Grunewald Forest Walk

The Grunewald Forest Walk covers roughly 10 km of flat, well-marked forest track through Grunewald, Berlin's largest contiguous woodland, in the southwest of the city. The nearest access points are S-Bahn Grunewald (S7) or Bus 115 to Jagdschloss Grunewald, both with free street parking nearby; no permit is required. Elevation gain is negligible, making this a straightforward walk suitable for casual hikers. The route follows sandy and packed-dirt forest paths around the Grunewaldsee and Hundekehlensee lakes, shaded almost entirely by mixed pine and beech woodland, with only brief open stretches along the lakeshores. Key landmarks include the Grunewaldsee shoreline, the Hundekehlensee nature reserve, and the 16th-century Jagdschloss Grunewald hunting lodge, which also serves as a sensible turn-around point for a shorter loop. There are no refuge huts along the way, but the Forsthaus Paulsborn restaurant near the Jagdschloss offers food, drinks, and restrooms partway around the circuit. Drinking water is not available on the trail itself, so hikers should carry their own. The sandy lakeside sections can be soft underfoot after rain, and mosquitoes can be persistent near the water in summer.