“There are such beautiful places around Berlin,” they always say. But mostly I am more attracted to faraway destinations. Berlin’s (and Brandenburg’s) most beautiful corners always need to wait. But this month I got tired of travelling. Or better: Berlin was too beautiful with clear blue skies and summer temperatures. And with a bike tour around the Müggelsee, even a city like Berlin feels like a wildlife paradise.
Bike tour around the Müggelsee: Holidays in Berlin
I like to travel: the further away, the better. After all, I am also writing this blog, which is mainly about travel. But then I also live in Berlin. A city that can feel like a warm and cosy nest in a minute and two streets away like an exotic country. The whole world in a single city.
But after almost 18 years of continuous travel, there are sometimes phases in which you can only fully charge your battery at home – without living out of your suitcase, without constantly changing locations. And so this time my vacations became staycations: In search of the beautiful corners of Berlin.
Looking for even more inspiration for bike tours in and around Berlin? In this handy little spiral booklet for on the road you will find great tour suggestions and lots of information for cycling tours of different lengths and degrees of difficulty.
By bike to the outskirts of Berlin: Off to the Dahme River
I like cycling again anyway, and recently I have discovered cycling tours for myself. In Berlin itself, riding a bike is more about locomotion than fun; being stuck to the back of cars and crashing into spontaneously opening passenger doors simply reduces the pleasure of biking. Fortunately, the S-Bahn takes you quickly out into the countryside and taking your bike with you on the train is often no problem.
Bike tour through Köpenick and Müggelheim / Bike tour to Müggelsee
In the east and south-east of Berlin, the Great and Small Müggelsee lakes and the Dahme are the next destinations for excursions if you feel like a lake and forest. Yes, right, there are large contiguous forest areas and numerous bathing places. Just perfect for a trip into the countryside. And it is hard to believe that you are actually still in Berlin.
Interested in more short trips around Germany?
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Tour suggestion for a bicycle tour around the Müggelsee
Take the S-Bahn to the station Grünau. (Line S8/9/45/46/47/85)
Then straight ahead along Wassersportallee down towards Dahme.
By the way, if you just want to swim and don’t feel like biking, just follow the signs to Bammelecke and you’ll find one of the best bathing spots in Berlin, which is not overcrowded even in midsummer!
Special feature of this tour: At the end of the Wassersportallee you take one of the small ferries, which are operated by the BVG – here the S-Bahn ticket is still valid! I love these small BVG ferries, which are located at several other places in Berlin – an absolutely brilliant service.
When you reach the other side, just follow the shore to the right and cross the beautiful forest and pass cozy bathing places. Do not be alarmed, some bathing places are unofficial nudist beaches.
You can just follow the shore, at some point you come to a strip of land where another ferry stops. Either you take the ferry here or you continue to follow the bike trail towards Müggelheim.
Here you can take a short break in the cosy village in the ice cream parlour.
The route continues straight through Müggelheim along Odernheimer Straße to the Kleiner Müggelsee.
If you follow the shore to the left here, you will come to the Strandbad Kleiner Müggelsee, a large sandy beach surrounded by forest. Here you can swim or sunbathe.
If you prefer to continue your journey, keep to the shore and you will automatically reach the southern shore of the Großer Müggelsee.
From here once half around the Großer Müggelsee until you come to the Spreetunnel, which passes under the Müggelspree. (Attention: there are long stairs going up and down – there is a ramp for bikes, but you’ll need some effort).
Now you are in Friedrichshagen>/strong>. The renovated Art Nouveau houses and the beach promenade will make the atmosphere complete.
In the Hafenbar you can end the day with a wonderful view of the lake before returning to the city from the S-Bahn station Friedrichshagen (5 minutes away by bike and signposted).
This tour can be done in a couple of hours (with plenty of breaks and enjoying the surroundings) – but you can also spend a whole day in the region and create your very own tour. The cycle paths along the Dahme and Müggelsee are well marked and with a day ticket you can use all BVG ferries (also by bike) for free on the way.
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Helpful links:
BVG Public Transport Information
Bicycle guide for Berlin and surroundings – useful maps for on the road
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All destinations in Germany:
- Best Things to Do in Friedrichshafen at Lake Constance
- Semperoper Dresden: Tips for an evening at the opera house
- Hamburg: How to find the best harbor tour
