Strandbad Wannsee

With 1,275 meters of sandy beach and 355,000 square meters of grounds, Strandbad Wannsee is Berlin's largest lake beach: Baltic Sea sand, historic New Objectivity changing rooms, FKK zone, beach volleyball, and beach chairs. A day ticket costs 6.50 Euros, reduced 3.80 Euros, and the S-Bahn stops 1.2 kilometers away. The whole site is a listed monument.

Baltic Sea Sand on 1,275 Meters

Anyone in Berlin truly looking for a beach at a swimming lake, and not just a sunbathing lawn, cannot miss this establishment in Nikolassee. In front of the changing rooms are 1,275 meters of sand, 80 meters wide, specially brought from the Baltic Sea. The grounds cover 355,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 30,000 guests on hot days without feeling crowded. The Großer Wannsee itself, with an average depth of 5.4 meters, is the deepest of Berlin’s large flow-through lakes, and its water quality has been rated excellent by the EU for the years 2021 to 2024. Shallow zones at the shore make swimming clear even for small non-swimmers, while it quickly gets deep further out. Beach chairs can be rented, and a sauna is also part of the premises. Approximately one tenth of the area is a FKK (nudist) zone, plus beach volleyball, a soccer field, bungee trampolines, and a boat rental. Grills, shishas, glass, and dogs are not allowed, and anyone over 14 years old needs an original official photo ID at the entrance.

Metropolitan Bath of New Objectivity

The four double-story changing rooms, the promenade deck, and the beach restaurant were designed by city architect Martin Wagner and executed by Richard Ermisch. The idea was a metropolitan bath over 1,000 meters long; about half was completed on September 19, 1930, while the planned south axis was never built. The entrance building from 1926 is also preserved, and hardly any other swimming lake in Germany boasts architecture of this caliber. All the building fabric is a protected monument, which shapes daily life at the bath: The over 500-meter-long historic path from the entrance through the forest to the beach has been renovated in accordance with monument preservation and is now open again, while upper-story arcades and sun decks remain closed. Showers and toilets are barrier-free, and a concrete path leads downstairs to three reserved beach chairs and the water, though the main path from the entrance is steep and unpaved. Five disabled parking spaces are located at the entrance, S-Bahn lines S1 and S7 stop in Nikolassee, from where it’s a good 1.2 kilometers on foot. Parking is subject to a fee, and entry is barrier-free via a license plate recognition system.