The word “Kiez” was initially used to describe small, often isolated settlements. In Berlin today, it refers to a relatively small, familiar residential area, often only a few blocks in size, where people know each other, greet each other, and have all the amenities they need right on their doorstep. Life in the Kiez means neighborhood, short distances—and a high degree of identification.
Most popular neighbourhoods in Berlin:
Wrangelkiez, Reichenberger Kiez, Reuterkiez in Kreuzberg: Known for its cultural diversity, alternative scene and political history. Here, Spätis, Turkish bakeries, bars and street food stalls line the streets. Between Görlitzer Park, Oranienstraße and the Landwehr Canal, life pulsates around the clock.
Kollwitzkiez, Winsviertel, Helmholtzkiez in Prenzlauer Berg: Once characterised by artists and students, today it is a popular place to live for families with renovated old buildings, organic supermarkets and charming cafés. Kollwitzplatz is a meeting place for weekly markets and street festivals, while Mauerpark is a magnet for flea market lovers and street musicians.
Schillerkiez, Rollbergkiez, Rixdorf in Neukölln: From a former working-class district to a hipster hotspot: Neukölln combines Arabic snack bars with vegan restaurants, old corner pubs with modern co-working spaces. Weserstraße is known for its dense bar and pub scene.
Savignyplatz, Rankekiez, Mommsenkiez in Charlottenburg: This is where tradition meets elegance: magnificent Wilhelminian-style buildings, upmarket boutiques and Kurfürstendamm as a shopping mile. Savignyplatz and its surroundings are full of small bookshops, theatres and upscale restaurants.
Samariterviertel, Boxhagener Platz, Rudolfkiez in Friedrichshain: Young, loud and creative – from the RAW grounds to Simon-Dach-Straße to the East Side Gallery, this neighbourhood is famous for its nightlife and street art.
What makes neighbourhoods special is their mix of local character and cosmopolitanism. You can often find everything you need to live in your own neighbourhood – a bakery, a flower shop, a doctor's office, a playground. At the same time, every neighbourhood reflects Berlin's multicultural composition.
Neighbourhood initiatives play a major role in this: whether neighbourhood festivals, swap meets or community gardens – people actively live together here. These structures create a feeling of a ‘village within the city’.
Berlin invites you to explore its neighbourhoods on foot. As you stroll through the streets, you will constantly discover new things: small galleries, inconspicuous courtyards with cafés, street art, historical traces. Every neighbourhood tells its own story – and often it is the inconspicuous corners that unfold the greatest magic.
Berlin is changing rapidly. Gentrification is causing rising rents and the loss of long-established shops in some neighbourhoods. At the same time, new places are emerging that are changing the character of the city. Striking a balance between preserving identity and openness to change is one of the biggest challenges.
Neighbourhoods give Berlin its distinctive character. They are places of encounter, creativity and everyday life. If you really want to understand Berlin, you have to experience its neighbourhoods – in conversation with the people, in the smell of a freshly baked simit, in the sound of an open-air jam session on the Landwehr Canal or in a quiet moment on a park bench under old lime trees.