A Bicycle Tour along the River and Canals

The Paul-Lincke-Ufer is the stretch of land along the Kreuzberg side of the Landwehrkanal, one of the canals from the river Spree. It belongs to the area people refer to as Kreuzkölln which is a popular area for the young and cool combining the borders of Kreuzberg and Neukölln. Along the street you will find one cafe and restaurant after the other. But more interestingly there is a narrow park where a lot of people, young and old, come together to play Boule. It's a very peaceful scenario that combines generations and cultures and a perfect example of how diverse the city is. Alternatively you can also stroll or ride along the path directly at the water.

The Görlitzer Ufer is the continuation of the popular Paul-Lincke-Ufer after the Landwehrkanal makes a 90° turn to the left. This riverside is maybe not as popular, but it’s definitely more beautiful as it is more like a narrow park with lots of green stretched along the canal. You have some nice views over the river, you can see swan families in the water, there is also a playground and the Görlitzer Park is also nearby.

The White Trash Fast Food is sort of an institution in Berlin. For many years it was located in Mitte and was particularly popular with burger lovers, expats and tourists. They often had music performances in the restaurant, but also parties in the basement club. Now they moved away from Mitte to Treptow to the Spree riverside comfortably embedded between two other famous places which are Club der Visionäre and the Badeschiff. Here they have settled into an old factory style building embracing the ambience of the place while maintaining their rustic and playful interior concept. There are still stage shows and parties, but mainly it’s a lunch and dinner restaurant specialized in burgers, ribs and other types of American comfort food. Especially in the summer time the big outdoor area is very welcoming.

The Molecule Men are a very iconic piece of art in public by American sculptor Jonathan Borofsky who erected this monument in 1999. The sculpture shows three 30 Meter high silhouettes of men standing on the water of the river Spree and meeting in the middle. They holes in the metal symbolize the molecules they are made of. Each of the three men stands for one of the 3 districts Friedrichshain, Alt-Treptow and Kreuzberg that are neighboring at this spot.

Alt-Stralau is a peninsula on the river Spree between the districts of Rummelsburg and Treptow. If you go all the way to the end of it it's like standing on the tip of the tounge. You have some great views over to some smaller islands (such as the so called Island of Love) as well as to the old abandoned amusement park called Spreepark. The green tongue is perfect for a picknick or a stroll along the water front. There is also a little boat rental where you can rent paddel boats - maybe for a little cruise over to the Island of Love?

The East Side Gallery is one of the longest remaining pieces of the former Berlin Wall that divided the East and the West of the city until Germany was re-united in 1989. This part of the wall along the Mühlenstraße between Oberbaumbrücke and Schillingbrücke is also the biggest outdoor gallery of Europe — every concrete panel has a huge artwork on it. The wall was painted after the reunification. Unfortunately the murals suffered from erosion and were painted over by graffitis over the years. Since the mid 90s an organisation is collecting funds and donations to keep the artworks intact and since 2000 the murals have been renewed, mostly by the same artists that did the original works.

The Holzmarkt is a new and exciting open air space that has been built on top of the former, legendary Bar 25 club directly at the shore of the Spree. Imagine a cultural and social meeting point with lots of small alternative projects coming together in one place to create a little haven for those who want to escape the commercialized metropolis Berlin is slowly but surely becoming. Here you can grow your own carrots in the urban farming project, have your children play on the adventurous playground, eat your vegan burger at the food stand, watch independant theater productions and performances in the Ding Dong Dom or simply enjoy the sunset with a view over the river Spree.