Living in Grunewald, Berlin
WG-Zimmer Living in Grunewald, Berlin - direkt von privat, ohne Makler - Berlin
The greenest neighborhood in western Berlin: the great Grunewald forest, the swimmable lakes and a colony of period villas. Silence and nature, far from the nightlife.
Grunewald is one of the greenest and most affluent neighborhoods in Berlin, in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district, at the western edge of the city. The name says almost all of it: it's dominated by the forest of the same name, the largest wooded area in Berlin, with its lakes (Grunewaldsee, Hundekehlesee) and the inland beaches where Berliners go to swim in summer. The Villenkolonie Grunewald, a colony of villas from the late 1800s, is among the most exclusive residential areas in the city, made of silent streets, gardens and period residences, many today home to embassies. People come here for the silence and the greenery, not for city life.
Who lives here
Long-established affluent German families, accomplished professionals, diplomats, academics and researchers (the Institute for Advanced Study has been based here since 1981). Very few students or young singles: the neighborhood is expensive and far from the pace of the center. The population is stable, adult and tends to keep to itself.
What it's like during the day
Quiet and bright. The days revolve around the forest: you walk, run, bike toward the Grunewaldsee or climb the 204 steps of the Grunewaldturm (1897) for the view over the Havel. In the heart of the woods is the Teufelsberg, an artificial hill with the former American listening station, today an open-air street art gallery. The streets of the Villenkolonie are orderly and almost suspended in time. Few shops: commercial life is concentrated at the edges, toward Roseneck.
What it's like in the evening
Very quiet. Grunewald has no nightlife: no clubs, few places, dark and silent streets after dinner. In the evening you dine at home or head toward Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf, livelier. It's a neighborhood that's already asleep by nine in the evening.
Getting around
The Grunewald S-Bahn station is served by the S7 line (Potsdam-Ahrensfelde, passing through Hauptbahnhof and Friedrichstraße), with regular trains every 10 minutes during the day. No U-Bahn enters the forest: the nearest is Krumme Lanke (U3), about a kilometer from the southern edge, already in Steglitz-Zehlendorf. The M19 and X10 buses run along the edges of the neighborhood, and toward Roseneck the M29 and 249 lines. A car is handy but not essential.
Eating and shopping
The offering is limited and has to be sought at the edges. Around Roseneck and Hohenzollerndamm you'll find supermarkets (Edeka, Rewe), bakeries and the odd café. For restaurants, markets and varied shopping it's better to head down toward Wilmersdorf or Charlottenburg. Inside the forest there are beer gardens and seasonal kiosks by the lakes.
When NOT to pick it
If you're a student or Erasmus on a limited budget: it's expensive and isolated. If you want nightlife, venues and evening buzz: there's none here. If you need everything close at hand, from shops to transit: shopping and transport require trips, and without a nearby S-Bahn some parts are inconvenient.
Grunewald is the right pick if you're after peace, greenery and a quiet quality of life more than proximity to the nightlife: a corner of Berlin where the forest counts more than the city.