Waterfront yoga in Weligama
Spree, canal and lakes.
Waterfront classes happen beside Berlin's water: the Spree, the Landwehrkanal and other canals, or one of the lakes. Some studios look out over the water, while others practice on a jetty, a deck or a lakeside lawn in summer.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What Waterfront does for you
You get the soft light that water throws back, the slow drift of boats and a horizon in a city of courtyards. Many people find that watching water steadies their attention. Summer classes can end with a swim. Even in winter, a window over the river makes the city feel wider.
It suits you if
- you like a view while you practice
- you find water calming to look at
- you want summer classes that end with a swim
- you live near the river or a canal
- you like the idea of practicing on a jetty or deck
Read the full guide to WaterfrontWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Indoor waterfront studios are like any studio, plus a view and often big windows. Outdoor classes by the water run mostly from May to September, early in the morning or in the evening, on grass, decks or jetties. Expect sounds: boats, ducks, an S-Bahn rumbling over a bridge. It is often windier by open water, and evenings get cool. Some classes are paired with a swim or a sauna.
Your first time
- Bring a layer, since the air by the water is cooler than in the streets a block away.
- For outdoor classes, check the weather and the studio's rain plan before you leave.
- Pack swimwear and a towel if the class description mentions a swim.
Good to know
- Canals and lakes bring mosquitoes on summer evenings, so bring repellent.
- Decks and jetties can be uneven or slippery when wet, and a thicker mat helps.
- Swim only at official bathing spots; the canals and the Spree in central Berlin are not for swimming.
Where it comes from
Berlin is a city on water. The Spree runs about 400 kilometers from Saxony through the Spreewald and Berlin to meet the Havel in Spandau, and the city's waterways link dozens of lakes, from the Müggelsee in the east, the largest in Berlin, to the Wannsee in the west. Canals were cut in the 19th century for freight: the Landwehrkanal, designed by Peter Joseph Lenné and built between 1845 and 1850, runs 10.7 kilometers through Kreuzberg and Tiergarten.
Berliners have gone to the water for leisure for more than a century. Strandbad Wannsee opened in 1907, when bathing there was officially allowed, and grew into one of Europe's largest inland lidos. During the city's division, stretches of the Spree in the center were border zone; after 1990, its banks in Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg filled with beach bars and clubs, and later with new developments, and who gets to use the riverbank is still a lively debate.
Practice by the water follows the same seasonal rhythm. In summer, classes move onto decks, jetties and lakeside meadows, in the city and out in Brandenburg. The rest of the year, studios with a river or canal view are sought after for the light the water reflects.
Words you will hear
- Spree
- Berlin's main river, running east to west through the city.
- Landwehrkanal
- The 19th-century canal through Kreuzberg and Tiergarten, lined with trees and benches.
- Badestelle
- An official bathing spot, where swimming is allowed and the water quality is checked.
- See
- German for lake, as in Müggelsee or Wannsee.
- Steg
- A wooden jetty or pier, sometimes used for summer classes.