The weather is getting cooler but with restaurants only serving takeaway and bars still, closed, what are you going to do if you want to get out of the house for a bit? This time of year the leaves are changing colors and we get a lot of cold, crisp days so it is a beautiful time to go look over the city from a great viewing spot.
Here are the best free scenic lookouts in Berlin:
Drachenberg
Standing next to its more famous brother, Teufelsberg, Drachenberg sits in the west near the Heerstrasse train station. Unlike Teufelsberg, Drachenberg doesn’t have trees on the summit, so it affords uninterrupted views over the city, and also great views of the abandoned U.S. listening station, standing lonely and covered with graffiti on the Teufelsberg nearby. Drachenberg is a little out of the city center but is an absolute winner if you feel like watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset.
The Flakturm
Almost covered by earth and greenery, in the north of Berlin, near the Gesundbrunnen train station is a half-destroyed Flak tower built by the Nazis during World War II. After a lovely walk through the Humboldthain park, wander up the hill and when you get to the top the concrete megastructure will emerge. It offers amazing views out over the north of the city, but due to a line of trees doesn’t have great views to the south towards the city center. A lovely spot for a quiet beer or a break between hill sprints.
Behmstrassenbrücke
Not too far from the Flakturm, in the north of the city is the Behmstrasse bridge. It is not the highest viewpoint in Berlin, but due to sitting above a mass of train lines, it has very little blocking the amazing views southward towards the city center and the iconic Television Tower. Just north of the beloved Mauerpark, this is a great spot to watch the sunset after a lazy Sunday relaxing in the park.
Elsenbrücke
It might become clear how truly flat Berlin is when two of our recommended viewing spots are bridges. The Elsenbrücke is located near Treptower Park train station, spanning the river spree in the south-east of the city. It offers lovely views north-east towards the gorgeous Oberbaumbrücke, the molecule man sculpture, and the TV tower in the distance. Less than a ten-minute walk to beautiful parks to the east and a lively restaurant, bar, and club scene to the north it’s a perfect spot for a bit of late afternoon Instagram.
National Denkmal
Perched on the summit of the Kreuzberg, the hill in the south of Berlin that gives the Kreuzberg district its name sits the National Memorial. Designed by the famous Berlin architect and artist, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the National Denkmal celebrates the victory of the allies against the forces of Napoleon in the Wars of Liberation. The hill is surrounded by Viktoria park, a small but lovely park complete with a rocky waterfall running down the north face of the hill towards Grosbeerenstrasse. Close to the Bergmannkiez neighborhood, Viktoria park and the National Memorial is a favorite spot to sit on the steps and watch the world go by after purchasing some takeaway food and drinks at the many restaurants on and around Bergmannstrasse below.
