photo: Urte Kaunas
There are so many stories written about Berlin: a city of inspiration, creativity, lost and found spirit, art and music, crazy dance floor love fairytales and never ending discoveries. In the end, every story reflects its personal angle and puts a different color pallet to fill the page. Berlin is made of many different routes – so let’s ride.
Getting into the streets by a city bike, having a cup of beautiful coffee on the way, observing the people in the streets, having spontaneous chats and exploring the local cafes and restaurants sounds like a perfect idyll of a day in Berlin.
For our brand new guide we got together with the charming Edoardo, head barista of Refinery High End Coffee in Mitte and Kreuzberg, and teamed up with Creme Cycles and the bikecitizens app to create a bike tour that unites the spirits of Berlin, delicious coffee and beautiful bikes.
Our tour starts in the most beloved and diverse districts of Berlin: “Kreuzberg is purely bizarre: you never know what to expect from the people, it’s ever changing and there is always something odd to discover,” says Edo before we start our tour…
09:00h
Refinery High End Coffee Store
I’m always glad to start the day by having a morning chat with my colleagues over the coffee at the brand new Refinery Specialty Coffee Store. Love the atmosphere here. It’s like a quiet oasis dedicated to specialty coffee and art of preparing and serving it. The coffee beans selection is based on featuring our favorite international leading specialty coffee roasters. For example, right now we stock my favorite Tim Wendelboe, Colonna Coffee Roasters, da Matteo and Per Nordby coffee beans. It is a gallery for the art of coffee and the major concentration stays in the refined coffee taste and aroma.
Skalitzer Strasse 104, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
photo: Urte Kaunas
10:00h
Ngbk
If you know the beauty of a good book, Ngbk welcomes you inside with a great selection of some treasures. There are more than 285 book shops in Berlin and each one is uniquely beautiful. A great variety of English, German, French and Italian books catch the eyes and invite you on a journey of history and fiction. A book accompanied by a nice talk with coffee experts is exactly what you need to set the tone for the day.
Oranienstraße 25, 10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg
photo: Urte Kaunas
10:30h
Maybachufer / Turkish Market
Come rain or come shine – Maybachufer is always a good idea! Extremely busy, always full or passers-by, filled with random conversations, laughs or arguments, this places is still somehow magical. Absorbing the view from the bridge for couple of minutes brings back the idea why Berlin is a beauty. Turn the street by the canal and enjoy the Turkish market on Tuesday or Friday which offers various possibilities: from fresh international cuisine and food trucks to fabrics and souvenirs. Street music, good food, loads of action gives a triple energy combination.
Maybachufer, 12047 Berlin-Kreuzberg
photo: Urte Kaunas
11:30h
Populus Coffee
One of the greatest places to enjoy extremely delicious breakfast or brunch over the locally roasted coffee next to the canal is Populus Coffee. Welcoming staff, positive atmosphere, nice surrounding and, most importantly, a healthy Finnish breakfast menu. Spinach waffles, carrot lox, avocado and horseradish cream cheese is what you need to start your day! This place is an inspirational spot for minimalism and the aesthetics of simple design.
Maybachufer 20, 12047 Berlin-Kreuzberg
photo: Urte Kaunas
12:30h
Paul-Lincke-Ufer
After the Maybachufer you already saw the one side, but you can’t leave the Landwehrkanal without also seeing the other side: Paul-Lincke-Ufer. It’s a lovely little stretch of Berlin, especially the area where people of all ages play Boule together. You can cycle all the way down until the little park where the canal splits in two ways and the districts of Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Treptow meet.
photo: Urte Kaunas
13:30h
Boulderklub Kreuzberg
Bouldering is an amazing way to forget about the daily routine, train the stamina and get your muscles to work with the whole-body activity. It is a very actively goal-orientated sport and all the mind and strength is put together to reach it. Therefore, bouldering connects very different people and creates an interesting community. The first time I got into mountaineering was a couple years ago during travels in Nepal and Thailand: beautiful sceneries, it helps to clear the mind and concentrate on yourself. Since then I cannot get enough.
Ohlauer Str. 38, 10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg
photo: Tim Raack
15:30h
Musashi
Just right at the border between Neukölln and Kreuzberg, Musashi is my favourite spot to stop by for a quick Japanese meal which includes raw fish with tasty rice. The fact that some people say this sushi place has been here since the wall came down and still keeps a high quality makes Musashi even more authentic. The sushi is as classic as the noodle soup and the other hot dishes offered by the small restaurant bringing the true Japanese cuisine spirit over here. Everything matches perfectly with some ice-cold Asahi beer in this tiny and extremely crowded whole-in-the-wall sushi place. And, of course, a very delicious Matcha ice cream is a must!
Kottbusser Damm 102 , 10967 Berlin-Kreuzberg
photo: Urte Kaunas
16:30h
Das Hotel
Das Hotel is a great spot if you like the pure Kreuzberg vibe: extremely international, vintage design, candle lights and great beers. It’s a small bar that fascinates with its particular atmosphere and mood. You feel like crashing a private party and, actually, a really good one. Since the place is small, people come together and chat with each other and that’s where the further evening plans are made.
Mariannenstr. 26a, 10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg
photo: Tim Raack
19:00h
Funkhaus
The history of the building just like the building itself is extremely impressive! It is an old GDR institution where all the recordings for the public radio and TV stations took place. Right now, Funkhaus Berlin is hub of many artists and musicians who have their studios, rehearsal and event spaces. It is quite common they host open house days, special events, concerts and exhibitions so there is a chance to go inside and see the great space turned into a gallery. The whole idea is to combine music, culture and art in one space – absolutely love it!
Nalepastr. 18, 12459 Berlin-Rummelsburg
(Open on special occasions)
photo: Urte Kaunas
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Collaboration with Creme Cycles. Designed and hand-built in Europe. Each one a tribute to the love for the details and craftsmanship. The route was created using bikecitizens app.
