Cycling, Street Art, and Culture
May Holiday Adventures Berlin
Spring sunshine, lush evenings, and a city in motion—Berlin in May was pure magic. Over the holidays, we set out to discover the city on two wheels and see it from fresh angles.
Cycling Highlights
We kicked off by biking across the wide-open expanse of the Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin’s repurposed airport-turned-urban playground. There’s nothing quite like riding down a former runway with the wind in your face and city skyline ahead.
From there, one of the most scenic rides started in Ostkreuz, weaving along the Spree River. We crossed bridge after bridge—each offering a different slice of Berlin life—before arriving at the Reichstag, where the glass dome shimmered under a blue sky. Of course, no riverside ride is complete without a stop at the East Side Gallery. The massive murals never get old, with their bold colors and historical echoes.
Urban Culture
We also visited the RAW-Gelände, a gritty, creative sprawl of clubs, galleries, and a fantastic skatepark. The energy here is unmistakable—raw and authentic, with a laid-back skater vibe and murals layered across every wall
For food and chill, alternative vibes, Friedrichshain was a favorite. It’s packed with cafés, street food, indie bars, and green spaces (Boxhagener Platz) offering a more local vibe than central Berlin. If you’re visiting, it’s worth spending a day just wandering here—and steering clear of the tourist traps around places like Checkpoint Charlie and the overly commercial parts of Alexanderplatz.
Future and Fiction
For a change of pace, we stepped into the Spy Museum, diving into Cold War tech, disguises, and tales of espionage. Then it was off to the Futurium, where you can interact with possible futures and rethink everything from mobility to AI.
One final visual treat was the Lighthouse of Digital Art – The Grand Tour: an immersive show of our solar system, our own Milky Way galaxy, but also way, way beyond. A truly mesmerizing experience.
Berlin and Nature—Best of Both Worlds
The best part? We combined city exploration with a quiet stay in nature. It’s perfectly doable to use public transport—train RE7 takes you straight into the city—while camping in Naturpark Dahme-Heideseen, near the peaceful lake Schmöldesee. Wake up to birdsong, spend the day in Berlin, and return to a peaceful campsite. Highly recommended.
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<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428101314.jpg"><img data-caption="Berlin HbF" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428101314-thumb.jpg" alt="Berlin HbF"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114510.jpg"><img data-caption="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114510-thumb.jpg" alt="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428110244.jpg"><img data-caption="Brandenburger Tor" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428110244-thumb.jpg" alt="Brandenburger Tor"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114816.jpg"><img data-caption="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Japanese sector)" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114816-thumb.jpg" alt="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Japanese sector)"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428111855.jpg"><img data-caption="Holocaust Memorial" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428111855-thumb.jpg" alt="Holocaust Memorial"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114936.jpg"><img data-caption="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Feet)" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114936-thumb.jpg" alt="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Feet)"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428142650.jpg"><img data-caption="Tempelhof park cycling" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428142650-thumb.jpg" alt="Tempelhof park cycling"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144318.jpg"><img data-caption="Berliner Dom" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144318-thumb.jpg" alt="Berliner Dom"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160657.jpg"><img data-caption="Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160657-thumb.jpg" alt="Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144727.jpg"><img data-caption="Rotes Rathaus Berlin" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144727-thumb.jpg" alt="Rotes Rathaus Berlin"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160707.jpg"><img data-caption="Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160707-thumb.jpg" alt="Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430150005.jpg"><img data-caption="Karl Marx str" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430150005-thumb.jpg" alt="Karl Marx str"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428161219.jpg"><img data-caption="Gedächtniskirche" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428161219-thumb.jpg" alt="Gedächtniskirche"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430162447.jpg"><img data-caption="Skatehall berlin RAW gelände" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430162447-thumb.jpg" alt="Skatehall berlin RAW gelände"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429112255.jpg"><img data-caption="Potsdamer Platz" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429112255-thumb.jpg" alt="Potsdamer Platz"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430175942.jpg"><img data-caption="The Lighthouse Digital Art show" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430175942-thumb.jpg" alt="The Lighthouse Digital Art show"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154545.jpg"><img data-caption="New Media Art Center RAW gelände" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154545-thumb.jpg" alt="New Media Art Center RAW gelände"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501125802.jpg"><img data-caption="Lift detail in Futurium" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501125802-thumb.jpg" alt="Lift detail in Futurium"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154604.jpg"><img data-caption="RAW gelände graffiti" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154604-thumb.jpg" alt="RAW gelände graffiti"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501132010.jpg"><img data-caption="Transportation ideas at Futurium" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501132010-thumb.jpg" alt="Transportation ideas at Futurium"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154701.jpg"><img data-caption="RAW gelände graffiti" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154701-thumb.jpg" alt="RAW gelände graffiti"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501145608.jpg"><img data-caption="Museum Island" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501145608-thumb.jpg" alt="Museum Island"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154922 (1).jpg"><img data-caption="RAW gelände graffiti" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154922 (1)-thumb.jpg" alt="RAW gelände graffiti"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501192428 (1).jpg"><img data-caption="Friedrichshain views" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501192428 (1)-thumb.jpg" alt="Friedrichshain views"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429191530.jpg"><img data-caption="Friedrichshain views" src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429191530-thumb.jpg" alt="Friedrichshain views"></a></li>
</ul>
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Berlin travel photography urban adventures cycling street art museums