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.
<ul class="clearing-thumbs small-block-grid-4">
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428101314.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Berlin HbF"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428101314-thumb.webp" alt="Berlin HbF" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114510.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Graffiti details at East Side Gallery"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114510-thumb.webp" alt="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428110244.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Brandenburger Tor"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428110244-thumb.webp" alt="Brandenburger Tor" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114816.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Japanese sector)"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114816-thumb.webp" alt="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Japanese sector)" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428111855.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Holocaust Memorial"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428111855-thumb.webp" alt="Holocaust Memorial" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114936.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Feet)"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430114936-thumb.webp" alt="Graffiti details at East Side Gallery (Feet)" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428142650.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Tempelhof park cycling"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428142650-thumb.webp" alt="Tempelhof park cycling" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144318.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Berliner Dom"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144318-thumb.webp" alt="Berliner Dom" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160657.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160657-thumb.webp" alt="Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144727.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Rotes Rathaus Berlin"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430144727-thumb.webp" alt="Rotes Rathaus Berlin" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160707.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428160707-thumb.webp" alt="Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer Bernauer Str" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430150005.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Karl Marx str"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430150005-thumb.webp" alt="Karl Marx str" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428161219.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Gedächtniskirche"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250428161219-thumb.webp" alt="Gedächtniskirche" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430162447.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Skatehall berlin RAW gelände"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430162447-thumb.webp" alt="Skatehall berlin RAW gelände" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429112255.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Potsdamer Platz"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429112255-thumb.webp" alt="Potsdamer Platz" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430175942.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: The Lighthouse Digital Art show"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250430175942-thumb.webp" alt="The Lighthouse Digital Art show" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154545.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: New Media Art Center RAW gelände"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154545-thumb.webp" alt="New Media Art Center RAW gelände" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501125802.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Lift detail in Futurium"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501125802-thumb.webp" alt="Lift detail in Futurium" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154604.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: RAW gelände graffiti"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154604-thumb.webp" alt="RAW gelände graffiti" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501132010.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Transportation ideas at Futurium"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501132010-thumb.webp" alt="Transportation ideas at Futurium" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154701.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: RAW gelände graffiti"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154701-thumb.webp" alt="RAW gelände graffiti" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501145608.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Museum Island"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501145608-thumb.webp" alt="Museum Island" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154922-1.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: RAW gelände graffiti"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429154922-1-thumb.webp" alt="RAW gelände graffiti" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501192428-1.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Friedrichshain views"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250501192428-1-thumb.webp" alt="Friedrichshain views" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
<li><a class="glb" href="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429191530.webp" data-gallery="page-gallery" data-glightbox="title: Friedrichshain views"><img src="https://crisly.nl/images/IMG20250429191530-thumb.webp" alt="Friedrichshain views" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></a></li>
</ul>