Berlin

GDR's history & culture

Discover some of the key landmarks of Berlin on a sightseeing boat tour. Enjoy a relaxing river cruise on the Spree to take in the sights at the heart of this bustling city.   Depart from Friedrichstraße or Nikolaiviertel. Your 1-hour sightseeing tour will take you past the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), through the new Regierungsviertel (Government Quarter), all the way to the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures). After turning at the Lutherbrücke (Luther Bridge), keep a look out for Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace), the "Beamtenschlange" (civil servant housing), and the Siegessäule (Victory Column). Marvel at Hauptbahnhof (Central Station), Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral), Museumsinsel (Museum Island), and the Nikolaiviertal, the oldest residential area in Berlin. Arrive back either Friedrichstraße or Nikolaiviertel to finish the tour.

Let the largest Jewish museum in Europe impress you with its symbolic architecture and exceptional exhibitions. Discover how the zig-zag-shaped building designed by Daniel Libeskind creates its own language for Jewish history in Germany, with slanting walls, sharp angles, and gaping voids. The new core exhibition „Access Kafka“ Kafka comes to Berlin! One hundred years after the death of Franz Kafka, the Jewish Museum Berlin is providing new insights into his work with its exhibition Access Kafka: manuscripts and drawings from Franz Kafka’s estate come together with contemporary art by artists such as Yael Bartana, Maria Eichhorn, Anne Imhof, Martin Kippenberger, Maria Lassnig, Trevor Paglen and Hito Steyerl. The focus is on universal and timeless questions concerning access. Alongside the treasures of the museum’s collection including everyday objects and art, there are video and audio installations. There are also interactive stations that provide surprising insights. The museum is located centrally in the vibrant district of Berlin-Kreuzberg and is within walking distance from Checkpoint Charlie. With your JMB ticket, you are eligible to receive reduced-rate admission to the neighboring Berlinische Galerie on the day of your museum visit and the two following days. The Berlinische Galerie is only a 5 min stroll away from the JMB. p>

Embark on a guided tour of the parliament and government district of Berlin, and learn more about Germany's political history. Explore the Reichstag building with your guide, including a visit to the plenary chamber, dome, and the surrounding government district. Begin your journey at the parliament and government district and cross the historical sector border to visit the Reichstag building. Learn more about the tasks and duties of the Bundestag. Hear the fascinating story behind the Reichstag building, its transformation into a modern landmark designed by Lord Foster, and the ecological concepts behind Foster's work. Explore the Plenarsaal and get a behind-the-scenes look at the heart of the German government. Head to the Dome of the Reichstag building and enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the city's skyline from the rooftop terrace.

Embark on a 1-hour cruise through the city of Berlin and the government district on a boating vessel optimized for panoramic views of the city. Learn about Berlin from your professional guides and boat operators and explore the city from the unique vantage point of the water. Hop aboard one of the two glass panorama ships in MS Carola and MS Franziska and listen as your tour guide presents the one-hour boat trip. Listen to live explanations and stories about the exciting cityscape of Berlin. Embark on a daily trip from March to December and take in the panoramic view with a beer, cup of coffee, or long drinks. Thanks to the large window areas, everyone is ensured an optimal view when the guides explain the highlights of Berlin, such as the Berlin Cathedral or the Reichstag. In the warmer months the window area will be fully opened however the windows can shut in the event of cold or adverse weather conditions; ensuring your comfort throughout the trip.

Immerse yourself in Berlin's eventful history and follow the audio guide's vivid explanations about the past from Imperial times to the fall of the Berlin Wall in a real bunker from the Second World War. Step back in time to the period of National Socialism and discover a piece of contemporary history. Learn everything about Hitler's rise to power and his reign of terror. Visit the award-winning Berlin Story Museum in the huge Berlin Story Bunker near Anhalter Bahnhof and Potsdamer Platz. Learn more about Berlin's eventful history at 50 stations with large installations, informative photos, and short films.

Gain an in-depth insight into the contemporary history of Berlin on a guided walking tour of historical sights. Choose from a group or private walking tour and discover notable landmarks such as the German House of Parliament, the Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten, and Checkpoint Charlie. Meet your guide in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the site of many changes in 20th-century Berlin. Learn about the chaotic days of the Second World War and hear how the gate came to be a symbol of reunification in Germany after 1989.  Hear the story of the curious Reichstag Fire of 1933 as you pass the German House of Parliament. Delve deep into the events that took place after the appointment of Hitler as Chancellor of Germany in 1933, and what happened to the building since the fall of the wall in 1989. Continue your tour by heading to the Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten, where you’ll have the chance to examine some examples of Soviet military hardware. Walk to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a poignant dedication to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. See the site of Hitler’s Bunker and then make your way to Hermann Göring's enormous Ministry of Aviation building at the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus, which was the site where the GDR (East Germany) was founded in 1949. Then, see the former headquarters of the notorious SS and Gestapo. Contemplate life on both sides of the Berlin Wall while gathering around a 200-meter-long stretch of the former barrier. Despite the wall falling 30 years ago, standing here allows you to absorb the still palpable history of the city. Round off the walk with a stop at Checkpoint Charlie, where your guide will finish the tour with anecdotes about the infamous American versus Soviet tank standoff and the final hours before the wall fell, leading to the reunification of Germany.

