Explore Berlin
Quick Overview
Description
Time
10 am daily
2.30 pm June, July, August, September, October
Duration
3 hours
Meeting Point
Reichstagufer 17, 10117 Berlin
Prices
Adult
aged 18 to 64
€19.90
Senior/Student/Youth
aged 65 and over/aged 13 to 17
€17.90
WelcomeCard
€17.90
Child
aged 12 and under
free
Required Transport Ticket
No public transport ticket required
Highlights
- Gain an understanding of Berlin over the course of our three-hour tour led by an expert Insider guide.
- Learn how the Third Reich and Cold War played out in Berlin, the epicentre of two 20th-century dictatorships.
- See the iconic Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate.
- Visit Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to five world-class museums.
- See the Humboldt Forum, housed in the newly reconstructed Berlin Palace.
- Walk down the royal boulevard, Unter den Linden, and admire palaces, churches and the grand Berlin State Opera.
- Stand on the square where Nazi supporters burned 20,000 books in 1933.
- Touch the Berlin Wall and learn about the cruel efficacy of the so-called death strip.
- Take in the imposing Air Force Ministry on your way to Hitler’s bunker.
- Experience the powerful Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
- Stand above Hitler’s bunker for a blow-by-blow account of the last days of WWII.
- At Checkpoint Charlie, hear the nail-biting story of the 1961 tank standoff between the US and USSR.
Starting Point
Meet your guide on the square next to the Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears), Reichstagufer 17, 10117 Berlin.
Description
Our renowned “Explore Berlin” tour allows you to delve into the turbulent and far-reaching history of Berlin, from its humble beginnings as a fishing village through to the momentous events of the 20th century, when it was the capital of the Nazi Third Reich, then a divided city during the Cold War and, ultimately, the modern capital of a reunified Germany!
As your specialist guide leads you along the historic Unter den Linden, they will chart the city’s growth in influence and stature over the centuries. After the time of the Teutonic Knights, when the neighbouring towns of Cölln and Berlin were founded on opposite sides of the River Spree, Berlin became the world-class capital city of the Kingdom of Prussia; it was a centre of the Enlightenment during the reign of Frederick the Great, before being occupied by Napoleon. Later, under the rule of Otto von Bismarck, it was the capital of the German Empire.
Your expert guide will take you to the massive building that, under the Nazis, housed the Air Force Ministry, with Hermann Goering as commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe; a short walk away is the site of Heinrich Himmler’s feared SS and secret police HQ – now the Topography of Terror exhibition. Contemplating the concrete stelae of the thought-provoking Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is an unforgettable experience. You will also have the opportunity to stand above Hitler’s bunker and hear how events played out in this underground shelter at the end of WWII.
Other highlights of the tour include the poignant Neue Wache – Memorial to the Victims of War and Tyranny – and Bebelplatz, where the Empty Library commemorates the infamous 1933 Nazi book burnings. You will also encounter one of the few remaining original sections of the Berlin Wall, which encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, as well as a former border crossing, Checkpoint Charlie. Featured in countless spy films and novels, the checkpoint marks the spot where, in 1961, combat-ready American and Soviet tanks faced off, while the world held its breath and the threat of WWIII loomed large.
Your guide will give you an insight into the tumultuous past of the Reichstag building: its role during the German Empire, the failed democracy of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazis in 1933. You will hear how it was trapped in the no-man’s land alongside the Berlin Wall during the Cold War years, and how, as the seat of Germany’s Bundestag, its glass dome symbolises the transparency of German democracy today.
This top-rated tour finishes with a flourish at the picturesque Pariser Platz, right in front of the monumental Brandenburg Gate and close to the legendary Hotel Adlon.
Your Insider guide tour will happily point you in the direction of your next destination or advise you on how to make the most of your time in Berlin.
Finishing Point
The tour concludes near the Brandenburg Gate.
Insider Route
This itinerary is intended to give you a general idea of our route on this tour. You can expect to see and hear stories about all of these sites, as well as many more! Please be aware that the route is subject to change on any given day, should unforeseen circumstances arise.
- Meeting point – on the square next to the Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears), Reichstagufer 17
- Neue Wache – one-time royal guardhouse, now the Memorial to the Victims of War and Tyranny
- Humboldt University, where Einstein, Karl Marx and many Nobel Prize winners studied
- Museum Island – UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the Neues Museum, Pergamon, Alte Nationalgalerie, Bode Museum and Altes Museum
- Humboldt Forum – the new, completely rebuilt Berlin Palace, which opened in 2021
- Bebelplatz and the Empty Library – a memorial on the site of the 1933 Nazi book burnings
- Gendarmenmarkt – the most beautiful square in Berlin
- Checkpoint Charlie – Cold War border crossing between East and West Berlin
- The Berlin Wall at Niederkirchnerstraße and Topography of Terror exhibition on the site of former HQs of Nazi institutions of terror
- Nazi Air Force Ministry building, once presided over by Hermann Goering
- Site of the Führerbunker, where Hitler committed suicide as Soviet troops stormed Berlin in 1945
- The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
- The Reichstag parliament building, crowned by its striking glass dome
- The Brandenburg Gate – Berlin’s most iconic site
Insider Reviews
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