Berlin is bigger and greener than most people assume. These five routes are all reachable by public transport and all work in every season.
1. Tempelhofer Feld loop — 2 hours, flat, everyone
Start at the Tempelhof airport entrance, walk the old runway, and keep going until the path turns into the Feld. Completely flat, completely open, and you can bail out at any point because the U-Bahn is right there. The best first hike in the city.
2. Grunewald, around the lake — 3 hours, moderate
From the S-Bahn to Nikolassee, past the swimming beach and the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial, up to the Schlachtensee. Proper forest paths, a café halfway if you need it, and a lake at the end. Boots after rain.
3. Wannsee and the Havel — 4 hours, easy
Long, flat, and beautiful. The boat goes out from Kladow, but the walk along the Havel is the point. On a warm day this is the best afternoon in the city.
4. Flughafensee to Rudow — 4 hours, moderate
Old airport runways, now forest and swimming lake, with the small planes still taking off low overhead. Slightly unusual, slightly surreal, entirely doable.
5. Müggelsee — a full day
For when you want a proper day out. S-Bahn to Friedrichshagen, then it is lakes and forest the whole way. Bring food. It is the closest Berlin gets to the countryside.
Before you go
Berlin weather turns in twenty minutes, so take a layer even in July. Tell someone your route. And if you are meeting someone for the first time, pick a route with a clear midpoint — a lake, a café — so neither of you is committed to the whole thing.
Wannsee in autumn is the one. Add it to the list and go before the leaves are gone.