COVID-19 has changed a lot of things. Some things suddenly and drastically, while more changes are sure to continue happening for the foreseeable future. Life is different than it used to be just a few months ago.
I am doing my best – like so many of us – to embrace these changes, or at least see the silver lining. One of the changes I have enjoyed is the re-discovery of our area. When Berlin was locked down to walks in your neighborhood, we walked. We found paths we hadn’t been down, woods practically deserted, and (when they re-opened) playgrounds we hadn’t played out. As quarantine has eased, our circle expanded to other Kiez (neighborhoods). We spent days finding the best street art in Schöneberg or tacos in Friedrichshain.
After nearly a decade in Berlin, you would think I have this city pretty well figured out. But that is one of the things that keeps Berlin so interesting. It is constantly changing, shifting, evolving through external pressures and internal unrest. It is a city that never truly settles down, a permanent adolescent. Critic and author Karl Scheffler famously described Berlin as “a city condemned forever to becoming and never to being”. And, as I’ve discovered, this extends to outside the C Zone. With no trips beyond Germany’s borders any time soon, I have looked outside the city limits for adventure.
We have been to Potsdam and Sachsenhausen. We’ve ridden the ferry out to Pfaueninsel and looked at the peacocks. We’ve swum from Müggelsee to Liepnitzsee. Visits to Dresden and Leipzig really deserve at least an overnight stay. Luckily, there is more to see just outside of Berlin and into Brandenburg. If you think you’ve seen it all or are desperate for a new place during these Corona times, here are four more day trips from Berlin that deserve some love.
Schlosspark Oranienburg PHOTO: Erin Porter
The only things I knew about Oranienburg before our latest trip is that there is an S-Bahn stop, a water park, and Berlin’s most notorious concentration camp. Quite a combo, right?
Add to that hodgepodge of a list a simple palace and its spectacular gardens. Looking to take advantage of a sunny day, we traveled just 20 minutes from the north of the city and found a place for my family of four to enjoy. Entrance was just 4 euros for adults (discounted for children and in the off season) and we spent several happy hours walking the grounds. There were beehives and wildflowers, mazes and ornamental gardens, and a sprawling playground with water elements, trampoline, and playhouse. We ended the visit with an ice cream which is how every good day trip should end.
Dinopark Germendorf PHOTO: Erin Porter
I’ve been hearing about this Dinopark from other families for a while. I was like, “Wait – like dinosaurs?” The answer is a stegosaurus-sized YES.
This wonderful relic of an amusement park is straight from DDR times and holds a nostalgic place in many Berliner’s hearts. You enter past a lake with a massive model whale in the center and immediately start passing dinosaurs. There are photo opportunities where you can put your face in the dino’s mouths and the rumble of a prehistoric soundtrack give off a truly wild vibe.
Along with the dinos, there are enclosures for wild animals and deer nonchalantly amble through the park checking to see if you have purchased any grain from the ample feeders. There are pony rides, swimming beaches, a monkey island, and playgrounds appear throughout. It is kiddie paradise with the absolute highlight the self-run carnival rides. For just a euro you strap yourself into a mini-roller coaster or swing across the lake 20 feet in the air. I looked around like “Shouldn’t someone be checking that we are using this right?” but still happily boarded with my 5-year-old and smiled ear-to-ear as we whizzed through the air.
You shouldn’t leave before picking up a DDR soft serve chocolate vanilla swirl.
Karls Erdbeerhof in Elstal PHOTO: M.Knaak https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73654726
I had an entirely different idea of what this place was going to be. It roughly translates to “Karl’s strawberry farm” and I pictured us picking strawberries and walking through fields. It isn’t like that at all. It is so much better.
We arrived via a train and then a dedicated Karl’s bus to a massive barn-like building. Upon entry we were surrounded by the sweet smell of strawberries and an endless display of mercantile goods. Antique teapots line the sky-high shelves and all the food and decor are for sale. There are pulled hard candies, strawberry cookies, bread and ice cream, plus a buffet of German classics.
Outside, there are rustic rides like a gunny sack slide and tractor pull. Recently they’ve even put in a roller coaster and ice land. Many of the attractions are free, though some do require a small fee. As you walk through the country store, food options, and displays you can feel how shamelessly you are being sold to, but it is so charming you hardly mind.
Baum & Zeit Baumkronenpfad Beelitz-Heilstätten
Treetop Walk in Beelitz PHOTO: Erin Porter
There is no cooler way to spend your free time in Berlin than breaking into abandoned buildings. However, those numbers are ever-decreasing due to the ceaseless march of gentrification, and rebels become parents and the idea of dragging a toddler through shattered glass and questionable structures becomes less attractive.
The sanatorium at Beelitz is a happy middle ground. Once a place for the posh ladies to ease rattling lungs affected by tuberculosis, it was eventually deserted and its fine structures had grown derelict over time. The call to break into glamorous ruins meant a certain type of Berliner made a steady trek to the site for years. Realizing the dangers, the place was redesigned for people to view the buildings safely – from tree level. Visitors climb (or ride an elevator) up to the 36 meter high observation tower for unparalleled views of Berlin forest, and then descend a floor to walk at the same height as the tops of the buildings. Trees emerge out of crumbling windows and graffiti can be seen through open walls. It is an otherworldly experience at once among nature and civilization.
Clearly, places that make my list get bonus points for being kid-friendly and serving ice cream. If you have a suggestion to share, please do! Who knows how much longer these low-key lockdown measures will continue and we need all the help we can get.
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