Cycling the Berlin Wall: The Berliner Mauerweg

Yes, you can cycle the entire Berlin Wall route. The Berliner Mauerweg (Berlin Wall Trail) is a 160-kilometre signposted path that follows the former border around West Berlin. The trail is mostly flat, suitable for all fitness levels, and passes dozens of historical sites, memorials, and information panels along the way. Most cyclists complete it in two to three days, though you can also ride it section by section.

What Is the Berliner Mauerweg?

The Berliner Mauerweg was officially opened in 2006 as a joint project between Berlin and Brandenburg. It traces the approximately 160 kilometres of the former border that once encircled West Berlin, not just the inner-city wall between East and West Berlin, but also the longer outer border between West Berlin and the surrounding East German countryside. The trail uses a mix of paved cycling paths, quiet residential streets, forest tracks, and short stretches of road. Green signs with a stylised wall icon mark the route, and over 40 information panels at historically significant locations provide context in German and English.

The path runs through strikingly varied landscapes. In the inner city, you ride past preserved wall segments, memorials, and former border crossings. In the outer sections, the trail passes through Brandenburg farmland, pine forests, and along lakeshores where the border once cut through open water. This contrast, between dense urban history and peaceful countryside, is one of the trail’s most distinctive qualities.

The 14 Official Sections

The Berliner Mauerweg is divided into 14 sections, each designed to be completed in a few hours. You can start anywhere, but the official numbering begins at the Potsdamer Platz area and moves clockwise around the former border.

1. Potsdamer Platz to Schönefeld Chaussee (17 km). Through Neukölln and along the Teltow Canal, passing the Sonnenallee border crossing site.
2. Schönefeld Chaussee to Lichtenrade (13 km). Quiet southern suburbs, largely following the outer ring alongside Brandenburg fields.
3. Lichtenrade to Lichterfelde Süd (13 km). Through the Teltow area, crossing into Brandenburg and back, with views of open countryside.
4. Lichterfelde Süd to Griebnitzsee (13 km). Past Checkpoint Bravo at Dreilinden, the main Allied transit point on the motorway to West Germany, and along the Teltow Canal.
5. Griebnitzsee to Wannsee (10 km). A scenic lakeside stretch past the Glienicker Brücke, the famous Cold War spy-exchange bridge, and the exclave of Steinstücken.
6. Wannsee to Gatow/Kladow (15 km). Along the Havel river through forests, one of the most peaceful stretches on the entire trail.
7. Gatow/Kladow to Hennigsdorf (16 km). Through Spandau and along the Havel, past the former Staaken border crossing. Mixed terrain with some unpaved paths.
8. Hennigsdorf to Hermsdorf (11 km). Through the Tegeler Fließ nature area, a lush wetland valley that feels far removed from Berlin.
9. Hermsdorf to Wollankstraße (8 km). Re-entering the city through Lübars and Pankow, connecting to the inner-city wall route.
10. Wollankstraße to Bornholmer Straße (5 km). A short urban stretch passing through the area where the first border crossing opened on the night of 9 November 1989.
11. Bornholmer Straße to Eberswalder Straße (5 km). Along Bernauer Straße past the Berlin Wall Memorial, the most important documentation site on the entire trail, and Mauerpark.
12. Eberswalder Straße to Brandenburger Tor (7 km). Through the Nordbahnhof ghost station area, past the Günter Litfin memorial, and along the Spree towards the government quarter.
13. Brandenburger Tor to Potsdamer Platz (5 km). The most monument-dense section: the watchtower on Erna-Berger-Straße, Topographie des Terrors, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Peter Fechter memorial.
14. Potsdamer Platz to East Side Gallery (12 km). Along the Spree past the Oberbaumbrücke and the longest surviving stretch of painted wall.

Practical Information

Bike Rental

Berlin has abundant bike rental options. Many visitors use full-day or multi-day rentals from shops in Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, or Kreuzberg. A standard city bike costs around 12 to 15 euros per day; lighter touring bikes or e-bikes cost more but make the longer outer sections easier. If you plan to ride the full loop, an e-bike is worth considering, while the terrain is flat, 160 kilometres over two or three days adds up. Several companies also offer guided Mauerweg tours with bike included.

How Many Days?

Strong cyclists can complete the full loop in two days, but three days is more comfortable and allows time to visit memorials and read the information panels. If you only have one day, focus on the inner-city sections (roughly sections 10 through 14), which cover about 35 kilometres and pass the highest concentration of historical sites. Many Berliners ride individual sections on weekends throughout the year.

Best Time of Year

April to October offers the best conditions. Summer days are long. Berlin gets over 16 hours of daylight in June, giving you maximum riding time. Spring and autumn are cooler and less crowded. Winter is feasible but some unpaved outer sections can be muddy, and daylight is limited to about eight hours.

Navigation

The green Mauerweg signs are generally reliable, but a few junctions in the outer sections can be confusing. Download a GPS track to your phone as backup. The Berlin Senate’s website offers official GPX files for each section. You can also use our interactive map to preview the wall’s route and plan which sites you want to visit along the way.

Route Highlights

The inner-city sections between Bornholmer Straße and the East Side Gallery offer the densest concentration of memorials and preserved wall segments. If your time is limited, prioritise these stretches. The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße is essential, it is the only place where all elements of the border system are preserved and explained in full context.

The outer sections reward you differently. The stretch past the Glienicker Brücke near Potsdam is beautiful and historically rich. The forest paths west of Spandau are among the quietest cycling you will find anywhere near a European capital. Along the southern border, you ride through Brandenburg villages where the wall’s path is now almost invisible, just a slightly different texture in the ground or a row of trees marks where the death strip once ran.

Tips for the Ride

• Carry water and snacks for the outer sections. Some stretches through Brandenburg farmland have no shops or cafes for 10 to 15 kilometres.
• Start early on inner-city sections if you want to avoid crowds, especially near Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate.
• Lock your bike securely at memorial sites. A solid U-lock is standard in Berlin.
• Combine cycling with S-Bahn: bikes are allowed on Berlin’s S-Bahn and regional trains (with a bike ticket), so you can ride one section and take the train back.
• Watch for cobblestones in some inner-city areas. A double row of cobblestones set into the road marks the wall’s former path, historically interesting, but bumpy on thin tyres.

The Berliner Mauerweg is one of Europe’s most unusual cycling trails. It is not a conventional scenic route, it follows a line drawn by Cold War politics, cutting through city blocks, forests, rivers, and fields. That is precisely what makes it worth riding. You experience the wall’s full geographic reality: not just the famous inner-city sites, but the entire 160-kilometre perimeter that once sealed off half a city. Explore the places along the route before you go, and check our guides for more walking and cycling itineraries.

Cycling Route