Steglitz-Zehlendorf is the Southwesternmost part of Berlin

Understand

Steglitz-Zehlendorf is a district in the southwest of Berlin. Zehlendorf and Charlottenburg (see Berlin/City West) are the wealthiest parts of Berlin. It has a lot of lakes and forests, lots of culture and the biggest university in Berlin. Most famous is the Wannsee with its Strandbad, where on hot summer weekends all families visit. There are other lakes, where bathing is allowed and is free.

Steglitz was merged with Zehlendorf in 2001 and is an ordinary (but nice) residential and shopping district. Zehlendorf is more interesting for tourists because of its many museums, beautiful nature and some old castles.

The area is a rather bourgeois district and provides the center-right CDU with much of its electoral strength in a city otherwise dominated by left-wing parties.

Get in

The center of Steglitz is the U-/S-Bahn station 1 Rathaus Steglitz  U9  S1  . One of the most popular shopping streets in Berlin is the "Schloßstraße" with a good selection of specialized shops, especially medium and low-priced fashion shops. Additionally there are four small to medium-sized malls where you'll get everything you need.

Zehlendorf is spread quite far and depending on the area, different stations are the best. 2 Wannsee  S1  S7  , 3 Grunewald  S7  or 4 Dahlem-Dorf  U3  are the best stations to stop at for the most interesting areas.

See

Beach at Wannsee

• 1 Wannsee. This is the number-one bathing and recreation spot in western Berlin, with several beaches, the large Strandbad Wannsee open-air lido and several historic landmarks nearby.  
• 2 Bierpinsel (Turmrestaurant Steglitz), Schloßstraße 17, 12163 Berlin (U-Bahn: U9 Schloßstr., S-Bahn: S1 Rathaus Steglitz, Bus: 186,282,M48,M85). The Bierpinsel ("beer brush") is a building in Steglitz which resembles an observation tower and is famous for its pop-art appearance. The futuristic and recently landmarked building was built from 1972 to 1976 and has since been used as restaurant, night club, bar, radio station and art café.  
• 3 Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem (Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem), Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8 (train: S1 Botanischer Garten, U3 Dahlem Dorf, U9 Rathaus Steglitz), ☏ +49 30 838-50100. Jan 09:00-16:00; Feb 09:00-17:00; Mar 09:00-18:00; Apr 09:00-20:00; May-Jul 09:00-21:00; Aug 09:00-20:00; Sep 09:00-19:00; Oct 09:00-18:00; Nov-Dec 09:00-16:00. The garden is part of the Free University of Berlin. Adults €6, reduced €3, family €12.  
• 4 Jagdschloss Grunewald (Grunewald Hunting Lodge), Hüttenweg 100, 14193 Berlin. Nov-Mar: Sa Su holidays 10:00-16:00; Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. Built in 1542. An impressive traditional country estate with stately architecture, it is an enclave of untouched regional cultural history and architectonic epochs. The 80-hectare mixed forest also provides a wide network of paths for walking and rambling.  
• 5 Mexikoplatz (S-Bahn: S1 Mexikoplatz, Bus: 118,622). Heritage listed Art Nouveau railway station and charming surrounding city square.  
• 6 Schloss und Schlosspark Glienicke (Glienicke Palace, Casino and Garden). Apr-Oct: Tu-Su; Mar Nov-Dec: Sa Su holidays. This castle is one of Berlin's oldest castles and where Prince Carl used to reside. Be sure to check out Glienicke Bridge, the bridge that became renowned for the exchange of Western and Eastern secret agents. link for the park single €6, reduced €5, family €12. (updated Oct 2016)
• 7 Schloss Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island Palace), Nikolskoerweg, ☏ +49 331 96 94 202. Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. €3 + €2 for the ferry.  
• 8 Strandbad Wannsee, Wannseebadweg 25, 14129 Berlin (S-Bahn: S1,S7 Nikolassee), ☏ +49 30 803 5450. This heritage-protected public bathing beach which opened in 1907 is one of the largest inland lidos in Europe and has a 1275 meters long sand beach, a capaciy for up to 30.000 guests and a popular nudist area.  
• 9 Steinstücken. This would be a perfectly ordinary neighborhood of Berlin or perhaps neighboring Potsdam visible only on maps that show the border between Berlin and Potsdam if not for its history. While the Berlin border during German partition included a number of enclaves and exclaves, this is the only place where a significant number (some 300 people) ended up on an "island" of West Berlin surrounded by GDR territory. Ultimately there were some complicated corridor solutions applied for people from Steinstücken to be able to get to West Berlin proper without the need for lengthy border formalities. These days, like before partition, people in Steinstücken tend to use the services of Potsdam more than those of Berlin on a day to day basis. (updated Jul 2018)

Museums

• 10 Allied Museum, Clayallee 135, 14195 Berlin (train U3 to Oskar-Helene-Heim, Bus 115 or X83), ☏ +49 30 8181990. Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. A museum showing the Western side of the Cold War. Free.  
• 11 Brücke-Museum, Bussardsteig 9, 14195 Berlin, ☏ +49 30 8312029. W-M 11:00-17:00. Works from the Dresden art collaborative called "Die Brücke".  
• 12 Ethnological Museum, Lansstraße 8 / Arnimallee 25, ☏ +49 30 266424242. Closed as of August 2017.. Again one of the world's most comprehensive ones. At the museum district of Dahlem.  

