Getting your bearings
Neukölln is one of Berlin's twelve boroughs, sitting south-east of the city centre and stretching from the inner city down to the Brandenburg border. For a visitor, the practical consequence is that the northern quarter (the part most people mean when they say "Neukölln") is close enough to central Berlin to walk or ride into, while the southern quarters — Britz, Gropiusstadt, Buckow and Rudow — are more residential and spread out. The borough is served by an extensive multimodal transport network linking it with the rest of Berlin, Brandenburg and Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
How visitors get around
Public transport in Neukölln is provided by the Berlin U-Bahn, the Berlin S-Bahn and an extensive network of bus routes. The borough is served by the U7 and U8 U-Bahn lines and by four S-Bahn lines, with major interchange stations at Hermannplatz, Hermannstraße and Berlin-Neukölln station. These interchanges are the practical anchors of any trip: they are where U-Bahn, S-Bahn and bus routes meet, so most journeys within and through the borough can be planned around them.
Future transport plans include extensions to the U-Bahn and tram networks, together with improvements to bus services and regional connectivity — but for now, the tram is not part of the network serving Neukölln, so visitors should plan around rail and bus rather than expecting trams.
Rail, metro and tram
- U-Bahn: the U7 and U8 lines serve the borough, connecting it with the wider Berlin metro network.
- S-Bahn: four S-Bahn lines run through Neukölln, with Berlin-Neukölln station as a key stop. The station sits at Saalestraße in 12055 Berlin, with its entrance in the railway station hall.
- Interchanges: Hermannplatz, Hermannstraße and Berlin-Neukölln station are the main places to switch between lines and modes.
- Tram: not currently part of Neukölln's network; planned extensions are a future prospect rather than something to rely on today.
Berlin-Neukölln station is a useful example of what to expect at the larger stops: it has ticket machines, ticket-stamping machines and an information point, plus a book and press shop in the station hall. There is an elevator and lift platform connecting the S-Bahn, the street and the U7 platform, and escalators between the station foyer and the S-Bahn platform. Bike parking is available, and there is a public toilet on Saalestraße behind Karl-Marx-Straße.
Buses and other public transport
An extensive bus network complements the rail lines, and buses are the mode that reaches into parts of the borough the U-Bahn and S-Bahn do not. Because the rail lines and bus routes converge at the major interchanges, a typical trip involves riding a bus to Hermannplatz, Hermannstraße or Berlin-Neukölln and continuing by train. Improvements to bus services and regional connectivity are part of the borough's future transport plans.
Tickets and fares
Berlin's public transport fares are organised in VBB zones, which is what you will see on ticket machines and maps:
- Zone a: central Berlin, including the S-Bahn Ring.
- Zone b: outside the S-Bahn Ring out to the city limits.
- Zone c: the outskirts of Berlin and Potsdam.
For most sightseeing based in Neukölln and central Berlin, you will be travelling within zones a and b; a journey to the airport or to Potsdam brings zone c into play. Tickets can be bought from machines at stations such as Berlin-Neukölln, and must be stamped in the validation machines before travel — the station provides several stamping machines alongside its ticket machines.
Taxis and ride-hailing
In practice, the major interchanges and station forecourts are the obvious places to look for a taxi, and the borough's arterial roads and autobahn access (the A100 and A113) make it reachable by car.
Walking and cycling
Neukölln has extensive cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and the northern quarter in particular is compact and well suited to exploring on foot — its streets run just south of Kreuzberg, and the two areas blend into what locals informally call "Kreuzkölln". Cycling is a practical option for covering more ground, with bike parking available at stations such as Berlin-Neukölln. Note that the borough stretches a long way south, so the southern quarters are better reached by rail or bus than on foot.
Getting in from the airport
Berlin Brandenburg Airport lies close to Neukölln's southern edge — the borough's southern quarters, especially Rudow, sit near the airport and the A113 autobahn, and the transport network is explicitly designed to connect the borough with the airport. The airport is therefore reached by public transport rather than by a long cross-city trek: rail and bus services link the borough to the airport, and because the airport sits beyond the central area, expect your ticket to need a zone covering the journey out of the city (zones a and b cover Berlin itself, with zone c covering the outskirts).
Practical tips
- Plan journeys around the three main interchanges — Hermannplatz, Hermannstraße and Berlin-Neukölln — where lines and buses connect.
- Buy and validate your ticket before boarding; stamping machines are provided at stations.
- Check the VBB zone map when heading to the airport or outside Berlin, and buy a ticket that covers the zones you will cross.
- Use the U-Bahn and S-Bahn for longer hops and buses for the finer-grained parts of the borough.
- For help at Berlin-Neukölln station, there is an information point in the station, and the station's accessibility facilities include an elevator and lift platform.