Berlin Marathon 2027 : the course km by km, race week and travel

Berlin is the fastest marathon course in the world, and the flatness is the least of the reason. The loop climbs 35.9 m over 42.2 km, and its one real rise sits in the quiet southwest between km 26 and km 28. What shapes the race is where the corners fall. There are 44 of them, 21 before halfway and only ten after km 30, then six right angles in the last 2.3 km. A runner who holds back on the wide early boulevards, where nothing pushes back, has the best road on earth for the second half.

The kilometres and heights below are measured along the organiser’s 2026 course, matched to the streets and sampled on Berlin’s one-metre terrain model. The organiser has not published a 2027 course map yet, so check its course page before you plan your pacing.

Km 0 to 2.6: west through the Tiergarten

The start is on Straße des 17. Juni between the Brandenburg Gate and the Kleiner Stern, and the field runs west, away from the Gate. The road is about fifty metres wide, so nothing bunches and nothing slows you down. That is the first trap: there is no wall of runners to tell you the opening kilometres are too fast. At about km 0.7 the course rounds the Großer Stern and passes 66 m from the Siegessäule, then carries on west to Ernst-Reuter-Platz at km 2.6.

Km 2.6 to 8.3: Moabit and the government quarter

The course turns north on Marchstraße and Franklinstraße, crosses the Spree on the Gotzkowskybrücke at about km 3.7 and runs 2.6 km along Alt-Moabit. The lowest point of the whole race, 33.1 m, comes at about km 4.5. At km 6.6 it crosses the Spree again on the Moltkebrücke and passes through the government quarter on Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee and Konrad-Adenauer-Straße, then along Reinhardtstraße to Friedrichstraße at about km 8.

Km 8.3 to 12.1: Torstraße and Karl-Marx-Allee

Torstraße takes the course 2 km east through Rosenthaler Platz, then Mollstraße and Otto-Braun-Straße lead onto Karl-Marx-Allee at km 11.1. The Fernsehturm is about 500 m away here, the nearest the course comes to it. Strausberger Platz, at about km 12, is where the course swings south. The corners come thick and fast in this first half, but none of the 44 on the course is a hairpin.

Km 12.1 to 21.1: Kreuzberg and the canal

The course crosses the Spree a third time on the Michaelbrücke at km 12.8, then runs south on Heinrich-Heine-Straße and Prinzenstraße to Kottbusser Tor at about km 15.3. Kottbusser Damm crosses the Landwehr Canal and reaches Hermannplatz at km 16.6. From there it turns west along Hasenheide, past Südstern and down Gneisenaustraße, and Yorckstraße carries it 1.5 km west from km 19.3. Halfway comes on Goebenstraße, just before it meets Potsdamer Straße, with nearly half the corners of the race already behind you. The ground has barely moved: 34.5 m at halfway against 33.6 m at the start.

Km 21.1 to 29.4: Schöneberg, the southwest and the only climb

Grunewaldstraße, Martin-Luther-Straße and Hauptstraße lead southwest through Schöneberg, and from about km 22 the road starts rising gently, to 42.7 m at km 25. After a short dip it climbs again: from 39.8 m at km 26.0, along Südwestkorso and Lentzeallee, to the high point of the course, 51.4 m, at about km 28.2. That is 11.6 m in 2.2 km, but it is the closest Berlin comes to a climb. It also comes in the residential southwest, roughly km 25 to 30, where the buildings drop from six storeys to four and the crowds thin to knots at the junctions. Tiredness and quiet arrive together here.

Km 29.4 to 33.3: Hohenzollerndamm and the one descent

Rheinbabenallee brings the course onto Hohenzollerndamm at km 29.4, and from there it runs downhill for most of four kilometres, with a short rise around km 31. By km 33.3 it is back down to 35 m, the only real descent of the race. The single sharpest corner on the course comes on the way down: a left turn of about 106 degrees into Fehrbelliner Platz at km 32.1. Brandenburgische Straße and Konstanzer Straße lead to Olivaer Platz, close to the km 33 cut-off point.

