Fodor's Expert Review Panke Canal

Long neglected in favor of Kreuzberg’s more hyped Landwehrkanal, the Wedding waterway known as the Panke is no less scenic. A walk along this tiny inlet, which flows north through Wedding after splitting off from the larger Spandauer Schifffahrtskanal above Hauptbahnhof, is something of an urban treasure hunt, revealing glimpses of the neighborhood’s history along with local street life and beautiful scenery. At Wiesenstrasse, where the regional train lines pass overhead, you’ll spot the ruins of an old brick pump station, now housing and artists' workshops. The canal runs just behind Brunnenplatz, flanked on both sides by the Uferhallen. Where the canal crosses Badstrasse you can spot one of the city’s most beautiful courtyards, including the Bibliothek am Luisenbad (a modern library hidden behind an ornamental facade). If you walk far enough, you'll arrive at a noticeable widening of the canal. This is the Franzosenbecken or French Basin, a pond so quiet and green, it seems easy to believe you’ve left the city behind. Start where the canal intersects with Schulzendorfer Strasse, not far from the Reinickendorfer Strasse U-bahn station, and head north.