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Data, coverage & credits

Grüne Hauptwege Berlin is an independent walking route planner. It is not an official Berlin city application.

Developed by GHODKE.

The 20 Grüne Hauptwege remain the main network. Thinner additional walking paths show mapped parks, recreation grounds, forests, allotments, other green spaces and paths beside mapped trees or water. Thin blue lines also show other accepted footpaths, separately mapped pavements and crossings, even outside green spaces. Private paths remain excluded. This layer is on by default and adds detail as you zoom closer. Turning it off in “Map layers” hides the lines but does not exclude these paths from a walk. Your choice is remembered in this browser. These paths do not extend the official routes or count towards the Hauptweg percentage. Coverage depends on mapped paths and greenery; shade and quietness are not guaranteed. Access and opening times are not live.

© OpenStreetMap contributors, via Geofabrik. Download green-space walking paths and source dates (compressed GeoJSON, ODbL) · Other walking paths: tile index and source dates (ODbL).

The green network

The planner covers all 20 Grüne Hauptwege using Berlin’s official WFS open-data service. Source: Senatsverwaltung für Mobilität, Verkehr, Klimaschutz und Umwelt / Geoportal Berlin. The WFS dataset is published under Datenlizenz Deutschland – Zero – Version 2.0.

The green overlay shows the accepted walking paths used by the planner, combining mapped route membership with the official lines. Official sections excluded from routing are shown separately: amber dotted lines indicate an unconfirmed pedestrian connection or a coverage gap; red dashed lines indicate a recorded access restriction, barrier or construction. Missing pedestrian information does not prove that a section is closed. Tap a section for its source and reason. These reference lines never become walking connections. The unmodified WFS geometry remains available below. The separate GPX/KML downloads have different published terms and are not used.

Download the official route geometry used in this version (GeoJSON) · Displayed routing network (GeoJSON, ODbL) · Route coverage details · Official sections unavailable for routing, with recorded reasons (GeoJSON, ODbL).

Walking paths and place search

Transit suggestions and useful route stops are refreshed from the same verified Berlin OSM extract as the walking network. Download transit suggestions · Download useful stops.

© OpenStreetMap contributors. The pedestrian graph and place/address/stop indexes are derived from Geofabrik’s Berlin extract. The current source dates are shown above and in the snapshot metadata. The derived datasets remain available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).

Download the derived walking graph · Place index · Address index · Street names · Snapshot metadata

Pedestrian suitability

Exact official route segments can use reviewed minor-street corridors when pavement mapping is incomplete or records no separate pavement. Street corridors need a recorded speed limit of at most 30 km/h and suitable access and road context. Suitable shared access ways remain included. The route line follows the mapped way and does not confirm a pavement or its position. Route warnings explain the section, and a brief notice appears when you approach it during guidance. Use available pavements and check crossings on site. Mapped separate pavements take priority. Recorded pedestrian restrictions, barriers and disconnected paths are not overridden.

All route types, including the shortest option and recalculation, use the same pedestrian rules before green-route preferences are applied. Separately mapped pavements use their mapped geometry. Local observations are retained with their stated extent and source versions. A junction photo does not establish a continuous pavement. Source changes are flagged for review without overriding access restrictions. Ordinary streets can be used when pedestrian access is permitted or implied by their road type, even when sidewalk information is missing or records no separate pavement. Where no parallel pedestrian geometry is mapped, the original street centreline is shown as an approximate connection with the existing route warning. It does not instruct you to walk in the carriageway. Motor roads, pedestrian prohibitions, closures, blocked gates and railway restrictions remain excluded or constrained. Pedestrian paths, tracks and recognised shared pedestrian streets remain usable, subject to access restrictions.

Where a pavement is recorded only as a street attribute, the route line is approximate and may follow the road centre. Use the pavement. Short source-connected junction links can be retained up to 12 metres, with a warning that the precise crossing is unverified. These links never create connections between nearby but unconnected paths. Check crossings and local signs. Missing connections can mean a longer route or no connected route; the planner does not invent pavement geometry or access.

