28 Locations
Bathing is a summer ritual in Berlin, a city ringed by lakes and dotted with pools and lidos. When the weather turns, bathing spots fill quickly, from sandy lake shores to open air baths and the odd river pool. This tag collects Berlin locations for a dip on a warm day.
Lakes like the Wannsee, Mueggelsee and Weissensee offer beaches and grassy banks on the edges of the city, while public lidos across Kreuzberg, Neukoelln and Mitte add pools closer to home. Some spots allow nude bathing in the old FKK tradition, and many have kiosks, diving towers and shaded lawns for a full day out.
Browse the venues below to plan your bathing, from busy city pools to quiet lake shores.
In the Ruppiner Seenland near Rheinsberg lies the Sunday Resort Marina Wolfsbruch: a lake hotel with its own marina, combining water sports, wellness, and spacious holiday home facilities. Accommodation is directly on the shore, many houses have their boat berth right in front.
Purest water, sand as fine as powder and a beer garden right on the beach - do you need anything more to be happy?
Not only the extremely clear water with a depth visibility of up to 4 metres but also two green enchanted little islands in the lake make Groß-Glienicker See very special to its visitors.
Bathing, relaxing or perhaps getting married? Seebad Friedrichshagen is for all of this the right location.
Located on the Havel island of Hermannswerder in the south of Potsdam, this owner-managed 4-star hotel is situated directly on Templiner See, far enough from the hustle and bustle of the city of palaces, yet close enough to reach it in seven minutes by car. Lake sauna, lake restaurant, and lake view: here, the water is not just a backdrop, but the main attraction.
Nestled away in the forest under pine trees you will find the bathing beach Kleiner Müggelsee.
The Adlon Spa by Resense at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski is arguably Berlin's most renowned wellness address, located directly at the Brandenburg Gate in Mitte. Spread over three floors, one enters a world of white wood, polished marble, and quiet grandeur, which hardly suggests that one is in the middle of the capital.
The SSE in Prenzlauer Berg is Berlin's most impressive indoor swimming pool for fitness and sports: Europe's largest indoor pool with a 50-meter basin, ten lanes, and a 10-meter diving tower, attracting both recreational swimmers and competitive athletes.
Directly on Lake Großer Döllnsee in the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve near Templin: The four-star Hotel Döllnsee-Schorfheide offers lake holidays in Brandenburg with its own bathing jetty, bathhouse, and plenty of surrounding forest, just an hour's drive north of Berlin.
On Lake Motzen in the Dahme Lake District, the Residenz Seehotel Berlin-Brandenburg combines Märkisch country house ambiance with a wellness area, private beach, and a 27-hole golf course right next door. It's about 30 kilometers from Berlin to the water.
Tucked away in the Grunewald, deserted and absolutely peaceful - if you prefer a calmer place to go for a swim, the bathing spot Badestelle Kuhhorn on the banks of the Havel might just be the place for you.
The family-run Landhaus Himmelpfort is located on Lake Haussee near Fürstenberg an der Havel: an almost 100-year-old house with a large garden, private lake access, and boat rental. Nine suites and two double rooms, there are no more beds here.
Small, private coves with tall-standing oaks and acorns providing shade are a trademark of Schlachtensee.
Reinickendorf, in Berlin's green North, is home to a fixture among the city's bathing beaches: Strandbad Lübars.
A neo-baroque manor house directly on the Großer Lankesee in Löwenberger Land: The Seehaus at Schloss Liebenberg combines historical charm with a peaceful hotel operation, about 60 kilometers north of Berlin. 18 double rooms, a bathing jetty, and lots of surrounding forest.
Liepnitzsee with its crystal-clear water has long ceased to be an insiders' tip, yet it is still quite picturesque.
A large sandy beach, shaded spots in a small grove and several small bathing spots in the Lieper Bucht open the view of the river Havel and the island Lindwerder.
Located directly by the lido of Lake Rangsdorf, about 30 kilometers south of Berlin, is the Seehotel Berlin-Rangsdorf: a four-star hotel with private lake access, a 700 square meter wellness area, and a restaurant with lake views. BER Airport is a 20-minute drive away.
One of Berlin's most remarkable Turkish baths is located in the Schokoladenfabrik Women's Centre in Kreuzberg: opened in 1988 as Germany's first hammam, today it is a place for oriental bathing culture and living community. Steam, marble warmth, and silence belong together here.
Several bathing spots, a small historical bathing marina and truly idyllic recreational greens create a little paradise for swimmers on Straussee.
In the old town of Brandenburg an der Havel, directly on the riverbank: The Havelfloß Apartments combine lovingly renovated old buildings with floating holiday homes. You can choose between rooms with Havel views and license-free houseboats, with which you can explore the city from the water.
If you can't do without amenities like changing rooms, restrooms and snack bars, you should go for a swim at Strandbad Orankesee.
The outdoor pool Plötzensee in Berlin-Wedding is a bathing beach with tradition, for over 100 years you can enjoy summer in the middle of the city.
Anchored on the Spree, opposite Spreepark in Friedrichshain, is one of the city's most extraordinary sauna experiences: a houseboat with its own floating Banya, accessible only by pedal boat.
Plötzensee is not really an insiders' tip tucked away off the beaten track, it's much more centrally located in the city - in the heart of Berlin-Wedding. It is, so to speak, a lake with S-Bahn connection.