Welcome to Berlin

Berlin's combo of glamour and grit is bound to mesmerise all those keen to explore its vibrant culture, cutting-edge architecture, fabulous food, intense parties and tangible history.

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High on History

Bismarck and Marx, Einstein and Hitler, JFK and Bowie, they’ve all shaped – and been shaped by – Berlin, whose richly textured history confronts you at every turn. This is a city that staged a revolution, was headquartered by Nazis, bombed to bits, divided in two and finally reunited – and that was just in the 20th century! Walk along remnants of the Berlin Wall, marvel at the splendour of a Prussian palace, visit Checkpoint Charlie or stand in the very room where the Holocaust was planned. Berlin is like an endlessly fascinating 3D textbook where the past is very much present wherever you go.

Party Paradise

Forget about New York – Berlin is the city that truly never sleeps. Sometimes it seems as though Berliners are the lotus-eaters of Germany, people who love nothing more than a good time. The city's vast party spectrum caters for every taste, budget and age group. From tiny basement clubs to industrial techno temples, chestnut-canopied beer gardens to fancy cocktail caverns, saucy cabarets to ear-pleasing symphonies – Berlin delivers hot-stepping odysseys, and not just after dark and on weekends but pretty much 24/7. Pack your stamina!

Cultural Trendsetter

When it comes to creativity, the sky’s the limit in Berlin, which is one of Europe's big start-up capitals. In the last 20 years, the city has become a giant lab of cultural experimentation thanks to a spirit that nurtures and encourages new ideas as well as to once abundant space and cheap rent. Although the last two of these are definitely a thing of the past. Top international performers still grace Berlin's theatre, concert and opera stages; international art-world stars like Olafur Eliasson and Jonathan Meese make their home here; and Clooney and Hanks shoot blockbusters in the German capital. Highbrow, lowbrow and everything in between – there’s plenty of room for the full gamut of cultural expression.

Laid-back Lifestyle

Berlin is a big multicultural metropolis but deep down it maintains the unpretentious charm of an international village. Locals and expats follow the credo 'live and let live' and put greater emphasis on personal freedom and a creative lifestyle than on material wealth and status symbols. Cafes are jammed at all hours, drinking is a religious rite and clubs keep going through the weekend into Monday. Size-wise, Berlin is pretty big but its key areas are wonderfully compact and easily navigated on foot, by bike or with public transport.

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Top experiences in Berlin

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Travel guides

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Berlin activities

$16.13 Tours & Sightseeing

Berlin Mitte Walking Tour: Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag

Start your 4-hour walking tour in either East Berlin or West Berlin. Your guide will begin with an overview of how Berlin was founded, and will continue explaining the long, complex and fascinating history of Germany’s capital city throughout your tour. Stroll down the Unter den Linden boulevard, linking the Stadtschloss royal palace to Pariser Platz and Brandenburg Gate. As Berlin grew and expanded to the west, Unter den Linden became the grandest and best-known street in the city by the 19th century.Visit Museum Island, the Neue Wache memorial and the Berlin State Library, where Albert Einstein once worked, and walk under the triumphal arc of Brandenburg Gate, the monumental entry to Unter den Linden. Nearby you’ll see the Reichstag parliament building, Pariser Platz, Hitler’s bunker and the poignant Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial. Follow the 'death strip' to Checkpoint Charlie, and stand in the square of Bebelplatz, the site of the infamous 1933 Nazi book burnings. Walk along the remains of the Berlin Wall, which once divided East and West Berlin, and learn of the momentous events leading to its collapse in 1989. Pause outside the Topography of Terror museum, located on the site of the former Gestapo and SS headquarters. Your guide will explain how the museum’s intentioned location reflects Berlin’s efforts at confronting and grappling with its past. Look down into the excavated cellars, where political prisoners were tortured and executed.On a lighter note, get a taste of modern Berlin at Potsdamer Platz, with its urban architectural spread, and see how the area of Friedrichstrasse is being reinvented as Berlin's luxury shopping street. Your tour ends at the beautiful square of Gendarmenmarkt, and you'll be provided a city map with information regarding public transport and the best of Berlin's museums and nightlife.
$36.87 Walking & Biking Tours

