berlin wall tours

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Information For Your Visit

Opening hours, documentation center and visitor center.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed on 24/25 and 31 December 2024

Last ascent to the observation tower 5.45 p.m

The documentation center and visitor center are also open on: Thursday, 26 December 2024 from 12 a.m. – 6 p.m. Wednesday, 1 January 2025 from 12 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The film room in the Visitor Center is closed on 29. August 2024 due to an event.

View of the memorial site © Berlin Wall Foundation, Photo: Gesa Simons

Exhibition on the outdoor grounds

The outdoor exhibition on the memorial grounds on Bernauer Strasse is accessible Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 

Ghost station exhibition

The exhibition “Border and Ghost Stations in Divided Berlin” can be visited during the opening hours of the Nordbahnhof Station.

Admission is free.

Price for tours: €3.50 per person, reduced €2.50 (students, ALG 2 recipients, people with a disabled ID or Berlin Pass). Groups with less than ten people pay a flat fee of €35.

There is no charge for pupils.

Getting Here

Public transport.

S-Bahn S1, S2, S25, S26 | Train station Nordbahnhof Tram M10 | Train station Nordbahnhof Bus 247 | S Nordbahnhof/Gartenstr. Underground U6 | Station Naturkundemuseum U8 | Station  Bernauer Straße

Bernauer Straße 119, 13355 Berlin Tel.: +49 (0)30 213085-123 E-Mail: info [at] stiftung-berliner-mauer.de (info[at]stiftung-berliner-mauer[dot]de)

Parking information

Parking in Gartenstraße, especially on the bicycle lane, is strictly prohibited. Parking spaces for coaches are located in Ackerstrasse.

How much is admission?

Admission to all exhibitions on Bernauer Strasse is free.

What is there to do at the Berlin Wall Memorial?

Visitors and registered groups should begin their visit to the memorial at the Visitor Center at Bernauer Strasse 119. Here you will find information about everything there is to see and do at the memorial, get an overview of the entire memorial grounds and learn about other Berlin Wall sites in Berlin. An introductory film on the history of the Berlin Wall is shown on the upper floor of the Visitor Center. The exhibition on the outdoor memorial grounds in the former border strip uses the large amounts of preserved historical relics and many events that took place at Bernauer Strasse to explain the purpose and function of the Berlin Wall at the historical site. Above all, it tells the stories of people whose lives were restricted by the Wall, who were forced to move because of it, and who aspired to get beyond it.

The Monument, Chapel of Reconciliation and Window of Remembrance are central elements within the memorial grounds. The permanent exhibition in the Documentation Center at Bernauer Strasse 111 documents the history of Berlin’s division. It explains the political and historical situation that led to the Wall’s construction, its fall and the reunification of Germany.

When is the introductory film shown in the Visitor Center and in which languages?

We present two films in sequence: The introductory film on the history of the Berlin Wall and the film “Walled In,” a computer animation of the border fortifications on Bernauer Strasse in Berlin and on the inner German border in Hötensleben in Saxony-Anhalt. Both films were produced by Deutsche Welle.  The films run at the following times: German Version: On the hour: “Die Berliner Mauer” (with English subtitles) 15 minutes past the hour “Eingemauert” English Version: On every half hour: “The Berlin Wall” (with German subtitles) 15 minutes before the hour: “Walled In”

Please note, that due to events in the visitor center, the film room might be temporarily closed. We apologize for the inconvenience.

How much does a tour/workshop cost for my (school) group?

Tours are free for pupils and for the adults accompanying the school group. A regular tour costs € 3.50 per person, with a reduced price of € 2.50 for students, ALG 2 recipients, asylum-seekers, people with a disabled ID or Berlin Pass. Groups with less than 10 participants pay a flat fee of € 35.  The flat fee is currently not available.

How can I book a tour/workshop for my group?

To request a tour or workshop, please complete the form on the website and send it to us. Visitors Services will process your request and contact you if they have any questions. After your request has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email with information regarding your tour.

What payment methods do you offer?

You can pay in person in cash or by EC-Card/credit card. Groups can arrange to be billed by invoice.

what languages do you offer for group tours?

Depending on the availability of our guides, it is possible to book a tour in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Simple German, and German sign language. For more information on languages offered at the Berlin Wall Memorial, call Visitor Services at +49 (0)30 213085-166 or send an email to: besucherservice@ stiftung-berliner-mauer.de.

We are less than 10 people, but would like to book a separate group tour. Is this possible?

Yes, you can book a separate tour as a small group, however groups with less than 10 people have to pay a flat fee of €35,00 €.

As an individual visitor or small group, do I have to register in advance?

You do not need to register in advance to visit the exhibition. You can also watch the introductory film without prior registration.

Is the site barrier-free?

The outdoor memorial grounds are only partially accessible to people with disabilities. The Visitor Center (Bernauer Strasse 119) and Documentation Center (Bernauer Strass 111) are barrier-free. Barrier-free elevators are available to the elderly and to people with disabilities, however a key is needed to operate them. In the Documentation Center, you can borrow a Euro-key if you leave your ID at the front desk. You are welcome to use your own Euro key.

Are dogs allowed?

Only assistance dogs are allowed in the Visitor Center at Bernauer Strasse 119 and in the exhibition in the Documentation Center at Bernauer Strasse 111. Dogs are allowed on the outdoor memorial grounds, but they must be kept on a lea

Are there places to sit?

Yes. In the Visitor Center (Bernauer Strasse 119) you can borrow wheelchairs, mobile seats and seat sticks free of charge from the front desk. In the Documentation Center (Bernauer Strasse 111) you can borrow mobile seats to use in the permanent exhibition. There are benches on the outdoor memorial grounds.

Are there diaper-changing rooms?

Yes. There are separate rooms available for diaper-changing in the Visitor Center (Bernauer Strasse 119) and Documentation Center (Bernauer Strasse 111). Please speak to our front desk staff. You must bring your own diapers and wipes.

Can I visit the exhibitions with a baby carriage?

Yes. A key is needed to operate the elevator in the Documentation Center (Bernauer Strasse 111). You can get a key from the front desk if you leave your ID there. The exhibition on the outdoor memorial grounds is also accessible with a baby carriage.

Is eating, drinking or smoking allowed?

As a courtesy to other visitors, eating and drinking is not permitted in either the Documentation Center or Visitor Center. Smoking is not allowed.   

Can I take pictures or film in the exhibitions?

You may take pictures and film for private use only, but using tripods and selfie sticks is not permitted. You must contact our press department before making professional film and video recordings. Violators will be fined €500,00 for each act of infringement.

Where can I drop off coats and larger pieces of luggage?

Lockers are available in the Visitor Center (Bernauer Strasse 119) and Documentation Center (Bernauer Strasse 111). There is also a cloakroom in the Visitor Center.

Is there a shop?

The Visitor Center has a specialized bookstore with a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction, scholarly publications, photo volumes and films about the Berlin Wall, German division, the history of both German states, the history of dictatorship, the fall of the Wall and reunification.

Opening times

Monday Closed Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday Closed

The bookstore will be closed on the 16th and 17th of August and from the 23rd of August until the 4th of September 2024 .

Contact: +49 (0)30 46 777 277, mauerbuchladen [at] gmail.com (mauerbuchladen[at]gmail[dot]com)

Accessibility

Information on Accessibility

Disabled Parking

Public disabled parking spaces are located nearby. There are two parking spaces directly behind the Visitor Center (access via Gartenstrasse). Roughly 150 meters away from the Documentation Center (Bernauer Strasse 111), there are two additional disabled parking spaces on Ackerstrasse (near the Bernauer Strasse intersection).

The outdoor exhibition extends for 1.4 kilometers along Bernauer Strasse and is mostly barrier-free. The core area lies between Gartenstrasse and Strelitzer Strasse (approx. 500 m). The Visitor Center (Bernauer Strasse 119), the Documentation Center (Bernauer Strasse 111) and all seminar rooms are barrier-free. Barrier-free elevators are available to people with disabilities and visitors with small children. A key, which can be obtained from the front desk, is needed to operate the elevator in the Visitor Center. The elevator in the Documentation Center can be operated with a Euro key. You are welcome to use your own Euro key or borrow one from the front desk if you leave your ID as a deposit.

In the Visitor Center, wheelchairs, mobile seats and seating sticks can be borrowed free of charge at the front desk. In the Documentation Center, you can borrow mobile seats to visit the permanent exhibition. Guided tours of the outdoor exhibition can be conducted using hearing aid-compatible group guidance systems. Induction loops are available at the front desk in the Visitor Center.

Restrooms and Diaper-Changing Rooms

There is a barrier-free restroom on the ground floor of the Visitor Center and on the lower level of the Documentation Center. Both are accessible with a Euro key. You can obtain the Euro-key from the front desk of both sites if you leave an ID as a deposit. You can also use the Euro key to operate the elevator in the Documentation Center and access the lower level.  You are also welcome to use your own Euro key. Diaper changing is possible in the barrier-free restroom on the ground floor of the Visitor Center and on the lower level of the Documentation Center.

