The idea of urban camping is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, bringing to mind visions of crouching under canvas all night with a broken bottle poised to fend off drunks.
In Berlin, however, there is a camping option that is on its way to becoming a true urban legend. Tentstation is a disused outdoor swimming complex on a leafy two-acre plot in the Mitte/Tiergarten district of central Berlin, a five-minute walk from Central Station.
While awaiting the wrecking ball these past few years, the locals have turned it into a campsite.
Open from April to September, it has space for 125 tents plus a limited number of caravans and camper vans. There are toilets, showers and sinks, plus facilities for washing and drying clothes.
But the location is the key. Tentstation is a 15-minute walk from the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag and 15 minutes by public transport from Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.
Camping is €11 per person per night, and its €4 more to rent a tent.
www.tentstation.de