Berlin's Best: 2 Hour Walking Tour Third Reich and the Cold War
5,0 (6204)2hBerlin, Germany
From€20
HikingCity toursHistorical
Communist East Berlin and Berlin Wall Small Group Walking Tour
4.9(2839 reviews)Berlin, Germany
2hDurationEnglishOffered inMobile ticketTicketNot includedPickupWheelchair accessibleAccessibilityModerateLevel
About this experience
This walking tour explores the history of East Berlin and the Berlin Wall, focusing on significant locations such as the Brandenburg Gate, the Palace of Tears, and Bernauer Straße. Participants will learn about the Cold War era, including the espionage between the CIA and KGB, as well as personal stories of those affected by the division of the city. The tour includes a short public transport journey, and if you do not have a valid AB-zone day pass, the ticket cost will be covered. The group size is limited to a maximum of 20 guests, providing a more intimate experience.
Itinerary
1
Palace of Tears
We arrive at the Tränenpalast, the "Palace of Tears," a glass and steel pavilion that once served as the border crossing between East and West Berlin at Friedrichstraße station. Your guide explains the heartbreak that gave the building its name. This was where East Berliners said goodbye to visiting relatives from the West, enduring strict passport controls, customs searches and interrogations. Ordinary Westerners could visit; East Germans were rarely allowed to travel freely at all, and the farewells here were often agonising. Your guide tells the human stories: families split overnight when the border closed in August 1961, tearful separations at this very threshold, and the daily reality of life divided by the Iron Curtain. The Wall, they explain, cut through not just a city, but through families, friendships and everyday life.
2
Chapel of Reconciliation
Our walk ends at the Chapel of Reconciliation, a quiet, curved building of rammed earth that stands as a gentle epilogue to a hard story. Your guide tells its remarkable history. The original church once stood marooned in the Death Strip, cut off from its congregation and finally blown up by the GDR in 1985 as an obstacle to the border. After reunification, a new chapel rose on the same ground — a symbol of healing where there had been only division. From here your guide draws the whole story together: the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, the Monday demonstrations, and the night the Wall finally opened, leading to German reunification. East Berlin's story, they explain, is not one of concrete alone, but of ordinary people shaped by surveillance and courage — and of one of history's greatest examples of peaceful change.
What's included / not included
Professional guidePublic transportation ticket (zone AB) short trip. If you have a day ticket already, you're all set.Small-group experience
Hotel pickup and drop offFood and drinksGratuities
Additional information
Accessibility and comfort
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Good to know
- Children under the age of 13 may join free, however, please note that some content may not be suitable for younger guests.
- Our guides have your best interests in mind; while the tour usually includes the sites & stories mentioned and lasts about 2-2.5 hours, your tour may vary depending on what your guide thinks is best for your group.
- A moderate amount of walking is involved, comfortable shoes are recommended.
Traveller reviews
4.92839 reviews
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