Peacock Island

Both a nature reserve and UNESCO world heritage site, Peacock Island (Pfaueninsel) is the perfect antidote to the 100-mile-an-hour everyday life of a busy European capital. The birds that give the reserve its name are afforded special protection (along with other avian species on the island), and roam freely - just listen out for the distinctive mewling sound they make if you hope to spot one. It has always been a haven for nature and wildlife, either artificially when aristocrats have maintained it, or during the long periods when it was forgotten by all but the birds, rabbits and plants. Peacock island quite rightly earned its UNESCO badge in 1990, as part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin site.