Reviewed paths and F11 ferry

The Eichgestell/FEZ corrections restore specific mapped connections and three reviewed Parkeisenbahn crossings. Use marked crossings and obey signals and barriers. The Spreeschlossstraße/Nalepastraße ferry approach has no confirmed continuous separate pavement: watch for vehicles and use available pedestrian space. Photos support the layout, not current access. Changes to the reviewed source tags or geometry disable the affected correction pending review.

F11 is a distinct ferry leg between Wilhelmstrand and Baumschulenstraße. A valid Berlin AB ticket, Deutschlandticket or another ticket valid on F11 is required; a BVG short-trip ticket covers a single crossing. The estimate adds 20 minutes waiting and 2 minutes crossing per journey. Published operating windows are checked at estimated arrival, but departures, queues and disruptions are not live. The complete allowance must fit within the reviewed window, so late journeys may be excluded conservatively. Service evidence is reviewed weekly and expires on 13 December 2026 unless renewed. Use “Walking only · avoid ferries” for a route via walking paths and bridges. BVG departures and service.

How the route is chosen

The planner searches the connected pedestrian network. It recognizes the mapped members of all 20 Berlin green-route relations, supplemented by direction-aligned matching within 12 metres of the official lines. The displayed green network uses exactly these accepted walking segments. Route membership does not override access restrictions or create connections: bridges and crossings must already exist in OpenStreetMap.

For both circular and destination walks, the priority is Grüne Hauptwege, then mapped paths through parks, forests, cemeteries and other green areas, then other additional paths, and finally street connections. Only permitted walking paths are considered; a green area never creates a shortcut across unmapped land. Destination walks keep the selected detour allowance, and circular walks keep the selected estimated duration. Known access and opening times are checked for expected arrival, and accessibility preferences still apply. A Hauptweg through a park counts only as a Hauptweg. The separately labelled shortest option remains the shortest walk. The search is a practical preference algorithm, not a guarantee of a globally optimal walk.

Connection quality uses mapped greenery, OSM road types and Berlin’s 2022 strategic noise model (total-traffic L_DEN, 10 m cells; Datenlizenz Deutschland – Zero 2.0). These are historical model values, not live sound or traffic measurements. Missing values remain unknown. Source dates, checksums and method · Derived routing context (ODbL).

Journey start and destination points may be moved up to 60 metres to the nearest mapped path; larger gaps require a nearby-path choice. Circular walks can find an eligible nearby start within 1 km and show the access gap separately. Any adjustment over 10 metres is shown with the result; access from the original selected location is not verified or included in the walking distance.

The Hauptweg percentage counts only Berlin’s designated network, which sometimes includes ordinary streets. Additional green paths are reported separately. Neither measure guarantees shade, quietness or current access.

The Südkreuz Westhalle passage was restored using its mapped ground-level footways from OpenStreetMap, retrieved on 17 September 2026. Download the passage geometry and source references (ODbL).

Lighting and daylight

Route lighting uses explicit OpenStreetMap lighting tags from the same verified snapshot as the walking network. Each section is mapped as lit, unlit or unconfirmed. Limited or scheduled lighting is treated as unconfirmed for advice. Missing data never means that a path is unlit. Source date and coverage · Download graph-linked lighting data (ODbL).

Berlin also publishes an official public-lighting map and dataset. Lamp locations are a reference, not proof that an entire path is illuminated; they are not used to infer a path’s lighting here. Neither source provides a live check of working lamps.

Torch advice compares the expected time along the remaining route with daylight at that location and date. It appears near dusk or after dark for unlit or unconfirmed sections, updates while walking, and never changes the route or its duration. Solar calculations: SunCalc 2.1.1, BSD-2-Clause licence. Displayed times use Europe/Berlin, including daylight saving time.

