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11 tips for the summer in Berlin

How to enjoy the summer days

Treptower Park in Berlin
Treptower Park © Tourismusverein Berlin Treptow-Köpenick e.V. (www.tkt-berlin.de)

Finally the days are long, we can walk in the evening in a T-shirt through the city, the sun already shines when we have to get up early in the morning - oh, Berlin, you are so wonderful in summer! Get the best out of the Berlin summer with our 11 tips. 

 Tip 1: Go for a swim!

Strandbad Wannsee
Strandbad Wannsee © visitBerlin, Foto: Wolfgang Scholvien

Why travel far away? In addition to the public open-air swimming pools, there are many great lakes and lidos in and around Berlin, which can be reached quickly by bike or S-Bahn. So, what are you waiting for? Pack your swimsuits and take the plunge into the cool water. With our Berlin Swimming Map you will find the fastest way to the most beautiful lakes.

Berlin Swimming Map

Tip 2: Enjoy the summer on the rooftops of Berlin

View of the Berlin TV Tower from Club Klunkerkranich
Sunset at Klunkerkranich © gettyimages, Foto: golero

Let your eyes wander over summery Berlin and enjoy the sunset from above - that's definitely part of summer. On Berlin's roof terraces you can escape the hustle and bustle and unwind. From Deck5 in Prenzlauer Berg to the Klunkerkranich in Neukölln you will surely find your favourite roof terrace.

Roof terraces in Berlin

Tip 3: Relax with cocktails and beer

Beer garden at Schlachtensee in Berlin
Restaurant Fischerhütte at Schlachtensee © visitBerlin, Foto: Dagmar Schwelle

But it's just as easy to relax on the ground of Berlin. The beer gardens are ideal for the after-work beer with friends or a relaxing night. In the beach bars you can sip cocktails in deck chairs and feel like at the sea.

Beergardens in Berlin

Tip 4: Spend the summer outside and in parks 

Chill out with music at Berlin Mauerpark
Chill out with music at Berlin Mauerpark © visitberlin, Foto: Philip Koschel

Out, out, out - that's the most important thing in the Berlin summer before it's over again. Even if it is sometimes hard to believe, but Berlin is so green and has countless parks & gardens. Grab your book and blanket and lie down in your favorite park.

Nature. Berlin has that too!

Tip 5: Being at, in and on the water      

Stand up paddling at sunset
Stand Up Paddling at the Spree in Berlin © Getty Images, Foto: Felix Kayser/EyeEm
Stand up Paddling auf der Spree in Treptow

Ever tried Stand Up Paddling? No? Then maybe this summer. You can paddle over the Spree, Schlachtensee or Wannsee. But also raft trips, boat trips and canoe tours are wonderfully relaxing. 

Berlin at the waterfront 

Tip 6: Watching movies under the sky

Freiluftkino
Open-air cinema at the Kulturforum © visitBerlin, Foto: Dagmar Schwelle

Berlin's open-air cinemas have also reopened and show you blockbusters and independent films under the starry sky. Grab your friends and popcorn and off to the nearest open air cinema. No excuses - as every year, the season is over far too quickly and you haven't made it back to the cinema.

Open air cinemas in Berlin

Tip 7: Try as much ice cream as possible

Friends eating ice cream
Friends eating ice cream © GettyImages, Foto: RyanJLane

That is definitely our goal this summer. In Berlin there are numerous ice cream parlours, ice cream shops, ice cream cafés and ice cream factories. Whether you like the classics chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and stracciatella or the wicked varieties like asparagus, capi, brownies or vegan ice cream, now is the chance to eat you through the Berlin ice cream parlours. We already know where to start:

Our top 11 ice cream parlours in Berlin

Tip 8: Explore new corners by bike

Cycling at the Müggelsee in Berlin
Cycling at the Müggelsee in Berlin © visitBerlin, Foto: Dagmar Schwelle

An old cliché says that Berliners never leave their neighbourhood - time to contradict that. Grab your bike and ride to unknown corners of Berlin. With the wind in your hair and the sun on your skin you get to know the city better. If you need inspiration - we have put together the best 11 bike tours in Berlin in summer with insider tips.   

Our 11 most beautiful bike tours in summer

Tip 9: Buy fresh, regional fruit and vegetables at the market

Visitors at the weekly Winterfeldtmarkt in Berlin Schöneberg
Weekly market Winterfeldplatz © visitBerlin, Foto: Dagmar Schwelle

In summer, fresh fruit and vegetables are finally available again directly from the fields around the city. So visiting Berlin's weekly markets is twice as much fun. Browse and try the regional delicacies. Or better yet, pick your strawberries, blueberries, etc. yourself.

Markets in Berlin

Tipp 10: Go for a picnic in the park

Young couple having a picnic
Young couple having a picnic © iStock.com/shironosov

Eating out is also part of the perfect summer. Tempelhofer Feld, Insel der Jugend, Mauerpark, Viktoriapark, Tiergarten - Berlin has so many beautiful places for picnic. Friends, a picnic blanket and everyone brings something to eat - and the perfect picnic for a mild summer evening. Don't miss this summer!

Picnic in Berlin

Tip 11:  Visit Brandenburg

Belvedere on the Pfingstberg in Potsdam
Belvedere on the Pfingstberg in Potsdam © SPSG, Foto: Reinhardt & Sommer, Potsdam

 

Summer is the best time to leave Berlin. Yes, you heard right: Even if Berlin is the greatest city in the world, it is also worth exploring the surrounding area. Brandenburg has many places to visit: great restaurants, Gothic monasteries and crystal-clear lakes. A train or a bike will take you there comfortably.

Day trips to Brandenburg

Catrin Linde

Catrin

lives in Berlin for over 20 years and loves to travel the city. Preferrably by bike, she discovers the most exciting and interesting sides of Berlin. Across the city, across country and also off the beaten track. All posts