10 Best Walking and Cycling Tours in Berlin

Breeze down the streets between some of the most memorable landmarks in the city with this half-day ride. Your guide leads you to sites, including the iconic Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Hitler's bunker, and the Berlin Wall, as you get a look at the roller-coaster of history that has defined the city. Get to know the lay of the land at the same time you learn the stories that lie behind Berlin as it exists today.

Berlin still bears the scars from the most infamous period of German history, and this tour shows you how the brutal legacy of Nazism still affects the city today. Your guide shows you landmarks like the onetime church gutted by wartime bombing, the buildings that housed the regime’s most infamous departments, and the former site of the Führerbunker. Visit the Soviet War Memorial as you follow the Red Army’s final advance to the Reichstag, and then see the Memorial to the German Resistance that stands outside the headquarters for the failed plot to assassinate Hitler.

Just off to Berlin’s southeast, a wealth of Baroque- and Renaissance-style extravagance awaits in the former home of Prussian kings. This ride takes you down the paths once favoured by Frederick the Great, showing off landmarks like the grand summer palace of Sanssouci and the Tudor-style manor of Cecilienhof, site of the historic Potsdam Conference. The low, flat terrain and tree-lined paths make Potsdam a delightful place for a ride.

Still recovering from the terror of the Holocaust, Berlin today has one of the fastest-growing Jewish communities in the world. You can take a walk through the heart of the city for a look at historic sites like the Old Jewish Cemetery and the grand New Synagogue, whose 19th-century façade was rebuilt after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Your guide’s stories introduce you to the contributions of figures from composer Felix Mendelssohn to Otto Weidt, who strove to protect his Jewish staff throughout World War II.

After dividing Berlin in half for more than a quarter century, the path of the Berlin Wall now hosts a string of historic markers and memorials to mark the Cold War's legacy. This ride takes you down Karl-Marx-Allee, a wide boulevard that hosted East Germany's May Day parades and is still lined with Soviet-style buildings. Then, bicycle along a preserved stretch of the wall – complete with the famous graffiti that covered its western side. Learn about the no man's land that the East German government laid out to block attempts at escape to the West as you get a look at how today's city planners are now reclaiming the space.

For a closer look at the unique history of divided Berlin, walk among the landmarks that marked the frontier between East and West. Get a closer look at the remaining tank traps and guard towers that divided the city, hear what life was like under communist rule, and see the contrasts between the two halves of the city that remain to this day. With tales of espionage, oppression, and intrigue that helped to define the Cold War years, your guide takes you back to one of the most remarkable places in history.

Berlin today carries history forward with a vibrant collection of developments that merge the city's long legacy with transformative modern design. You're shown iconic locations like the former runways of Tempelhof Airport and the open land where the Berlin Wall once stood, along with the diverse district of Kreuzberg that's been defined by the city's burgeoning migrant population. Throughout the ride, your guide lets you in on the complex story of gentrification, immigration, and rapid growth that is making modern Berlin what it is.

The modern LGBT rights movement began in 19th-century Berlin, forging an identity for the city that remains to this day. This walk takes you through the famed Schöneberg district, shaped by figures from Magnus Hirschfeld to Marlene Dietrich in the heyday of the Golden Twenties, and to iconic destinations across Kreuzberg and the former East Berlin. Along the way, you learn how Berlin's spirit of tolerance and pride endured the horrors of Nazi rule and the travails of the Cold War to emerge as a key influence on the city today.

Far from the grim history of the 20th century, Berlin today is one of the most diverse and lively cities in Europe. Go for a spin that takes you away from the old landmarks and tourist haunts to see the corners of town where writers, musicians, and artists make their home. With visits to the flea markets of Mauerpark, the street art of Friedrichshain, and the East Side Gallery that features a colourfully painted remnant of the Berlin Wall along the banks of the Spree, you get to know the countercultural spirit that has kept the city thriving.

Neoclassical architecture and fine German dining are on the agenda for this tour. Your guide takes you on a stroll through some of Berlin's most charming areas for a look at the chic culture and changing face of the city. With stops at 6 different eateries that offer up a selection of the city's best cuisine, you get an up-close look at the barista culture, craft beers, Middle Eastern dishes, and more flavourful features that make Berlin's food such a unique treat.