Best Sightseeing Tours in Berlin

Walking Tours

Explore Berlin on foot with knowledgeable guides. This is one of the best ways to start your time in Berlin, to learn some of the history and get oriented with the city.

• Private Tours of Berlin with Matti: As a lifetime Berlin resident and local Rick Steves guide, Matti really knows Berlin. Tell him you heard about his tours from Berlin Travel Tips!
• Third Reich Berlin Walking Tour – Hitler and WWII: Discover Berlin’s WWII history with an expert guide.
• Berlin Small Group Third Reich and Cold War Walking Tour: Learn about two important eras that shaped Berlin into what it is today.
• Discover Berlin Half-Day Walking Tour: See Berlin’s highlights with a knowledgeable tour guide.

Bike Tours

Cycling is a popular way of getting around in Berlin, and a bike tour is a fun way to see more of the city’s sights and learn its history. Here are some bike tours I recommend:

• Berlin Highlights Small-Group Bike Tour: Explore Berlin on two wheels, including Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag Building, Holocaust Memorial, Berlin Wall Memorial, East Side Gallery, and more
• Berlin Wall and Cold War Bike Tour: Learn about Berlin’s Cold War history and see remains of the Wall, one of the last remaining watchtowers, and more on this 3.5 hour bike tour
• Alternative Berlin by Bike: Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain: Cycle through some of Berlin’s most alternative and hip neighborhoods, see the East Side Gallery, Spree River, and more

Boat Tours

The Spree River runs through the center of Berlin, and taking a boat tour on the river is a fun way to see some of the sights and learn some of the history. Here are a few boat tours I recommend:

• Berlin One Hour City Tour by Boat with Guaranteed Seating: See some of Berlin’s highlights on this one hour boat tour.
• Berlin 2.5 Hour East Side Boat Cruise: The East Side boat tour brings you a little farther along the river so you’ll get to see more things during this 2.5 hour tour.
• 3.25 Hour Spree River and Landwehrkanal Boat Tour: On this longer boat tour, you’ll get to see sights along the Spree River plus explore some of the Landwehrkanal, an important canal that splits off from the river.

Food Tours

I love food tours. I love them so much, I look for them in every city I visit when I’m traveling. They not only show you some great food, but they explain how the food relates to the city’s history and culture. Berlin is such a melting pot of cultures, and a food tour is a great way to experience this. Here are a few I recommend:

• East Berlin Food Tour: This food tour takes place in Friedrichshain and explores several different cultures that have contributed to the food scene in Berlin. After all, Berlin is so much more than just German food. I actually live in this neighborhood, and I quite enjoyed the tour.
• Berlin Food Walking Tour: This food tour focuses a bit more on German cuisine while showing you around the charming neighborhood near Hackescher Markt. (Note that the description mentions the East Side Gallery, but that must be an old description because the meeting point is near the Berlin Cathedral and we definitely did not go to the East Side Gallery.)

Beer Tours

Berlin has a great craft beer scene. Taking a beer tour is the perfect way to try different beers and learn about craft beer here. A knowledgeable guide will bring you to several different places to try different beers.

We’re partial to this craft beer tour since it’s in our neighborhood (Friedrichshain) and we know the bars are top notch: 3.5-Hour Guided Original Craft Beer Tour in Berlin

Trabi and Other Car Tours

The Trabant, or Trabi for short, is the old East German car you would typically find in East Berlin during the Cold War era. Today, you can take a fun tour of the city while driving one of these nostalgic cars. Here are my recommendations for Trabi tours in Berlin:

• 2 hour 15 min Berlin Wall Self Drive Trabant Tour: On this Trabi tour, you’ll learn about the Berlin Wall and the time when the city was divided into East and West, and includes driving past the East Side Gallery.
• 75-minute Trabi Safari: This one is a little shorter but still shows you lots of Berlin sights while experiencing what it’s like to drive this antique car.

And if driving a Trabi isn’t your thing, you might want to consider taking a hot rod tour like this one instead.

