Things to Do in Berlin
• Step into the tower's observation deck and take in 360° panoramic views, spotting landmarks like the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Cathedral, and Museum Island.
• Enhance your visit with a virtual reality experience (Berlin's Odyssey) that takes you on an immersive journey through 9 centuries of Berlin’s rich and turbulent history.
• Relax with a drink at Sphere, the highest bar in Berlin, perched above the skyline, perfect for grabbing that unforgettable photo.
• **Fun fact:** The Berlin TV Tower was nicknamed the “Pope’s Revenge” or “St. Walter” because, when sunlight hits the mirrored dome, it reflects the shape of a cross. This effect was especially embarrassing for the atheist East German regime that built the tower!
Berlin is without any doubts one of the most interesting and important cities in the world. Our tour will give you a good understanding of the city, its history and the many ideas born in Berlin that shaped this city and the entire world! We will journey in time from the humble medieval beginnings, through the capital of a mighty kingdom and empire, revolution, dark times of nazism, destruction and communist divisions up to today – the trendiest and hottest city in the world. That was truly a spectacular transition, one you should not miss!
On the tour we will see and discuss:
- TV Tower
- Red Town Hall and the remains of the old Berlin
- Museum Island and the Berlin Cathedral
- Unter Den Linden and Humboldt University
- The Square of the Book Burning (Bebelplatz)
- Checkpoint Charlie and Berlin Wall stories
- Adolf Hitler’s Bunker Site
- The Memorial to The Murdered Jews of Europe
- Brandenburg Gate
The last stop for this tour is Brandenburg Gate.
Look for the yellow umbrella at the meeting point!
ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules
The tour is fit for pets, but one site, the Holocaust Memorial, is only allowed to walk around (so you see it, but not walk through). Please have that in mind.
Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.
If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.
Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.
This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors.
Please respect our rules.
• Savour a curated menu designed by Michelin-starred chef Tim Raue, with dining packages to suit every occasion.
• Spot Berlin’s most iconic landmarks from your revolving platform, including the historic Brandenburg Gate, the vibrant Alexanderplatz, and the sprawling Tiergarten.
• Make your visit unforgettable with the perfect blend of panoramic city views and exceptional cuisine at Berlin’s highest restaurant.
Welcome to Berlin! Join me for a captivating tour of Berlin's rich and complex history. Starting at Alexanderplatz, we'll explore the city's diverse landmarks and delve into its fascinating past.
My tour will take us to iconic sites such as the Marx and Engels Memorial, Museums Island, the Nazi book burning site, Gendarmenmarkt, Checkpoint Charlie, the remains of the Berlin Wall, Hitler's bunker, the Jewish Memorial, the Reichstag, and the Brandenburg Gate.
What sets my tour apart is a unique on history I’m presenting.
My focus is not on the places themselves, but on the ideas they reflect. As a Jewish woman of Polish heritage, I approach Berlin's past with a deep sense of personal connection and empathy. I tell the stories of my own family, weaving together personal narratives with broader historical themes and systematic analysis.
Rather than simply presenting historical facts and events, I approach the subject of ideologies like fascism from a sociological perspective, highlighting their current relevance. Many ideas that originated from Germany had, and still have, fundamental relevance for other countries past and present. Uncovering those connections is necessary to create more than an interesting story, but a narrative that can be considered an actual lesson from history, that may be not as obvious as we often assume.
We'll explore the ways in which Berlin's history has shaped its character and identity, and how it continues to impact the city today. We'll examine the parallels between the past and present and reflect on the lessons we can learn from history. The tour is illustrated by ~30 rare photographs, maps, unique pieces of press and art gathered in big part during my own archive research.
My effort to combine history of communism and nazism in one tour is an effect of long research and consideration. The trend to separate those two subjects into two separate tour “products”, while beneficial for a provider’s marketing, may in my opinion unintentionally (but seriously) impair historical accuracy and explanative value. On my tour I’ll be able to explain how dichotomy and relationship between those two ideologies make up the key to their understanding.
One especially troubling outcome of deregulation of guiding is the rise of narratives that are ultimately harmful to historical awareness. These narratives, advertised as top quality educational events, usually blend superficial statements about the evils of the Nazi regime with sensationalised anecdotes and trivial "fun facts."
The result is that participants lose a valuable opportunity to build a deeper understanding of the crucial sociopolitical context: the complex causes for the rise of fascism and the societal pressures that led ordinary people to make unthinkable moral choices.
Instead, the
focus shifts to Adolf Hitler's failed painting career, his use of narcotics, or his peculiar fasion choices - details which, while perhaps memorable, are fundamentally irrelevant.
Worse, they actively obstruct a constructive, adult examination of the history of ideologies and the sober lessons it holds.
I can confidently say that my tour is the most thorough GuruWalk in Berlin explaining history of German ideologies, that follows a legitimate science popularising approach and focuses fully on historical accuracy.
The most meaningful thing I often hear from my guests feedback is that I’m able to provide new, deep but very clear explanations of historical and ideological nuances, both to guests who need first basic overview and those who are fairly familiar with the subjects.