Assistance Dogs

Assistance dogs are permitted in the Visitor Center, Documentation Center and in all seminar rooms.

Medications

Medication bags may be taken into all the exhibitions and rooms.

Directions from Nordbahnhof S-Bahn Station to the Visitor Center of the Berlin Wall Memorial (for Visually Impaired Visitors)

How to reach the Memorial’s Visitor Center when traveling from the south:

Traveling from the south, take the S-Bahn S1 (Oranienburg, Frohnau), S2 (Bernau), S25 (Hennigsdorf) or S26 (Waidmannslust) to the S-Bahn station "Nordbahnhof.”

When you arrive at the station you will exit onto a central platform. There are two staircases in the middle of the platform heading in different directions. They both lead to the mezzanine level of the station. Take the staircase in the same direction that you traveled. At the top, make a 180 degree turn to the left and follow the wall on your left side. The wall comes to an end after 15 meters. Now turn 90 degrees to your left. You are now in a 100-meter-long tunnel. Follow the wall to your left until you reach the staircase to the Gartenstrasse/Bernauer Strasse exit. Please note: Due to construction, there is a temporary covered walkway outside the exit. When you reach the top of the stairs, turn 90 degrees to your left and walk through the covered walkway. At the end of the walkway, continue straight until you reach the tactile-acoustic traffic light on your right. There is a tactile marker there.

Cross the street. On the other side of the street, keep left and cross the next street with an octagonal tactile-acoustic traffic light. Caution: There is a bicycle traffic light on the left side of the traffic light at head height. Stand to the right of the traffic light. Caution: The street has tram tracks running in both directions before and after the median. On the other side of the street, stand to the right of the traffic light again. Then continue walking straight for 15 meters to the entrance of the Memorial’s Visitor Center. Caution: There is a street sign right in front of you. There is a tactile marker at the entrance in front of the door. Pull the door open. Then follow the guide strip. At the tactile marker, follow the guide strip to the right. This will lead you to the front desk where our staff will welcome you.

How to reach the Memorial’s Visitor Center when traveling from the north:

Traveling from the north, take the S-Bahn S1 (Wannsee), S2 (Blankenfelde), S25 (Teltow Stadt) or S26 (Teltow Stadt) to the S-Bahn station "Nordbahnhof".

When you arrive at the station you will exit onto a central platform. There are two staircases in the middle of the platform heading in different directions. They both lead to the mezzanine level of the station. Take the staircase in the opposite direction that you traveled. At the top, make a 180 degree turn to the right and follow the wall to your right until you reach the wall straight ahead. Now turn 90 degrees to the left and follow the wall until you come to another wall straight ahead. There, turn 90 degrees to the left again and follow the wall to your right. Along the way, you can feel three former ticket windows with counters that are now part of an exhibition in the Nordbahnhof station. You can use the counters as handrails . After you pass the curve of the ticket counter, you will enter a 100-meter-long tunnel. Continue to follow the wall to your right until you reach the staircase to the Gartenstrasse / Bernauer Strasse exit. Please note: Due to construction, there is a temporary covered walkway outside the exit. When you reach the top, turn 90 degrees to your left and walk through the covered walkway. At the end of the tunnel, continue straight until you reach the tactile-acoustic traffic light on your right. There is a tactile marker there.

Cross the street. On the other side of the street, keep left and cross the next street with an octagonal tactile-acoustic traffic light. Caution: There is a bicycle traffic light on the left side of the traffic light at head height. Stand to the right of the traffic light. Caution: The street has tram tracks running in both directions before and after the median. On the other side of the street, stand to the right of the traffic light again. Then continue walking straight ahead for 15 meters to the entrance of the Memorial’s Visitor Center. Caution: There is a street sign right in front of you. There is a tactile marker at the entrance in front of the door. Pull the door open. Then follow the guide strip. At the tactile marker, follow the guide strip to the right. This will lead you to the front desk where our staff will welcome you .

Directions from the Memorial’s Visitor Center to the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn Station (for Visually Impaired Visitors)

From the Memorial’s Visitor Center, you can reach the northbound platform of Nordbahnhof, S1 (Oranienburg, Frohnau), S2 (Bernau), S25 (Hennigsdorf) and S26 (Waidmannslust)

From the front desk, follow the guide strip to the exit door on the right. Open the door and step outside. Walk straight for 15 meters until you reach the tactile-acoustic traffic light. Caution: You will pass a street sign along the way. Cross the street. Caution: The street has tram tracks running in both directions before and after the median. Caution: There is a bicycle traffic light on the right side of the traffic light at head height. Walk past the left side of the traffic light. Then turn 90 degrees to the right and walk about 5 meters to the next tactile-acoustic traffic light. Cross the street. Then turn 90 degrees to the left and walk straight for 5 meters. Caution: Due to construction, there is a temporary covered walkway outside the entrance to the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn station. Walk through the covered walkway. At the end of the walkway, turn 90 degrees to the right and enter Nordbahnhof through the Gartenstrasse / Bernauer Strasse entrance. Use the wall to your right to orient yourself. Walk down the stairs to the mezzanine level of the station. Walk through the 100-meter-long tunnel. Use the wall on your right to orient yourself. At the end of the tunnel, turn 90 degrees and follow the wall to your right. At the end of the wall, make a 180 degree turn and walk down the stairs to the central platform heading north, S1 (Oranienburg, Frohnau), S2 (Bernau), S25 (Hennigsdorf) and S26 (Waidmannslust).

From the Memorial’s Visitor Center, you can reach the southbound platform of the Nordbahnof station, S1 (Wannsee), S2 (Blankenfelde), S25 (Teltow Stadt) and S26 (Teltow Stadt):

From the front desk, follow the guide strip to the exit door on the right. Open the door and step outside. Walk straight ahead for 15 meters until you reach the tactile-acoustic traffic light. Caution: You will pass a street sign along the way. Cross the street. Caution: The street has tram tracks running in both directions before and after the median. Caution There is a bicycle traffic light on the right side of the traffic light at head height. Walk past the left side of the traffic light. Then turn 90 degrees to the right and walk about 5 meters to the next tactile-acoustic traffic light. Cross the street. Then turn 90 degrees to the left and walk straight for 5 meters. Caution: Due to construction, there is a temporary covered walkway outside the entrance to the Nordbahnhof S-Bahn station. Walk through the covered walkway. At the end of the tunnel, turn 90 degrees to the right and enter the Nordbahnhof station through the Gartenstrasse / Bernauer Strasse entrance.

Use the wall on you left to orient yourself. Walk down the stairs to the mezzanine level of the station. Walk through the 100-meter-long tunnel. Continue to use the wall on your left to orient yourself. At the end of the tunnel, you can feel the three ticket windows with a counter which is now part of the exhibition in the Nordbahnhof station. You can use the counter as a handrail. After you pass the curve of the ticket counter, continue to follow the wall on your left until to come to another wall in front of you. Turn 90-degrees to the right and follow the wall on your left.  At the end of this wall turn 90 degrees to the right again and follow the wall on your left. At the end of the wall turn 180 degrees and walk down the stairs to the central platform heading south, S1 (Wannsee), S2 (Blankenfelde), S25 (Teltow Stadt) and S26 (Teltow Stadt).

Guided Tours

At the Berlin Wall Memorial we offer numerous guided tours

• Tour 1 – Dark Worlds
• Tour 1 - Dark Worlds
• Tour 2 - From Flak Towers to Mountains of Debris
• Tour 3 - Bunkers, Subways and the Cold War
• Tour D - Tunnel and Bunker Dresdener Straße
• Tour F - The Fichtebunker Time Capsule
• Tour M - Under the Berlin Wall
• Important notes (about all tours)
• Permanent Exhibition
• Special Exhibition
• General Information
• Subway line 8
• Special Exhibits
• Restoration
• Expeditions and finds
• Surgical Bunker Teichstrasse
• Future prospects
• Information Panels
• Commemorative Plaques
• Myth of Germania 2008/2009
• The Beginings
• From “Germania” to the Downfall
• The Cold War in the Underground
• Reunification and Tunnel Opening

Online-Shop

• Data Protection
• Contact Form
• Info- and Bookshop
• Filming Requests
• Event Requests
• Login Intranet

Tour M – Under the Berlin Wall

• Berliner Unterwelten
• Guided Tours
• Public Tours
• Under the Berlin Wall

Hear the stories of the people who tunnelled to freedom

Ever since the SED regime erected the Berlin Wall in August 1961, there have been repeated attempts to cross the deadly barriers through the urban sewer system or self-dug tunnels, thus gaining access to freedom. The first tunnel project “ran” in October 1961, the last failed in 1982. In total, more than 70 tunnels were started, of which, however, only 19 were successful. Through them, over 300 citizens of the GDR managed to make it from East to West Berlin to freedom. There were spectacular successes, betrayals and bitter failures. Soon, a veritable “cat and mouse game” developed between the tunnel builders and the GDR State Security, with increasingly difficult conditions for the escape helpers and refugees. On this two-hour tour, we not only tell stories of the escape tunnels. The Berlin ghost stations, their seemingly perfect security against so-called border violators, and the sealing off of the sewage system against underground escape attempts are also extensively covered. After a visit to the themed exhibition rooms in the civil defence facility in Blochplatz, we travel by “subway shuttle” to Bernauer Strasse, a hotspot during the building of the Wall and a focal point in escape tunnel construction. Over a distance of just 350 metres, the border installations here were tunnelled under seven times. The exceptionally low ground water level made the creation of deeper escape tunnels possible. Near this authentic historical setting, we return to the underground. In the cellars of the former Oswald-Berliner Brewery, we explain by means of original scale tunnel replicas betrayed and failed tunnel projects, as well as the two most successful and spectacular projects from the time of the Berlin Wall – “Tunnel 29” and “Tunnel 57”.