During this activity of about 5 hours, we will learn about the daily work of the prisoners and the daily life in a concentration camp through the buildings that have survived to the present day. We will understand the complex history of this place through the different monuments that, for different ideologies and at different times, have been placed at the memorial. Our guides will approach the subject matter of the visit with the utmost respect for the victims. During our visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp we will see what is known as Tower A or the main entrance of the prisoners to the camp, presided over by the famous sign on which you can read the motto of all the concentration camps "Arbeit macht Frei" or "Work will set you free". We will enter Barracks 38 and 39, which are in what is known as "Small Camp" where the S.S. crammed all the Jewish prisoners of the camp between 1938 and 1942, and where we can see those famous bunk beds that you see in all the films about the Holocaust. Today, Barracks 38 houses a museum illustrating what life was like for these Jewish prisoners in the camp. Then we will see the Camp Prison or Punishment Cells, which are the original ones, where prisoners were locked up for crimes such as stealing food and where infamous and disproportionate punishments were inflicted. It is common knowledge that during the Nazi era, concentration camp prisoners were experimented on and aberrant practices were carried out in the infirmary barracks and in the morgue. What used to be the prisoner's kitchen has been converted into a museum in which the most important moments of the Sachsenhausen camp are represented and we will see the remains of the terrible Station Z, later dynamited by the Soviets, where the prisoners were cruelly executed. With the defeat of the Nazis in 1945, this Nazi concentration camp became the 50th Special Camp of the Soviets, which is why we will also visit the Soviet memorial from 1961. .... And much more!

Discover the center of Berlin via its major waterway, the River Spree, on a 2.5-hour boat cruise. See the main sights of the city from the water and feel the heartbeat of the bustling city. Start your roundtrip sightseeing tour on Friedrichstrasse and pass by the Federal Chancellery to reach Bellevue Palace, overlooking the Beamtenschlange (civil servant accommodation) and the Victory Column. Enjoy informative audio commentary as you see Berlin Central Station and the Interior Ministry before continuing on to Charlottenburg Palace. From there you will cruise past the Westhafen Canal, the Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal, the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Hamburger Bahnhof. You will then cruise back to Friedrichstrasse.

Explore Berlin and learn about the city’s history and sights via audio commentary, available in several languages. Experience the beauty of the forests, parks, gardens, rivers, and lakes that cover nearly a third of the city. This city has witnessed many groundbreaking historical events. See the corresponding sites, as well as the city's most famous streets and squares, with your ticket for this hop-on hop-off tour. The Classic Route gives you the chance to see all the main sights of the city, including the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and the East Side Gallery, to name just a few. The Trendy East Berlin & Wall Route gives you the chance to explore Rotes Rathaus, Oranienburger Strabe, East Side Gallery and much more! Classic Tour Stops: 1) Tautzienstrasse 2) KaDeWe 3) Lutzowplatz 4) Potsdamer Platz / Hist. Ampel 5) Gropiusbau 6) Checkpoint Charlie 7) Gendarmenmarkt 8) Neptunbrunnen 9) Alexanderplatz 10) Lustgarten 11) Unter den Linden / Friedrichstrabe 12) Brandenburger Tor 13) Reichstag 14) Hauptbahnhof 15) Siegessaule 16) Zoo / Elefantentor 17) Cafe Kranzler 18) Kurfurstendamm 236 Trendy East Berlin & Wall Tour 1) Rotes Rathaus (Neptune Fountain) 2) Oranienburger Strabe / Krausnickstrasse 3) Bernauer Strabe (Cafe Bar Central) 4) Mauerpark, Bernauer Strabe 45 5) Park Inn Hotel, Alexanderplatz 7 6) Karl-Marx-Allee (Computerspielemuseum) 7) East Side Gallery (Mercedes-Benz Arena) 8) Ostbahnhof (Intercity Hotel) Choose the Tour of Lights bus tour to enjoy the city's annual light festival and enjoy a tour aboard an open-top bus with live commentary.

The Museum Island Ticket/Museumsinsel-Ticket is valid for one day in all houses of the Museum Island (Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Bodemuseum, Das Panorama, Alte Nationalgalerie). From 24.10. guests with this ticket do not need a time-slot-ticket in the museums (required for Neues Museum, Panorama, Altes Nationalagalerie). Exception: special exhibition Secessions (here the time window ticket remains). By visiting all of them you can learn about ancient Greek and Roman culture, history, Egyptian treasures and art of different periods. If you would like to see Egyptian and Nubian art, head to the Neues Museum, which is most known for the famous bust of Nefertiti. The Bode Museum offers sculptures dated in the Middle Ages up until the early Renaissance and a collection of artifacts from Byzantine art. If you wish to see ancient Greek and Roman decorative art, you should visit the Altes Museum that contains a permanent collection of ancient Greek and Roman vases and statues. From the outside, it is considered to be one of Berlin's most impressive neoclassical buildings. Please be aware that Pergamon Museum is close.