Bike thefts are not uncommon in Germany, especially in the bigger cities. Here’s a look at where in Berlin most bikes were stolen in 2025, as well as a few tips on how to make sure yours doesn’t join them this year.
Fewer bicycles were reported stolen in Berlin in 2025 than in 2024, but that’s not to say that bike thefts have become rare – the police registered approximately 20,459 bike thefts last year, according to figures recently shared by the Berlin Senate.
Thefts and other crimes are recorded at the district level, making it possible to see the hotspots for bike theft across the German capital.
Here are the Berlin neighbourhoods where you’ll want to take particular care about securing your bike, and the basic precautions you might want to take.
Where are Berlin’s bike theft hotspots?
The numbers for bike thefts in Berlin in 2025 were shared by the city’s senate in response to an inquiry by Green party city senator Vasili Franco.
A report by Tagesspiegel shows the districts and neighbourhoods where most bikes were stolen, and highlights the city’s bike theft hotspots on a map.
The central district of Mitte recorded the highest number of bike thefts in 2025, with 3,943 police reports filed.
In fact, Mitte has long been a hotspot for crimes like pick-pocketing and petty theft, which is why the central neighbourhood typically tops the list of Berlin neighbourhoods where the most crimes are recorded.
READ ALSO: Are there any parts of Berlin you need to avoid?
After Mitte, the next most bike thefts were recorded in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (2,786) followed by Pankow (2,569).
Interestingly, the notoriously well-to-do district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf ranked 4th for bike thefts (1,933), putting it ahead of Tempelhof-Schöneberg (1,831) and Neukölln (1,599).
The fewest bicycle thefts were recorded in the outer districts of Marzahn-Hellersdorf (538) and Spandau (476).
Looking more closely at the neighbourhood level, a large number of stolen bikes were reported from the Alt-Treptow area (247), followed by several neighbourhoods in Mitte: the Charité district (206), Oranienburger Straße (194), Invalidenstraße (176) and Humboldthain Nordwest (164).
Also in the top ten worst neighbourhoods for bike disappearances were Wrangelkiez (158), Unter den Linden (157), Kameruner Straße (152), Flughafenstraße (146) and Großer Tiergarten (135).
According to Berlin’s Interior Administration, the total damage of all the reported bike robberies in the German capital amounted to more than €27 million last year.
The number of bike thefts that police are able to solve remains low. In 2025 the so-called clearance rate was just 4.9 percent, Tagesspiegel reported. Out of more than 20,000 cases, just 874 suspects were identified.
Tips for keeping your bike safe
Given the very low likelihood of seeing your bike again if it’s stolen, cyclists in Berlin are advised to use a solid bike lock and take care when parking your bike outside.
A general guideline here is to spend at least ten to twenty percent of the value of your bike on bike locks and security equipment. So if you have a €400 bike, you’ll want at least a €40 lock for it (ideally a U-lock or a very thick chain). You may also want to consider replacing quick release mechanisms on your wheels and seat post with more secure options.
At a certain point, however, you’d be advised simply not to park your bike on the street – at least not for long periods or overnight. Note that bikes are sometimes also stolen from inner courtyards and cellars. The safest location for an expensive bike is inside your home.
In Germany you can also register your bike with the police (search ‘Fahrradkennzeichnung‘ to find a time and place to do so), which would help ensure your bike would be returned to you if it were found by the authorities.
For more on what to do if your bike is stolen in Germany, read our explainer linked below.
EXPLAINED: What to do if your bike is stolen in Germany
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thelocal.de