As a highlight an original escape tunnel from 1970/71 can be seen – eight metres below the surface. This is accessed via a visitors’ tunnel approximately 30 metres in length, which was built by Berlin Underworlds over a period of a year and a half.  It is the only real escape tunnel which can still be visited today.

Please note that the hygiene and distancing rules must be followed.

After the tour we recommend a visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial documentary centre .

Special Advice, Equipment

Sturdy footwear is obligatory (no high heels, sandals, flip-flops, espadrilles, ballet pumps, etc.) .

We recommend bringing warm clothing as the indoor temperature on part of the tour is only around 10°C all year round.

There are no visitor toilets on site.

Please read our important notes about our tours .

Minimum Age, Accessibility

Our tours and exhibitions are not appropriate for children under 7 years of age. We regret that we must therefore refuse entry to children in this age group. The delivery and content of our tours is aimed at adults, and can only be recommended for children aged 14 years or older.

Due to limitations imposed by the structure of the buildings, our tours are not handicapped accessible.

Dates, Duration, Admission

Currently, we offer a limited tour programme in German and English. Dates and tickets can be found in our Online-Shop . Duration: 120 min. Admission: €20 (reduced €15) Our General Terms and Conditions are applicable.

Reservations and Tickets

Tickets for this tour are only available online via our Online-Shop . No ticket sales at the meeting point.

Please note that tickets purchased in advance are excluded from exchange, refund and return.

Tickets purchased in advance must be presented at the entrance of the tour.

Venue (with ticket), public transport

Meeting point with ticket: Badstraße / corner Hochstraße, 13357 Berlin GoogleMaps

Public transport: S+U / DB Gesundbrunnen, Bus 247

Information for groups

The public tours are designed for and aimed at individual guests.

Groups can book this tour on request .

Please visit the section: GUIDED TOURS > TOURS FOR GROUPS for more details.

Tickets for this tour are only available via our Online-Shop. No ticket sales at the meeting point.

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Relive the fall of the Berlin Wall with Katja Hoyer

As a child, Katja Hoyer stood with her family on the viewing platform of the TV Tower in Alexanderplatz and watched the seismic events of November 9, 1989 when the Berlin Wall came crumbling down and with it the last vestiges of the Iron Curtain.

Now an esteemed historian, Katja joins this exclusive four-day trip which marks the 35th anniversary of its fall. She will give unique insights into those events, what the wall meant to families like hers and provide the historical context around why - and how - it was built.

She will join you throughout to enhance your understanding of life behind the Iron Curtain - from the Stasi Museum and the Forest Settlement where the GDR elite lived to the former Stasi prison, where you will be guided by former prisoners and the DDR Museum, which examines all aspects of East German life.

For all the celebrations that reverberated around the world as images of the fall of the Berlin Wall were broadcast, there is another side. Nearly a quarter of East Germans would leave their homes and move west. These included journalist and author Sabine Rennefanz, who was 15 when the wall fell and lived in the socialist model town Eisenhuettenstadt. Sabine will talk about her life in the GDR as well as what it means to be East German today.

There will also be time to take in other attractions from the Trebus private collection to the site of the former Palace of the Republic. It promises to be a truly fascinating trip.

Reasons to book

Meet Katja Hoyer

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Unique perspectives

You'll be joined by.

Katja Hoyer is a German-British historian and the author of the international bestseller Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949-1990. A Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, she is also a regular media commentator on current affairs in Germany. She was born in East Germany and now lives in the UK.

Price includes

• Three nights at the four-star Radisson Park Plaza Berlin (or similar)
• Three breakfasts, and one lunch

Visit the East Side Gallery, Alexander Platz, the TV Tower, Stasi Museum and the DDR museum

Tour the Berlin - Hohenschönhausen Memorial on the site of the former Stasi Prison

Visit the Trebus private GDR collection and an exhibition about the Palace of Republic

• Coach transportation between locations with a professional driver
• Katja Hoyer will accompany you on the tour
• All entry fees
• Author and journalist Sabine Rennefanz will join for one day
• The services of an expert tour manager
• Return flights from London to Berlin

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* From price is per person for subscribers only , based on two people sharing a room, subject to availability. Price and itinerary correct at time of print but may be subject to change. Single supplement £225. Deposit 30%. Local charges such as tourist tax may apply. Offers are not valid in conjunction with any other offers or promotions. In the case of unforeseen circumstances, expert(s) may be substituted, and any expert-led events may be subject to change. Expert(s) will not join you for your full trip duration unless otherwise stated. Travel insurance is not included and should be taken out at time of booking. Images used may not reflect your actual tour experience. This holiday may be sold through other selected brands. Tour is operated by and subject to the booking conditions of TS Travel Ltd (ATOL bonded). To redeem your exclusive subscriber offer, visit telegraph.co.uk/tt-extra. Calls are made at local rates. All tours featured are operated by the partner specified, a company wholly independent of Telegraph Media Group Ltd. Please refer to the Data Protection Notice in today's Personal Column or telegraph.co.uk/privacypolicy.

Departing From: Heathrow Apt/London

* From price is per person for all other travellers , based on two people sharing a room, subject to availability. Price and itinerary correct at time of print but may be subject to change. Hotel is subject to change. Single supplement £225. Deposit 30%. Local charges such as tourist tax may apply. Offers are not valid in conjunction with any other offers or promotions. In the case of unforeseen circumstances, expert(s) may be substituted, and any expert-led events may be subject to change. Expert(s) will not join you for your full trip duration unless otherwise stated. Travel insurance is not included and should be taken out at time of booking. Images used may not reflect your actual tour experience. This holiday may be sold through other selected brands. Tour is operated by and subject to the booking conditions of TS Travel Ltd (ATOL bonded). To redeem your exclusive subscriber offer, visit telegraph.co.uk/tt-extra. Calls are made at local rates. All tours featured are operated by the partner specified, a company wholly independent of Telegraph Media Group Ltd. Please refer to the Data Protection Notice in today's Personal Column or telegraph.co.uk/privacypolicy.

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After arriving mid-morning, you will head straight to the heart of events as Katja Hoyer sets the scene for the events of 1989, talking about the powerful symbolism of the wall and what it meant to families like hers.

You will visit the East Side Gallery - the huge open air art exhibition that adorns the longest surviving section of the wall on the banks of the Spree - before heading to Alexander Platz. Here Katja will explain the events that unfolded - both the historical context as well as her personal recollections.

Your first day culminates with a visit to the viewing platform where, as a young girl, she witnessed the peaceful revolution of 1989 unfold.

After breakfast you will head to the Stasi Musuem in the Lichtenberg district, once home to the East German Ministry for State Security and workplace of Erich Mielke, head of the Stasi. Here Katja will talk about the role of the secret police and its leader in the GDR. Next it is the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, the site of the former Stasi Prison, where you are likely to be guided by former prisoners who give insights into the harrowing conditions faced by the political prisoners held here.

A special highlight will be a GDR-themed lunch at Volkskammer restaurant. Not only will your surrounds and the menu transport you to Eastern Bloc Germany, but you will be joined by writer Sabine Rennefanz, who will talk about her experiences in growing up in the GDR and East German perspective on events of 35 years ago.

That afternoon, there may be the chance to witness the commerative ceremonies taking place at the Brandenburg Gate.

Today you will head to the DDR Museum, an interactive museum which examines all aspects of East German life. Here Katja will talk about daily life in the GDR and the challenges of writing about this aspect of German history, before you head to the north of Berlin and the secret forest settlement where the GDR political elite once lived.

This afternoon you will visit the Trebus private GDR collection where Katja will explain how these collections are a vital part of GDR history and memory.

Today you can visit a special exhibition about the Palace of the Republic, which was demolished in favour of a partial rebuilding of the old royal palace. Katja will give a talk about the different palaces that have occupied this place, about the Palace of the Republic in particular and about the complex nature of German memory politics before the group can walk around the exhibition.

Afterwards, there will be some free time to explore Berlin. You might choose to visit the Spandau Zitadelle or even a Cold War Nuclear bunker.

In the late afternoon you will take your transfer to Berlin airport for your flight home.

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The tragedy of bernauer strasse.

