Last updated on 10/21/2026
Clear water, quiet bays and fine sand: the lakes around Berlin are the shortest route to cooling off on a hot day. Sacrower See in the west is the deepest of them all at 39 metres and sits so quietly in the Königswald that you often have the water to yourself in the morning. Strandbad Orankesee in the east takes the opposite approach, with a 52-metre water slide, a soccer arena and a sandy beach, which makes it the obvious choice with children. Things get central at Plötzensee in Wedding, where 15,000 square metres of beach and a swimming island sit right beside Volkspark Rehberge. Add the shaded coves on the southern shore of Schlachtensee, the reopened lido at Straussee and the glass-clear Liepnitzsee. Which one are you diving into next?
Yulia Veksler
Nothing beats a jump into the cool water for me when the city is shimmering. What I like best is heading to the Sacrower See, where after swimming I can sit in the beer garden right on the beach. When I want clear water, I am drawn to the Liepnitzsee. This list is my very own treasure map for Berlin bathing days.
Lake Sacrow, located between Kladow and Sacrow, is the quietest swimming lake in the west: 110 hectares in a glacial channel, up to 39 meters deep, fed by groundwater and surrounded by the Königswald forest. Swimming is permitted at two tolerated natural bathing areas, including a sandy beach with shallow entry at the northern tip. No entrance fee, no infrastructure.
Lake Groß-Glienicke is one of the clearest swimming lakes in the region: 66 hectares, up to 11.2 meters deep, almost entirely fed by groundwater, with the state border running right through its waters. The Potsdam bathing area 'An der Badewiese' offers a fine sandy beach, sunbathing lawn, forest playground, and kiosk pavilion with excellent water quality.
The Kleiner Müggelsee (Little Müggelsee) near Neu Helgoland is the quiet alternative to the large Müggelsee: 10.3 hectares, natural shoreline in the Müggelspree landscape protection area and an official bathing area with excellent water quality. Accessible by the BVG ferry F23, free of charge, with a water rescue station and a bathing area protected from boat traffic.
Kuhhorn bathing spot in Grunewald is the city's wild Havel beach: an undeveloped headland on the eastern bank of the Lower Havel, small bays, a narrow strip of sand, and a view of Gatow. Swimming is allowed here, but there is no supervision, no water rescue, and no infrastructure. Free, accessible by bus 218 to Schildhorn.
With 41 hectares, Schlachtensee is the largest lake in the Grunewald lake chain and is one of Berlin's bathing lakes with officially excellent water quality. The entire undeveloped shore is considered a bathing area; Paul-Ernst-Park adjoins the south shore. A seven-kilometer-long lakeside path connects the shady coves. Swimming is free, dogs are not allowed.
Liepnitzsee is the only larger clear-water lake in the Barnim Nature Park and one of the bathing lakes around Berlin with the best water quality. At the last measurement of the season, the visibility depth was three meters. The forest lido offers sandy shores, paddling pools, and boat rental, and in the middle of the lake lies the island Großer Werder.
Lieper Bucht is a bay of the Lower Havel and one of Berlin's few swimming lakes with a real sand beach in the middle of Grunewald. The DLRG maintains a water rescue station here, and access is free. However, blue-green algae often appear in mid and late summer; an official warning was issued in August 2026.
Straussee in Strausberg is one of the deepest and clearest bathing lakes in the Berlin area: 136 hectares, up to 20 meters deep, visibility depths of three to five meters, and officially excellent water quality. The lido from 1925 is open again after seven years, complemented by free sunbathing lawns, boat rentals, and the historic cable ferry.
Orankesee Lido in Alt-Hohenschönhausen is the family beach bath in East Berlin: 52-meter long water slide, separate children's slide, sandy beach, soccer arena and beach volleyball at a kettle lake with excellent bathing water quality. In operation since 1929, family-run since 2002, admission 8 Euros, reduced 5.50 Euros.
The Plötzensee lido in Wedding brings 15,000 square meters of sandy beach, 40,000 square meters of sunbathing lawn, and a swimming island directly to Volkspark Rehberge. Four beach volleyball courts, mini-golf, slides, a nudist area, and paddleboard rental make it the most versatile lido in northern Berlin. Admission 10 Euros, reduced 6 Euros.
