Shops around Karl-Marx-Straße

There's always something going on here around the clock – and there's always something new to discover. The best way to start your shopping trip in Neukölln is with breakfast or brunch, for example at Kalle Halle. The food hall is part of a newly developed building complex that won the B!WRD project developer award in the neighbourhood category in 2025. The legendary London record store Rough Trade is also located here, and a restaurant is set to open on the roof at the beginning of this year. If you continue strolling towards the town hall, you will pass the large Nike Sportsstore. Don't forget to keep an eye on the side streets.

International & rich in contrast

Between listed buildings, hip cafés, exciting cultural venues and trendy bars, you will also find Turkish greengrocers and Arabic bakeries, shisha cafés, kebab stands, nut roasters, mobile phone repair shops and fashion boutiques with glittering evening gowns.

However, it is precisely this contrast that makes this lively, lively neighbourhood so special. Immerse yourself and join us on a discovery tour along Karl-Marx-Straße and its side streets.

Oldest street in Neukölln

The first horse-drawn railway line ran here back in 1875, and today the shopping street follows the U7 underground line from Grenzallee to Hermannplatz. At Neukölln station, Karl-Marx-Straße is also directly connected to the Ringbahn and therefore has excellent transport links. Here you will also find the Neuköllner Tor, a small shopping centre for your daily needs. 

Art & Culture around Neukölln underground station

From here, you can walk to Körnerpark in five minutes, an idyllic garden with orangery and small gallery. There are numerous pretty and hip cafés and bars in the neighbourhood, such as the Flaschenzug Bar at Emser Straße 16, the Café Augusta at Jonasstraße 22 or Berlin's first cat café at Thomasstraße 53. 

A few minutes' walk further and you are already on Hermannstraße, which runs parallel to Karl-Marx-Straße. Here, an extraordinary brunch restaurant invites you to linger: The former funeral parlour with its beautiful domed ceiling has been lovingly restored for the 21Gramm at St. Thomas Churchyard. If you have the time, you can visit the Spore Initiative at Hermannstraße 86, an open, new cultural centre with an exciting approach and many events.

Art lovers will find plenty to enjoy in the small neighbourhood between Körnerpark and Karl-Marx-Allee. It is particularly worth visiting during the annual 48 Stunden Neukölln art festival.

Village idyll around the Karl-Marx Straße underground station

An excursion into the side streets takes you back to the neighbourhood's village past, to the bohemian village of Rixdorf. Past the idyllic Comenius-Garten takes you to Richardplatz and Berlin's oldest Schmiede. Knives, tools and jewellery have been made here over an open fire since 1624. You are welcome to watch. And you can even forge your own wedding rings in various workshops.

At Richardplatz 16, Mr Lindner mixes herbal cocktails. A visit to Café Botanico (Richardstraße 100) can be combined with a guided tour of the restaurant's permaculture garden.garden of the restaurant and the blood sausage factory at Karl-Marx-Platz 9-11 not only supplies Berlin's top chefs but has made a name for itself throughout Europe as a smoked meat and sausage specialist. 

Theatre, Opera and music around the Heimathafen

The Heimathafen Neukölln also offers a change from the hustle and bustle, a renowned event venue at Karl-Marx-Straße 141. Nearby is the Neuköllner Oper, the Passage cinema and the Puppet Theatre Museum with its own stage. It is not without reason that this cultural hub is also known as the "little Broadway" - because a lively spectrum of theatre, music and performance art unfolds around Heimathafen Neukölln, the Neukölln Opera and other venues. Here you can experience not only classical productions, but also experimental formats and musical diversity from opera to hip-hop - all in the heart of one of Berlin's most dynamic districts.

Stop by Wild Wood Wind, a master workshop for woodwind instruments with a shop at Richardstraße 9, or stroll on towards Rathaus Neukölln after this little excursion into Neukölln's cultural life. In Oriental Style you will find fragrances from all over the world, as well as henna products, prayer rugs and khussa, Indian shoes.

At Rollbergstraße, the legendary London record store Rough Trade invites you to browse and listen to music. Rollbergstraße itself leads on to KINDL – Centre for Contemporary Art. Visit the museum café Babette, which also hosts regular events among the historic brewing kettles.

Another exciting project is located at Karl-Marx-Straße 101, directly opposite the historic Stadtbad. The former department store and multi-storey car park is currently undergoing transformation, but will in future house coworking units, offices, shops, restaurants and a large roof garden as KALLE Neukölln. 

In the next section of Karl-Marx-Straße, you will find several big brands, such as Nike, TK Maxx and H&M. The former C&A department stores' at Karl-Marx-Straße 95 has now become one of the most exciting off-locations in Berlin. In the Cank you can experience five floors and 10.000 square metres of changing performances, exhibitions and pop-up surprises, currently the Art of the Brick exhibition and, on the first weekend of Advent, Berlin's Design-Christmas market Holy Shit Shopping.

Beautiful views at the Rathaus Neukölln underground station

Finish your stroll along Karl-Marx-Straße at Klunkerkranich, a bar with a large roof terrace and a great view of the entire neighbourhood. The way there is a little adventurous and leads through the parking deck of the Neukölln Arcaden shopping centre, which is of course also worth a visit with its many shops and a large cinema.

If you're still in the mood for nightlife, the best place to start is Paolo Pinkel just opposite at Karl-Marx-Straße 55. In addition to three different international cuisines, you can also expect concerts here from time to time. There's even more music three minutes' walk away at Donau 115. The Reuterkiez neighbourhood and the nearby Weserstraße are also great places to go out in Neukölln.

At both ends of Karl-Marx-Alle: Around the underground stations Hermannplatz & Grenzalle 

The Hermannplatz connects Karl-Marx-Allee, Hermannstraße and Sonnenallee. It gets really lively here. In addition to a large department stores' and the Hugendubel bookshop, you will find changing markets on the square.

Lasertag & Dicke Linda

At the opposite end of Karl-Marx-Straße is the Grenzallee underground station, another place with very different offerings. Just a five-minute walk from here, you will find Laserstar, one of Berlin's largest high-tech lasertag arenas with space for up to 100 players. Right next door, at Karl-Marx-Straße 155, Smyth Toys has set up a large toy shop. Around the corner at Naumburgerstraße 4 is Communal Coffee, the largest communal coffee roastery in Germany. Essentially a production facility and network for coffee professionals, public events are also held here from time to time.

On Saturdays, it's also worth taking a short diversions to Kranoldplatz to Dicken Linda, the weekly market  with many regional products, which decorates itself during Advent as a Christmas market.