The BERLIN WALL Tour

hour private walking tour – max 10 person group

includes 19% VAT, guide fee, booking fee, admin fee, and tourism insurances

Our Berlin Wall Tour starts at the Berlin Wall Documentation Centre – near to the Nordbahnhof train station.

F ind out what remains of the  world’s most famous concrete barrier  and visit the most  important remaining section of the Berlin Wall . Learn about the  heroic escapes , the  tragic deaths , and the painful reality of  life lived inside the divided city .

To the untrained eye , the Berlin Wall now appears only as a decaying lump of graffiti covered concrete – but the traces of the greater border fortification erected by the East German government in 1961 remain visible – and waiting to be discovered .

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

…the Berlin Wall , the  only remaining section of the ‘Death Strip’ , the  Nordbahnhof Ghost Station , the Berlin Wall memorial , the site of Tunnel 57 , the Chapel of Reconciliation , the site of the Conrad Schumann escape …

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Visit The Remains Of The Berlin Wall

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Berlin Wall Tours

Here are five of the nice excursions to find out the Berlin Wall: Berlin Wall & Cold War Bike Tour Being a completely flat metropolis with barely a phase of road without a bicycle lane of some kind, many could argue that Berlin is an area great explored on two wheels.

See the Berlin Wall: The five first-rate excursions of this ancient landmark – IHG Travel Blog Since the autumn of the Berlin Wall, Berlin stays as the world's maximum robust reminder of the Cold War. Make sure you take advantage, and book a excursion! Since the autumn of the Berlin Wall, Berlin remains as the arena's maximum powerful reminder of the Cold War.

Berlin Wall Memorial Visit Tours Tours Public Guided Tours Public review tours on various topics and for different goal groups take area regularly at the Berlin Wall Memorial. The excursions ultimate round 1 hour and are performed with audio publications. These excursions are free of charge for schoolchildren. Registration isn’t required. To calendar view

Berlin Wall motorbike tour Cycle alongside the previous Berlin Wall © GettyImages, Foto: 7000 The Berlin Wall and the "Cold War" Traces of the Berlin Wall How the Wall got here down, the Berlin Wall in figures and where you could still discover remains of the Wall these days – we display you all this in our infographics. © visitBerlin Click right here for the unfastened download

Discover ordinary existence with the Berlin Wall with the general public tour and get thrilling and informative answers approximately the artist and the panoramic artwork: What was lifestyles like returned then in divided Berlin?

In addition to part of the Berlin Wall itself, you’ll discover the Chapel.

Though admission into the memorial is unfastened, hourlong guided excursions value three.50 euros (or about $three.75) for adults.

Here the way to watch the 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour: Berlin on FloTrack. Here a way to watch the 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour: Berlin broadcast on FloTrack. The 2024 World.

Our Berlin Wall Tour begins at the Berlin Wall Documentation Centre – close to to the Nordbahnhof train station. The Berlin Wall The Death Strip The Victims' Memorial F ind out what stays of the world's most well-known concrete barrier and go to the most critical closing segment of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin Wall Tours and Tickets 12,969 opinions At the peak of the Cold War in 1961, socialist East Germany erected the Berlin Wall as an enforcing concrete barrier that divided Berlin's japanese and western sides for almost 30 years.

Youll additionally get a radical history of the Berlin Wall. Recent tourists proportion mixed.

Discover Berlin Half-Day Walking Tour (6177 critiques).

The Berlin Wall was a heavily guarded barrier that physically and ideologically divided the town from 1961 to 1989. In a wider context, the wall came to symbolize the "Iron Curtain" that separated.

The records and that means of the Berlin Wall continue to be arguable.

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars A tour de pressure, breaking new floor in showing us how German memory activists.

Web-App – Virtual Discovery Tour alongside the East Side Gallery. Ever because the East Side Gallery celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, the historic monument can be explored at any time and from any vicinity: On September 27, 2020, the Berlin Wall Foundation released a browser-based excursion app that offers a digital tour with 360° perspectives of the website online.

The Berlin Wall, one of the maximum powerful symbols of the Cold War was destroyed on November 9th, 1989 the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 during the Cold War as *** manner to separate the Soviet.

Award-triumphing excursions of Berlin seeing that 1993. Original Berlin Walks offers extraordinary public and personal excursions delivered with passion.

Explore the history of East Germany, the Berlin Wall, spies, escapes, and a rustic torn in on this Cold War-generation walking excursion. From €15.00

This excursion takes you along the sector-well-known Berlin Wall and into the popular present day districts of the city: Discover Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg as well as severa historical landmarks inclusive of the East Side Gallery, the Berlin Wall Memorial and Mauerpark. Language: Audio commentary in 20 languages (headphones) Duration:

Berlin Shopping Tour Lancaster Hop On Hop Off Tickets Near Me Jang the Goon has done in Tri-Cities earlier than, which was obtrusive within the wide variety of his lovers gift for the display. The. Enjoy San Diego your way with our self-guided on foot tours. As you hop off the trolley, the adventure keeps at your own tempo,

The [Berlin] Wall may be standing in 50, even in 100 years." Erich Honecker, East German chief, January 1989 We will see the complexities of memorialization of the Wall and the way the department of Germany and Berlin still influences the us of a nowadays. The Expert Private Berlin Wall Tour Includes: The Berlin Wall Memorial Checkpoint Charlie

Tour Description. More than 25 years after its fall, the Berlin Wall nevertheless looms big. Led by means of an professional in 20th-century records, this three-hour Berlin Wall tour traces the footprint of the wall through the metropolis's center, unraveling the complicated forces that fashioned Berlin's records. We will look into the meaning at the back of the Wall's production.

Berlin Wall: Our most endorsed excursions and sports 1. Berlin: Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour with Live Commentary Explore Berlin's top sights on a convenient hop-on hop-off bus ticket. Listen to facinating tales about the town with live commentary. Have the freedom to leap on or off all through the validity of your ticket.

Online Tour Guide. Visitors to the Berlin Wall Memorial can use a phone or pill to get admission to their personal individually guided tour of the memorial's out of doors grounds. Three excursions of the previous border strip are available via the cell internet site www.Berliner-mauer.Mobi: You can also use the incident markers to guide you throughout the grounds.

Visitors who choose to visit the Berlin Wall head out to the remnant that has.

Which also includes avenue meals excursions or out-of-hours visits to art galleries. If you’d choose some thing a.

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Berlin Wall

From walled city to world city

Discover the history of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall , the former border fortification of the GDR, stood between 1961 and 1989 and separated the western part of the city from the eastern part. Many people lost their lives trying to cross the border.

The East Side Gallery is the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall. In 1990, more than 100 artists from over 20 countries decorated this stretch of the hinterland wall with their art works. The most famous is undoubtedly the work known as the “Fraternal Kiss".

But Potsdamer Platz , Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate are also key sites in the history of the Berlin Wall. Visit the city on 9 November 2024 and be there when Berlin celebrates the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall !

35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall

Events for the big anniversary on 9 November 2024

East Side Gallery

Once it was the Berlin Wall. Now it’s the longest open-air gallery in the world.

Tickets for walking tours & guided tours in Berlin

Berlin Wall bike tour

Cycle along the former Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall and the “Cold War”

Living in two worlds

Where the Wall once stood

From Potsdamer Platz to East Side Gallery

The Berlin Wall Memorial

Checkpoint Charlie

Tränenpalast

The Parliament of Trees

White Crosses

Günter Litfin Memorial

The watchtower: testimony of the border regime and its victims.

The Günter Litfin Memorial at Kieler Eck is located in today’s district of Mitte on the Berlin-Spandau shipping canal.

In 1961, the watchtower served as a GDR border troop command post . The …

Berlin Wall Memorial in Berlin-Reinickendorf

The sights and attractions our visitors love.

Discover the greatest places to visit from other visitors! Here, you can find tickets for the sights and attractions that our Berlin visitors love!

Our travel service offers the ideal way to enjoy a stress-free holiday in Berlin. Buy your tickets for the Berlin Wall tour, the GDR Museum and the Brandenburg Gate Museum easily and conveniently online here.

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A 360 Degree Exhibition about the divided Berlin from Asisi

The Wall: Asisi Panorama Berlin Exhibition Ticket

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An interactive experience journey back to history

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from €13.50

Discover one of Berlin's most famous lost places

Tour & Shuttle Service to Teufelsberg

2 hours €49.00 incl. shuttle

Discover the major attractions of Berlin

Hop On - Hop Off sightseeing tour by Bus

from €37.00 Hop-on Hop-off

A guided city tour through Berlin's Cold War history

Cold War & East Berlin: Guided Walking Tour

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Experience history and the presence in a vivid way

Ticket: The Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie

from €18.50 Online Ticket

The Berlin Wall: Museums, sites and memorials

In the night from 12 to 13 August 1961 , the East German army began sealing off the streets and railway lines providing access to West Berlin. Then the East German regime erected a wall along the sector border:  The construction of the Berlin Wall begins!

