I’ve had a longtime desire to visit Berlin. My family has direct history related to Germany, and Berlin was always of high interest to me. I knew it would be fascinating historically, obviously, and have some fantastic food and beer. The birds were an added gift to traveling to this place I’d long wished to visit.

Berlin has this rare quality where the history is so present - literally woven into the streets and parks and skyline - you can't really separate it from anything else you're doing there. Which makes it a surprisingly wonderful place to walk.. We walked so many miles in this city, and enjoyed every storied place we visited, and especially, the birds we met along the way.

The Berlin Wall Memorial

This was our first stop, and it sets the tone for the whole city in a way nothing else does. Walking along what's left of the Wall, you get this quiet, heavy feeling - the kind that makes you slow down without really deciding to. And in that stillness, you start to notice things. Sparrows bouncing in the grass. Blackbirds singing from the rubble-lined edges. It sounds almost too literal to say so, but there's something genuinely moving about the fact that birds just... carried on here. They don't know what the Wall was. They've been singing from the edges and nesting in its cracks for decades.

Schlossgarten Charlottenburg

If the Wall Memorial is where Berlin's weight settles, Charlottenburg is where it lifts. The palace is absurdly grand - so much baroque gold and symmetry - and the gardens stretch out behind it like a sigh of relief. I spotted Green Woodpeckers here, which was so exciting, plus a Eurasian Nuthatch that was absolutely unbothered by my presence. Great Spotted Woodpeckers too, as we took our time near the older trees toward the back.

I could've spent twice as long here. It's the kind of place where you sit down on a bench "just for a minute" and suddenly forty minutes have gone by. Butterflies, flowers, and some truly great birds crowd the gardens here!

Englischer Garten Bellevuepark

Smaller and quieter than the other spots, but was a lovely calm place in the bustle of the city. The ponds are reliably good for waterfowl - a juvenile Moorhen was a fun sight here - and the whole place has this tucked away feel that I really appreciated after the busier parts of the city. This is a good spot for a slower morning if your feet need a break from the cobblestones and your ears a break from the city. The clear highlight of this garden walk was a very exciting Eurasian Goshawk tucked up in a tree giving us side-eye!

Großer Tiergarten

This is the big one, and I mean that literally - Großer Tiergarten is massive. We went in with minimal plans and just wandered, which is probably the right approach. The bird variety here is genuinely impressive, but the peaceful setting of ponds and tall trees makes this a really nice place to have a quiet walk. We had a sandwich and apple with us, and appreciated the benches throughout the park to rest our feet and have our lunch! European Robins just dropped out of the canopy to say hello!

End the Day by the Spree

After miles of walking, we found ourselves at a spot along the Spree near the Berlin Cathedral. It was time for a good German been and a break for our feet! I enjoyed watching the Hooded Crows here, even perched up on the Cathedral. THe bridge was a lovely place to stroll and take in the city scenes.

And Yes, Look Up at the Buildings Too

I know this is a birding blog, but Berlin's skyline is genuinely stunning. The Reichstag is stunning in person. The TV Tower is one of those landmarks that sounds touristy until you're standing under it and realizing it's actually kind of cool. Brandenberg Tor was an absolute scene the day we were there - climate protests and massive crowds made this place feel bigger than it already is.

Berlin rewards the kind of traveler who is willing to slow down - and birders, almost by definition, are exactly that kind of traveler. Give yourself more time than you think you need in Tiergarten. Enjoy the history and the present of this beautiful city. And don't skip the beer by the river at the end. Berlin might have become my favorite city in the world, and I am eager to go back for the “river beer” again!