Relay of Parks and Châteaux

A most pleasant lake in summer, for swimming, boating, pedal boating or simply strolling. Going north, we arrive at Tegel Castle, at No. 19 Adelheidallee, Renaissance style.

Between Puschkinallee and Am Treptower Park, Treptower Park is almost a forest! A passage allows to reach the peninsula of Stralau. There is a bicycle path for bicycles. Starting from the other side, along the river Spree, you can take a tour on the Youth island (Insel der Jugend) or in the Plänterwald, around the Spreepark, a former amusement park abandoned (guided tours in German only, www.berliner-spreepark.de).

The Viktoriapark is a 16 hectare garden in the centre of Kreuzberg. There is a beautiful waterfall, around which it is pleasant to walk, and large stretches of grass where you can get longer in summer. In the west, in Dahlem, the Botanical Garden (Botanischer Garten) is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. On 42 hectares of park and greenhouses, there are more than 20 000 different types of plants, including tropical plants and carnivores.

Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island) and its castle (S-Bahn Wannsee then bus A16 to the ferry) are probably one of the most charming bucolic visits in Berlin. The small wooden castle was built between 1794 and 1796 by Brendel, the royal carpenter from Potsdam. It was once surrounded by cows grazing quietly, then replaced, for aesthetic reasons, by peacocks. Also visit Schloss und Park Glienicke (S-Bahn Wannsee then bus no. 116 to Glienicker Brücke). Rebuilt in 1826 by Schinkel for Prince Charles of Prussia, Glienicke Castle is in the Italian style. The entrance to the castle is dominated by the Lions Fountain, inspired by the Villa Medicis in Rome. The park, particularly beautiful and romantic, is by Lenné.

Babelsberg Castle, the second residence of King William I for more than 50 years, was built from 1833 according to Schinkel's plans. The plans of the park were drawn by Lenné in 1833. There is also a tower dating from 1856, from which you can see the city from the top. Neuer Garten - Schloss Cecilienhof and Marmorpalais. To the northwest of Potsdam, the New Garden, built at the request of Frederick William II in 1786, houses Cecilienhof Castle and Marble Palace. It was in Cecilienhof that the 1945 Potsdam Conference between the winners of the war was held.

The forest and the hunting lodge of Grünewald. Built on the shores of Lake Grünewald, in the middle of the forest, this pavilion dates back to 1542; it is the oldest castle in Berlin. Teufelsberg (Devil's Mountain) is an artificial mountain 115 m high, built from post-war rubble. It can be ridden by mountain bike or even on skis. At its top is the famous NSA spy station, now a favourite spot for squatters and urban explorers.