House of the Wannsee Conference: The place where the details of the mass murder of Europe's Jews were discussed among high ranking Nazis

• 13 House of the Wannsee Conference, Am Großen Wannsee 56-58 (on the shoreline), ☏ +49 30 8050010. M-Su 10:00-18:00; closed May 1, Good Friday, Jan 1, Dec 24-Dec 26, Dec 31. This museum explains how this house was used for a meeting of senior Nazis to ensure that they all knew that the SS would industrialize the use of mass-murder in disposing of Jews and "undesirables" and to debate a little the logistics of the Holocaust, for which Hitler had already given the orders. Free.  

a Max Libermann painting

• 14 Liebermann-Villa am Wannsee, Colomierstraße 3 (On the Wannsee, 1.5km north of Wannsee S-train station (bus 114 to bus stop "Liberman-Villa")). Oct-Mar: W-M 11:00-17:00; Apr-Sep: W-M 10:00-18:00, Th Su holidays 10:00-19:00; closed Dec 24, Dec 31 off. House museum on Max Liebermann, German painter and printmaker. Has about 15 Lieberman paintings. €7 (€6 in winter). (updated Sep 2015)
• 15 Museum of Asian Art (Museum für Asiatische Kunst), Lansstraße 8 (U Dahlem-Dorf), ☏ +49 30 266424242. Closed as of August 2017.. Includes East Asian and Indian sections.  
• 16 Museum of European Cultures, Lansstraße 8 / Arnimallee 25, ☏ +49 30 266424242. Tu-F 09:00-17:00; Sa Su 11:00-18:00. The biggest of its sort in Europe. At the museum district of Dahlem.  

Do

• Swim in the pure waters of one of the many lakes, such as Schlachtensee, Krumme Lanke or Wannsee. You should arrive with your bathing suit already on as there are no changing stations readily available.

Buy

The shopping street Schloßstraße (S+U9 "Rathaus Steglitz" Station) is full of great places to shop. You will find many small shops and chain stores.

• 1 Boulevard Berlin, Schloßstraße 10. Boulevard Berlin is another indoor shopping mall which just opened in 2012. It is still adding to its store directory, so stop by and see what you can find. 
• 2 Forum Steglitz, Schloßstraße 1 (at the Walther-Schreiber-Platz U-Bahn Station). Forum Steglitz, another indoor shopping mall, has much of the same stores that the earlier Das Schloss boasts, although the ice cream shop on one of the upper floors is a great place to take a break. They even have seating out front when the weather is nice. There is a nice, inexpensive make-up shop on the first floor to the left when you enter. 
• 3 Karstadt, Schloßstraße 7-10. Karstadt is a nice department store with a grocery store in the basement where you can find some hard to find food items. 
• 4 Das Naturkaufhaus, Schloßstraße 101. The largest natural department store in the city, featuring eco-friendly clothes, paper products and beauty products, among other things. The best part is the basement, which is full of interesting decorations and cool items. 
• 5 Peek & Cloppenberg, Schloßstraße 123-125 (across the street from Karstadt). A branch of the department store. 
• 6 Das Schloss, Schloßstraße 34 (near U-Bahn Station Rathaus Steglitz). An upscale indoor shopping mall with a creative ceiling decoration. 
• 7 Schloss Straßen Center, Walther-Schreiber-Platz 1 (at the Walther-Schreiber-Platz U-Bahn Station). The Schloss Straßen Center, another indoor shopping mall, is often packed with people coming out with brown Primark bags as this is the shopping center which boasts Berlin's first Primark. 
• 8 Werken, Spielen, Schenken, Schloßstraße 110b (At the Schlossstraße U-Bahn Station). A great place for kids. With a toy store in the front and a craft store in the back, you will find everything you need for playing or crafting. 

Eat

• 1 Die Fischerhütte am Schlachtensee, Fischerhüttenstraße 136, ☏ +49 30 80498310. A cozy, yet elegant high end restaurant with an impressive visible wine collection, located directly at the Schlachtensee. Sit outside in the warmer months for the gorgeous views outside. 
• 2 Loretta am Wannsee, Kronprinzessinenweg 260, ☏ +49 30 80105333. One of the most popular beer gardens in Berlin. It's a must visit in summer for eating and drinking in the sun. There is a Loretta restaurant, the Loretta Biergarten and the Loretta Almhütte. 

Drink

• 1 Café Melanie, Rheinstr. 43, 12161 Berlin (U-Bahn: U9 Walther-Schreiber-Platz, S-Bahn: S1 Feuerbachstr., Bus: 181,186,246,M48,M76,M85), ☏ +49 30 8516004, cafemelanie@t-online.de. 9:00-open end. Have a coffee, long drink or cocktail at this cozy café which is one of the most longstanding in Steglitz and Friedenau. This venue also offers some delicious meals, ice cream, breakfast and brunch. 

Sleep

• 1 Hotel Pension Enzian, Hortensienstr. 28, ☏ +49 30-832 50 75. A friendly, family-run hotel with large double bed rooms. Small hotel with a personal atmosphere. Within 1-minute walking distance is a S-Bahn station and a good Spanish restaurant. Serves breakfast, wireless is €4 per day. 
• 2 Landhaus Schlachtensee, Bogotastr. 9, Zehlendorf, ☏ +49 30-809-9470. Set nearby the Schlachtensee and Krumme Lanke lakes, the Landhaus offers a quiet and tranquil location, with the personalized service of a bed and breakfast. 

Go next

Potsdam shares an administrative boundary with the district.