5 Best Coffee Shops on the Landwehrkanal in Berlin

The Landwehrkanal is probably one of the most popular places to stroll around Berlin. It feels like a vacation in the middle of the city on its shady banks. Away from the hustle and bustle of the busy main streets, you'll enjoy strolling along the water and finally drop anchor in one of the pretty cafés along its banks. I suggest a stroll along the canal, visiting the most beautiful coffee shops where it is good to meet up.

1. Nah am Wasser

My journey begins in the Dreiländereck, where the districts of Treptow, Neukölln and Kreuzberg intersect. There is the Nah am Wasser coffee shop with its brick interior, which looks like a flea market and has a cosy, family atmosphere. Its large counter made of wood offers a selection of mouth-watering pastries and cakes at any time of the day, but also salty snacks and à la carte dishes for the lunch break. I tested the breakfast and can highly recommend the oatmeal with seeds with a delicious cinnamon flavor (the vegan version is also available). The little extra, the terrace near the water and the swings near the window that wakes the child inside each one.

2. Zimt und Mehl

Two rooms, two atmospheres. The cruise continues on the other side of the Wildenbruchbrücke bridge where the animation is felt. At Zimt und Mehl, both bakery and café with oriental flavors, there is something for everyone: from French breakfast to vegan to oriental plates. You can order breakfast from the counter and enjoy it in the sun on the large, partially shaded terrace directly by the canal. Nothing better to start the weekend in style.

3. Freischwimmer

I continue my walk uphill towards the Spree at the mouth of the canal up to the Flutgraben. There is the Freischwimmer coffee shop with a slightly hidden entrance behind a petrol station that doesn't look like much. At the entrance level, we go down a few steps and find ourselves in a real floating hut made of planks and wood. Who wouldn't take himself for a pirate in such a setting? In the summer, the coffee shop offers a long and beautiful partially covered terrace where the sun's rays are reflected as they hit the surface of the water. In winter, the coffee shop is heated by an old wood stove creating a cozy chalet atmosphere where it is good to take refuge on cold days. For a brunch on a winter Sunday or a beer on the terrace with (almost) your feet in the water, there is always a good reason to meet at the Freischwimmer.

4. Pavillon am Ufer

Would you like a more summery feeling with the atmosphere of a guinguette? I retrace my steps to the Paul-Lincke Ufer, at the Thielenbrücke where there is a charming little kiosk. Coffee, hot chocolate or Aperol, the Pavillon am Ufer is the ideal place for a short break during a Sunday stroll or as a meeting place on a hot summer evening or a beautiful sunny winter day. A nice little waffle is also part of the pleasure, a treat.

5. La Maison

A little further on the bank of the Paul-Lincke Ufer river, the coffee shop La Maison offers a large shaded terrace behind the boulodrome where the animation is always at the rendezvous. As its name suggests, this is a French café that offers daily homemade breads and pastries to be enjoyed on the spot with a good coffee or to take away. A la carte and in the window, a ribbon of mouth-watering delicacies. For those nostalgic for good French bakeries, La Maison is the coffee place you need. I highly recommend the flan pâtissier, quite worthy of the best French pastries!