Whether this is your first time in the German capital or you are a seasoned Berlin visitor, a guided tour can show you the city in a new and fascinating way. On foot, by bike, bus, or even segway, these recommended city tours highlight Berlin’s most famous sights and attractions as well as interesting glimpses into Berlin’s turbulent history, from Nazi Germany and the Second World War, to the Cold War and the Berlin Wall.
If this is your first trip to Berlin and you want a quick overview of the city and its most popular sights, take the hop-on hop-off bus tour. The open top double decker buses bring you to all of Berlin’s must-sees, and you can either take the bus tour as a whole or hop and off as often as you like at all places of interest. There are 15 stops along way, and buses depart every 15 minutes in summer or 30 minutes in winter.
Berlin was home to the largest Jewish community in Germany, before it was all but obliterated in the Holocaust. The city’s Jewish history comes back to life in this informative walking tour, which takes you to the Berlin’s pre-war neighborhoods; you’ll visit the sites of the first synagogue in Berlin, the Boys School, founded by Moses Mendelssohn in the 1780s, the Jewish Cemetery, and the New Synagogue of Berlin.
This fascinating walking tour leads you into the dark underworlds of Berlin; you’ll explore the twisting passages and rooms of one the few remaining Berlin bunkers from World War II and learn about life in a bunker during an air- raid. On display are many original artifacts from the war, which have been buried down there for decades.
With buildings renovated and street names changed, it is sometimes not so easy to find the infamous sites of Hitler and the Nazi party in Berlin, but this walking tour brings you to the sometimes hidden sites of the nerve center of the Third Reich. You’ll see the Propaganda Ministry, the Air Ministry, and the remains of Himmler’s secret police headquarters before you finish your tour above Hitler’s bunker, where he also committed suicide.
North of Berlin lies the concentration camp of Sachsenhausen; with over 200,000 people interned, it was one of the main camps in Nazi Germany. The walking tour covers the parade ground, the Jewish Barrack, punishment cells, execution grounds and crematorium, and the camp hospital, and it gives an excellent insight into the history of the Third Reich and the Holocaust.
A perfect way to explore Berlin is by bike, and there are many guided tours on two wheels. One of the most interesting bike tours is the Berlin Wall Tour, which traces the former course of the Iron Curtain throughout Berlin. Along the way you’ll hear about life in East and West Berlin, the Berlin Airlift, escape attempts, espionage, and the downfall of the communism.
This walking tour leads you through the historic heart of Berlin and combines sightseeing with photography. Lead by a professional photographer, you’ll get creative tips on lighting, capturing the atmosphere of a scene, and composing a photograph. The tour includes Hackesche Hoefe, Museum Island, the boulevard Unter den Linden, and Berlin’s oldest quarter, the Nikolaiviertel.
This fun tour is not only about what you’ll see, it’s about how you get around: On a segway, a self-balancing, personal transportation device on two wheels. After a 30-minute orientation class, where you’ll learn to ride your scooter, you’ll cruise down Berlin’s pedestrian streets and see all of the city’s main sights; groups are small (up to 5 people) and tours take around 4 hours.
