About Sports events
Berlin hosts top-flight football, ice hockey, basketball, handball and volleyball every season, plus an international calendar from indoor athletics to grass-court tennis. Mass races turn the Tiergarten, Kurfürstendamm and riverside parks into courses several times a year.
Club sport week in, week out
- 1. FC Union Berlin home matches – Stadion An der Alten Försterei in Köpenick, by the Wuhlheide. From BER it is one of the shortest runs to any big stadium, usually 20–30 minutes, but the roads around it close up before kick-off. See Treptow-Köpenick.
- Eisbären Berlin ice hockey games and ALBA Berlin basketball games – both in the Uber Arena next to Warschauer Straße.
- Füchse Berlin handball games and Berlin Recycling Volleys matches – mostly in the Max-Schmeling-Halle at Falkplatz, Prenzlauer Berg; selected big games move to the Uber Arena.
- Hertha and international football, plus finals and stadium concerts, go to the Olympiastadion in the west.
Indoor highlights: athletics and the track
- ISTAF Indoor Berlin – an evening athletics meeting in the Uber Arena, usually in February or March.
- SixDay Berlin – the traditional six-day race, now held as a compact weekend in the Velodrom on Paul-Heyse-Straße, usually in January.
- Berlin track cycling events – international and national meetings also use the Velodrom's wooden track during the season.
Outdoor events and races through the city
- Berlin E-Prix (Formula E) – on the apron of the former Tempelhof airport, usually in spring.
- Berlin Ladies Open and Berlin Tennis Open – grass-court tennis in June at the Steffi-Graf-Stadion of LTTC Rot-Weiß in Grunewald.
- Berlin Triathlon – in Treptower Park in early summer, swimming in the Spree.
- HYROX Berlin – the fitness race takes over halls at Tempelhof, so far in spring.
- Berlin Women's Run – in spring around the Tiergarten.
- Berlin 10K Run (The Great 10K) – in autumn, most recently starting and finishing at Schloss Charlottenburg.
- adidas Runners City Night Berlin – a summer evening race on Kurfürstendamm, with the finish near the Gedächtniskirche.
The marathon weekend has its own page: Berlin Marathon.
Race day: closures and where the car can go
Road races close their course for several hours, and the area around the start is often closed from the day before. The driver will route around the barriers and stop at the nearest open corner; from there it is usually a short walk. For events in the Tiergarten and on Kurfürstendamm, a hotel on the opposite side of the course saves a lot of detours. Union home games lead to parking and stopping bans in the streets around the stadium; ask to be let out on a main road and walk the last part with the crowd.
How long is the taxi from BER to the venue?
Typical spans outside rush hour: Alte Försterei and Treptower Park 20–30 minutes, Tempelhof 25–35, Uber Arena 30–45, Max-Schmeling-Halle and Velodrom 40–55, Grunewald, Charlottenburg and Olympiastadion 45–60. Game nights during the working week meet commuter traffic between about 4 and 7 pm; weekend afternoons are usually calmer except on major match days.
Kit bags, bikes and teams
Athletes travel with more: kit bags, rackets, wetsuits, sometimes a bike box. Enter the number and size of items when booking so the right vehicle turns up. Teams and supporters' groups can book a minivan or minibus as one vehicle; see airport minibus.
