Tempelhofer Feld occupies the runways of Berlin's decommissioned Tempelhof Airport, a 386-hectare expanse of open sky in the Neukölln and Tempelhof-Schöneberg districts that closed to air traffic in 2008. Locals now use the old landing strips for cycling, inline skating, and kite flying, while the surrounding grassland hosts community gardens and barbecue meadows. Entry is free and the field stays open from sunrise to sunset every day of the year. Unlike a landscaped park, Tempelhofer Feld keeps its aviation bones visible, with runway markings, taxiway signage, and the terminal building framing the horizon on its northern edge.
How to get to Tempelhofer Feld and which gate to use
Tempelhofer Feld has six entrances scattered around its perimeter, and picking the right one saves a lot of walking once inside. The Oderstrasse gate on the eastern side sits closest to Neukölln's cafes and puts you near the skate loop within minutes. The Tempelhofer Damm entrance, opposite the old terminal building, is the most direct route from U-Bahn station Paradestrasse or Platz der Luftbrücke on the U6 line.
Cyclists coming from Kreuzberg often use the Columbiadamm gate, which connects to a bike path running along the field's southern boundary. If you're arriving with kids or a picnic setup, the Golßener Strasse entrance near Schillerkiez has flatter ground and sits closer to the community garden plots, known locally as the Allmende-Kontor.
Buses M41 and 104 stop within a five-minute walk of at least one gate, and the field is flat enough that a bike from a Berlin docking station gets you across faster than transferring buses. There's no vehicle access or parking lot inside the park itself, so plan to arrive on foot, by bike, or via public transit.
Cycling and skating the old Tempelhof runways
The two former runways, each roughly 2 kilometres long, form the backbone of Tempelhofer Feld's appeal for cyclists and skaters. Runway markings and taxiway numbers are still painted on the tarmac, giving the loop a surreal, disused-airport feel even as hundreds of people pass through on weekends. The paved surface is smooth enough for road bikes and quad skates alike, and the sheer width means fast riders and wobbly beginners share the space without much conflict.
A full perimeter loop around the field measures close to 6 kilometres, popular with runners training for the Berlin Marathon since the flat, wind-exposed terrain mimics race-day conditions. Rental kiosks near the Oderstrasse and Columbiadamm entrances rent bikes and skates by the hour, typically for €5 to €8, though availability depends on the season and isn't guaranteed on busy Sundays.
Longboarders tend to gather on the old runway sections near the center of the field where the tarmac is widest, sometimes practicing slalom cones on weekday evenings when crowds thin out. Because the space is so exposed, afternoon winds pick up noticeably by late spring, which is part of why kite flying and skating both thrive here at the same time of year.
Kite flying and open-air activities on Tempelhofer Feld
Tempelhofer Feld's lack of trees and buildings creates one of the most reliable wind corridors in central Berlin, and kite flyers take advantage of it year-round. The open grassland just south of the main runway, near the Herrfurthstrasse gate, is the unofficial gathering spot for larger stunt kites and even occasional kite-buggying when wind speeds cooperate in autumn.
Beyond kites, the field's grass meadows host informal soccer matches, slacklining between the rare tree clusters, and community barbecues clustered near the Columbiadamm side, where designated grill zones are marked to keep fire risk away from dry grass in summer. During Berlin's warmer months from May through September, weekend crowds can reach into the thousands, though the field is large enough that finding open space rarely takes more than a short walk.
Winter visits look different: kite surfers with ground-based rigs sometimes use snow-dusted stretches near the old taxiways, and the reduced foot traffic makes early morning one of the few times you'll see the runway markings without anyone else in the frame. Sunrise here, especially in January and February, throws long shadows across the tarmac that photographers specifically time their visits around.
Community gardens and nature areas inside Tempelhofer Feld
The Allmende-Kontor community garden, located near the Golßener Strasse entrance, is one of the field's most distinctive features, with raised beds tended by local residents growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers in recycled containers ranging from wooden crates to old bathtubs. Visitors are welcome to walk through the garden paths, though the plots themselves are maintained by registered gardeners rather than open to public picking.
Away from the paved runways, roughly half the field is left as unmowed meadow, managed specifically to support skylarks, a ground-nesting bird species that breeds here between April and July. Signposted paths ask visitors to stay off certain meadow sections during this window, a rule enforced fairly consistently by park rangers on bicycles who patrol the grounds.
Birdwatchers come specifically for the skylark population, one of the largest urban breeding colonies in Germany, best heard at dawn from the elevated viewing points along the eastern meadow trail. Wildflower blooms peak in June, turning sections of the unmown grass yellow and purple, a contrast that stands out sharply against the grey tarmac just a few hundred metres away.
Visiting the Tempelhof Airport terminal and hangars nearby
The Tempelhof Airport terminal building, one of the largest structures in Europe by floor area, sits along the field's northern edge and occasionally opens for guided tours covering its Nazi-era architectural history and its role in the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift. These tours run separately from park access and typically require advance booking through the terminal's own visitor program rather than casual walk-up entry.
Even without a terminal tour, the building's curved facade and control tower are visible from most points on the field, giving cyclists and picnickers a constant visual anchor. The hangar areas have hosted temporary uses over the years, including refugee housing after 2015 and occasional trade fairs, so signage and access around the terminal can shift depending on what the building is being used for that season.
If you want a closer look at the architecture without joining a formal tour, the plaza directly in front of the terminal, reachable from the Tempelhofer Damm gate, offers unobstructed views of the entrance canopy and the rows of small windows that once served departure gates. This spot gets far fewer visitors than the open field itself, making it a quieter stop before or after a loop around the runways.
Best times to visit Tempelhofer Feld to avoid crowds
Weekday mornings, particularly before 10am, are consistently the quietest time on Tempelhofer Feld, with joggers and dog walkers making up most of the early crowd. By contrast, Sunday afternoons from April through September draw the heaviest numbers, when the barbecue zones near Columbiadamm fill with groups and the runway paths see a steady stream of cyclists, skaters, and stroller traffic.
Golden hour in summer, roughly between 7pm and 9pm given Berlin's long daylight hours, is when the field's flat horizon becomes most photogenic, with the terminal building silhouetted against the sunset. Because the park stays open until sunset year-round rather than a fixed closing time, summer visits can stretch past 9pm while winter access effectively ends by late afternoon.
Autumn weekdays offer a middle ground: cooler temperatures keep casual visitors away, but wind conditions remain strong enough for kite flying, and the low-angle light in October makes the old runway markings especially sharp in photos. If you're specifically after solitude near the community gardens, weekday mornings outside the April-to-July skylark nesting season give the clearest, least-restricted walking routes.