Km 33.3 to 39.9: Kurfürstendamm to Potsdamer Platz

From Olivaer Platz the course turns hard exactly once in 6.6 km. Kurfürstendamm and Tauentzienstraße take it 2 km east, then Kleiststraße and Bülowstraße lead to Potsdamer Straße at km 36.8. It crosses the Landwehr Canal on the Potsdamer Brücke at km 37.8 and reaches Potsdamer Platz at km 38.5. Leipziger Straße runs another 1.2 km east, flat at about 35 m. This is the middle of the city again, and the stretch to hold your pace on before the corners start.

Km 39.9 to 42.2: six right angles and the Gate

The course saves six hard corners for the end, at km 39.9, 40.1, 40.3, 40.6, 41.0 and 41.3: left, left, right, left, right, left. The first two, onto Jerusalemer Straße and then Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße, are 174 m apart and together make the only complete reversal on the course. Markgrafenstraße, Französische Straße and Glinkastraße lead onto Unter den Linden at km 41.3. That is six slow-downs and speed-ups in 1.35 km, on tired legs.

Unter den Linden takes the course across Pariser Platz and through the central passage of the Brandenburg Gate at about km 41.8. It is the loudest point of the day, and it is not the finish. The line is about 350 m further west on Straße des 17. Juni, and the gantry is visible the whole way without seeming to come any closer.

Cut-offs

The time limit is 6 hours 15 minutes from crossing the start mat. The organiser’s 2027 race-day page puts a cut-off at km 33 at 3.50pm and closes the finish at 5.15pm; in 2026 those were 3.40pm and 5pm, so check the 2027 briefing. Runners who miss the km 33 cut-off ride to the finish in the sweep bus. With the last wave off at 10.27am, a runner in block K running an even pace inside the time limit reaches km 33 well before 3.50pm.

The expo and your race number

The Marathon Expo is in the old Tempelhof Airport, Platz der Luftbrücke 5. For 2027 the organiser gives Thursday 23 September from 3pm to 8pm, Friday 24 September from 10am to 8pm and Saturday 25 September from 9am to 7pm. Entry is free and bags are limited to 55 by 40 by 25 cm.

The 2027 rules for collecting numbers are not out yet. In 2026 numbers were handed out in Hangar 5, in person only and without exception, against photo ID and the start pass emailed seven to ten days before the race. Saturday was the last day, and the organiser advised coming on the Thursday or Friday morning, since Friday afternoon and Saturday are the busiest. There was no collection on race morning.

The start, waves and pacers

The start area is on Straße des 17. Juni between the Brandenburg Gate and the Kleiner Stern. Your start block is printed on your number. The organiser’s 2027 page lists six running waves:

• Wave 1, blocks A, B and C: 8.45am
• Wave 2, blocks D and E: 9.05am
• Wave 3, blocks F and G: 9.33am
• Wave 4, block H: 10.02am
• Wave 5, block J: 10.12am
• Wave 6, block K: 10.27am

The entrances open at 7am for blocks A to D, 7.30am for E and F, 8am for G, H and J and 8.30am for K. These are the same wave times as in 2026, so treat them as provisional until the 2027 briefing appears. Pacers carry flags with their finish time, from 3:00 in wave 1, and in 2026 the last wave had pacers up to 6:00.

Bag drop

The clothing drop is booked at registration. Runners who booked it get a bag with their number on it to leave at the drop-off station; everyone else has a poncho symbol on their number and gets a poncho instead. In 2026 bags could be collected until 5.15pm on showing your number. The 2027 drop-off times and places are not published yet.

On the course

The organiser lists 15 aid stations. Water is at km 5, 12, 17.5, 22.5, 27.5, 32.5, 34.5, 38 and km 40. Water, fruit, tea and Maurten Drink Mix are at km 9, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 36, and Maurten Gel 100 is handed out at km 27.5. These are the 2026 positions. Behind the finish, every finisher gets an alcohol-free Erdinger.