Friedrichshagen & Grosser Müggelsee

Berlin ‘muggles’ love their Müggelsee, especially on hot summer days when scores of city slickers escape the urban cauldron by heading to the edge of town. At 4km long and 2.5km wide, it’s a large and lovely lake with plenty of sandy beaches and boats puttering along on placid waters. The easiest access is by taking the S-Bahn to Friedrichshagen, a village-like suburb first settled in 1753 by Bohemian cotton spinners who padded their income by growing mulberry trees to fatten up small armies of silkworms. From the station, head south on the main drag, Bölschestrasse, past a few of the original 18th-century cottages and some scraggly mulberry trees. On Sunday a flea market invites rummaging for GDR memorabilia and other bric-a-brac. Bölschestrasse dead-ends at the lake, near Berlin’s last private brewery, the Berliner Bürgerbräu, which has an excellent gastro pub (Bräustübl). From the nearby landing docks, Stern und Kreis Schiffahrt (536 3600; www.sternundkreis.de; May-Oct) operates boat excursions from one to five hours, including a ferry to the south shore. From here, an easy forest trail leads to the top of the Müggelberge hills, past the tiny Teufelssee (Devil’s Lake). Beyond here looms the GDR-era Müggelturm tower, which is sadly disintegrating and closed indefinitely. If you prefer to walk to the south shore, duck through the underground tunnel near the brewery and pick up the lakeside trail for a couple of kilometres. On the eastern shore, the canal-laced medieval fishing village of Rahnsdorf is worth a small detour. The prettiest section is about 1km south of the Wilhelmshagen S-Bahn station via Schönblicker Strasse.