ATTENTION!
Please be aware that the tour length is very hard to define precisely, for several reasons.
One is that a city like Berlin often attracts rallies and demonstrations of all kinds - we cannot avoid them of predict their length, so tour diversions sometimes happen. Weather has an impact as well. In case of serious cold or rain, I always look for shelter at stops, so that we all feel comfortable. This can add to the total length.
But more importantly - my tour details depend on how the group reacts. Questions are answered, issues explained, and that’s the purpose and beauty of serious approach to visitors, I believe.
Guru Walk doesn’t offer the technical option to put timing brackets in the system. The duration 4h is estimated for most common 7-9 people group on weekday but in general it may take up to 4h 30 min.
There is always a 20 min break, roughly in the middle.
During the winter months the tour is adjusted to weather conditions. Depending on accessibility on a particular day, approximately 40-50% can take place indoors. This way the visitors - even on a 4-hour tour - end up spending less than an average time outside on a cold or rainy day.
What are the benefits of taking a tour with a non corporate guide:
- You can be sure your guide is experienced.
- You can read the specific guide’s personal reviews.
- The group will be very comfortable in size, usually under 10 people. Even largest groups (weekend, mid season) are always maximum 20 walkers, comparing to often 35-40 booked mid season for big providers.
- You support a serious and honest approach to guiding which is sadly not always the norm in times of growing commercialisation. There’s a visible tendency towards providing as fun and easy as possible experience, sometimes crossing the thin line between a fair narrative and Holocaust entertainment (this issue itself is also one of my tour subjects)
Come along with me on a journey through the heart of Berlin. Let's gain a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped it into the vibrant and dynamic metropolis it is today.
Please be aware that guests who arrive more than 10 minutes after the tour’s start are kindly requested to not to review the tour they saw in this reduced and potentially less satisfying form.
Thank you for your cooperation!
Explore the most important sites and monuments of Germany's capital on this guided tour of Berlin. The perfect way to get an overview of the city!
• Explore top landmarks like the Anne Frank Center, Berlin Cathedral, and Madame Tussauds Berlin at discounted rates.
• Pick public transport zones you’d like to access. Zone AB to see the heart of Berlin city, or zone ABC, which covers the outskirts.
• By purchasing one pass & skipping ticketing queues, enjoy a hassle-free sightseeing experience with unlimited access to the public transport network.
• Choose between 48/72-hour or 4/5/6-day passes to explore the city, and upgrade to include multilingual city audio guides.
The history of Berlin can become a very complicated subject. The goal of this tour is to break down the basics of Berlin history. I want you to walk away from this tour with a basic understanding of this city, and a better understanding of Germany.
Some topics that we will cover:
-Prussia and the Prussians
-Friedrich the Great
-Nazi book burning
-The Berlin Wall
-The history of refugees in Berlin
-Hitlers bunker
-The Memorials to the victims of Nazism
-The best free museums in Berlin
-Cultural highlights of Berlin
I try to keep this tour under 2.5 hours, and I try to keep it under 30 participants (some companies have up to 50). This is a basic tour, but feel that there is something for everyone!
With your ticket to the Egyptian Collection of the Neues Museum, you can admire the bust of Nefertiti, one of the most iconic pieces on Berlin's Museum Island.
• Discover Berlin’s landmarks, including the Berlin Cathedral, Museum Island, Reichstag, Nikolaiviertel and the German chancellery, while gliding under historic bridges and through riverside neighborhoods.
• Enjoy live commentary in both German and English, offering insights as you cruise past Berlin’s historic sites.
• **Did you know?** The Spree River flows through the heart of Berlin, connecting centuries of history with the city’s modern life.
Let’s set aside the old and focus on the new! For the past 20 years, Berlin has been a cultural trendsetter, a home to new and creative ideas, a place where artists and performers from all around would stream to. This tour will focus on art and music, graffiti and murals, and in general on the alternative lifestyle in which Berlin specializes. Get ready to visit places, nooks and crannies where regular tourists don't usually venture. Let’s discover together the other side of Berlin – the European cultural melting pot.
Highlights:
- street art
- squat life
- Kreuzberg
- gentrification
- Berlin, the city of misfits
Useful information:
Attention! A daily transport ticket (AB zone) is needed for this tour!
The last point is next to YAAM Ostbahnhof
ℹ️ ⚠️ ATTENTION - booking rules
Please note that our free tours are designed for individual travelers and small private groups only. Hence, we do not accept parties of 8 or more people on regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please book a private tour in advance.
If you show up at the meeting point with the bigger group our guide will ask you for the payment (18 eur/person) before the tour or cancel your reservation on the spot. To confirm your reservation please arrive 10 minutes before starting. We can not guarantee participation when you will be late.
Please note that multiply bookings (under different names) for 7 people who belong to one group will still be treated as one organized group and the guide has the right to deny participation to such parties.
This policy is implied in the best interest of our individual visitors.
Please respect our rules.
