Bike tour: Berlin's trendy districts

Two things that are totally trendy right now: That's right - cycling and Berlin! Between singlespeed fixies and vintage cruisers, the humble means of transport made of sheet metal has become a real hipster affair. And it's no secret that Berlin has long been one of the hippest cities in the world. So what could be more natural than to explore the hip capital on the back of a bike? But although the street style of Berlin, the cafés, clubs, galleries and fashion boutiques of the Spreeperle are undoubtedly the dream of every style-conscious backpacker, the much-vaunted "scene" of Berlin is not always so easy to find. Good thing you have us! We at the Industriepalast Hostel Berlin got on the saddle and developed a bike tour through Berlin's trendy districts for you. Through the party district in Friedrichshain to the yuppie paradise Prenzlauer Berg, to the heart of the art and fashion scene in Mitte; then on to the punky-alternative Kreuzberg and THE hipster district par excellence: Neukölln. Our round tour through the hippest the capital has to offer is about 24 kilometres long, and with coffee breaks, selfies and snacks, the trip should keep you busy for three to four hours.The complete tour with map and GPS waypoints can be found on Bikemap:

Techno and street art: Friedrichshain

We start our tour at the Industriepalast Hostel, of course. Warschauer Straße is virtually a myth, because the best techno clubs in Europe and an exciting, international street culture meet here. Passing street artists and skaters, we turn into Revaler Straße at the RAW site and cross the nightlife mile Simon-Dach-Straße on our way to Boxhagener Platz, surrounded by cafés and bars. Along the way we encounter small fashion labels, skate shops, tattoo studios and of course the famous Berlin Spätis. From Frankfurter Tor we follow the impressive Stalin buildings to Strausberger Platz. Here we turn off and pass inconspicuous prefabricated buildings on our way north around Alexanderplatz towards Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz.

Yuppies and café culture: Prenzlauer Berg

Here at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, the Volksbühne awaits us, a traditional avant-garde theatre of the GDR and recently the venue of an almost brutal culture war between theatre legend Frank Castorf and the new artistic director. Now it's time to pedal, as we literally pedal up Prenzlauer Berg along Schönhauser Allee. Here we are in the middle of the Kollwitzkiez, which is characterised by yuppies (so-called "Swabians") who have moved in. On the right, one of Berlin's most important contemporary cultural sites awaits us: the Kulturbrauerei. Cinemas, theatres, nightclubs, street food markets and event centres make the former world's largest lager brewery (as of 1920) one of the capital's (living) artistic centres today. When we arrive at Eberswalder Straße, it's best to treat ourselves to the most famous East German curry sausage at Konnopke's Imbiss. On Sundays, a detour to Berlin's largest flea market at Mauerpark is a must. In any case, we turn roughly south again into Kastanienallee. Here Berlin looks like Paris, and there are many nice cafés, small boutiques and the famous Pratergarten. Back down the hill we head for the Weingärtnerpark above Rosenthaler Platz, where French cafés, wine bars, the alternative cultural centre ACUD and the Besetzer Haus Brunnen7 await us. Be careful at the large, confusing intersection!

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Art and charcoal: Mitte

Once past Torstraße with its expat bars, kebab shops and music pubs, the picture changes and we are in Berlin Mitte. On Linienstrasse, it's worth taking a short detour over to Auguststrasse, where about every second building has a gallery on the ground floor, and where a little of the 1920s lifestyle has survived in Clärchens Ballhaus. We head for Oranienburger Straße, pass the former Kunsthaus Tacheles, once the centre of Berlin's squatter scene, and recognise from the golden domes of the Neue Synagoge that we are in the middle of Jewish Berlin. It's worth tasting a few kosher snacks here before we finally arrive at Hackescher Markt. Quietly park the bike here for a while and explore the hip shopping area around the Hackesche Höfe on foot. From James Simon Park, we catch a good view over to Museum Island and then cycle past the TV tower along Spandauer Straße (be sure to look out for the street art manatis on the left!) towards Kreuzberg.

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Alternativkultur: Kreuzberg

An der Jannowitzbrücke überqueren wir die Spree und finden uns kurz darauf an einem gigantischen Kreisverkehr. Hier am Moritzplatz mit dem Guerilla-Gardening-Projekt Prinzessinengarten nähern wir uns dem Herz des berühmt-berüchtigten Bezirks alternativer Untergrundkultur in Westberlin: Kreuzberg 36. Über den Oranienplatz – immer wieder politischer Brennpunkt – folgen wir der Oranienstraße und können uns gar nicht sattsehen an Kneipen, Bars, Cafés, arabischen und türkischen Restaurants, Tattoo-Studios, Plattenläden, und, und, und. Noch einmal Abbiegen und wir stehen am Kottbusser Tor, DEM sozialen Brennpunkt der deutschen Hauptstadt. Wo am 1. Mai die Demos wüten und konservative Panik-Medien “den gefährlichsten Platz Deutschlands” (für TV-Sender Sat1 vielleicht) wittern halten wir uns nach Süden und fahren bis zum wunderschön von Weiden und Altbaufassaden gesäumten Landwehrkanal.

