on one thing: the district, which is surrounded by the Yorckstraße, Schöneberg and Südkreuz S-Bahn stations, was long a stronghold of the left-wing labour movement and resistance to National Socialism.
Many traces still bear witness to an eventful history. With the Gasometer, St Elisabeth's Church and the Old St Matthew's Churchyard, there are plenty of landmarks to marvel at. The lively neighbourhood around Naumannstraße exudes a very special atmosphere with its small shops, cafés and cultural events.
More information about the Old St Matthew's Churchyard
Tip 4: The Märkische Angerdorf Alt-Marzahn
The flowers bloom, the goats bleat and the sheep bleat along the cobblestones in the Märkisches Angerdorf Alt-Marzahn: not only is the idyll here perfect, but so is the illusion. If it weren't for the Marzahn tower blocks and prefabricated apartment blocks all around, you could be forgiven for thinking you had strayed into the Middle Ages.
Between Allee der Kosmonauten and Landsberger Allee, a historic windmill, a schoolhouse and a parish church await you in a true time capsule in a clash with the modern city. The historic village square of the medieval village of Marzahn has been a listed building since 1977 and has successfully resisted modernisation to this day. A true island of urban history!
More information about the Bock windmill
Tip 5: The Luiseninsel in the Großer Tiergarten
To honour the beloved Queen Luise, Luiseninsel was created in the early 19th century on the spot where the monarch loved to stroll. Originally a royal hunting ground and later the site of a small zoo, today Luiseninsel is a peaceful retreat with well-tended paths, old trees and blooming flowers in the middle of the Tiergarten water.
In the centre of the island, the queen is immortalised in a stately marble monument, created in her likeness by sculptor Erdmann Encke in 1880. Whether it's a walk in royal footsteps or a cosy picnic - on this Berlin island, you'll be in the very best of company with swans, squirrels and the Duchess of Mecklenburg.
More info about the Tiergarten
Tip 6: Lohmühleninsel in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Urban Kreuzberg also has its own island. Surrounded by the Landwehr Canal, Flutgraben and Spree, the 600 by 100 metre Lohmühleninsel stretches out in the hip south-east of the city. Where the eponymous Lohmühlen used to process bark into tanning agent for the local leather tannery, you can now stroll along the former GDR border and discover Berlin's last surviving customs house from 1859 as well as the city's oldest petrol station from the 1920s.
The southern part of the island is now a modern leisure park with a climbing hill, children's playgrounds and a boules court. The perfect island to go on a history tour and then enjoy some fun on the water!
More information about Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Tip 7: The island of love in Britzer Garten
In the centre of Britzer Garten is the Love Island. The small, densely overgrown island is surrounded by the large main lake and offers water birds and other animals a sheltered retreat. Human visitors are therefore not allowed to enter: No trespassing! But this is precisely the charm of this natural oasis, which you can view from all sides from the surrounding paths along the lakeshore.
Together with the neighbouring rose gardens and the extensive green spaces of Britzer Garten, Liebesinsel forms one of the most beautiful natural ensembles in the south of Berlin. In addition to native animals, it is also home to a special artistic feature: in the middle of the island, the Munich artist Hansjörg Voth built his stone house with a soul hole in the 1980s, which is illuminated from the inside through a hole in the gable once a year at the winter solstice.
More information about the Britzer Garten
Tip 8: The seven islands of Lake Tegel
If you've ever been swimming in Lake Tegel in Reinickendorf, you've probably already discovered them: the many islands that rise out of the water like green pearls. There are seven of these islands in total, which can only be reached by water. Each of them has its own history: the Humboldt brothers spent their summer days on Hasselwerder, while Lindwerder was once the site of Wernher von Braun's early rocket experiments.
The island of Scharfenberg is home to a boarding school, while other islands are home to perhaps Berlin's most exclusive allotment garden colonies. You can explore the historic Tegel island paradise yourself by ferry, boat or stand-up paddle board. However, you should be considerate of the wishes of the islanders and not go ashore anywhere where this is not permitted.
Ready for the islands in Lake Tegel
Tip 9: The Campus for Democracy in Lichtenberg
Even today, the sight of the massive buildings still makes you feel oppressed. The Campus for Democ racy in Lichtenberg is located where the GDR's notorious state security organisation once had its headquarters. Today, the listed complex is an island of historical reappraisal, democracy and the free formation of opinion and has therefore more than earned its place on our list.
The Campus for Democracy offers you a diverse programme on various historical and socio-political topics: In summer, the inner courtyard is transformed into an open-air cinema with exciting films and discussions about the GDR era. Various events combine theatre, music and workshops and invite you to reflect on freedom and democracy. This is also the case at the opening of this year's Berlin Freedom Week.
Visit exhibitions, take part in guided tours and experience history as a living impulse for future social issues.
When: Various event times
Where: Campus for Democracy, Ruschestraße 103, Lichtenberg
Tip 10: The island of youth in Treptower Park
In the middle of the Spree, between Treptower Park and Plänterwald, the Island of Youth beckons you - a green oasis with cultural flair, where visitors over the age of thirty are also very welcome. Cross the historic Abbey Bridge, Germany's oldest steel composite bridge, to reach a place that invites you to relax and get creative in equal measure. Enjoy quiet moments with coffee and cake in the Inselcafé, dance at summer open-air concerts, take part in poetry slams and experience cinema screenings in the Kulturhaus Insel Berlin.
And if you don't need the view from the island so much as the view of the island for your island feeling, you can make yourself comfortable directly opposite on the mainland in the outdoor area of the Zenner beer garden. The view and the menu are well worth it!
More information about the Insel der Jugend
Tip 11: Eiswerder in Lake Spandau
The Havel island of Eiswerder is located north of Spandau Citadel in Lake Spandau. Spandau's only publicly accessible island is connected to the mainland by two bridges and can be seen from afar with its striking red brick buildings. Powder and bullets were once produced here for the Prussian military, later international film stars stood in front of the camera in the CCC studios. And even today, Eiswerder is livelier than ever: artists and creatives have created exciting spaces for a wide audience in the old factory buildings - with workshops, exhibitions and other events.
Eiswerder also has the right option for visitors to the island looking for peace and quiet: Eiswerderpark invites you to spend hours watching the boats pass by. A weekend excursion with recreational value!
More information about the Berlin Citadel
Tip 12: The Peacock Island in Wannsee
A trip to Peacock Island is like travelling back in time to a Prussian fairy tale. After a short ferry ride across the Havel, you enter a UNESCO World Heritage Site that will enchant you with its little white palace, free-roaming peacocks and romantic parkland. The palace, once the retreat of Frederick William II, has finally been restored to its former splendour since May 2025 - and is the island's cultural crowning glory. Stroll through the landscaped park designed by Peter Joseph Lenné, discover historic buildings such as the Meierei or the Kavaliershaus and be enchanted by the idyllic nature with its 300-year-old oak trees.
And if you want to dream on after your island excursion in the green fairytale forest, the extensive shores of Lake Wannsee invite you to continue your walk for hours.
