Begin your tour of Berlin’s Southeast at Alexanderplatz. Sights in this area are not always near each other, so taking the S-Bahn from here is recommended.
First, take S-Bahn line S3 to Karlshorst, where you can visit the Deutsch-Russisches Museum . From here it is not far to the Stasi-Museum Normannenstraße (see Gedenkstätte Normannenstraße) – return to S-Bahn station Ostkreuz, then take S-Bahn line S4 and U-Bahn line U5 to Magdalenenstraße. After visiting all these museums you could recover outdoors. Take U-Bahn line U5 to Tierpark Friedrichsfelde, where you can visit both the zoological garden and Friedrichsfelde Palace.
Spend the afternoon making an excursion to Köpenick. Take S-Bahn line S3 to Köpenick, and enjoy a typically German meal in the Ratskeller , the town hall cellar. Afterwards explore Köpenick Old Town. The centre of the old fishing village is especially worth a visit. There are many cafés near Köpenicker Schloss , where you could stop for a coffee and a piece of cake, for example Café Kietz . Continue your journey by S-Bahn to Friedrichshagen, the access point for Großer Müggelsee. From here take one of the tourist boats to Müggelsee-Terrassen where you can round off the day with a tasty evening meal.
Altstadtcafé Cöpenick
This tiny café in Köpenick’s Old Town serves coffee and cakes, outdoors, in summer, on a small veranda.
Alt Köpenick 16
10am–6:30pm daily
030 65 47 40 69
Eierschale Haus Zenner
One of the classic day-trip destinations: families once used to “bring and brew their own coffee”. Today it is a popular outdoor café and beer garden.
Alt-Treptow 14–17
10am–10pm Mon–Thu, 10am–4am Fri & Sat, 10am–10pm Sun
030 533 73 70
no credit cards
Café L & B
Not far from the swimming baths, this café serves local fish dishes, as well as afternoon coffee and cakes.
Neu-Helgoländerweg 7
summer: 11am–10pm daily; winter: 11am–9pm Sat & Sun
030 659 82 24
Neu-Helgoland
A favourite day-trippers’ restaurant on the lake, where locals and visitors alike enjoy the game and fish dishes.
Neu-Helgoländerweg 1
11am–midnight daily
030 659 82 47
Müggelsee-Terrassen
This beer garden, on the piers of Müggelsee, is a great place to aim for on a day out. You can reach the outdoor restaurant by ferry.
Müggelheimer Damm 143
Sep–Apr: noon–6pm Mon–Sun; May–Aug: noon–8pm Mon–Sun
030 6566 168 813
Schloss-Café
Enjoy coffee and cakes overlooking the Dahme River after a visit to Kunstgewerbemuseum (arts and crafts museum) on Schlossinsel.
Köpenicker Schloss, Schlossinsel
10am–11pm Tue–Sun
030 65 01 85 85
Kietz Café and Restaurant
A pleasant café, serving superb home-made cakes and snacks. The waterside terrace is a great draw in summer.
Müggelheimer Str. 1
9am–midnight daily
030 651 71 09
Café Liebig
Charming, richly ornamented Art-Nouveau café in a historic building, dating back more than 130 years. The summer terrace overlooks Grünau regatta course.
Regattastr. 158
3pm–11pm Mon–Fri, noon–11pm Sat–Sun
030 67 82 09 36
Restaurantschiff Hoppetosse
A picture-book ship restaurant, serving everything including fish dishes.
Eichenstr. 4
from 1pm Tue–Fri, from 2pm Sat, from 11am Sun
030 53 32 03 40
Hanff’s Ruh
Sticking to an old tradition, guests can brew their own coffee here. The mushroom dishes are highly recommended.
Rabindranath-Tagore-Str. 25
11am–9pm Wed–Mon
030 674 33 68
freiheit fünfzehn
German and French cuisine are served aboard a schooner moored at the pier. There is also occasional cabaret and live music. If you prefer dry land, you can enjoy your meals in the beer garden.
Freiheit 15
6pm–midnight Tue–Sat, 11am–midnight Sun
030 65 88 78 0
Ratskeller Köpenick
Traditional Berlin fare is served in the vast vaulted cellars where Wilhelm Voigt once famously took advantage of gullible local civil servants (see Köpenicker Altstadt).
Alt-Köpenick 21
11am–11pm daily
030 655 51 78
Klipper Schiffsrestaurant
This two-masted boat, dating back to 1890, has been turned into a cosy restaurant; the menu features French-inspired international dishes.
Bulgarische Str.
10am–1am daily
030 532 164 90
Schrörs Biergarten
Popular, informal beer garden near the lake, specializing in hearty food from the grill.
Josef-Nawrocki-Str. 16
summer: from 11am daily; winter: 11am–6pm Tue–Sun
030 64 09 58 80
Die Spindel
This rustic restaurant serves gourmet cuisine and excellent wines.
Bölschestr. 51
noon–2:30pm and from 6pm Tue–Sun
030 645 29 37
Ellis
One of the few American-style restaurants in Berlin, with authentic decor and American regional dishes.
Fürstenwalder Allee 17–19
from 6pm Tue–Thu, from noon Fri–Sun
(closed Mon Jan–Feb)
030 65 89 181
Krokodil
Situated in the Old Town, near the river baths in Gartenstraße, this is one of the nicest garden venues, especially in summer.
Gartenstr. 46–48
5pm– midnight Mon–Sat, 11am–11pm Sun (brunch 11am–3pm)
030 65 88 00 94
Bräustübl
A typical Berlin beer garden and restaurant, belonging to the Berliner Bürger-Brau brewery, which serves game dishes.
Müggelseedamm 164
noon–midnight Tue–Sat, 11am–midnight Sun
030 645 57 16
Lehmofen
Meat and vegetarian dishes, freshly cooked in an antiquated clay oven, are the top attractions in this restaurant with summer terrace.
Freiheit 12
noon–midnight daily
030 655 70 44
Carmens Restaurant Eichwalde
This tiny restaurant is run by long-time top chef Carmen Krüger. Her regional, fresh fish creations are superb.
Bahnhofstr. 9
7–10pm Wed–Sat (also noon–2pm Sat), 6–10pm Sun
030 675 8423
All restaurants accept credit cards and offer vegetarian dishes unless stated otherwise.
