CHASING BERLIN SUNSETS: THE BEST PLACE TO CATCH THE LAST LIGHT OF DAY

If there’s a single thing in Berlin that will make your heart melt and fall in love with this sometimes trashy, sometimes beautiful city, it’s the sunsets.

Those summer skies that turn from lilac to rose as the sun moves West to greet the day. Thankfully, there are plenty of spots from which to enjoy all the nuances the setting sun can offer.

Our sun-chaser’s journey starts a few kilometres up North, at the lesser known Burger Park in Pankow. Here at the Rosen Garten Pavillion, you can lazy about in the lounge chairs deep into dusk, while the crystal clear waters of the Panke bobbles by. On a lucky night you may even be privy to a live performance.

My next gem for afternoon sun-seekers is the Märchenbrunnen at Volkspark Friedrichshain. Here you can lap up the golden rays bouncing off the smooth stone of the Neo-Baroque style water fountain with its emerald water and fairytale statues. The afternoon glare hits at just the right angle for you to fill your cup with summer, surrounded by the welcome slosh of the water and laughing children. Later you can chase the sunset up the footpath to the Großer Bunkerberg and say goodbye to the last light of day.

If you’re a romantic at heart, take your loved one to the Friedrichsbrücke at twilight. There’s always a busker serenading passers-by at this hour. Then head down Bodestrasse to muse at the sun kissed pillars of the Doric style passage–their shadows a gold and blue rhythm against the smoothly trodden stone–before frolicking in the verdant garden of the Alte National Gallery.

From here, follow Helios a little westward to Bode Museum, where you can sit yourself down on the sun-baked steps, or watch boats drift into the sunset from the Monbijou Bridge. In the days before corona, the adjacent Uferpromenade would liven up with tango dancers moving to the tune of music.

End your evening with a tour of the Reichstag dome. Admission is free but quite popular, so remember to book your slot in advance. Last admission is at 21h45, so you can time your visit with nightfall. If you plan it just right, you can watch as night approaches from the East, the TV tower turning from silver to blue, and the day slips beyond the Westend horizon.