Kreuzberg: From Görlitzer Park to the Landwehrkanal

Kreuzberg is not one neighbourhood but at least three different worlds in close proximity. The genteel Bergmannkiez with its Altbau apartments and its Saturday market, the lively Wrangelkiez with its bar and restaurant scene, and the raw Kottbusser Tor, where Turkish supermarkets exist alongside techno clubs. That precise mix is what defines Kreuzberg: this is Berlin as you imagine it, but rarely find it elsewhere.

Kottbusser Tor — the Heart of SO36

The "Kotti" is loud, chaotic and honest. Around the square, Turkish supermarkets with fresh produce line up next to Spätis that never close, and the Südblock with its terrace sits right on the Kottbusser Tor. In the evenings, neighbours gather here for a beer while the U-Bahn rattles overhead.

Kottbusser Tor has a poor reputation in the guidebooks, and yes, it is not pretty in the conventional sense. But those who give the place a chance will find an authenticity that many gentrified neighbourhoods have lost. Café Kotti serves the best Turkish tea in the area, and the NBI next door does an outstanding pizza.

Tip: Start on Friday evening at Kottbusser Tor and let the night take you wherever it will. Here, night blends seamlessly into morning.

Oranienstraße — the Main Artery

The Oranienstraße runs from Moritzplatz to Heinrichplatz and is Kreuzberg's most vibrant street. Here you find everything side by side: bookshops like the legendary Kisch & Co., döner joints, vintage shops, small galleries and long-standing pubs where the same regulars have been sitting for decades.

The Oranienstraße has changed — more cafés, higher rents, some of the old shops forced to close. But the character has remained. On 1 May the street becomes a party strip, and even on an ordinary Friday evening the energy is palpable. For a first impression of Kreuzberg, a walk along the Oranienstraße is the best place to start.

Highlight: The mix of Turkish shops and new concept stores. At Bateau Ivre you will find good wine; at SO36, legendary concerts.

Wrangelkiez — Bars and Restaurants Without End

Around the Schlesische Straße and Wrangelstraße, one of Berlin's densest bar and restaurant scenes has grown up. Within a few hundred metres you will find Italian trattorias, Vietnamese noodle soups, Mexican taquerias and classic Berlin corner pubs.

The Wrangelkiez is livelier and younger than the Bergmannkiez, but less touristy than the Oranienstraße. Come evening, the pavements fill up, bars throw their doors open, and you can move from place to place without walking more than 100 metres. Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus has been serving a single dish for over a hundred years: half a chicken, crispy and perfect.

Recommendations: Cocolo Ramen for the best ramen in the area, Luzia for relaxed cocktails, Five Elephant for coffee the next morning.

Bergmannkiez — the Quieter Side of Kreuzberg

South of the Mehringdamm lies the Bergmannkiez, Kreuzberg's most laid-back corner. The Bergmannstraße, with its small shops, cafés and restaurants, has an almost small-town feel. There is no club tourism here — instead you have the Marheinekeplatz with its market, the Chamissokiez with its quiet cobbled streets, and the Viktoriapark with its waterfall and the Kreuzbergdenkmal.

From the Kreuzberg itself — the hill that gave the district its name — you get a lovely view over the rooftops. In summer, families stretch out on the grass; in winter, children come to sledge. The Bergmannkiez is proof that Kreuzberg does not have to be wild and loud — it can also be quiet and green.

Tip: Visit the Saturday market at Marheinekeplatz and follow it with breakfast at Café am Engelbecken.

Am Landwehrkanal — Kreuzberg's Green Artery

The Landwehrkanal runs through the whole of Kreuzberg and is the natural link between its various Kieze. Along the Paul-Lincke-Ufer, cafés and benches line the water's edge; at the Maybachufer, the Türkischer Markt takes place every Tuesday and Friday; and at the Urbanhafen you can swim in summer at the Badeschiff — a pool that floats on the Spree.

A walk along the canal is the best way to experience Kreuzberg. Start at Kottbusser Tor, follow the canal westwards past the Urbanhafen, the Paul-Lincke-Ufer and the Maybachufer, and finish at the point where the Landwehrkanal meets the Tiergarten. The full route takes about an hour and leads through everything that makes Kreuzberg what it is.

Best moment: Spring or summer, in the afternoon, with a coffee from Concierge Coffee on the Paul-Lincke-Ufer in hand.

Görlitzer Park — Contested, but Inseparable from Kreuzberg

The "Görli" is Kreuzberg's largest park and simultaneously its most controversial spot. During the day, families use the playground, teenagers the basketball court, and on the lawns people barbecue and play music. The park also has a darker side — open drug dealing — which would be dishonest to ignore.

Even so, the Görlitzer Park belongs to Kreuzberg as surely as the Kotti or the Oranienstraße. In summer it is one of the most vibrant places in the city, and the café inside the park serves surprisingly good coffee. A daytime stroll through the park gives you an unfiltered picture of Kreuzberg, with all its contradictions.

Experiencing Kreuzberg: A Day in the Kiez

A perfect day in Kreuzberg might look something like this: morning coffee on the Landwehrkanal, then a wander through the Türkischer Markt at the Maybachufer. Lunch — a döner at Imren or a late breakfast at Ora. In the afternoon, stroll through the Bergmannkiez and climb the Viktoriapark. In the evening, head to the Wrangelkiez for dinner and then on to a bar or two on the Oranienstraße.

Kreuzberg is compact enough to explore entirely on foot. People who live here barely need the U-Bahn except to leave the Kiez — and most of the time they would rather not.