Charlottenburg Palace Gardens

The Schlosspark Charlottenburg covers roughly 136 acres (55 hectares) behind Schloss Charlottenburg, which served as the summer residence of the Prussian kings from 1701 to 1888. Siméon Godeau laid out the garden starting in 1697 as a strictly geometric French Baroque design, with a parterre, bosquets and sight lines running down to the Spree. Under Friedrich Wilhelm II the taste for the English landscape garden took hold in the late 18th century, and from 1819 Peter Joseph Lenné reshaped the grounds. The result today is a formal Baroque parterre right at the palace giving way to softer, more naturalistic stretches with ponds and mature trees.

Several small buildings of real architectural interest are scattered through the park. The Belvedere of 1788, designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans, now houses a porcelain collection. The Neuer Pavillon, built by Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1824 and 1825, shows art from Schinkel's era, and the mausoleum received Queen Luise and other members of the House of Hohenzollern after 1810. These structures link up nicely into a loop and give a walk through the grounds a series of destinations.

The palace garden itself is free to enter and ranks among the loveliest green spaces in western Berlin. For more quiet, head into the landscaped rear section toward the Spree; the clipped parterre in front of the palace is the classic photo view. Separate admission applies to the palace interiors and the historic park buildings. Plan on two to three hours to take in both the gardens and the palace without rushing.