Walk over broken glass like a fakir, step through water like an amphibian and wander through moist moor, Barfußpark Beelitz-Heilstätten (barefoot park) is great family fun for courageous children, parents and grandparents. Only 36 minutes by train from Bahnhof Zoo station, Barfußpark Beelitz-Heilstätten is an easily accessible excursion destination in Brandenburg, which is ideal for the whole family and also for day care groups and school classes. Even if the park, which opened in 2017, is well visited in fine weather, it is not cramped. The visitors spread out over an area of almost 15 hectares in the forest.
There are a total of three paths for children and the young at heart, a mixture between nature trail, trimming and playground equipment. At the beginning there is a short introduction by the park staff, whereby children and adults are made familiar with the park rules, for example to stay on the marked paths and not to leave any rubbish lying around. Then you can go on your barefoot trail! You get a locker where you can leave your shoes and walk into the park, on bare feet. The three paths through the barefoot park are marked with colours: red, yellow and blue. Each route takes about 1 to 1.5 hours. The red trail is the best to start with. Here the first interesting surfaces like pebbles and broken glass (!) and a water basin are waiting. Now your feet are wide awake and prepared for what comes next.
The red trail leads past the park highlights such as the large wobble bridge, the balancing stairs and the large giant swing.
Walking makes hungry. If you want to have a lunch break before you go on your next trail, you can have a rest in the Park Café with a waffle or a coffee with milk. Alternatively you can bring your own picnic and eat it a the bright yellow tent nest to the café. The following yellow path offers experiences for older children such as the magnetic ball game, the ball labyrinth or the tree telephone. Great fun is also the muddy station like the way through wet moor. After that, your feet look like stockinged. The blue path at the end presents challenges in balancing and leads through a light birch grove in which reflective spheres provide unusual light reflections. In addition to all the fun at the adventure stations, you get to know different tree species, have a short introduction to herbalism and experience nature with all your senses.
Having completed your trail, you can scrub your feet clean again with brushes at the washing place. Tip from the Top10 editors: pack the whole family, plan enough time and don’t forget a small towel for your feet! There are also combined tickets available with close by Baumkronenpfad (Treetop Trail).