The border encircling West Berlin was 167.8 kilometres long . During the numerous attempts in the years that followed to overcome the 167.8 kilometres of border fortifications, present research shows that between 136 and 206 people died trying to cross from East to West.

The Berlin Wall finally fell on 9 November 1989 : The fall of the Berlin Wall went down in world history.. The city recalls the victims of the division of Germany at many Berlin Wall sites, museums and memorial sites, such as the Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears), the Berlin Wall Memorial in Bernauer Strasse, and the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a former Stasi remand prison.

Border control in Bernauer Straße

What was once the border strip is now a place of remembrance. The Berlin Wall memorial gives you a moving insight into the division of

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1.3 kilometres of amazement: take a walk along the East Side Gallery and rediscover art and the history of the Berlin Wall.

The scene of espionage thrillers

From Octopussy to The Spy Who Can In From The Cold: the history of espionage in Berlin at Checkpoint Charlie.

Objects of escape

Mauermuseum - Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie (Wall Museum)

Tour through a former Stasi prison

Berlin Hohenschönhausen Memorial

44 years of political persecution: You can follow the darker side of Berlin’s GDR history in the Hohenschönhausen Memorial.

Experiences at the border of divided Berlin

Parting tears. This is what the partition of Germany meant for many Berliners and their personal stories can be found in the Tränenpalast

Berlin between East and West

Marienfelde Refugee Center Museum

The story of escape from the GDR all bundled into one place - the 450-square-metre exhibition at the Erinnerungsstätte Notaufnahmelager

Research Centre and Memorial at Normannenstrasse

Stasi Museum

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the former East German Secret Service, and find out how their activities affected the lives of

The history of Berlin unfolds at the Alliierten-Museum

Alliierten Museum

Visit Berlin's Alliierten-Museum for the low-down on the political history of the Western Allies in Germany, especially West Berlin.

History of East-West confrontation

BlackBox Cold War

The Black Box informs visitors of the Cold War and the division of Germany. Experience contemporary history through photographs, video and

The museum for German history

Deutsches Historisches Museum

You save 25%

Ideology and reality in the GDR: Museum in der Kulturbrauerei

Museum in der Kulturbrauerei

The Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin's district of Pankow leads you in the search for traces of day-to-day life in the GDR.

Memory, meeting and communication:

Museum Berlin-Karlshorst

At the historic site where the German army surrendered at the end of WW2, the Museum tells the story of both countries in the 20th century.

From the viewpoint of a GDR soldier

Watchtower at Potsdamer Platz

Take up the viewpoint of a GDR soldier who used to secure the border on the watchtower on Potsdamer Platz.

The Cold War Museum is closed

Cold War Museum

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• All locations and stories about the fall of the Berlin Wall

The fall of the Berlin Wall

On the evening of 9 November 1989 , the Berlin Wall fell. It was a night when innumerable East and West Berliners made history.

They climbed over the concrete walls, crowded through the narrow border crossing points, went at the Berlin Wall with hammers, and retook their city in its entirety. The images of this historical event were shown around the world .

The fall of the Wall left unused spaces in the urban landscape. Residents and visitors adopted these abandoned areas as creative spaces – from the art scene in Brunnenstraße to the Berlin start-ups at Moritzplatz – or simply enjoyed the new access to the River Spree.

Today, more than 30 years on, Berlin is no longer a walled city , but a world city. Since those days, millions of visitors have come to Berlin, Germany’s capital city, to see this change for themselves. Visit Berlin around October 3rd to become part of the festivities and events to celebrate the Day of German unity .

What have Berliners made of their city since 1989? The past remains alive and tangible for everyone in the countless sites of history .

After the fall of the Wall, Berlin has also become a creative location , a lifestyle metropolis , with fantastic restaurants and countless shopping opportunities . It is also a modern hotspot for sustainability and for recreation in the countryside . 

And Berlin is a destination for everyone: accessibility is written large in the German capital.

Description

The video on the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Wall from 2019 shows historical footage of the construction and fall of the Wall as well as current footage of memorial sites in Berlin. The VisitBerlin logo can be seen at the end. For a transcription, the video should be watched directly on YouTube

9 November 1989: The Berlin Wall comes down

On 9 November 1989 the Berlin Wall came down after more than 28 years. Follow the events that ultimately led to the fall of the Wall in our timeline. T

The beginning of the end: The final anniversary of the GDR

The 40th anniversary of the GDR was long in the planning and meticulously prepared by the SED leadership. Despite Monday demonstrations and a mass exodus, the anniversary of the GDR was celebrated with a military parade. While the citizens demonstrated and demanded reforms, Erich Honecker invited numerous foreign state guests to the Palace of the Republic.

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Demonstration at Alexanderplatz: "We are the people"

A few days before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the largest demonstration in GDR history took place. Artists and functionaries gathered at Alexanderplatz, demanding a fresh political start. No-one was thinking of reunification at this point, as the belief in socialism still remained. But the GDR politicians were booed by the people at the rally.

9/11/89 7 p.m.

A slip of the tongue opens the border

It was just before 7pm on November 9, 1989 and Günter Schabowski, the "Secretary for Information", put on his glasses at the International Press Centre of the GDR and read out a statement with which he was supposed to announce solely the new travel law, but instead opened the wall. The extended freedom for GDR citizens to travel applied "immediately, without delay". This certainly attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

9/11/89 11.30 p.m.

The night of the fall of the Wall

The German-German border ran through the middle of the Bösebrücke in Berlin between Wedding and Prenzlauer Berg. Here – on the east side of the border – a huge crowd gathered on the night of 9 and 10 November 1989. The new travel regulations had brought people here – and more and more were coming. Finally the border guards opened the border barrier and the jubilant people streamed over the bridge to the west.

"Wallpeckers" at the Brandenburg Gate

Knocking, hammering, clanking, rattling and crumbling: shortly after the fall of the Wall, the "wallpeckers" set to work. Among them were souvenir hunters, tourists and traders, but also GDR opponents. Little by little, piece by piece, they removed the façade of the Berlin Wall – not even the loudspeaker announcements of the West Berlin police could stop them, since here souvenirs of freedom were to be found.

App ABOUT Berlin - Explore the future through history

What happened next? Read the whole story in our Berlin app ABOUT BERLIN . It presents hands-on history, moving stories and unknown aspects of politics – that's how history comes alive! Available free of charge for iPhone and Android.

How did the people feel the night the Berlin wall fell?

It was my first big party and the best party of my life - never have I celebrated more relaxed, boundless. Squeezed among strangers who were as close to me that night as my parents were. It was November 9, 1989. We heard about the party of the decade from the news. I was only 10 years old at that time, but I remember these pictures of people dancing in the neon light of the border fortress (Berlin Lichtenrade) as if it had been yesterday. That night everything was unique. Unforgettable. Sophia, 39 years old

On November 9th I visited my grandparents in Berlin (I lived with my parents outside Berlin at that time). In the early evening my grandmother took me to the cinema (Arielle the Mermaid). After that we went straight home. My grandmother had been surprised that so many people are in the city, but since we neither listened to the radio nor watched television, we didn't notice the opening of the borders. But the next morning, of course, we did. I immediately called my mother. She told me that my brother had called her in the middle of the night. She - totally sleepy - answered the phone: "Mummy, Mummy, guess where I am", Kay asked. My mother: "Kay, I don't care where you are! It's the middle of the night and we were asleep!" Kay: "Man, mum, I'm on the Ku'damm!" My mother: "Kay, how many times have I told you not to drink so much beer!!!" Well, the rest of the night she couldn't sleep anymore. My parents hung spellbound in front of the television. Joyce, 40 years old

We had to work till just before midnight. But my wife and I had already received the unbelievably good news in the course of the evening: The wall was open. East Berlin was now empty. So you could get a taxi. We drove to the station Friedrichstraße: the divided station with the huge so far almost insurmountable steel plate between the platforms. We go into the palace of tears. A border guard takes a look at our identity cards. The path leads through an unadorned tunnel. Neon light flickers. Goose bumps. An ambience like the way to Stasi hell. But the opposite is the case. We can hardly believe it. The suburban train leaves. Experienced a thousand times; but this time in a different direction. Shortly before entering the Lehrter Bahnhof (today the main station): pure emotions and lots of tears of joy, the most beautiful day of our lives. Kerstin, 51 years old & Oliver, 54 years old

Unfortunately we did not come from the West to East Berlin on 9 November. But we could welcome the East citizens at the border crossing Bornholmer Straße. In order to really celebrate, we had to go to Breitscheidplatz - there was really something going on!  In the morning on November 10th I accompanied my girlfriend to school - but nobody could think of school at all. We tried to walk from Schöneberg to the Brandenburg Gate. On the Straße des 17. Juni, about 100 meters, in front of the Brandenburger Tor, we saw two cars in the distance. We tried to stop them. The cars stopped and someone opened the back door of the first Mercedes: "My voice failed me when I recognized Willy Brandt. He shook my hand, looked around and said, "Come, let's go to the wall together." At that moment I understood: "Man, that was Willy Brandt! Man, the wall's really going down!" We all hugged each other euphorically! Marcelo, Porto Alegre, Brasil

For me the 9.11.1989 was an exhausting day and so I went to bed early. The next morning I drove, as usual, about 6.45am with my car to work. I saw my first Trabbi behind the exit Halensee - and that in the middle of West Berlin. At the red traffic light two young men from these cars waved at me laughing and I closed my eyes for a moment because I could no longer believe them. As more Trabbis passed me, I realized that I was experiencing a miracle, a miracle that touched my life and made me a grateful witness of my time. I get something as a gift that I have always missed as an Austrian Berliner by choice. At that time it never occurred to me to throw the approaching hurdles, efforts and impassability into the balance, because the exuberant feeling of happiness and relief over the peaceful overcoming of an unloved regime outshone everything else. Irmgard, Berlin

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5 of the Best Berlin Wall Tours

The Berlin Wall is a stark reminder of how the world was physically divided just over thirty years ago. While much was joyfully torn down, this 140km barrier still looms large in the past, present and future of not just Berlin, but the global political landscape. It is unmissable during any visit to the German capital.

