Berlin’s oldest and most famous lido still packs in the punters…

You’re in Berlin. The sun has got its hat on and you suddenly find yourself longing to swap the concrete, traffic and big city noise for some sand, sea and frische Luft.

The East (Baltic) Sea is at least three hours away—just a bit too far for a day trip—and the lakes surrounding the city are wonderful but not always accessible. Plus you really want something a little more…expansive? With some facilities? And within an hour by bahn or bicycle? Then you remember it exists—Strandbad Wannsee!

Strandbad Wannsee’s impressive 1,275-metre long (and 80-metre wide) sweep of sandy beach has long been a venerable summer destination for Berliners. Officially the largest lido in Europe, it’s located on the Eastern side of the massive Wannsee Lake, just a 30-40 minute train ride or bike ride from the city centre.

The beach’s impressive history stretches back more than a century. Before it was named Strandbad Wannsee, in the early 1900s, it was known as Freibad Wannsee and offered separate beaches for men and women plus a ‘family section’; guests got changed inside tents and were served by mobile vendors. By 1924 the tents gave way to thatched pavilions, the sanitary facilities were improved and the beach was expanded and open all year round for winter bathers and ice-skaters.

Its current look was formulated by architects Martin Wagner and Richard Ermisch, who had their functional New Objectivity (Neue …