For Circular walk, “Avoid unlit paths after dark” requires confirmed lighting on off-street paths. Ordinary streets and street-side pavements may have unknown lighting, including street sections of the green networks. Street type comes from explicit OSM highway, footway and sidepath tags, not trees or lamp proximity. Sections marked unlit and unverified lighting schedules remain excluded. Daylight sections need no lighting. Suitable Hauptwege remain the first preference. A nearby eligible start may be shown with a dotted, unverified access connection; this is excluded from distance, time and walking directions. A shared approach to the main loop may be walked out and back, with both traversals included in the selected estimated duration.

Coverage and current limitations

Check Berlin’s official route information and follow current signs and access rules.

Gate closures and weekly updates

A gate open at departure may close before you arrive. The planner checks each candidate at its own estimated arrival times and searches again around unavailable access. It does not plan waiting for gates to open, and does not guarantee the optimal route across all possible arrival times. At an unexpectedly shut gate, choose “Gate closed” to find a mapped alternative from your position. If there is no connected alternative, the app says so. It cannot sense whether a gate is physically locked.

The official WFS network and OSM extract are checked weekly by a scheduled update task. Downloads, coverage, opening calendars and routing regressions are validated before publication. If any check fails, the previous published snapshot stays in use. Source checks cannot discover restrictions missing from the source. Opening calendars cover 180 days; expired timed access is excluded until refreshed.

Download access rules and opening calendar (ODbL) · Last successful update and source dates

Weather forecasts and official warnings

After you plan a route, weather checks use Open-Meteo forecasts (CC BY 4.0) and official municipal warnings from the DWD GeoServer (DWD / © GeoBasis-DE/BKG). The map card and “Before you go” review match the planned route to estimated arrival times at 4.5 km/h, without breaks. DWD polygons are checked locally against the route. Official advice is shown in its original language.

Rain is a forecast in 15-minute intervals, not live radar or a guarantee of exact timing. Hourly temperature, wind, gusts and rain probability give context. At most five approximate locations are sampled; local conditions between them may differ. Walks beyond 24 hours and missing forecast periods are marked incomplete. Severe official warnings advise postponing the walk; the app does not automatically reroute for weather.

Weather requests send Open-Meteo route cells rounded to 0.02 degrees and DWD an outward-rounded route bounding box at 0.01 degrees. These reveal an approximate planned area, not exact addresses or a continuous GPS track. Providers receive normal network information such as your IP address. Requests omit credentials and referrers. See the Open-Meteo terms and privacy information and DWD privacy information.

While this page is visible, forecasts refresh about every ten minutes and official warnings about every five. The displayed retrieval time is not the model run time. Temporary caches stay in memory. Forecasts older than 30 minutes and warnings older than ten minutes are unconfirmed; missing or failed checks never mean “all clear”. Previously retrieved matching warnings may remain visible after a failed refresh. This is not a background alert service or a safety guarantee. Check official advice before leaving.

Privacy and map display

Route calculation, place search, and address search run in your browser. Your selected start, destination, and location are not submitted to an external routing or search service. Location is requested when you choose to use your location, start guidance, or request a detour from your location.

The default background map uses MapTiler’s standard Streets and Dataviz styles in light or dark mode. © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors. The linked MapTiler logo and credits remain visible on the map. “Classic” keeps the previous OpenStreetMap and CARTO choices available; these also provide the automatic fallback when MapTiler cannot load.

The selected provider receives requests for the viewed map area and usual network information, including your IP address. MapTiler uses a temporary SDK session identifier for service usage; optional SDK telemetry is disabled. See the MapTiler privacy policy, CARTO privacy notice, OSMF privacy policy and OSM tile usage policy. Normal browser caching is used; the app does not download maps for offline use. Fonts load from Google Fonts. Hosted access is managed by ChatGPT Sites.

Vector background: MapTiler SDK JS 3.9.0 · License text.

Interactive mapping: Leaflet 1.9.4, BSD 2-Clause license. License text.

Map rotation: Leaflet Rotate · MIT license.