In an attempt to make social distancing a little less painful since I miss getting out of the city so much, C and I have been biking, biking, biking. I know that I’m very lucky to have the lack of weekend train rides as my biggest complaint during this crisis, and even that we have managed to mitigate a good bit. Now that we’ve completed many tours on many weekends, I’ve got some Berlin bike trip tips to share with you, dear Berliners.
Too little, too late you say? Corona restrictions are slowly being lifted, but we never know when they could be reinstated. Besides, the weather is getting good for this kind of thing. And who doesn’t love a good adventure that begins right at their very own doorstep?
Some of the tips on this list are to get out and see something without having to use public transportation (so the route might not be the greatest but there is something to see at the end) and others are about going for a nice ride. All of these tours can be completed without any sort of public transportation (depending on where you live in Berlin and how long of an adventure you’re looking for).
Table of Contents
1) Make a trip to Lübars
Lübars is Berlin’s oldest village and a really beautiful region of Reinickendorf that is still within the city limits. Unfortunately getting there is not necessarily the best bike ride through the city depending on where you’re coming from. But if you start early enough on a Sunday, you won’t be hassled by many cars and can instead enjoy the cityscape.
To keep it simple, we rode past Volkspark Rehberge, headed up Ollenhauser Straße (which turns into Oranienburger Straße), and then turned right onto Zabel-Krüger-Damm until we arrived in Lübars.
I liked this trip because you bike so long, you feel like you’re way outside of the city, when in fact you’re still in Berlin! Many people are exploring their “Kiez” again now that there’s “nothing else to do.” I felt that this trip helped me to explore more of Berlin since we rode through parts of the capital that I never would have ridden through before like Wittenau, Waidmannslust, and Reinickendorf.
There are many nice nature walks through the Lübarser Felder near the Tegeler Fließ. The day we visited was unfortunately very busy so we didn’t wander around as much as I would have liked. There were horses out for a trot from the nearby farm and places to sit in the grass and watch the Lübarsians walk by. Just over the border into Brandenburg are the Eichermoor Wiesen and Niedermoorwiesen along the Tegeler Fließ as well as the Mauerweg (if you fancy a different route back). So this trip is more about the destination than the journey, unlike the next trip…
2) Cycle to Tegel
No, not the airport! Tegel is another village located in the Reinickendorf district. This trip is two for two because the route is awesome and so is the destination. We left from near Plötzensee, following the bike signs along the Berlin-Spandauer-Schifffahrtskanal (3 f’s in a row…don’t you love German?) on the opposite side of Saatwinkler Damm. This trail (all the way to Tegel) can get full in the early afternoon, but we had no problems leaving before 10am. All you have to do is follow the bike signs along the water towards Tegel. There is a section of non-asphalted dirt path as you get closer, but it is manageable and doesn’t get too sandy.
Once you arrive in Tegel, you can enjoy the promenade and view of the water while having a beer or an ice cream before the return journey. This trip is 11 km each way. Normally we do this as an out and back because we haven’t found different return route which is as nice. If you’re up for trying, I would think the path along the Nordgraben might be a way to start. This is our “we-have-no-plan-but-want-to-get-out” go-to bike ride because it’s so easy to follow, doesn’t require much planning, and is really a great stretch of bike path (as proven by its popularity) through the city.
3) Bike to Hennigsdorf
Hennigsdorf is juuuust outside of Berlin and we rode on the Berlin-Brandenburg border for most of the trip. The tour to Hennigsdorf is a really nice one. Once you get there, there is plenty of water to enjoy and lots of forest for hiking.
Beginning again from Plötzensee, the first portion of the route is similar to heading towards Tegel. At the end of Saatwinkel, instead of following the path towards the right in order to go up the east side of Tegeler See, you head over the bridge (following the Berlin-Copenhagen route, among others). The route goes about 15 minutes through Haselhorst and an uninteresting portion of Spandau but soon spits you out onto a nice Füßgänger path along the Havel. Once you reach the Bürgerablage beach you’ll be on the Berliner Mauerweg all the way to Hennigsdorf. In Hennigsdorf, you can continue on the Mauerweg for a looong ride back to Berlin. Plötzensee to Hennigsdorf is about 20 km one way.
If you still have the energy for a hike once you arrive, you can join up with the 66-Lakes-Trail. Once you reach Rupiner Straße turn right and go over the bridge. At the traffic circle, turn left and follow L171 for about 500 meters. You’ll see hiking/biking signs to turn left and hike through the Stolper Heide. This extension can also be done by bike, still following the Berlin-Copenhagen trail.
4) Have an adventure in Großbeeren
This trip was again more about the destination than the journey, because the goal this time was to combine cycling with hiking. We rode out to Großbeeren specifically to hike in the Diedesdorfer Heide. From Steglitz, we took a terrible way through Lankwitz, Marienfelde, and Mariendorf. Starting from S Feuerbachstraße, I would instead recommend heading to the canal in Steglitz via the Fahrradstraße Lauenberger Straße which turns into Sedanstraße. Cross the bridge at Wismarer Straße to follow the canal on the Brandenburg side and follow the Mauerweg through the Kirschblütenallee. Then turn right on Osdorfer Straße. Make the first right onto Berliner Straße and head straight on to Großbeeren. This is around 19 kilometers.
