How a beer garden works
A Biergarten is an outdoor garden where you drink beer and eat simple dishes: sausages, pretzels, roast chicken or pork knuckle. The principle is the same everywhere, with a few variations:
- Service: in some you order at the counter and sit wherever you like; in others a waiter takes your order at the table. Check whether people get up to fetch their own glass before you settle in.
- Weather: most open, or keep their terrace open, only in fine weather, from late spring to early autumn. Check the venue's website before setting out if the weather is uncertain.
- Booking: usually you cannot reserve. For a group on a sunny weekend, arrive early.
- Payment: not all take cards. Keep some cash; our guide to paying in Berlin explains where and how to withdraw without fees.
- Children: many have a playground or a sandpit, which makes them good family breaks (see also Berlin with children).
Prater Garten, the oldest in the city
The Prater Garten, Kastanienallee 7-9, 10435 Berlin, is billed as Berlin's oldest beer garden: since 1837 it has occupied the inner courtyard of a building on Kastanienallee in Prenzlauer Berg, under tall chestnut trees. It serves its own beers, Prater Pils and Prater Schwarzbier, with traditional dishes. In bad weather the neighbouring room takes over. The garden opens when the weather allows, from noon. Access: U2 Eberswalder Straße. A good starting point before or after a stroll through Prenzlauer Berg.
Café am Neuen See, on the Tiergarten lake
The Café am Neuen See, Lichtensteinallee 2, 10787 Berlin, combines a restaurant with a large beer garden at the water's edge in the middle of the Tiergarten. It serves draught beer and Bavarian and regional specialities; there is a sandpit for children and the garden does not take reservations. The restaurant is open daily from 9 am to midnight, the beer garden depends on the weather. You can also hire rowing boats by the hour (€14 an hour according to the website, Monday to Friday from noon, weekends and public holidays from 11 am). Access: S-Bahn Tiergarten or Zoologischer Garten, about 10 to 15 minutes on foot.
Schleusenkrug, between the canal and the zoo
The Schleusenkrug, Müller-Breslau-Straße, 10623 Berlin, stands on the bank of the Landwehrkanal, by the Tiergarten lock, a few minutes from the Berlin Zoo. It is a pleasant neighbourhood spot after the zoo or Bikini Berlin, with a shaded terrace by the water. According to the sources we consulted, it is open daily from 11 am to midnight. Access: S-Bahn and U-Bahn Zoologischer Garten.
Zenner, on the Spree in Treptow
The Zenner, Alt-Treptow 14-17, 12435 Berlin, is a beer and wine garden on the Spree, right next to Treptower Park. It is a good stop after a walk along the river. According to the hours we consulted, it is closed on Monday and Tuesday, open afternoons and evenings from Wednesday to Saturday and from 10 am on Sunday. Access: S-Bahn Treptower Park.
Golgatha, on the hill of Viktoriapark
The Golgatha, in Viktoriapark (entrance on the Dudenstraße side), is one of the busiest beer gardens in Kreuzberg: people meet there at the end of the day, with music and lawns all around. It is open in summer, weather permitting. Access: U6 Platz der Luftbrücke or Mehringdamm, about 10 minutes on foot.
An outdoor drink without a beer garden
Berlin's parks have their own kiosks and lawns: Volkspark Friedrichshain, the Mauerpark flea market on Sundays, or the Wannsee beach for a day by the water. To drink up high, read our guide to Berlin's rooftops.
Going further
To continue the evening, our guide Berlin at night presents the clubs and bars; for food, our guide what to eat in Berlin lists the specialities to try.
