The travellers guide
It’s happening… As we write these words the first sightings of the cherry blossom in our city are filtering their way through. Sometime between the last frosts of winter and Easter weekend clouds of pink and white blossom appear in parks, gardens and along some streets in Berlin. It is the most beautiful sign that the long winter is behind us and that summer is coming.
The story of how Berlin came to celebrate ‘sakura’ is one rooted in friendship and reunification. In the years after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the people of Japan donated thousands of ornamental cherry trees to be planted along the old border between the two sides of the city. It was to be a symbol of freedom and friendship, and in this city of memory – where it feels like there is a memorial statue or plaque on every street corner – these trees and their fleeting annual display – are a profoundly uplifting and live representation of remembrance.
There are a number of places to see the cherry blossoms across the city, some of which are really close to The Circus, others are a little further away. The streets around The Circus Apartments offer up a fine springtime display if you really don’t feel like moving far. Or you can use the chance to explore the city:
One of the most celebrated spots close to the centre of the city is along the Berlin Wall Trail at Bornholmer Straße. Here the trees occupy the former no-man’s land between the two sides of the divided city at the spot where the first checkpoint was opened on the 9th November 1989, the night the wall came down. As well as the avenue of cherry trees, there is a small outdoor exhibition about that famous night on the bridge that carries Bornholmer Straße over the railway tracks.
KGA Bornholm I 1, 10439 Berlin, Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Gesundbrunnen and then S1, S2 or S25 to Bornholmer Straße (approx 20 mins).
Just south of Bornholmer Straße, following the Berlin Wall Trail back towards the city centre, you cross the railway tracks by a pedestrian footbridge and come to Schwedter Straße. Here the row of cherry trees along the street lead you into the Mauerpark, where the former no-man’s land has been turned into one of Berliners’ favourite parks, home to the popular weekly flea market and legendary open-air karaoke sessions.
Gleimviertel, 10437 Berlin, Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Voltastraße and then walk (approx 20 mins).
This one is a bit of a trek, but it is the largest collection of ornamental cherry trees along the path of the Berlin Wall and were the gift of a Japanese television station and its viewers in the early 1990s. This two-kilometre avenue is truly spectacular when in bloom and it gives you the chance to explore a corner of the city that the vast majority of visitors to Berlin will never see.
Mauerweg, 14513 Teltow, Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): Tram M1 to Oranienburger Straße and then S25 or S26 to Lichterfelde Süd (approx 60 mins).
The East Side Gallery is the name for the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, decorated with murals from artists around the world along the banks of the river Spree between Ostbahnhof and Warschauer Straße stations. The blossoming cherry trees are a cheerful addition to an already colourful space, and the neighbourhoods of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg – on either side of the river – are well worth an explore too.
Mühlenstraße, 10243 Berlin, Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Jannowitzbrücke and then S3, S5, S7 or S9 to Ostbahnhof (approx 20 mins).
In the eastern district of Marzahn-Hellersdorf you’ll find a place that is well worth the tram ride from The Circus, and a must for garden lovers everywhere (and not only for the cherry blossom). The Japanese garden is undoubtedly the star of the show when it comes to our theme of the day and they even have an annual cherry blossom festival. This year it is taking place on the weekend of the 11-12 April.
Blumberger Damm 44, 12685 Berlin, Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): Tram M8 to Alt-Marzahn (approx 50 mins).s (Rosenthaler Platz): Tram M1 to Universitätsstraße and then walk (approx 25 mins).
This is just a selection of some of the places where you can see the cherry blossom each spring in Berlin. Visit Berlin has a lovely (and useful) spring map for Berlin that has 23 different locations marked for cherry blossom but also crocuses, daffodils, tulips and rhododendron… celebrating the city in bloom!
If you want even more tips and ideas for your visit to Berlin, check out the rest of our Experience Berlin blog or follow us on Instagram.
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