Hop On Hop Off Tours

Taking a Hop On Hop Off bus can be a good way to get an overview of Berlin and see a bunch of sights in a short amount of time. They also allow you the flexibility to get out and spend more time in certain places so you don’t have to be on the bus the whole time.

The different companies that offer Hop On Hop Off buses are pretty similar, so you really have to look at the details. Big Bus Berlin is a little cheaper for a family (2 adults + 2 kids) while City Sightseeing is a little cheaper for one or two adult tickets. They each have different extras and add ons, so it depends on what you’re interests are.

You can review the differences and similarities by clicking those two links above. Or for a more in depth comparison, check out my full article about Berlin Hop On Hop Off bus tours.

Day Trip Tours

Two of the most popular day trips from Berlin are Potsdam and Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. You can visit either one on your own, but a tour guide can give you a wealth of information and show you around.

If you’re planning a day trip from Berlin to Potsdam, consider one of these tours:

• Tours of Berlin private Potsdam tour: This private tour of Potsdam is led by a local Rick Steves guide and is a great way to see the sights with just your family or group. Tell Matti you heard about his tours from Berlin Travel Tips!
• Discover Potsdam: A half day walking tour of Potsdam from Berlin
• Potsdam Sanssouci Palace: A guided tour from Berlin including bus transport
• Potsdam Bike Tour: Tour Potsdam by bike with rail transport from Berlin

• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin: This tour is a good way to learn about the tragic history of the concentration camp located north of Berlin. A guide who was trained by Sachsenhausen Memorial will assist you in getting to the concentration camp from Berlin as well as provide valuable information while touring Sachsenhausen.
• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial: Bus Tour from Berlin: This tour provides the same type of information about the concentration camp, but instead of using public transportation, you will be transported in a tour bus.

Street Art Tours

Street art plays an important role in Berlin, and you’ll see it all over the city. A knowledgeable tour guide can show you some of the best pieces of street art in the city and explain why street art is everywhere and why it’s such a big deal. Here are some street art tours in Berlin that I recommend:

• Berlin 3 Hour Street Art Tour: Learn about Berlin’s street art culture and see some lesser known pieces.
• Berlin Street Art Tour – Off The Grid: See some of Berlin’s best street art in Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.
• Alternative Berlin Experience: Experience Berlin’s alternative side in 3 different districts.

Other Unique Experiences

Here are some other tours and Berlin experiences I highly recommend checking out:

• Tempelhof Airport: The former airport that is now a beloved Berlin park offers excellent tours of the airport building. You’ll learn about the history and other interesting details. And since it’s such a huge building, each tour could be slightly different.
• Berliner Unterwelten: These are some not-so-standard tours that take you to underground places with WWII and/or Cold War history, and they’re super interesting. I’ve only done the Under the Wall tour (twice!) so far but friends of mine have done a few others. These are some of the best tours you can take in Berlin.
• Outdoor Escape Game: I did this experience with a friend recently, and it was a fun and interesting way to see some of the sights in Mitte. It’s kind of like an escape room in that you have to solve puzzles to unlock the next step, but it’s all outside. I found it quite challenging, so I think it’s best with 3 or 4 people for more brain power. This was definitely a very different way of sightseeing in Berlin.
• Ice Bar: If you’ve ever wanted to try an ice bar, you can do it in Berlin. This includes your entrance and 3 drinks, and of course, a coat and gloves to borrow and keep warm while you’re in there.
• Berlin Sightseeing Tour Bed Bike: Sort of like taking a rickshaw sightseeing tour, but you’re actually snuggled up in a cozy bed. What a wacky and fun way to see Berlin!
• Berlin TV Tower Skip-the-Line Ticket: Offering some of Berlin’s best views.
• Free tours: Most cities offer free walking tours, which can be a good option for budget travelers. Search for free tours in Berlin here, and please always remember to TIP your guide! Many of them are contractors who work solely on tips, so every 5 or 10 euro tip goes a long way.