Berlin and Wall, synonomous forever and although the city has been unified for 30 years this year, it is possible to trace the entire route on foot or by bicycle on the ‘Berlin Wall Way’. It is around 160km and encircles the whole of what was West Berlin between 1961 and 1989.
I decided to cycle the route recently and enjoyed excellent winter weather and some really enjoyable sections. The past two extreme summers have led to tree root heave on some asphalt sections but not as bad as I have experienced in Brandenburg. Midwinter storms had left a few branches and leaves on some parts of the lesser travelled North section but in general it is a good route for most cyclists or walkers.
With the exception of the City section (Pankow to Alt-glienicke) you will be surprised to think that this was the front line of the Cold War and that the Allied Forces of France, UK and USA were penned in behind the line between Berlin City limits and State of Brandenburg. It is a route of paddocks, heathland, woodland, stone churches, abandoned railway lines, lakes, rivers, nature reserves and Prussian farming villages.
Being such a large city area, Berlin offers a lot of public transport solutions and the S-Bahn network is perfect for planning your route. One partucularly enjoyable aspect is the Ferry ride. Yes! Boat is the only way to retrace the old border across Wannsee which consisted of buoys and patrol boats and the fare is included in Zone B of the BVG network. From Kladow on the other side however is ‘off grid’ to a certain extent as the wide expanse of the Havel river separates this section of the west between Glienicke Brucke and Spandau crossings.
If you have a limited stay and want to get the best from a Mauerweg tour, use a guide, download a route from an App such as komoot.com or visit the Berliner Mauer Memorial site and find the information centre to get further ideas and maps. I would suggest the City route from Bornholmer Strasse to Kreuzberg Arena for all of the major sites and iconic images or the circular route from Wannsee S-Bahn station which has at least 4 waterside biergarten stops for refreshments.
radicity 