As the season changes, it is the perfect time to take long walks, whether it’s in the countryside or in the city. In fact, autumn is a beautiful time in the city as street cafés reposition their chairs to catch the waning rays of the sun while the green spaces in the parks are covered with a carpet of leaves in hues from honey yellow to leathery brown and pumpkin orange. Visit these city parks to get the most of the season and take in some countryside feeling and scenery right there in the city.
Grunewald, Berlin
You may feel like you are out in the country, even though it’s just a 20-minute S-Bahn ride from Potsdamer Platz. The 3000-hectare Grunewald is perfect for an autumn walk. Choose between a short walk around the smaller Krumme Lanke (2.5 km) or a longer walk around the larger Schlachtensee (5.5 km), both located on the edge of the Grunewald. If you prefer a view from above, you may climb up the Karlsberg with its red-brick Grunewaldturm for a magnificent view over the Havel and Wannsee.
With over 170,000 trees across eight Royal Parks, Londoners are spoilt for choice in places to experience the changing of the seasons. In particular, the Isabella Plantation, a 40-acre woodland garden in Richmond Park, is magical at this time of year with the buttery yellows and fiery oranges of the beeches, limes and chestnut trees in abundance. Download the autumn brochure of The Royal Parks to direct you to locations where the changing colors of the leaves are most dramatic.
Djurgården, Stockholm
The island of Djurgården is great for a walk in the country, even though it’s right in the city. Djurgården (English: Game Park) offers lots of tourist attractions, but beyond highlights like Vasa Museum and Skansen you will find acres and acres of parkland, forest and wetlands dotted with art galleries, gardens, cafés. Cross Djurgårdsbron and Stockholm’s busy city life will change to serene Scandinavian nature. If you have at least 2.5 hours to spare, you can follow one of the most beautiful walking paths, which leads around the island all the way along the waterfront.
The English Garden is one of the largest urban parks in the world, perfect for a leisurely stroll and a visit to one of the beer gardens that can be found here and that will stay open all through the fall in fair weather. laid out in the style of an English country park, it has a network of more than 75 kilometers of paths and especially in the quiet northern part it is easy to get away from the hustle and bustle. I love a leisurely walk from the Hirschau beer garden along the Oberstjägermeisterbach all the way up to the Aumeister at the northern edge of the park.
Paris is beautiful in all seasons, but especially so in autumn, when the leaves change color. Paris has more trees than any other capital city in Europe, most commonly the Maple Leaf Plane as well as beech and chestnut trees, which turn various hues of gold as the weather chills. The most photogenic season of the year looks exceptionally good in the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Jardin des Tuileries. The latter is part of a wide esplanade that extends from the Louvre all the way to La Défense. ON sunny days take a seat in one of the many green chairs that dot the park, on chilly days swing by Angelina for a take-away cup of their famous hot chocolate.
Here is what IRMA wears this autumn on her long walks: