It's finally time to get out your skates and inline skates. The weather is getting better and better and the paths have been cleared, so you can relax and welcome spring on wheels in Berlin. We've put together some classics for you, but also some not-so-familiar routes and courses. Enjoy this perfect combination of fun and sport.
For all those who want more: The Berlin Half Marathon for inline skaters will take place as usual on the first Sunday in April this year. So there's still plenty of time to train.
Tip 1: At Spandauer-Schifffahrtskanal
A great route along the Spandau shipping canal and the Hohenzollern canal. You ride between water and forests with small climbs, on a slightly wider path so that you have plenty of space. The quality of the asphalt is optimal and therefore ideal for beginners. If you want to do the whole route, you will need some stamina for the eight kilometres!
Where: Nordufer 1, Spandau
Tip 2: Along the Teltow Canal
A perfect route for training, but also for first attempts at riding. The path runs along the canal, is wide enough for overtaking manoeuvres and stretches for a good six kilometres. Smaller cycling groups also like to use the path, but usually overtake very considerately. It is best to start at the motorway exit "Späthstraße" or at the other end at the exit "Adlershof".
Where: Ernst-Ruska-Ufer, Treptow
Tip 3: In Hans Balluschek Park
The route between the Südkreuz and Priesterweg S-Bahn stations is not particularly long at 1.5 kilometres, but it has very good asphalt quality. You share the path with cyclists and pedestrians. Since the path is wide enough, you won't get in each other's way.
Where: Matthäifriedhofsweg 1, Schöneberg
Tip 4: In Park am Gleisdreieck
The park at Gleisdreieck is only good for inline skating in the early hours of the morning, as it is otherwise always very busy and many cyclists and pedestrians share the route. But if you want to try your hand at a bowl, this is the place to be. Situated near the Schöneberger Wiese, this place also enjoys many visitors. So if you can't find a seat in one of the two bowls, with cradle, roll in and loveseat - just watch, there's something impressive on offer here.
Where: Park am Gleisdreieck, Kreuzberg
Tip 5: At Tempelhofer Feld
This route is well known to all Berlin skaters. A good six kilometres lead over the old runways and around the field. There's always a bit of a headwind, which is fascinating and at the same time comes as a surprise every time. But these are the best conditions for training. And then, of course, there is the skate park. Curbs, ledges, banks and manual pads in every variation await you here. Fun fact: Here you can skate on the granite blocks of the old Berlin City Palace.
Where: Platz der Luftbrücke oder Columbiadamm, Tempelhof
Tip 6: Skaten in Mellowpark and Liberty Park
Mellowpark offers skaters a lot of fun: concrete bowl, pump track and the race track. The ramp at Liberty Park is particularly impressive: four metres high, 23 metres long and eight metres wide. You can really let off steam there.
Where: Mellowpark: An der Wuhlheide 250, Köpenick; Liberty Park: Hellersdorf
Tip 7: In Volkspark Friedrichshain
If you walk along Danziger Straße into the Volkspark, you will find the skate track, which scores points for its idyllic location. The flat circuit offers everyone an ideal opportunity to skate.
Where: Am Friedrichshain, Friedrichshain
Tip 8: Along the Kronprinzessinenweg
This route is also well known among athletes and should therefore not be missing from the list. In the forest along the motorway, cyclists and skaters share this route on acceptable asphalt and over a distance of four kilometres. During the week, the path is also suitable for beginners, while it is very busy at weekends.
Where: Kronprinzesinnenweg, Zehlendorf
Tip 9: Skate track Eiskeller
And here is a stretch of road that is wonderfully quiet. A beautiful forest and field landscape lines the path. But pay special attention to the leaves and branches that can lie on the path. Ideally, beginners should use the southern part of the trail, as the middle part has some inclines and slopes that will please the pros but are less fun for those of you who are just starting to skate.
Where: Freudstraße 1, Spandau
Tip 10: New routes in Karlshorst
On the other hand, this route is ideal for beginners. It is newly built and therefore offers excellent asphalt quality. There are two tracks, each about one kilometre long. To get there, you need to use the entrance at the Hegemeisterweg tram stop.
Where: Hegemeisterweg (Tram-Haltestelle), Köpenick
Tip 11: Long distances on the Fläming Skate
And for those of you who want to be out and about for a bit longer: the Fläming Skate with eight different circular tours. From 11 to 92 kilometres and everything in between, you can enjoy nature on two to three-metre-wide paths and skate through forests, meadows and fields at a leisurely pace or at full speed. You'll pass idyllic villages in the Lower Fläming and Baruther Urstromtal. Holiday feeling included.
And please remember: as a rule, you share the routes with pedestrians and cyclists - so be considerate of each other!
