Private Berlin WWII and Cold War History Tour with Local Expert Guide
Description
Explore Berlin past and present on this private 4-hour sightseeing tour. Learn about all the city’s dark secrets of past with a visit to the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and Hitler’s Bunker. And wander around the vibrant neighborhood of Mitte; admire architectural highlights such as Museum Island and the Gendarmenmarkt; and taste a delicious Currywurst. Discover the history and romance of Germany. • Find out about the past and present of Berlin in a 4-hour private tour • Discover more about Berlin’s WWII and Cold War history from a historic expert • Visit the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the Palace of Tears, and Hitler’s Bunker • Try a yummy Currywurst, Berlin’s most famous street food • Immerse yourself in wonders of Museum Island and the Gendarmenmarkt • Attend less-known attractions and local haunts in Mitte • This private walking tour can be customized to all of you preferences and receive an undivided attention from your guide
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your private guide on Oranienburger Strasse in West Berlin and start exploring the city at your own tempo. Pass by the New Synagogue, pausing to admire and take a picture of striking Moorish architecture, after that walk to the nearby Palace of Tears, a former border point between East and West Berlin. Uncover all the secrets about the divided city during the Cold War years as you explore the exhibition and hear the harrowing tales of how residents attempted to flee from Russian occupied East Berlin into Allied occupied West Berlin. At any time you will be able to take photos of the sights like grand Brandenburg Gate, one of the city’s most significant historic monuments, and wander around the moving Holocaust Memorial, a reminder of the city’s dark past. A visit to Hitler’s bunker will give you more information about Berlin’s WWII history and the rise of the Nazi party.
Stop for a delicious treat, Currywurst, a popular street food snack of sausage with curry sauce, then continue on discovering a totally different side of the city. Walk around the Gendarmenmarkt and Bebelplatz, home to some of Berlin’s most stunning architecture, and pay a visit to the UNESCO-listed Museum Island. At the end of your tour explore the urban quarter of Mitte, where your guide will show you little-known attractions like the Missing House on Große Hamburger Strasse and the picturesque Heckmann Höfe. Your tour will finish back at the starting point. Remember that this tour is private and the itinerary can be customized to fit all of your interests and preferences.
A place where you meet your local guide
Admire one of Berlin's most significant Jewish landmarks. Centrum Judaicum sees itself as a link connecting the past and the future.
Walking into the Palace of Tears is stepping back in time. The floor tiles, the wall clock, the “modern” design of the building: all hearken back to a 1960s aesthetic in interior design.
Marvel at classic architecture of Berlin both ancient and modern. Soak up the atmosphere of Berlin.
Brandenburg Gate is the first stop for every visitor to Berlin! The city’s iconic landmark offers fascinating insights into the city’s history.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is an imposing place of remembrance and warning. Get inspired by the sober and fascinating grey architecture.
Visit The Führerbunker which was Hitler’s personal bunker, the place where he spent the final hours of his life.
Grab a tea or a coffee and taste a delicious Currywurst, rub your shoulders and get ready for awesome hotspots!
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known border crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. The spot remains a must-see sight in Berlin with huge historical and emotional resonance.
With its magnificent buildings, Bebelplatz is one of Berlin’s most attractive public squares – and it has also been the scene of some of the city’s chequered history.
Museum Island (Museumsinsel) is a magnificent total art work, a truly outstanding ensemble of five world-renowned museums. Find out the story of the infamous "book burning" organized by the Nazis.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(49)
Simon was a great guide. Very knowledgeable and friendly! We got to see and learned about lots of the historical spots in Berlin Mitte.
Really enjoyed the tour, Seth was a knowledgeable guide, did not rush and took his time to share not only the history and culture , but his personal thoughts of the city .. highly recommended !
Traveling from the United States. First time in Berlin. We had many questions about the WWII and , Cold WAR history as well as different historical sites and museums. Our guid was Simon. He was great. Very knowledgeable, and answered our many I would recommend him.
This walking tour is a great overview of the complex history of Berlin! You see all the important sights and get your own personalized private tour. We saw all the highlights plus some! Our guide was great! Very knowledgeable and gave us lots of great recommendations!
Our guide, Elena, was absolutely fantastic! She met us (four people) with a calm and lovely mood - and not least a huge knowledge! I would definitely recommend taking a guided tour (and preferably private, it was all worth it!), where you get so well around the topic and Berlin!
We took a 4-hour private tour of Berlin with a guide named Manfred. It was not only a complete disappointment, it did not track with the itinerary we paid for. Manfred was a block away from our meeting point, having a coffee, and texted me upon arrival to ask us to come down to where he was. On tour, we meandered around only the eastern portion of the area that our itinerary was scheduled to cover, doing a few of the things that were promised, but he did not seem to have the energy to keep up with us and paused many times for rest and conversation. This was a private tour, only my wife and me, age 64. He was a "character", but did not seem to have the knowledge necessary for tour guiding. I asked many questions along the way, only 50% could be answered. We have done over 40 tours using other private guides. Thus, I have a large database of guides to compare him to. However, our primary issue is that he did not cover the places that we were expected to go based on the itinerary. Here is a quick list of the things on the itinerary that we did NOT do: Palace of tears, Brandenburg gate, holocaust memorial, a tasting of the currywurst, the Reichstag building, the Fuhrerbunker, and we never even made it to Wilhelmstrasse. We used 4 hours of our limited time in Berlin and we are very disappointed that we were misled in the offerings of this tour, and the poor quality of the guide. We worked with the tour provider, and received a mere 20% refund. Since you cannot specify which guide you want to use, don't book this or you might end up with Manfred.
Dear Dan, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations. We understand your disappointment regarding the locations covered during the tour. While our guides aim to adapt the experience to the pace, interests, and circumstances of each private group, we recognize that some of the sites listed in the itinerary were not visited, and we regret that this left you feeling that the experience was incomplete. Regarding Manfred, we would like to note that he has guided many guests over the years and is appreciated by many for his personable style and local perspective. However, we understand that guiding styles can be subjective, and what appeals to one guest may not be the right fit for another. We also appreciate your comments regarding the depth of information provided during the tour. We continuously review guest feedback with our guides to ensure that our tours deliver both engaging commentary and the level of historical context our guests expect. As a gesture of goodwill, we worked with you after the tour and provided a partial refund. While we understand this did not fully resolve your disappointment, it reflected our sincere effort to acknowledge your concerns. Thank you again for your feedback. We take all guest comments seriously and use them to improve our tours and overall guest experience. Kind regards,
Eleni was a marvelous guide who gave me a thorough introduction to Berlin. I felt she perfectly balanced education and sightseeing. I picked this tour in hopes that I could avoid a one size fits all tour, and it exceeded my hopes. I asked the questions I wanted answered and Eleni kindly and patiently answered them.
Basti gave a wonderful tour. He paced the sometimes difficult to process information at an appropriate rate. While the tour was four hours in length, there were plenty of opportunities for breaks. Very patient with our numerous questions. We wish him all the best!
Simon was great. Fun and very knowledgeable. We loved our tour. Would recommend this tour. Was a great day/
Elena was great - very knowledgeable and great language skills - highly recommend her to friends and family
