Basics - The Rough Guide to Berlin - page 22

SIGHTSEEING TOURS
Fierce competition between several English-language companies means that the standard of
walking tours is very high in Berlin. Most operators offer 4hr city tours for around €12, usually
with the option of more specialized jaunts - Third Reich sites, Cold War Berlin, Jewish life,
Potsdam and Sachsenhausen and the like - and there are several companies offering tours
with an alternative edge. Bike tours are a great way of exploring the sprawling city centre
itself; if that sounds too much like hard work, consider hiring a velotaxi rickshaw and driver.
Bus tours abound, though you may find that buying a day ticket and hopping on and off
the #100 and #200 services with a guidebook is more flexible and cheaper. Most depart from
the Kurfürstendamm between Breitscheidplatz and Knesebeckstrasse, making the rounds
several times every day, though schedules are curtailed in the winter.
Boats cruise Berlin's numerous city-centre canals and suburban lakes regularly throughout
the summer, and companies offer a variety of short jaunts, including trips through the town
centre and day-trips to the Wannsee or Potsdam. In most cases you can just turn up at
quayside stops and buy a ticket on the spot; all city centre companies have central stops
around the Spree Island. Several smaller companies run tours around the Havel lake by the
Grunewald, which include trips to Potsdam, and tours of the waterways around Köpenick -
find details at the Reederverband der Berliner Personenschiffahrt ( W reederverband-berlin.de),
the organization for operators of passenger boats in Berlin.

WALKING TOURS
Alternative Berlin T 0162 819 82 64, W alternativeberlin
.com. Tours of the gra ti art and squats of Berlin's underbelly.
Finding Berlin Tours T 0176 99 33 39 13, W findingberlin
-tours.com. See below.
Insider Tours T 030 692 31 49, W insiderberlintours.com.
Reputable outfit for city tours.
New Berlin Tours T 030 510 50 03 01, W newberlintours.com.
The city centre tour offered here is free, but generous tips are expected.
Original Berlin Walks T 030 301 91 94, W berlinwalks.com.
Walking tours of the main areas.
Slow Travel Berlin T 0171 122 59 73, W slowtravelberlin
.com. Tours of residential districts like Wedding and Prenzlauer Berg.
CYCLING TOURS
Fat Tire Bike Tours T 030 24 04 79 91, W fattirebiketours
.com/berlin. This reputable specialist charges €24 for a guided 4hr
pedal around central Berlin astride a beach-cruiser bike.
Finding Berlin Tours T 0176 99 33 39 13, W findingberlin
-tours.com. Vintage bike tours of Berlin's hidden corners and
culinary cycling tours, along with offbeat walking tours of Turkish
Berlin.
Velotaxi Tours T 0178 800 00 41, W velotaxi.de. Tours, with a
driver and guide, start at €22 for two people for 30min.
BUS TOURS
Bex Sightseeing T 030 880 41 90, W bex.de. A basic 2hr city
bus tour costs about €22.
Tempelhofer Reisen T 030 752 30 61, W tempelhofer.de.
Hop-on hop-off service looping around central Berlin. Day passes
€22.
Zille bus tour W bvg.de. Nostalgic tours, using buses decorated
in the style of the “Golden Twenties” originals that operated in the
city between 1916 to 1928 - they even come with a driver in period

uniform. Adults €8/50min; children up to 10 free. Tickets can be
bought on the bus and at underground ticket machines. Departs from
the Brandenburg Gate. April-Oct.
BOAT TOURS

Berlin Wassertaxi T 030 65 88 02 03, W berliner-wassertaxi
.de. The cheap and cheerful option.
Reederei Riedel T 030 67 96 14 70, W reederei-riedel.de.
Several day-trips on the river Spree, taking in the Reichstag and the
Landwehrkanal. Its Stadtkernfahrt (€11.50) lasts around an hour, or you
can join the 3hr Brückenfahrt (€20), which runs a large loop around all
of central Berlin, at a number of points around the city. The same
company also runs the Tagestour Wannsee (€18), a day-trip out to the
Pfaueninsel and the Wannsee in the west of the city, to the Müggelsee in
the east, and on other lakes surrounding Berlin. March to mid-Dec.
Reederei Winker T 030 349 95 95, W reederei-winkler.de.
Reliable boat tours.
Stern und Kreis Schiffahrt T 030 536 36 00, W sternundkreis
.de. Tours around the Havel lake, with trips to Potsdam, and of the
waterways around Köpenick starting from Treptower Park.
QUIRKY TOURS
Air Service Berlin W air-service-berlin.de. Splash the cash on a
30min helicopter flight over Berlin for €124.
Hi-Flyer Wilhelmstr./Zimmerstr T 030 226 67 88 11,
W air-service-berlin.de. Take to the skies (150m high) in a tethered
hot-air balloon. €19 for 15min. Daily: April-Oct 10am-10pm;
Nov-March 11am-6pm.
Trabi Safari T 030 30 20 10 30, W trabi-safari.de. Unique tours
that explore the city in a Trabant, the cute 26-horsepower fibreglass
car of the GDR. You are shown how to operate the machine before
setting off on a self-driven 90min tour in their fleet of jolly open-top
cars. Daily day and night, starting at €79/person if you're in a group of
four, or €89/person for two. Great recorded commentary.