Tempelhofer Feld is the former Tempelhof Airport, a sweep of more than 300 hectares between Tempelhof, Neukölln and Kreuzberg that Berlin opened as a free public park in 2010. Flights ended in 2008, and in 2014 a citywide referendum blocked development of the field. Locals come for the sky, the wind and the sheer room to move.
The two parallel runways, each roughly two kilometres long, carry cyclists, inline skaters, longboarders and kite-surfers on wheels. The meadows between them shelter skylarks during nesting season and fill with picnickers on summer weekends. Near the Neukölln edge, the Allmende-Kontor community garden grows vegetables in improvised raised beds. Designated barbecue zones and dog-exercise areas sit along the perimeter. On the western flank rises the curved terminal building, one of the largest structures in Europe and the hub of the 1948–49 Berlin Airlift. The building can be visited only on separate paid guided tours.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Entry is free. The gates open around 6:00 in summer and 7:30 in winter and close at dusk (source: The Better Vacation). Weekday mornings are the quietest. Sunset draws the biggest crowds, so arrive an hour early to claim a spot.
Main entrances are on Tempelhofer Damm (U6 Paradestraße), Columbiadamm and Oderstraße (U8 Boddinstraße). Bring layers, because there is little shade and the wind is constant. Check the official Tempelhofer Feld visitor page for park rules and maps.
