Hidden Berlin

3rd August 2025

We have visited Berlin innumerable times for family reasons and we have now set ourselves a new task of exploring beyond the obvious sites. We always make an effort to stop at the Brandenburg Gate because it is an iconic structure and always different depending on the time of day.

Our first decision for a stay that stretched over a week, was to buy the Deutschland Ticket. It currently costs 58€ for a calendar month and all the tips (and you will need them!) to buy your DT are available on this helpful link.

BEYOND BERLIN:

Friedrichshagen

Having discovered we can hop on and off all buses and trains, our first outing was to head off to Friedrichshagen in the South East. There is a beautiful street with a good selection of interesting architectural style and indie shops. At the far end is a pub with a terrace for reasonable dining. And beyond that there is Berlin’s only walking tunnel under the river, The Spree Tunnel.

Spreewald

This is a unique UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Brandenburg, easily accessed from the Lübbenau Station. Punts carrying several passengers will meander along some of the 200 beautiful waterways, occasionally stopping for a selection of pickles. There is one stopping off point on a typical tour where you can buy all kinds of souvenirs and then it is off again on the boat. It’s a good hour on the water and if it is the height of Summer it is worth taking a hat because some of the routes are out of the shade, part is under the canopy of the trees.

It is an extremely peaceful experience and wonderful to be away from the bustle of the city – literally just down the road.

The Beelitz-Heilstätten

It’s a short ride by train out to Beelitz Heilstätten – and it’s a 20 minute walk from the train station.

The buildings have a chequered history, starting life as a sanatorium for those with lung problems accommodating up to 1,338 patients. During both world wars injured troops were nursed here and after WW2 it was taken over by the Russians.

Today, you can buy a ticket to join a guided tour inside the buildings, but access to the grounds and the exteriors of the buildings is granted through the general entry ticket. Also included is a walk through the tree tops via the “Baumkornenpfad” where you gain an eagle’s eye view over the buildings and surrounding countryside. A really beautiful construction that is so worthwhile.

Tram 68

This is a great ride that takes passengers through bucolic wooded scenery and on occasion dives through the forest. It can be picked up in Köpenick and ends in Alt Schmöckwitz. If you hop off, cross the road bridge (Wernsdorfer Strasse) and turn immediately down to the water’s edge, you can walk along a forested path and arrive at a bar (Waldhotel) where you can sit in deckchairs and look out over the River Dahme. You can, of course, use your Deutschland Ticket to travel on this tram.

The view from the deckchair

The Woltersdorfer Tram, the oldest in Berlin, which surely had considerable tourist interest, has now been replaced by a modern tram.

U3 to Krumme Lanke

Travelling in parts on the U3 is a delight for anyone seeking out original and beautifully designed (Art Nouveau) U Bahn station architecture. There is a glut on this line as you head South towards Krumme Lanke.

In Krumme Lanke there are plenty of villas to view. many dating back to the turn of the 20th Century and several inhabited by pre-WW2 members of the Nazi party.

At the end of Hermannstrasse is the Krumme Lanke Lake, a great destination for any wild swimmers. It’s about an hour’s walk to circumnavigate the water. We then used public transport for a short distance to gas Café in her Gartenakademie. This is essentially an upmarket place for drinks and food and if you haven’t booked, there is the drama of sucking teeth at the omission but a table (one of several free ones) was found for us. It’s all very delicious.

Teufelsberg

Back in the day, it was really difficult to gain access to this supremely interesting – and now derelict – American listening station, full of Cold War frisson and real echoes of the past. Recently, however, it has been taken over and the opening times aren’t a fabrication as they were (twice I turned up to find the gates firmly shut, when they should have been open), just check before you go. It may still not have any electricity, so relies on generators and can only open during daylight hours.

From Heerstrasse the route is fairly simple but Google maps are helpful. Once there you can climb all over the edifices, admire the wall art and wonder quite what it all means, both now and reflecting on the  historical perspective. Anyway, it’s the nearest I will ever get to urbexing. From there, and using Google Maps, you can enter the forest opposite and walk through to Platform 17 Memorial in Grunewald where numbers of people deported and their destinations are engraved into the platform. Once you have been drawn in by the simple perspective of the rail lines disappearing among the birch trees, and come to terms with this sobering experience, you can head into Grunewald to admire some of the beautiful villas.

Urban Nation on Bülowstrasse

This art gallery essentially offers free entry, although a donation is very welcome.  All kinds of interesting street art that is brash and colourful, has been brought together and makes for a stunning visit.

Walk further up the street and you eventually arrive at KaDeWe which is worth a visit for a luxe shopping experience. especially the food department at the top. From there it is a easy walk to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

And that is a round-up of some different ways to get to know the city of Berlin.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

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