The hike we chose began right at the Memorial Tower in town. Googling, you can find several hikes in the Diedesdorfer Heide ranging from 4 to 20 kilometers. I think our tour was very similar to this one, but each time I search I find different hikes. There are several highlights in the area including the Dorfkirche Kleinbeeren, Mahlower Seegraben, a one-man bunker, and the Diedesdorfer Schloss.
Our 14 kilometer hike took us by Schloss Genshagen. I was pleasantly surprised by the Schloss which was built in the 1700s. I was even more surprised to try the handle of the gate and discover that it was open! The Schlosspark is free for visitors and we made use of the benches and beautiful landscape to take a much needed break. I would definitely go back and explore more of the Diedesdorfer Heide again.
5) Complete tour #2 from Radtouren ins Berliner Umland (Band 2)
This. Tour. Is. Amazing. This round trip tour is from Teltow to Babelsberg and back. Again, we started near Feuerbach Straße, taking the bike streets to the Teltow Canal until we reached the start of the trail in Teltow. This trip is not for thin tires, as we were often on dirt, sand, or gravel paths. The route was so much fun and had us wondering the whole time “how does someone put together a tour like this?” The trail is often parallel to the Mauerweg on bike paths that aren’t part of official tours. This means that the route is much less crowded and much more enjoyable.
There were several cool highlights on this trip. Firstly: the Teltow Canal. It was my first time biking such an extensive section of the Teltow Canal and it was AMAZING. I love being along the water for hiking and biking, so obviously, the canal hits that check mark. The path is away from streets and cars, reducing the noise from the city. The canal itself was surrounded by greenery and hosted an abundance of bird life. I would definitely just do out and backs now that I know how great it is and how easy to get there it is.
We went by the locks in Stahnsdorf as well as the abandoned Hakeburg castle. Riding through Babelsberg, we went by cute shops, the adorable Rathaus, and Park Babelsberg. The Park contains many sights like the Potsdam skyline, the Glienicke Bridge, and the “3 Schlösser Blick,” a point at which 3 castles are visible.
We also went over the former highway bridge Dreilinden. It was such a strange place. Imagine an enormous concrete bridge with plants growing out of it and hikers/bikers just taking a break to look out over the edge.
All in all, this trip was about 60 kilometers (if you start and return to S Feuerbachstraße, the tour itself is 36km). Of the trips we’ve taken since the Corona restrictions, it has been my favorite. I am looking forward to checking out the other routes from this book. C has already completed a few tours from this book and they’ve all been successes. If you can read in German, it’s worth getting!
6) Bike around the Müggelsee
There is one for all y’all out in Friedrichshain (or further!). Although it is 16 kilometers from the East Side Gallery to the Spree Tunnel Friedrichshagen, you can cut this 27 kilometer afternoon bike ride in Erkner short by leaving out the Erkner part. Instead of beginning at S Erkner, start at the Spree Tunnel and follow the bike path around the south side of the lake. You’ll still need to head over the Triglaw bridge in order to make this a round trip (turning left on Biberpelzstraße, then right on Rialtoring, and left on Fürstenwalder Allee to head back towards Berlin).
I loved that riding around the lake was so easy. The trail is really flat and smooth. Along the way there are many nice places to sit, picnic, and enjoy the lake. The only tricky part is that you have to carry your bike down and up to get through the Spree Tunnel. Even this part you could skip if you ride your bike from Berlin on the south side of the Spree and return on the north.
7) Cycle Berlin Wall Bike Trail
Would a list of biking in Berlin be complete without the Berliner Mauerweg? Of course not! With a total of 152 kilometers surrounding the former exclave of West Berlin, the Berlin Mauerweg is a really well signposted bike path that is reachable no matter where you are in Berlin. The Berlin Wall bike trail is a bike trail with history. Along the way there are orange info stations where you can learn about what that area used to look like, about the people who lost their lives crossing the border there, and more about the Wall itself.
Impressive sites along the way include the Bernauer Straße Berlin Wall Memorial and Documentation Center, Mauerpark, Tegeler Fließ, Spandauer Forest, Potsdam, Checkpoint Charlie, the East Side Gallery, the many remaining border towers, and the Kirschblütenallee at the Japan Eck, among many others. Certain sections of the path can be pretty popular, so if you’re going out for the weekend you might want to avoid high times.
Well, what are you waiting for? Adventure is calling! These and many other tours are out there for you to explore (in fact, we’re going on another one tomorrow. Perhaps there will be an update soon!). Have you been on any of these trails? Do you have more Berlin biking suggestions for me and C? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below 🙂
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