Main Info
- This guided tour is offered exclusively as a Private Tour.
- You choose the day and start time you prefer.
- The duration of the tour is 3,5 hours.
- There is no minimum number of participants, if the group is very numerous there will be a second guide to guarantee the quality of service.
- The meeting point with the guide can be your hotel or another place that you prefer.
- The tour is normally done on foot and by public transport. If you wish to take a tour by bicycle or bus with a private driver, please request this in the corresponding form.
- The cost of the tour depends on your preferences and the size of the group. Request a quote.
THIS TOUR INTERESTS YOU IF…
- You want to go deeper into the fascinating and dramatic history of the Wall that divided Berlin for almost three decades and see its most important original parts with a tour in mother tongue English.
- You wonder how the Germans of East Berlin lived their daily life in the communist system, under the magnifying glass of the STASI.
- You want to know what the current consequences of this historical division are and the effects it has today.
- You want to learn about the communist architecture of Berlin in its various phases and see some of its most significant examples.
WHAT WE WILL SEE
- Berlin Wall
- Wall Memorial Bernauer Straße
- Alexanderplatz
- Karl-Marx-Allee
- East Side Gallery
- Nordbahnhof Station (Ghost Station)
DETAILED ROUTE
After the end of the Second World War, Berlin played a fundamental role in the Cold War between the US and the USSR. In 1961, the construction of the Wall split the city in two and the citizens of East Berlin lived in a completely different economic and social system from those of West Berlin.
What is left of that system today and how are those years remembered? To understand this, there is nothing better than walking along the remains of the Berlin Wall and the symbolic places of the division accompanied by our English-speaking guides. Through their exciting accounts, you will relive everyday life in communist Berlin, its peculiarities and customs.
Our English tour “East Berlin and the Wall” will start from the meeting point in Potsdamer Platz, from which we will travel by S-Bahn to Nordbahnhof Station, one of the Phantom Stations that remained closed for almost thirty years after the construction of the Wall. From there, we will begin the journey that will help us understand why the city was suddenly separated into two blocks, how this was possible, and what reaction it triggered on both sides of the Wall.
At the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße we will relive the trauma of separation and visit an original part of the Death Strip; we will talk about escape attempts, the Tunnels that were dug for that purpose and the terrible stories of the people who lost their lives because of the Wall.
In the famous Alexanderplatz, in front of the typical buildings of socialist Berlin, we will relive the excitement of the thousands of people who, with their peaceful demonstrations, challenged the political repression of the STASI, triggering the “collapse” of the Wall and the consequent disintegration of the Soviet bloc.
Walking along Karl-Marx-Allee, we take a step back in time to the era of Stalinist Russia with its imposing architecture. We will then relive the first post-war years, discussing the 1953 revolt of the very the workers who were building the boulevard and which led to their violent repression.
We will complete the tour with a visit to the most famous and colorful piece of the Berlin Wall: the East Side Gallery and its 104 murals, including the now famous kiss between Brezhnev and Honecker. Together with our expert and professional guides, you will be able to understand the dramatic and moving history of East Berlin during the years of real socialism, with a detailed and exciting tour in mother-tongue English, in the original locations that have now become historic.
WHERE IS THE MEETING POINT LOCATED?
The guide will pick you up at your hotel or in another place of your choice.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- You can extend the duration of the guided tour, personalize the tour or take a longer break in a restaurant that we will recommend based on your gastronomic preferences.
- We will be happy to suggest activities for your stay in Berlin, where and what to eat, and which museums or neighborhoods to visit. We are available to advise you as best as possible based on your needs.
Please do not hesitate to write in case of doubts or questions – we are here for you!
ViveBerlin Tours, the Tourist Guide Cooperative. Discover the different facets of Berlin with our Private Berlin Tours.