Berlin Bike Tour

Understand all facets of Berlin in one bike tour: Berlin's founding, the Prussians, Weimar Republic, Hitler and the Third Reich, as a city divided by the Wall during the Cold War, and the Berlin of today. Tours begin with a brief introduction to Berlin before hopping on the bikes. You will stop every couple hundred yards (meters) to talk about the sights and for photo opportunities. Along the way you will stop at a beautiful beer garden where you can experience Berlin as the locals do!Berlin Bike Tour Highlights: Alexanderplatz Marx/Engels Platz Palast der Republik (former DDR Parliament) Museum Island Checkpoint Charlie Berlin Wall Potsdamer Platz Site of Hitler's bunker Deathstrip watchtower Brandenburg Gate Ride along the Spree River and through the Tiergarten Park Siegessaeule (Victory Column) Gendarmenmarkt Bebelplatz (site of Nazi book-burning)

$19.59 Cultural & Theme Tours

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Walking Tour

While the Nazis were hosting the 1936 Olympic games, slave laborers were being forced to build a huge concentration camp just north of Berlin, intended to hold political 'enemies' of the Nazi regime political, racial and 'asocial'. Of the 200,000 people interned, more than 50,000 lost their lives before the camp was liberated by the Soviets in 1945.The camp was then used by the Soviets until 1950 to detain former Nazis, German soldiers and political opponents of the communists. Many thousands more died from malnutrition and disease.The key to this walking tour is the informative and illuminating narrative provided by your expert tour guide. During your 3-hour visit to the camp, you'll learn important background history of the site as you walk through the Appellplatz parade ground, the Jewish Barrack, punishment cells, execution grounds and crematorium, Station Z, the Pathology Laboratory and camp hospital.This tour was researched by historian Gabriel Fawcett, who is publishing an important witness account of the camp. All tour guides have their own special insights into the history of Sachsenhausen, and are experienced in unraveling the complex history of the Third Reich and the Holocaust.
$16.13 Walking & Biking Tours

Berlin Historical Walking Tour: Highlights and Hidden Sites

On this historical walking tour of Berlin, your expert local guide will show you the city’s main attractions, as well as hidden gems that other tours may skip. Discover the modern German capital and learn about how it has overcome its tumultuous past, showing an optimistic future without any boundaries between East Berlin and West Berlin. Walk through the city with your guide and discover sites linked to the city’s fascinating history. Learn about the Nazi legacy and how Hitler rose to power, and discover what life was like during the Third Reich. See where Hitler's former bunker is and visit the modern Holocaust Memorial. Learn how Germany got divided into East and West during the Cold War as you walk through Checkpoint Charlie, and touch the remains of the Berlin Wall.Walk under the Brandenburg Gate, the monumental entry to the boulevard Unter den Linden, which was authorized by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace. Near here, admire the Reichstag parliament building, opened in 1894, with its famous glass dome designed by British architect Norman Foster. Since the government moved back to Berlin in 1990, it is now the meeting place of the German parliament.You can either start your tour in East Berlin or West Berlin, whichever suits your itinerary. No matter which you choose, you’ll still get to see all the sites visited on the tour. If you choose to start your tour in West Berlin, please bring a valid train ticket.For a full list of sites visited on this Berlin walking tour, please see the Itinerary section below.
$77.19 Tours & Sightseeing

Berlin Segway Tour

The most enjoyable way to orientate yourself with the city sites, Berlin Segway Tour is ideal for both new and repeat visitors. You'll soak up all the main attractions, with ample time to stop, take pictures and hear all about Berlin's unique history. Your knowledgeable native English-speaking guide will also explain present-day facts and lifestyle facts about Berlin, while being available to answer any questions you may have. Highlights of the tour include: Berlin Wall Brandenburg Gate Marx and Engels Platz Palace of the Republic Hitler's bunker Potsdamer Platz Gendarmenmarkt Nazi Topography of Terror Unter den Linden Checkpoint Charlie Luftwaffe Ministry Bebelplatz Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Reichstag

$19.59 Cultural & Theme Tours

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Tour from Berlin

Meet your host in either the east or west of the city — the choice is yours — and then travel together by train (own expense). Your destination is the town of Oranienburg (just less than an hour away) to visit Sachsenhausen, one of the first Nazi concentration camps constructed in 1936. When you arrive, an expert guide leads you inside the campgrounds, where you will learn about the camp's operation and the prisoners who lived and died there. For nearly a decade the SS imprisoned some 200,000 Jews, socialists, Communists, and liberals, among other opponents to the Nazi regime. The punishment cells, gas chambers and burial pits that you will see on this tour can be overwhelming, but your guide will put the site's history into context with expert knowledge about one of the darkest periods of the 20th century. At the end of your time at Sachsenhausen, meet your host to finish the day-long trip with a train ride back to either east or west Berlin (own expense).
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