Photo: Courtesy of GetYourGuide

Despite the clubs and the music and the Spree and the Döner, many visitors come to Berlin with one thing on their mind: the Wall. This reinforced concrete symbol of the Cold War still resonates as an eerie reminder of how both families and communities and entire cities and planets can be divided by ideology. Construction began before dawn on August 13, 1961, creating a wall that would divide Berlin and stop a drain of people coming from East to West. Then came the death zones, daring escapes and David Hasselhoff concerts, the Wall finally being torn down on November 9, 1989. While much of the Berlin Wall was destroyed or ended up in fragments in souvenir key rings, there are still key places to witness it and learn about one of the world’s most infamous dividing lines. Here are five of the best tours to discover the Berlin Wall:

Berlin Wall & Cold War Bike Tour

Being a very flat city with barely a section of road without a bicycle lane of some sort, many would argue that Berlin is a place best explored on two wheels. There are plenty of bike hire companies and tours but one of the best comes from Berlin on Bike, covering approximately 15 kilometers in 3.5 hours. What this tour does best is giving a knowledgeable overview of some of the Berlin Wall’s most important sites in the city’s Northeast, including tales of successful and fatal escape attempts in and around Mauerpark and Bernauerstraße, all the way to the Brandenburg Gate. For anyone with only a weekend in the German capital this enthusiastic tour gives a real insight without taking a whole day out of the schedule – the consistent five star ratings say it all. From € 32 per person.

Book at Getyourguide

Berlin Reunited and Revived!

With a city like Berlin it’s all too easy to focus on the past. War and separation exist like scars on the German capital but constant upheaval and change are very much a problem for the present too. Berlin’s party scene, cheap rent and unique 24hr laid back lifestyle has attracted people in their droves over the last decade or two and with it rapid gentrification and a skyline packed with cranes and hastily erected new apartment blocks. Berlin Reunited and Revived! is pretty unusual in that it attempts to make sense of the city’s transition from a derelict landscape to thriving culture and music hub to a hotspot of upwardly mobile professionals looking to cash in on booming property prices. This English-speaking tour guides visitors through the alternative districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, to see first hand the areas where long-time residents are battling rising rents, and visits the East Side Gallery, one of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall and the longest open-air gallery in the world. On the way will be discussion on the origins and political overtones of Berlin’s famous street art scene. For anyone who wants to delve a bit deeper into the effects of the Berlin Wall’s division and later reunion this tour is a captivating and thought-provoking three hours. From € 299 per group up to 20.

Trabi Safari Berlin: The Wall Ride

Berlin locals may roll their eyes at the sight of a convoy of brightly-painted Trabants weaving through the streets, two-stroke engines screaming like ball bearings in a food processor, but as a way of seeing the capital this tour still takes some beating. The Trabant, or racing cardboard as it’s affectionately known, is as much a symbol of the divided city as the Wall itself and for many years the 135-minute Wall Ride has offered a unique alternative to bus or walking tours. Almost as comical as the car itself is the fact that it’s so easy to get going. After a quick guide through the intricacies of the crunchy four-speed gearbox and local traffic rules, jump into one of the variety of Trabants – convertibles and station wagons included – and it’s off for a unique view of the key sights of the Berlin Wall. The convoy of Trabants passes the East Side Gallery, the death strip, and crosses through Checkpoint Charlie, where passport checks took place on a daily basis for almost 30 years in the divided city. Everything is included in one price, from live radio commentary in each car, to free gas and a special Trabi driver’s license for every new driver. From €99 per person.

Third Reich and Berlin Wall History

While the Berlin Wall is a symbol of the Cold War of the latter part of the 20th Century, its origins lie in the Third Reich and WW2. This tour covers a lot of ground as it whips through Berlin by bike taking in Checkpoint Charlie, Mauerpark, Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin and other important landmarks in Berlin’s recent history, as well as darker location such as the Topography of Terror and the Fuhrerbunker. What it promises is to go deeper than other touristy tours of Berlin and The Wall, with a well-versed local guide giving more insight into what the infamous border tried to achieve. It also visits slightly lesser-known spots in the city’s recent history such as the Humboldthain Flak Tower, designed to defend Berlin from enemy aircraft, now with almost unrivaled views of the city. For anyone looking to piece together the impact that the Nazi period and construction of the Berlin wall has left on Germany’s capital, this is the tour for you. From €32.00.

Book at Viator

Berlin Wall and the Cold War Walking Tour This tour is perfect for anyone not keen on taking a bike (or a rattling Trabi for that matter). Combining walking with public transport (don’t forget a valid AB public transport day ticket), it fits in a lot in its four hour duration, focusing on the hubris of both sides of the Wall as East and West battled for superiority. The key sights are Bornholmer Strasse – the first border point to open in 1989 – and the East Side Gallery, but also Karl-Marx-Allee, aka Stalinallee, with wedding-cake architecture designed to illustrate Communist might during the Cold War. Another lesser-visited place that many tours miss out on is included: Gethsemane Church in Prenzlauer Berg, where brave East German civil rights activists gathered in the late eighties to protest against the regime. This is a good quality tour aimed at those who’d like more than a cursory glance at the history of Berlin. From € 269 per group up to 10.

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Original world war ii third reich & cold war east communism berlin wall walking tour.

Join us as we explore Berlin on Original World War II Third Reich & Cold War East Communism Berlin Wall Walking Tour .

This Berlin World War II Tour concentrates on the effects, history, buildings, and stories surrounding Berlin in the Second World War. Berlin Served as the Nazi stronghold in Germany and command center for Hitler and the Third Reich. Berlin may have played the biggest part of any city during the atrocities that took place in World War II. Join us as we look at the scars and battlefields from left behind during the Battle of Berlin. Let our guides tell you stories and legends as we see the spot where Hitler had is a notorious underground lair. See the damage brought on by thousands of allied bombs and the defense structures built to keep them out.

This Tour visits many World War II historical sights and memorials . Along the way, our guide will recount historic events and urban legends. They are the best in the business. Our guides point out many interesting stories and facts that many would just walk over! We cover a lot but expect to be able to stop for drinks along the way and walk at a nice leisurely pace . Come see the streets come alive as we jump back in history and see the effects of the largest conflict the world has ever seen on the Original Berlin World War II Third Reich Tour .

The Berlin World War II Third Reich Tour is 3 hours & visits

Eastside Gallery Berlin Wall Memorial Guard Towers Hidden Sections of the Berlin Wall Berlin Wall Escape Routes Hidden Berlin Wall Effects West Berlin & the DDR The Berlin Wall Route Today GDR / DDR HISTORICAL LANDMARKS ESCAPE ATTEMPTS CROSSING POINTS LIFE IN THE GDR / DDR GERMAN REUNIFICATION COLD WAR SITES THE PALACE OF TEARS (TRÄNENPALAST) GHOST STATIONS Battle of Berlin The Reichstag The Russian-German War Museum Flak tower Awesome Local History Guides History of WWII in Berlin The Third Reich Capital Prenzlauer Berg The Site of Hitler’s Bunker MUCH MUCH MORE

ORIGINAL BERLIN THIRD REICH TOUR

This historical tour visits loads of attractions and historical sights. Along the way, our guides will share stories, and information about famous events, people, music, and architecture. In this way, no tour is exactly the same and you are guaranteed a unique experience with your fun and informative guide.

ORIGINAL BERLIN WORLD WAR II THIRD REICH TOUR BOOKING & MEETING POINT

Where: The meeting point is in front of Generator Berlin Alexanderplatz, Otto-Braun-Straße 65, 10178 Berlin, Germany. Next to the Entrance.

When: Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 12:00

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How to Tour the Berlin Wall

Context Walking Tours of Berlin are hosted by local experts and offer an intimate glimpse into the complicated history of the city's postwar legacy.

Contrary to what you might think, the Berlin Wall did not cut the city in half. Instead, it surrounded the western part of the city, which, at the time, was divided up between the American, British and French, who had helped to liberate Berlin at the end of World War II.

