Berlin: A Paradise for Sport Lovers

When I first came to Berlin I felt a bit overwhelmed by its hugeness and cosmopolitan style, and wondered, if it was going to be possible for me to practice the sports I liked. Earlier than expected I realized that Berlin is actually a perfect place for sport lovers. Either if you want to find a partner to accompany you, a team where to play team-sports or that perfect place where to go out running, cycling, skating or whatever you want to do, you’ll definitely find that in Berlin!

Parks are really abundant here. When the sun begins to shine you won’t only find people sunbathing in parks but also lot of people walking, jogging or running around. If you are a runner or would like to become one, or if you are training for, let say, Berlin’s Marathon, then you should start searching for your favorite park. It may, of course, depend on where you are living or staying. I personally like Volkspark Friedrichshain a lot, because it is centrally located and it has two small hills, quite uncommon in Berlin city center. It is located less than 1.5km from Kapitel Zwei, between the streets Landsberger Allee and Am Friedrichshain. Moreover, in its northern end you will find an 800m long ellipsoidal lane where you can practice sprint series. It is, of course, also beautiful to walk around or even to bring your kids to play or do a BBQ with your friends. There is also a free open cinema inside, some sport fields, a really nice fountain on its southwestern entrance and space enough to get completely disoriented inside.

If you are more of the cycling style and like to go out biking several kilometers without being bothered by cars, then Grünewald Park is your place. Well, it’s actually a forest and not just a small park, located next to the Havel, a tributary of the Elbe River. Especially on weekend’s mornings, hundreds of people go there to – among many other things – ride their bikes. It is in the way to Potsdam so bikers who like to go farther usually take this way, but it is also possible to ride around the forest either doing circles around the river or going forward next to the river and then back next to the highway. It is highly motivational to see so many people on their bikes, so I absolutely recommend you to go there.

If it’s a bit far away for you, but you would still like to go biking safely, then maybe you should try Tempelhofer Feld. It is also one of my favorite places, because it used to be an airport. Yes, an airport! With all the lanes and green areas now available for people to enjoy them. The bike lane (watch out, also skating, walking and jogging lane) has 6 km long, but you can also do some sprints on what used to be the take-off and landing lanes.

In case you are looking for aquatic sports, then Berlin also offers numerous lakes and rivers opened to the public. In my case, I love to swim and recommend you to go either to the Havel and Wannsee, on the west next to Grünewald Forest, or maybe to Müggelsee, in the east. There are lots of other smaller and closer lakes where you can also go swimming. In the biggest ones you can also go canoeing, rowing, stand-up-paddling or windsurfing. They usually rent surfing equipment in case you need it, as they do at Wannsee. And you might be asking: “What if it is winter?” Then you can still try the lakes, quite cold though, or go to the closest swimming pool. There are a lot in Berlin, but I personally like Europasportpark, because it has a 50m long swimming pool.