Finding Heaven in Tiergarten, Berlin

I love the buzz of a major city and the craziness that surrounds it. The rushing people, the vast and endless streets, and soaking up the experience of it all. However, I love nothing more than finding an escape from it too – typical me! So I did just that in Tiergarten – the largest park in the middle of Berlin.
Connecting East and West Berlin, Tiergarten is Berlin’s answer to New York’s Central Park or Hyde Park in London. What used to be a hunting ground is now miles of charming greenery that completely relax you and encourage you to feel like you’re nowhere near one of the most famous cities in the world. (I’m falling in love all over again just thinking about it!).
The park is filled with walking and cycling paths, and is right by the sights you’ll want to make sure you see. Such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the Reichstag building, Potsdamer Platz, and the Victory Column. So if you want to make a day of seeing the hot spots in this area, there’s a mini itinerary for you! You’re welcome.
Tiergarten is quite easy to get to, or to be honest, you also might accidentally come across it! As you can stroll into it from most of the main attractions. You can also get the train (S-Bahn) to the station ‘Tiergarten’ and head towards the Victory Column (which is at the corner of the park). Be warned, you may come across certain nude areas in the park, as the Berliners like to sunbathe nude and there are also a few gay meeting areas around. This is all accepted amongst the Germans, so there’s nothing wrong with it and they’ll just go along doing what they do – naked! You just might see a bit more flesh than intended on your trip to Berlin!
The park is absolutely massive, and that’s an understatement! So if you’re feeling fit and alive, have a little meander around the park on foot. If you’re not feeling too perky, I’d recommend hiring a bike (there are no hills, I promise). That way you’ll get to see a whole lot more of the park much quicker, while saving your legs. You could head to the well kept English Gardens and stop for a little rest in the tea house there, or do what I did and have lunch by the lake at one of the restaurants that are scattered around. Most of them are hidden gems, have lovely beer gardens and scrumptious German cuisine.
You could also rent a little paddle boat from there to explore the sights of the park from a different angle. I would love to see it in winter as some of the lakes freeze over and are possible to skate on. Imagine! There are so many options, I wish I could have done it all myself! Definitely add Tiergarten to your list if you’re ever travelling through the historic city of Berlin. It’s a real treat!
Written by Katherine Reynolds
www.katthewanderer.com / facebook/katthewanderer / @katthewanderer