Zehlendorf is the heart of the south-western Berlin ‘mansion ring,’ where academics, German celebrities, nouveau-riche entrepreneurs and a large community of Anglophone expats live in stately homes surrounded by vast lawns, parks and pristine lakes. Here, in one of Berlin’s slower-paced corners, leisure activities tend more towards swimming and sailing than exciting nightlife. Dahlem, home of the Freie Universität, is particularly popular among expat families from English-speaking countries.