The eastern side was controlled by the USSR, whose forces had been instrumental in defeating the Nazis. In the chaos and aftermath of the war, it was impossible to foresee the problems that would arise with the carving up of the city. West Berlin was a haven of capitalism deep behind the Iron Curtain, and for around 15 years, East and West Berliners were allowed to move freely around their city. But in 1961, with a flailing economy and a population losing faith in the communist system, the Soviets decided to stop their citizens from jumping ship via the ideological island to the west: they built the Berlin Wall.

Planning Your Visit to the Berlin Wall

There are a number of sites across Berlin where remnants of the Wall still stand, most notably the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse and the East Side Gallery at Mühlenstraße. Stretching for over a kilometer on the northern banks of the River Spree, the East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin wall, and thought to be the world’s largest open air gallery.

People started decorating the Wall not long after the first pieces fell in 1989, and today the gallery features over 100 murals from international artists. The colorful artworks are based on themes of freedom, anti-oppression and political satire, bringing recent history to vivid life. Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse is open every day except Mondays 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. from April to October and 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. from November to March. The East Side Gallery and is located in an open public space and is accessible at any time.

Berlin Walking Tour Options with Context

• For families, we recommend our City of Two Tales tour, which takes in the the East Side Gallery and Memorial, where imagine what it might have been like as a family separated by the Wall. We examine the murals and talk about what they mean, and imagine what we might draw ourselves. Then we jump on the S-Bahn train to Alexanderplatz, where we shoot to the top of the iconic TV Tower to take in panoramic views of the city. From 200 meters up, there are still plenty of visible signs of a city with two very different stories to tell.
• For a more serious, in-depth study of the Wall and its legacy our Walking the Wall tour traces the history and implications of that notorious concrete divider that ran 97 miles around the three western sectors of Berlin and 27 miles directly through its centre. The walk is an insightful experience that continues to resonate with visitors as they spend time in the city, highlighting the legacy of its recent turbulent history.
• For those who’d like to cover more ground and enjoy cycling, there’s also our Biking the Wall experience.
• Interested in Cold War Berlin? Our Divided City tour examines the deep divisions between East and West Berlin through the lens of architecture.
• For more on Berlin and its history as the capital of Nazi Germany, our Topography of Terror tour explores important WWII sites including Hitler's bunker, the Topography of Terror museum, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

Berlin's Weather & Temperature

Berlin’s weather is surprisingly warm in summer; regularly in the high 20s and sometimes even topping 30°C (86 °F) in June, July and August. September to October is generally mild, and very beautiful, with crisp autumn days and multicolored leaves. As the remains of the Berlin Wall are outside, during this time, pack a jacket, scarf and a hat, but nothing too heavy. November through February is by far the harshest time, weather-wise, with regular snow, ice and temperatures plummeting to -10 C (14 F). A hardy winter jacket, boots, hat, gloves and thick wool scarf are highly recommended.

Navigating Berlin Public Transit

• Berlin Wall Memorial (Bernauer Strasse)-- U-bahn station Bernauer Strasse (U8), S-bahn station Nordbahnhof (S1, S2), Tram M10 Bus 245, 247
• East Side Gallery (Mühlenstrasse--) U-bahn station Warschauer Strasse (U1), S-bahn station Ostkreuz (S41, S42, S5. S7, S75) Tram M10
• Berliner Mauer --Berlin Wall, is a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) that cut off by land West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and East Berlin.
• Berliner Luftbrücke --Berlin Airlift. With Soviet Union blocking the railway, road, and canal access to the western sectors of Berlin (1948-1949), Berlin airlift was used by Western Allies forces to carry supplies to the people in West Berlin.
• Mauerfall – Fall of the Berlin Wall, started with people demolishing the Wall from East Berlin side on 9 November 1989.
• Stasi – Ministry for State Security in GDR. Carrying the motto of “Shield and Sword of the Party” it was one of the most secretive and efficient intelligence agencies at the time, using its vast network of citizens turned informants, and fighting any opposition by often dubious measures.

Additional Reading

• Die Berliner Mauer Heute. The Berlin Wall Today. Polly Feversham and Leo Schmidt. HUSS-Medien, Berlin, 1999.
• Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall. Anna Funder. Granta Publications, 2003.
• Death at the Berlin Wall. Pertti Ahonen. Oxford University Press, 2011.
• The Fall of the Berlin Wall. William F. Buckley Jr. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2004.
• Constructing East Germany: Interpretations of GDR History since Unification. Mike Dennis. United and Divided: Germany since 1990.
• Mike Dennis/ Eva Kolinsky (eds.), New York: Berghahn Books, 2004, pp. 17-32.

You Might Also Like:

The Berlin Wall Memorial: A Powerful Reminder of History

15 Fantastic Things to do With Kids in Berlin

Exploring Berlin’s Rich Heritage: A 5-Day Itinerary for Unforgettable Tours

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First-Hand Stories of the Berlin Wall & Cold War: Private Half-Day Tour

Quick details.

• Duration: 4 hours
• Starting time: Hourly departures from 8AM to 3PM
• Tour type: Walking, Private driver
• Pick-up location: Your central Berlin hotel
• Group size: Max 14 people
• Inclusions: Private expert tour guide, pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, public transport tickets for the walking option, private driver/black van for the driving option

Tour Highlights

• Get an eye-witness account of life during the Cold War, from expert guides who lived through it
• Visit Brandenburg Gate, the Topography of Terror, and the Berlin Wall Memorial Center
• Learn about the political and ideological differences between East and West Berlin
• Hear stories of the Cold War, like the Allied tank confrontation at Checkpoint Charlie
• Take a ride on the former ghost train line
• Local expert guides with deep knowledge of Berlin’s history, art, and politics
• Choose from daily departures with multiple start times

Tour Overview

The Berlin Wall is probably the most symbolic artifact of the Cold War and the so-called Iron Curtain, dividing Berlin into two worlds that could not have been more different. And it was much more than just “the Wall” — there were mysterious ghost stations, a teardrop palace and complex border installations known as “the death strip.”

In addition to the physical division, there was a political division, insurmountable ideological barriers, and some downright absurdities.

Book this tour online now

On this Berlin Cold War tour, you’ll immerse yourself in the past world of socialist East Berlin. Learn about incredible escape stories, the Allied tank confrontation at Checkpoint Charlie, and the Soviet monuments that are still of great symbolic importance to this day. Visit Brandenburg Gate, which was once a symbol of division and now represents German reunification.

Finally, check out the East Side Gallery, where the deadly wall has been re-dedicated as the longest open-air art gallery in the world.

About Our Guides

Our Berlin tour guides are more than just guides — they are true characters of the city, with deep knowledge of Berlin’s history and politics. What’s more, our guides for this tour were all eyewitnesses to the Cold War and have personal stories to share with you about their lives during that time. Come with plenty of questions, to be answered by someone who lived it!

Tour Flexibility

This tour is flexible in terms of time and content. A minimum duration of four hours is recommended. Highlights such as the Soviet War Memorial in Treptow, the East Side Gallery, or the former Stalin Alee can be integrated on an eight-hour full-day tour. Each tour is tailored to your interests. Let us know in advance if there are any particular sites you’d like to see, and we’ll craft an itinerary just for you.

Simply enquire below for more information. Alternatively, book online now and we will be in touch to finalise your tour details.

Do you have questions about the offer? Contact us using the form below.

Private Tour: From €367

You can inquire your desired private or customized tour by using this form. Please feel free to name all your wishes and interests e.g. special starting point, pick-up service, lunch breaks, dietary restrictions, accessibility requirements, interest in certain historic topics or sites!

We will adapt all our private tours and answer all your questions. We provide prices for special services or for groups of more than six people on request.

+49 30 26105715, [email protected], 09.00 - 18.00 (mon - fri | germany timezone).

Select tour* --- Berlin Jewish History Tour (half day) Berlin Jewish History Tour (full day) Berlin Half Day Tour: Historical Highlights Berlin Communism Tour: Life Behind the Berlin Wall Potsdam – Royal Palaces and Gardens Tour Potsdam – WW2 and Cold War Era Tour Berlin Architecture Tour Battle of Berlin Tour: Berlin after the end of WWII Nazi Berlin and Third Reich Tour Vienna Night Tour Culinary Vienna Prague Beer Tour: Drink Beer as a Local Prague´s Greatest Hits The Life of Frederick II (digital tour) “Erinnerungskultur” in Germany (digital tour) Crossing the border: the cultural clash (digital tour) Berlin - a culinary journey (digital tour) Street Art Tour (digital tour) Create Your Own Tour (digital tour) Number of persons* --- 1 2 3 4 5 6 6+ Name* E-Mail* Phone Number (with Country/Area Code) Additional Info* e.g. Hotel Name, Tour Date, Pickup time, Special Requirements

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Tim Walz’s Long Relationship With China Defies Easy Stereotypes

Mr. Walz, the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee, taught in China and has visited the country around 30 times. But he has also been critical of the Chinese government’s human rights record.

