Berlin By Boat: Photos from the Spree

Recently I was invited by Hannes from one of Berlin’s newest boat tour operators, Berlin Liquide, to experience an afternoon out on the River Spree. After having lived here for a number of summers, I’ve spent a lot of time hanging out by the river (as you do in Berlin), but this was my first opportunity to actually get on a boat and see Berlin from a different perspective. We were lucky that this autumn was relatively warm in Berlin, plus the sun managed to stick around for a lot of the season.

Hannes is a friendly German guy that speaks perfect English and his boat, suitable for 12 people, provides the perfect setting for a half-day tour of Berlin. The private boat tours can be focused around one of four different themes and Hannes has done a great job of showcasing some of Berlin’s best alternative parts in his tours. On this particular tour, we departed from the boat’s dock at Kaisersteg in Schöneweide (easily reached from the S-Bahn) and spent the next three hours on a blissful boat ride through the eastern half of Berlin. Is there anything better than being on a boat?!

Typical Berlin – Spotted someone in a pink suit with an elephant head while going past Treptower Park

Is there anything better than a boat tour?!

O Captain, My Captain!

Having gone past this sculpture a million times by train and walking, it was great to see it up close and personal. It’s the Molecule Men—a metal sculpture by the American sculptor Jonathan Borofsky. And meant to symbolize the meeting point of the three Berlin neighborhoods that meet at that point: Treptow, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain.

What would a Berlin tour be if it didn’t show off the city’s street art? This is a famous mural by Italian artist, Blu, in Kreuzberg

The reverse side of the East Side Gallery

Berlin is one of the greenest cities of Europe – it’s not hard to see why

Berlin’s riverside is lined with bars and nightclubs, especially in the area known as the “Media Spree”

This is downtown Berlin. And it is beautiful

The Berlin Media Spree project set about to urbanize Berlin’s riverside properties but it’s been met with plenty of controversy over the years—namely the fact that it’s a privatization of what many consider should be a public space. There’s a lot more to add about gentrification, but I think the next picture sums it up.

Old and new… the East Side Gallery meets luxury condos along the Spree river

Known as the “Futuro House”, this private house is only one of a hundred or so created by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. To me, it just looks like an UFO.

‘Gramming on a boat #caughtgramming

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Berlin Liquide’s private boat tours last between three and five hours, costing upwards from 170€ and are suitable for up to 11 people. If you fill up a boat with your friends, it’s a great deal—better than some of the bigger, much more commercial boat tours that float through the Spree. Plus, if the weather is decent and you dare to do it, you can even go for a swim in the river or in one of the lakes.

Learn more at berlinliquide.com

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On the River Spree