Berlin Marathon 2027: Generali Berlin Marathon Race Day, 26 September

The Berlin Marathon runs on Sunday 26 September 2027 under a new name: the Generali Berlin Marathon. The insurer replaces BMW as title sponsor, closing a 16 year run, and registration for the 2027 edition has already opened.

Berlin is one of the seven World Marathon Majors and the fastest course in the series’ history. If you are flying in to run it or to watch it, this post covers the change at the top, the ride in from BER, and how the first hour works.

Marathon Handbook reports the change in detail. Organizer SCC Events announced that Generali takes the title from the 26 September 2027 race, ending BMW’s 16 years in the role. Generali’s name has been on the Berlin Half Marathon since 2019, and the company signed as a co-sponsor of the marathon in August 2024, a deal that also covered the Generali 5K on marathon weekend. Registration for 2027 opened at noon Berlin time on the day of the announcement, and the race’s new website went live with it.

The BMW years were the fastest Berlin has had: six marathon world records from 15 races. Patrick Makau opened with 2:03:38 in 2011, Dennis Kimetto became the first man under 2:03 in 2014, Eliud Kipchoge lowered the mark to 2:01:39 in 2018 and 2:01:09 in 2022, and Tigst Assefa broke the women’s record with 2:11:53 in 2023. The course has produced 13 world records since the first race in 1974, more than any other marathon.

The final BMW edition still delivered: Assefa won the women’s race in a course record of 2:11:04, and Guye Adola won the men’s race. Neither SCC Events nor Generali has said how long the new deal runs, so the confirmed news for runners is the date, the name and the open registration.

The BER station sits under Terminal 1 and serves both terminals, and every airport train takes the same 5 euro ABC ticket, so choose by destination, not price. Stamp a paper ticket in the yellow validator before you ride: an unvalidated ticket counts as no ticket. See our Berlin airport to city center transfer guide for every option, priced and compared.

For a Splurge, Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, at Unter den Linden 77, puts Brandenburg Gate at the end of the boulevard, with a spa and indoor pool. For Mid-range, Hotel AMANO Grand Central, at Heidestrasse 62, sleeps opposite Hauptbahnhof, with smart compact rooms and the station’s trains, trams and buses across the street. For Budget, The Circus Hostel, at Rosenthaler Platz, Weinbergsweg 1a, has tidy dorms and private rooms, an on site microbrewery and the U8 outside.

Mitte is the first visit base, with Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island and Friedrichstrasse on foot. Confirm whether a quoted total includes the 7.5 percent City Tax, as properties handle the line differently. For getting back, ride the FEX or the S-Bahn to the station under Terminal 1.

Sort your connection before you land: the guide names an Airalo eSIM, live when the door opens, so maps, boards and museum slots work all day, with Saily to compare. Its calculator prices a 5 GB plan at 12 euro before you land.

Buy the pass once you know the shape of the stay. A 24 hour ticket costs 12.90 euro for ABC, an AB single is 4 euro, and staying four days or more, price the Deutschlandticket at 63 euro a month against day tickets. Cards work nearly everywhere, but cafes and bars may prefer cash, so carry some euros and use bank ATMs, declining conversion.

For a first meal, the guide sends you to Mustafa’s Gemuse Kebap on Mehringdamm for the chicken kebab with grilled vegetables, feta and herbs, to Curry 36 for currywurst with fries and mayo, or to Markthalle Neun to graze the stalls. Book ahead where the guide warns: Museum Island slots, the Reichstag dome and the TV Tower punish walk ups.

That is the shape of the trip: land well, join the event, and keep the first hour simple. Browse the events calendar for what else is on while you are in town, and use plan your trip to line up the days around it.