Summer is up and cities across Europe have planted palm trees and trucked in tons of sand to urban riverfronts to create the feeling of a lazy day at the shore. Urban beaches are a hit and Momondo guides you to our favourites.
BERLIN
Raw, rainy and far from the ocean – Berlin is one of the least likely places for a beach bar. Never the less the German capital has several along the river Spree where artificial palm trees are set up and sand from the construction sites or the Baltic coast is brought in by truck.
Oststrand
Photo by Tajai
While the Bundespressestrand and Capital Beach close to the Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station) have an upscale - some might say posh - feel the Oststrand (East Beach) is set up more like a people’s beach.
The beach is located on the banks of the river Spree in the middle of a residential area behind the East Side Gallery in Friedrichshain. It is the place where sun worshippers can find a quiet (and sunny) spot and their athletic companions can romp around on a sandy playground.
For those who need to cool down, there are inflatable swimming pools, showers and the compulsory cocktailbar bar. Oststrand covers 7,000 square meters and is Berlin’s biggest urban beach. At night there are concerts and special events.
Bar25
Photo by Timo_Pawelz
The offers of the ranch-looking Bar25 go way beyond those of a typical beach bar. Bar25 is a complex with a small amphiteather, budget bungalows, a restaurant with gourmet cuisine, a garden area right next to the river Spree and a bar famous for its louche afterhours vibe and minimal sound tunes.
Bar25 is located on Holzmarktstraße 25 next to another of Berlin’s favourite beach bars the 'Wild West' Strandmarkt.
KIKI BLOFELD
At Kiki Blofeld you can chill out in chairs made of grass (the lawn kind) along the beach front bank of the Spree while enjoying food from the grill and cocktails from Kiki’s well assorted bar.
At night, the fun happens inside the old boat bunker, where in between the bar and the dance floor you’ll find water, where you can actually see fish swimming around either enjoying the music or suffering from stress. It can be difficult to tell!
Photo by Melita
Kiki Blofeld is located across from Wild West Strand – on the left bank of the Spree at the kilometer marker 19. For those of you who prefer to arrive on foot, there is a somewhat hidden path leading from Köpenicker Straße 48/49 to the bar.
Arena
Even though the Spree is mucky and polluted it is actually possible to swim in the river. At Arena, an old river cargo container converted into a modern swimming pool is anchored in the middle of Spree and filled with clean water.
The container is 32.2 meters long, 8.2 meters wide and two meters deep and is connected to the ground by a wooden gangway that serves as a sundeck with recliners and basket chairs.
Swimming in the container is really amazing and the aim of the pool is fulfilled: you actually feel like you’re in the river itself summer and winter.
Other beach bars in Berlin:
Sommerwelt
Space Beach
Strandgut
Yaam
Go further: Beach life in Paris.
Written by David Rich