Multi-culti and hipster

Multi-culti and hipster: Neukölln

Two thirds of the tour done, and now you're where half of London and New York dream of being; the trendiest thing the gentrification capital has to offer, the hipster paradise of hipster paradises, where avocado toast grows on the trees and the rivers are made of chai latte: Neukölln. At first you'll be surprised, because here, between "Kotti" and Hermannplatz, it's mainly the Arab and Turkish influence in Berlin that makes itself felt. Because there are more falafel and kebab shops, Turkish supermarkets and baklavaci here than anywhere else, some people even call it "Little Istanbul". We leave the colourfully lit gambling dens at the side of the road, just like a pub that has been open around the clock, non-stop since 1979 ("Schlawinchen"), and cycle south. Just before Hermannplatz we turn off and cycle through the trendy Graefekiez to the French-looking Südstern. Passing the Hasenheide marijuana hub, it is now only a stone's throw to Tempelhofer Feld.

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The abandoned airport in the middle of the city is a unique urban break - longboarders, racing cyclists and other athletes take advantage of the large open spaces and disused runways here, Spanish hipsters barbecue next to Turkish extended families and French Erasmus students, and the stiff breeze blows such pleasant fresh air into the city that every excursion becomes a short holiday. We take the eastern exit of the park and follow the cobblestone Herrfurthstraße, where cosy ice cream parlours stand next to Turkish-run betting shops, until the wide Hermannstraße leads us back towards Hermannplatz. Shortly before that, however, we turn into Flughafenstraße (be careful, it's sloping!) and approach Karl-Marx-Straße via side streets and finally the heart of Neukölln - Sonnenallee. This is not only the stage for the cult film of the same name by Leander Haußmann, but also the epitome of Neukölln's neighbourhood culture with its multicultural mix, the beautiful, partly still unrenovated old buildings and the lively street life. Once again we turn off, this time into Pannierstraße. Trendy pubs, vintage boutiques and small record shops give it away: You are now in the popular Reuterkiez around Weserstraße.

The area up to Maybachufer is popularly known as "Kreuzkölln" due to its location between two districts and has developed from a social hotspot to a hip yuppie district within a decade - reason enough to try out one of the many tapas bars or third-wave coffee shops.

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Eastward expansion: A touch of Treptow

On the other side of the Landwehr Canal, you are back in Kreuzberg, and here one of the most controversial urban spaces in the capital awaits you in the form of Görlitzer Park: popular as a neighbourhood meeting place, barbecue area, children's playground and street art hotspot, the green space on the site of the Görlitzer Bahnhof, destroyed during the Second World War, has repeatedly made headlines as a drug transshipment point and associated restrictive police violence. A short detour to the east brings you to the Kanaldreieck, an almost unreal peaceful and green place at the Kreuzberg-Neukölln-Treptow triangle. Along the banks of the canal, you head north until the Lohmühle Wagenburg, occupied since 1991 by left-wing autonomists, catches your eye on the opposite side of the canal. Shortly afterwards you will reach Schlesische Straße, where you can witness how quickly Berlin's hip scene is currently growing eastwards: where just a few years ago the scene was characterised by vacancies and junk, today techno fans queue up every weekend in front of popular nightclubs.

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Turn left back towards Schlesisches Tor, here in the restaurant and café district of the famous Wrangelkiez turn right again and suddenly you are back at the Spree and with it the world-famous Oberbaumbrücke. Street musicians, punks, artists and jewellery dealers create a special flair here. With a view across the river to the silhouette of Mitte on one side and the superhumanly large Molecule Man on the eastern side, you cycle the last few metres back to Friedrichshain. You'll see the red sign at the Industriepalast Hostel right in front of you, but you should still take a short break and visit the famous East Side Gallery on your left: the longest original piece of the Berlin Wall has been covered with some of the world's most famous graffiti and street art murals since 1990 - a must-see! You can rent bikes easily and cheaply at our Bike Rental at the Industriepalast Hostel. We'll be happy to print out the route description for you to take home at the reception - just ask us.