The travellers guide
Berlin offers visitors some of Europe’s most interesting running experiences, from historic routes tracing the path of the Berlin Wall to forest trails that can make you forget you are in a capital city. The best running routes from The Circus take advantage of our central location, from riverside jogs to the green spaces of Tiergarten park or simply exploring the leafy streets of our neighbourhood.
Beyond the city centre, the runners in our team have helped us put together this guide to the best places to run in Berlin, as well as some of our favourite organised running events that you might like to organise your trip around. So whether you are joining us for Berlin Marathon weekend, are looking to continue your Parkrun streak in a new city, or simply want to lace up those trainers and blow away some cobwebs, here’s our travellers guide to running in Berlin.
At the reception of all our houses you’ll find The Circus Jog Map, with a selection of suggested routes tried and tested by our team and leaving from the front door.
We have two neighbourhood options, depending on how you are feeling… it is your holiday after all! These routes are either 2.5km or 4km and take in many of the sights of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, including some of the most famous landmarks of Berlin. Our central location means it is a short jog to Museum Island, the New Synagogue, the Berliner Dom or the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Straße
Our two longer routes to the Tiergarten (12km) or along the river Spree (12km) give you the chance to both stretch your legs but also tick-off some of the must-see sights in the city. You can live out your marathon dreams without paying the entry fee by running through the Brandenburg Gate, passing by the Reichstag, the Berlin Philharmonic and more.
You’ll find the running maps at reception, or just ask!
If you don’t mind a bit of travel through the city before you start your run, there are some wonderful trails to explore. Here are some of our favourite running routes that will take you into the most lovely natural spaces Berlin has to offer.
From the S-Bahn platform at Treptower Park you enter directly into the park itself. You can run through the park to the imposing Soviet War Memorial or follow the river Spree to reach the fairytale Insel der Jugend and beyond to the Plänterwald forest, where you will skirt the remnants of an old abandoned theme park.
Starting point: S-Bahn Treptower Park, 12435 Berlin – Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Alexanderplatz and then S9 to Treptower Park (approx 25 mins).
The closest we have to hilly trail running in Berlin, head out from S-Bahn Grunewald into the forest and make your way past sand dunes and the Teufelsee lake until you reach the slopes of the Teufelsberg, or Devil’s Mountain. Topped by an old US Listening Station, the Teufelsberg was built from the rubble of the Second World War and its steep slopes are a challenge for any runner.
Starting point: S-Bahn Grunewald, 14193 Berlin – Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Alexanderplatz and then S7 to Grunewald (approx 40 mins).
A lovely lakeside trail that circumnavigates the Schlachtensee in the south west of the city. The S-Bahn station is right above the lake and the trail hugs the lake shore for a 5km round trip. The chain of lakes running to the north can make for a interesting and longer run, where you could even combine it with the Teufelsberg for an epic adventure in and around the Grunewald forest.
Starting point: S-Bahn Schlachtensee, 14129 Berlin – Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Gesundbrunnen and then S1 to Schlachtensee (approx 50 mins).
The closest stretch of the Berlin Wall is at Bernauer Straße, one stop north of The Circus on the U8 line. From here you can follow the route out of the city, through Mauerpark and north on what is known as the “Green Band” along the old no-mans land of the border. From Bernauer Straße on the Berlin Wall Trail follows the S-Bahn for a number of kilometres so you can break your run as and when you feel like you’ve done enough!
Starting point: U-Bahn Bernauer Straße, 10115 Berlin – Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Bernauer Straße (approx 3 mins or a 1km walk).
Many of you reading this will already be familiar with parkrun, a free, timed event that takes place in parks around the world every Saturday morning. The easiest to reach from The Circus is the Hasenheide event, which features a lovely loop through the Volkspark Hasenheide every Saturday morning from 9am – Hasenheide parkrun website.
If you have never run parkrun before, participation is completely free but you do need to register in advance. This gives you a barcode that allows your run to be timed.
Starting point: Volkspark Hasenheide, 10965 Berlin – Google maps
Getting there from The Circus (Rosenthaler Platz): U8 to Hermannplatz and then walk (approx 30 mins).
There are plenty of organised events to choose from throughout the year, so this is just a selection of some of our favourites – and between us in The Circus team we have done them all.
A trail run through the Grunewald Forest is a great way to end the year. Taking in those hills we mentioned above, many participants complete the 6.3km or 10.3km event in costume. And instead of a medal, finishers receive a jam donut: the traditional New Year snack of choice. For those who are really keen, there is a free 4km run from the Brandenburg Gate on New Year’s Day at 12 noon. And unlike the run the day before, you don’t need to register. Both events have a lovely, celebratory atmosphere and are great ways of ringing in the new year.
Psst… don’t tell the marathon runners, but although it is true that the famous race passes by all the main landmarks of the city, there’s a big bit in the middle where there’s a distinct lack of famous sights. The Berlin Half Marathon in April offers a similar amount of sightseeing for only half the distance… and with Berlin being as flat as it is, it is a great course to aim for a personal best.
Berlin’s oldest organised run offers a variety of distances (5km, 10km, Half Marathon and 25km) and a team relay, but the real highlight is the chance to finish your run in the iconic Olympic Stadium, the place where Jesse Owens defied Hitler, Zinedine Zidane bowed out of football in the World Cup Final, and Usain Bolt broke world records and astonished the world. Emerging through the tunnel onto the famous track is a brilliant feeling and not to be missed.
When the summer is hot, there’s only one thing to do… go for a run when the sun goes down. The Adidas City Runners Night offers runners and inline skaters a 5km or 10km course through the west end of the city, with live music, DJs and a party atmosphere that befits and running event that takes place as the sun goes down.
Adidas City Runners Night website
Not for the faint-hearted, the Mauerweglauf is Berlin’s ultra marathon, 160 kilometres along the route of the Berlin Wall. Because the organisers understand that not everyone can manage 100 miles, you can also enter as part of a 2, 4 or 10+ person relay team. A brilliantly organised event that remembers the division of the city, the lives lost at the border, and takes in some of the most historically interesting and naturally beautiful corners of Berlin.
The Berlin Marathon. No more words are needed to describe one of the world’s most famous and fastest marathons. And even if you’re not a runner, get out in front of The Circus and soak up the atmosphere… there are few members of our team who did just that and were so inspired that they completed the race themselves. Maybe you could be next?
Read our guide to marathon weekend in Berlin here
If you want even more tips and ideas for your visit to Berlin, check out the rest of our Experience Berlin blog or follow us on Instagram.
The Circus App is your ideal travel companion you can take with you, with all the things you need to know about your stay with us and things to see and do in the city. Available for Apple and Android devices.
We also have special deals for those who book their trip to Berlin early or want to stay longer. Check out our special offers page for more details.