Cold War

Time

10:00

Duration

3 hours

Meeting Point

Reichstagufer 17, 10117 Berlin

Prices

Adult

26+

€19.90

Senior / Student / Youth

65+ and 13-25

€17.90

WelcomeCard

€17.90

Children

12 and under

free

Required Transport Ticket

AB single trip

Peering through the Berlin Wall Cold War tour

Highlights

  • See the Berlin Wall Memorial and former Death Strip
  • See the location of Tunnel 57 and 29, two of the most successful tunnels dug under the wall
  • Take a ghost train ride from the Cold War years and discover how people lived in the divided city for almost 50 years.
  • Learn about the Palace of Tears, a former East German transit building
  • Visit the Admirals Palast – location where the East German SED political party was formed
  • Learn about the “Stasi” and their methods of torture and surveillance
  • Go to the Church of Reconciliation, hear why the old church was blown up by the East in 1985

Starting Point

Meet at our guide on the square next to the Palace of Tears, Reichstagufer 17, 10117 Berlin.

Description

After WWII, Berlin was transformed from capital of Nazi Germany to a pivotal city in the struggle to control war-torn Europe. It was to become the epicentre of the Cold War, in which the two superpowers faced off. What exactly was it like to live ‘behind the Wall’ in the GDR, the Eastern Bloc’s most heavily policed state?

Find out about the devious methods employed by the Stasi (East German State Security) to keep the entire East German population under surveillance for 40 years. Discover how the KGB supported its ‘comrades’ in their attempts to outwit the CIA and MI6.

See the last remaining stretch of the death-strip and Berlin Wall along Bernauer Strasse, site of multiple escape tunnels, some of which, such as Tunnel 57 and Tunnel 29, successfully conducted East Berliners to the West. Visit the minimalist Chapel of Reconciliation and learn why the old church was blown up in 1985.

Enter the Palace of Tears, once a strategic border control crossing point, today a fantastic museum on life behind the ‘iron curtain’ Travel between the former ‘ghost stations’, and listen to stories of daring escape attempts. Hear the extraordinary story of how The Wall came tumbling down on the night of November 9th, 1989.

Finishing Point

The tour finishes in the area of Bernauer Straße.

Insider Route

The following sites are an example of our approximate route on this tour. You will see and learn stories about all these sites and many more! The route may change any day, given circumstances on the day.

  1. Meeting Point: Reichstagufer 17, on the square near the Palace of Tears
  2. Admirals Palast
  3. Palace of Tears
  4. S+U Friedrichstrasse Station
  5. S Nordbahnhof
  6. Berlin Wall Memorial – Bernauer Strasse
  7. Remnants of the former Death Strip Area
  8. Memorial dedicated to the victims of the Berlin Wall
  9. East German original guard tower
  10. Church of Reconciliation
  11. Site of Tunnel 57
  12. Conrad Schumann Mural and site of Tunnel 29

Insider Reviews

Well worth the money

For a city break the 3 hour tour was very very good. Informative, saw plenty, got bearings around part of the city and the guide was knowledgeable and engaging. Well worth the money. M. Early Dec. '22

Fascinating tour

It was a fascinating tour, Tobi was great. He gave us a great insight into life in the East. I went with my two boys 20 and 16 and they both enjoyed it too. Highly recommended. Tania B. Feb. '23

Great tour

Really interesting tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable and had lots of stories about the cold war. One of the highlights of our visit to Berlin.

Highlight of our trip

This was an excellent tour. Our guide was interesting, informative and entertaining. He clearly has great interest in cold war history of Berlin and his enthusiasm for the subject made the tour.

Book this tour!

Our guide is clearly an extremely intelligent, highly educated man who is obviously passionate about 20th century history and particularly Berlin. As a British man now living in Berlin with a German wife and friends, he was well positioned to give a broad spectrum view of the city and it’s recent history.

Amazing Cold War tour

Had an amazing time yesterday on the Cold War tour. We went to some of the best landmarks as our guide explained the political and social situation. For a 4 hr tour and a coffee break halfway through I thought this was a great value! There were about 8 people in our tour. Highly recommended. Thank you!

A Cold War tour to remember

Our guide was REALLY AMAZING! His presentation and attention to detail was second to none. This tour is incredibly informative about the Cold War, and even those not interested in history or knowledgeable on the subject would have an amazing time. We saw some locations around Berlin I would never know to find on my own, and our tour guide was able to answer all questions I had. Overall I would HIGHLY recommend this tour

Really good walking tour

Did a walking tour of Cold War Berlin with a lovely young guy, who was very knowledgeable, engaging, considerate and excellent at telling describing the history and telling the stories. A particular highlight was his quick history of he Cold War using chalk on on the pavement. A wonderful 3 or so hours that went by too quickly.

Terrific experience with Asaf

Asaf was a tremendous guide: steering our group through a fascinating expose of life and death across the Berlin Wall. He brought real engagement and a sense of time and place.

A nice blend of history and stories

Jamie was a great guide- a nice blend of stories and context. My 11 year old, who is basically done with tours, said it was one of his favorites, which is high praise.

Cold War Tour with Maria and Insider tours.

Had the Cold War tour with Maria today and as usual with Insider Tours it was excellent.Maria interjected how some of our tour points of interest were used in movies and this made it all the more informative from a personal point of view.

Insider tours has always been my go.....

Insider tours has always been my go to option for tours in Berlin. Friendly and very knowledgeable guides.

Fantastic Experience!

Even though it was cold and rainy, our guide Nikolai made it a fantastic experience. Really engaged and knowledgable waving in personal experience along the way. Thank you for a great morning around Berlin. Marie_E