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By Amy Qin and Keith Bradsher

Amy Qin reported from Washington, and Keith Bradsher reported from Foshan, China.

In the summer of 1989, Tim Walz faced a difficult choice.

A newly minted college graduate from small-town Nebraska, he had just turned down a stable, 9-to-5 job offer and moved across the world to teach at a local high school in China. He had made it as far as Hong Kong, just across the Chinese border, when People’s Liberation Army tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square to crush pro-democracy protests.

Rumors were flying about a possible civil war in China. Many foreigners, including most American teachers, had fled the country. Should he go back home or continue his journey into China?

He decided to go in.

“It was my belief at that time that the diplomacy was going to happen on many levels, certainly people to people,” Mr. Walz recalled in 2014 during a congressional hearing marking the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. “The opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important.”

The one year that Mr. Walz spent teaching English in southern China was the start of what would become a decades-long relationship with the country. As high school teachers in Nebraska and Minnesota, Mr. Walz and his wife, Gwen, regularly led trips to China in the 1990s and early 2000s to introduce students to China’s history and culture. Mr. Walz has said that he has traveled to China some 30 times, including for his honeymoon.

That deep history of engagement with China reflects a lesser-known international dimension of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate. If elected vice president, Mr. Walz would bring to the White House unusually extensive personal experience in China — a history that supporters say could be an asset at a time of volatile relations between Washington and Beijing.

But the campaign has so far made little mention of Mr. Walz’s experience there, even as it has leaned into depictions of the Minnesota governor as an avuncular Midwestern dad, coach and teacher. And it has yet to lay out how Vice President Kamala Harris or Mr. Walz would handle China, which both the Biden and Trump administrations have treated with toughness.

Republicans, by contrast, have already begun to seize on the governor’s personal experience in China to accuse him of being soft on a country that is now seen as America’s greatest military and economic rival.

Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, said on X that “Communist China” was “very happy” with Ms. Harris’s choice of Mr. Walz as her running mate. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said that Mr. Walz owed “the American people an explanation about his unusual, 35-year relationship with Communist China.”

A spokesman for Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz’s campaign accused Republicans of “twisting basic facts” and “desperately lying” to distract from former President Donald J. Trump’s agenda.

“Throughout his career, Governor Walz has stood up to the CCP, fought for human rights and democracy, and always put American jobs and manufacturing first,” said James Singer, the spokesman, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will ensure we win the competition with China, and will always stand up for our values and interests in the face of China’s threats.”

Mr. Walz’s record in the House, from 2007 to 2019, showed a lawmaker who often drew on his personal experience in the country to lay out sharp critiques of China’s human rights record. He took a special interest in Tibet and Hong Kong, meeting with both the Dalai Lama and Joshua Wong, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist.

An adventure

Years before Mr. Walz became an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, he was a wide-eyed college graduate eager to learn more about the world beyond the farms and ranches of Nebraska.

Mr. Walz was 25 when he arrived at Foshan No. 1 High School in southern China, near Hong Kong, as part of the WorldTeach program, a nonprofit affiliated with Harvard University. The school is in one of Foshan’s oldest neighborhoods, where thick banyan trees dangle aerial roots over sidewalks and streets.

Mr. Walz soon settled into the cocoon of daily life on a small-town campus, even as the chaos of the Tiananmen Square crackdown more than 1,100 miles away rippled across the country. He taught four English and U.S. history classes a day with about 65 students in each class. As one of the first American teachers at the school, he was afforded small luxuries like an air-conditioner and a monthly salary of around $80 — double what the local teachers earned.

Students loved their “big-nosed” teacher, giving him the nickname “Fields of China” because his kindness, they explained to him, was so expansive. For Christmas, some of his students and friends cut down a pine tree, decorated it and brought it to his room.

“No matter how long I live, I’ll never be treated that well again,” Mr. Walz told the Star-Herald in Scottsbluff, Neb., in 1990.

He also took a train up to Beijing and visited Tiananmen Square, where soldiers had fatally shot hundreds, maybe thousands, of protesters and bystanders not long before.

Upon his return to Nebraska in 1990, he told the Star-Herald that going to China was “one of the best things” he had ever done. But he said he also felt that the Chinese people had been mistreated and cheated by their government for years.

“If they had the proper leadership, there are no limits on what they could accomplish,” Mr. Walz said at the time. “They are such kind, generous, capable people.”

Returning again and again

By 1994, Mr. Walz had taken a job teaching social studies at Alliance High School in western Nebraska. There, he met and fell in love with a fellow teacher, Gwen Whipple. They married on June 4 — which happened to be the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. He later would say, “There was no doubt I would remember that date.”

Shortly after, they left for a trip that effectively became their honeymoon: a field trip to China with 60 students.

Mr. Walz was determined to share with his students the marvel of discovering the wider world beyond small-town America, according to interviews with four former students and a professor who went on the yearly trips that the Walzes had organized in the 1990s.

The students, most of whom had never traveled abroad, barely spent any time in the classroom. In addition to sightseeing, they met with tai chi masters, practiced their chopstick skills at family-style meals and tried Chinese calligraphy.

On the trip in 1993, Mr. Walz brought the group to meet his former students at Foshan No. 1 High School. One of Mr. Walz’s friends guided them throughout the two-week trip and was so beloved that one of the students, Kyle Lierk, recalled crying when they had to say goodbye.

“It was clear that Tim was able to build the trip around humanity,” recalled Mr. Lierk, now 47.

Shay Armstrong, a former student who went in 1993 and 1994, recalled learning about some of the more disturbing aspects of Chinese Communist Party rule. They were told about the harsh “one-child” policy, under which most couples who had more than one child were forced to pay fines.

While visiting Tiananmen Square, Mr. Walz explained the history of the bloody crackdown and the brutal governance of Mao Zedong, China’s former chairman, she said.

“It wasn’t all bubbles, hearts and rainbows,” recalled Ms. Armstrong, now 46.

The Walzes continued leading the student trips to China even after they moved in 1996 to Mankato, Minn., organizing the visits through a company that they had established called Educational Travel Adventures.

A vocal critic of China

As a congressman, Mr. Walz did not shy away from talking about his experience in China.

But he was also critical of the Chinese government from the start. And over his 12-year tenure in the House, Mr. Walz’s criticisms of China’s human rights record became even sharper, especially as the Chinese government took a more authoritarian turn under Xi Jinping.

Mr. Walz served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, a bipartisan group of lawmakers focused on monitoring and reporting on human rights and the rule of law in China. Transcripts show that other commission members often praised Mr. Walz for his expertise.

“You are a great asset to our commission,” Representative Chris Smith, Republican from New Jersey and then-chairman of the commission, said to Mr. Walz during a 2011 hearing.

Mr. Walz cosponsored a resolution demanding the release of Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese dissident and Nobel laureate. He criticized China’s unfair trade practices and crackdown on rights lawyers and religious groups.

In 2015, Mr. Walz participated in a rare American delegation to Tibet led by Nancy Pelosi, then the House minority leader. The next year, he met with the Dalai Lama in what he later described in a social media post as a “life-changing” lunch.

Jeffrey Ngo, a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist, credited Mr. Walz with being at one point the only House Democrat willing to continue backing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which would compel the U.S. government to impose sanctions on officials responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong.

Mr. Ngo said Mr. Walz’s support helped keep the bill alive at a crucial time until it was eventually passed.

“Walz is perhaps the most solid candidate when it comes to human rights and China on a major-party ticket in recent memory, if not ever,” Mr. Ngo said.

Toward the end of his tenure in Congress, Mr. Walz continued to stress the importance of identifying areas of cooperation with China. But he also began to question the long-held wisdom that opening up trade with China would lead the country to become more open and democratic.

“I certainly was under the illusion that liberalizing trade and openness would have a significant impact on liberalization of personal freedoms,” Mr. Walz said during a congressional hearing in 2016. “I have now seen that is not the case.”

In the decades since Mr. Walz arrived at Foshan, the high school that launched his lifelong interest in China has expanded considerably.

On a visit to the high school on Wednesday, news of Mr. Walz’s ascent to the Democratic ticket drew vastly different reactions.

As students in blue and white uniforms exited the school’s gates, they said that their school’s connection to a suddenly prominent American politician had been the talk of classrooms and online chat rooms.

Meanwhile, a school dean said that the school had no comment on Mr. Walz. And guards at the school gate prevented journalists from entering the grounds to see the campus museum.

Dionne Searcey , Amy Chang Chien , Li You and Alain Delaquérière contributed reporting and research.

An earlier version of this article misstated the last name of the person who took the photograph featuring Mr. Walz and students at the Great Wall of China. She is Jillian Walker, not Jillian Taylor.

How we handle corrections

Amy Qin writes about Asian American communities for The Times. More about Amy Qin

Keith Bradsher is the Beijing bureau chief for The Times. He previously served as bureau chief in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Detroit and as a Washington correspondent. He has lived and reported in mainland China through the pandemic. More about Keith Bradsher

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