What a playground. Water play. Rope jungle. Huge animal statues. Clay making. Climbing areas that…read morego on and on. And that's apparently just one of three playgrounds here at Britzer Garten, a huge suburban park that's got a lake, a little train, plentiful benches and flower gardens, several snack stands and at least one very nice looking cafe on the small lake. This made a very fun outing for our crew of young European travelers (i.e., kids 4-8) who had enjoyed all the sightseeing but were also ready for a good place to just run around with the local kids. If you're going from downtown Berlin: it's only 20 minutes or so on the U-6 to Alt-Mariendorf, but you will then definitely want to take the bus to one of the park entrances. It's only a 5-10 minute bus ride -- and pretty easy to figure out once you arrive at Alt-Mariendorf -- but the distance is further than it looks on a map... and you don't want to use all your little people's energy just walking down a semi-busy street. Also, check out the map on the park's website before you go. I'd suggest aiming for one of the SW entrances (bus 179 as of this week), which are adjacent to the playground our kids enjoyed. (We entered from the North and bus 181, and there is not much up there other than flowers). Overall the park is plenty close that it's not a big deal getting there, but far enough that I'd consider it at least a half-day outing.

This is a wonderful place to see. Give yourself lots of time- it's over 90 hectares…read more There is a playground, lots of lakes, paths to stroll and sculptures to contemplate. Don't miss out on a great crepe while you're there! Bring your kite if it's breezy...

We mainly ended up here because I wanted to see the Soviet War Memorial. The park is along the…read moreriver. There wasn't many people around. If you want to find some solitude, this would be the place to go.

Treptower Park is admittedly not a place I frequent so often, especially considering how close I…read morelive to it. However, it is a place that I am fond of and enjoy every time I am there. In particular, its location on the water is a major positive. There is almost always a cool breeze and plenty of things to see, such as people on boat cruises. The wide expanse of green lawns means that there are plenty of people picnicking, studying, or playing frisbee, but it never tends to be overcrowded - another plus point in my book. The park is also home to a beer garden (Das Zenner), a former amusement park (Spreepark), the Soviet War Memorial, rose gardens and fountains, and it leads over to the Insel der Jugend, another interesting place to check out. All in all, a great place to relax and take it easy without worrying about the crowds.

Well. I knew there was a seedy underside to Berlin somewhere - and here it is. As part of my study…read moreof public spaces in Berlin for my thesis, Gorlizter Park was on my list. Its a big park, with a lot of parts. The north end is surrounded by hipster hangouts, a very nice church tower and an Ubahn station. Lots of people coming and going. There is also a hill with a swimming pool buried in the middle of it. One side has a glass jewelbox viewing window, the other side a particularly ugly curved concrete facade that looks to be left over from the GDR days. One would hope that the bulldozer will one day remove that hideous blot of concrete. There are 3 old buildings nearby that seem to be relics of a railroad past. Nice structures - one is a restaurant (Das Edelweiss) and one is marked 'clubhouse'. They are simply covered in graffiti. Sad really. There is an odd concrete construction facing the restaurant that seems to be either the worst designed amphitheater ever, or a failed fountain that now kinda serves that purpose. Not sure. Odd. Graffiti is an epidemic here. For some reason the lower half of the park has this yellow brick wall in many places that simply invites spray paint. There are no police to be seen. Lots of people out with strollers and dogs, even on a drizzly weekday late afternoon. Older folks walking about - and - drug dealers. I was warned in advance - but the blatant nature of the activity was rather surprising. Above Oppelner Strasse is mostly open and/or active recreation. Below, towards the river, is designed to offer a more 'natural' green experience. There is a strange depression in the middle that serves no purpose, and at Oppelner is a fountain that was inoperative. Perhaps due to the season. Dunno. Heres the strange thing: Right at the entrance, on either side of the fountain, are two grottos with benches and heavy vegetation/shielding for these spaces - its as if the designers ASKED the pot dealers how to set it up best for them and they did. Absolutely the dumbest thing I have ever seen in a park. One guy on a bike was simply convinced I was his newest customer. He gave up after two or three entreaties. It seems he was a runner for the dudes hanging in the grotto - I saw him going there and off again a couple of times. Clearly, attitudes about drugs are more relaxed here, but this park suffers greatly I think from the obvious disorder of street level drug sales and graffiti. Even with all that, given the location and size of the park, I'm guessing that in summer its a very busy place.

This is not a park to bring your children to play. Not at all. Berlintronix's review basically got…read moreit spot on. Görlitzer park does have an interesting history though, which I suppose contributes to it's current crappiness. It was the former site of Görlitzer Station, which connected West Berlin to East Germany, which after the wall was put up obviously became somewhat pointless, so they tore down the (beautiful) remains of the bombed-out station and half-heartedly turned the space into this park. In the centre of the park is the remains of an underground tunnel that lead into the station. It seems kinda weird that they just left it here. At the west-most end of the park is an indoor swimming bath, and outside next to it is a half-demolished water park. I don't quite understand what happened here, as it can only possibly have been built 30-40 years ago, but it looks like the ruins of some ancient civilisation. Weird. All in all a crappy place to bring children, but an interesting place to visit. I recommend checking out the cafe/bar Das Edelweiss which is at one end of the park.