Nord-Neukölln went from byword for poverty to byword for cool in barely a decade. The cheap rents that once drew Turkish and Arab families later drew artists, students and a wave of international newcomers, and the streets around Weserstraße and Reuterplatz filled with bars, galleries and project spaces. Locals grumble about what gentrification has done to the place; the energy that came with it is undeniable.
Sonnenallee is the spine of Arab Berlin — Lebanese bakeries, shisha cafés, and 24-hour grocers, busiest long after dark. North of it, the Reuterkiez and Weserkiez hold the densest run of bars in the city, while the Schillerkiez backs onto the old Tempelhof airfield. The neo-baroque Körnerpark, a sunken garden with a fountain and an orangery, is the unexpectedly grand corner of an otherwise scruffy district.
Come for the nightlife and the food. Climb to Klunkerkranich, the rooftop bar atop the Neukölln Arcaden car park, for sundowners over the city; graze along Sonnenallee for hummus and knafeh; and spend a warm afternoon on the vast open expanse of Tempelhofer Feld, where Berliners cycle and barbecue on the former runways.