• Enjoy unlimited 5G/4G data, international calls, and a portable hotspot – perfect for work or staying social with ease.
• Choose a flexible data plan from 3 to 30 days with a digital sim valid for 5 years from the date of purchase.
• Ditch traditional SIM cards, get your eSIM instantly via email, and activate with a simple QR code scan.
The 90-minute tour starts in the heart of Berlin at Pariser Platz with a view of the Brandenburg Gate and its Quadriga, the famous Hotel Adlon, and several embassies. You will meet me, recognizable by the light blue umbrella and a baseball cap, right in front of the French Embassy (Pariser Platz 5, 10117 Berlin) next to Starbucks.
We begin with the early history of Berlin, focusing on the surrounding buildings such as the Brandenburg Gate. Then we move on. The tour, which is only 900 meters long, has a lot to offer. We take a look at the Reichstag, where there is much to tell. Then we will experience the Holocaust Memorial and discuss features of the Third Reich. On the way to Potsdamer Platz, we also visit a seemingly ordinary parking lot, which has anything but an ordinary history.
Our tour ends at the famous Wall segments at Potsdamer Platz, which have developed their own special history. From here, you can continue your personal tour towards the Philharmonie, turn to the shopping malls or numerous restaurants, or simply seek some peace in the nearby Tiergarten. I look forward to an exciting time with you!
• Journey through 33 European countries with access to breathtaking train routes, regional carriers, and high-speed trains.
• Choose a 4/5/7-day pass with a 30-day validity or a 10/15-day pass with a 60-day validity, enjoying first-class luxury perks or lively 2nd-class comfort.
• Skip printing and go digital with the Rail Planner app – once you activate the pass, scan the QR code at the platform, and waltz into the train.
Victims and executioners, invaders and invaded, dictators and dictatorships, pacts and betrayals. All this is part of the narrative in which the history of Nazism is framed, but what are the reasons that lead a civilized country like Germany to fall into fanatism? Who collaborates and why in the Nazi blitzkrieg? What interests are hidden behind the Hitler dictatorship? And, above all, where did the Final Solution and the extermination of an entire people lead the world?
If you want to answer these questions and reflect on what happened, getting to know the protagonists and the places that write the most important chapters of the 20th century, this is your tour. Let yourself be guided by the philosophy of 'Side to Side': tours thought out and documented from the historical rigor; author tours, with a precise and close language that avoids the sensationalist clichés.
We will visit the most important Nazi monuments in Berlin and the memorials to the victims to rebuild together the history of Berlin under nazism.
The tour will take us through the Brandenburg Gate, scene of the Nazi parades and also testimony of their defeat after the battle of Berlin. The Reichstag, the parliament, where the nazis conquer power. The Holocaust Memorial, dedicated to murdered Jews in Europe. Hitler's bunker, still today the object of conspiracies and for some a place of worship. The street of terror, where the Nazi chancelleries imposed fear and submission. There we will see Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda, the New Chancellery, the work of Albert Speer and the Air Ministry, Hermann Göring’s impressive air force. The tour ends at the Berlin Wall, in front of the Topography of Terror, a documentation center and museum on Nazism that you cannot miss.
Throughout the tour we will also visit the memorials to the victims of the LGTBIQ collective, and the gypsy people and we will also talk about other lesser-known affected groups. Resistance to Nazism and how Germany today confronts the consequences of the most tragic chapter of its history complete the content of one of the most interesting tours of Berlin.
The tour includes the digital guide 'Side to Side: Heart of Berlin' that I have prepared with great care. A small gift so that you can continue discovering Berlin on your own: restaurants, breweries, alternative excursions and much more. Do not hesitate to book, 'Side to Side Tour' is your tour.
• Trick your senses and amaze yourself while doing so, at interactive exhibits.
• Defy gravity, lose the ground under your feet, and see yourself shrink and grow.
• Enjoy a collection of holograms and fool your friends into believing that you’re flying upside down.
• Discover a unique place for new experiences with friends and family.
Once the heart of Jewish life in Germany, Berlin’s landscape changed irreversibly with the Nazi seizure of power. Within a matter of years, Europe’s most liberal and metropolitan city had been transformed into the capital of one of the most destructive regimes in human history: Hitler’s Third Reich, but also the birthplace of powerful forms of resistance - big and small.
Join Walkative! Tours on ‘Berlin under the Swastika’ to explore this dramatic shift in the history of the city, and trace the steps of the rise of the Third Reich to its final destructive vision.
On this tour, we will go to the former Jewish quarter and learn about the thriving Jewish life here before 1933, and how it was soon lost. We will explore the former ministry district and Reichstag, and discuss the propaganda machine and glorification of the Fuhrer, and we will see, too, the memorials dedicated to the groups victimised by the Nazis - from the Roma and Sinti to the homosexuals.
After this 3.5 hour tour, you will see how after rebuilding itself twice since the Second World War, Berlin became the city it is now: never hiding anything about its gruesome past, but openly trying to make amends and pay respect to the people who suffered here during that time.
