{"id":99124,"date":"2016-06-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/walking-cycling-berlin\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:53:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:53:27","slug":"walking-cycling-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/walking-cycling-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking And Cycling Iconic Berlin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

These days the divide is no longer obvious.<\/em><\/h3>\n

The wall is down, freedom reigns true in this capital\u00a0city and tourists find themselves asking where it is and where it was; whilst stepping\u00a0obliviously through history from East to West and back again.<\/p>\n

Since the fall of its world renowned Wall, Berlin has established a reputation as\u00a0one of the most creative and cultural centres in the world. A city of many faces, one known equally as a hub for hedonists\u00a0as\u00a0a draw\u00a0for historians, also\u00a0increasingly as a destination for families seeking out leisure time in the\u00a0green zones\u00a0of\u00a0Tiergarten and Mauerpark. Throughout, the city’s bohemian ways are\u00a0equally matched\u00a0by\u00a0the many\u00a0upmarket areas, high-end hotels and Michelin-star dining spots.<\/p>\n

There is construction\u00a0everywhere, as is Berlin’s way post World War II that saw 80% of all buildings destroyed by bombs, it constantly reinvents itself. The\u00a0Mitte borough in particular has been completely revamped since 1989 brought\u00a0the birth of a new era, once within\u00a0East Berlin and home to prestigious government and company buildings, museums and theatres\u00a0and\u00a0the German parliament.<\/p>\n

During my recent visit to Berlin I opted to explore on foot. There’s something about walking a city\u00a0that strips away the barriers\u00a0and leaves you with your\u00a0senses heightened to the sounds and smells. Where whiffs of beer and coffee\u00a0intermingle with exhaust fumes and\u00a0the chatter of friends passing by meets with\u00a0music as it drifts from an open window. Everywhere life in it’s raw and real form\u00a0embodies you\u00a0speaking true to the notion that\u00a0one must walk a place, to truly know it.<\/p>\n

Even though\u00a0my independent\u00a0meandering\u00a0was varied and plentiful, it was anchored by the lessons and information imparted on me by my guides on the numerous free<\/em> walking tours that I joined.\u00a0With just\u00a04 days on the ground, I opted for these tours for a balance of history, East and West and a look at the\u00a0artistic grunge that has earned Berlin a reputation\u00a0for being one of the coolest cities on earth<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find affordable flights to Berlin here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

1. Free Walking Tour Introduction to Berlin for Background.<\/h2>\n

The perfect half day introduction to Berlin, a city who’s<\/span>\u00a0unique history defined the 20th century like no other. A thriving metropolis left destitute by the First World War, Berlin led the way in avant-garde art, music and literature throughout the Golden Twenties before Hitler\u2019s rise to power in 1933 made the city the capital of the Third Reich. Divided for occupation by the Allies after World War II, Berlin became the last frontier of the Cold War, symbolised by the Berlin Wall cutting through the center of the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This 2.5 hour tour takes you from past, present to\u00a0future with\u00a0incredible stories from your guide to bring the sites to life. We covered – fleetingly, but you can always return for more – the\u00a0<\/span>Brandenburg Gate, site of Hitler\u2019s bunker, <\/span>Holocaust Memorial,\u00a0<\/span>Checkpoint Charlie,\u00a0<\/span>Gendarmenmarkt,\u00a0<\/span>The Berlin Wall,\u00a0<\/span>TV Tower,\u00a0<\/span>Pariser Platz and the\u00a0<\/span>Luftwaffe HQ.\u00a0<\/span>What I liked is that we started in one point and ended at another, allowing the opportunity to continue with the exploration.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The iconic Brandenburg Gate which has been the background to countless protests for freedom over the years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

\"Spree
Spree River and the DDR Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The DDR Museum offers a look at life in the East block.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This
This marks where the wall once stood, at Checkpoint Charlie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

\"The
The Konzerthaus Berlin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Historic and Third Reich Tour<\/h2>\n

This tour will send shivers up your spine, but it is essential to the history of Berlin\u00a0and offers insight into\u00a0the overwhelming influence the SS and Gestapo had, with their headquarters at one time the most feared address in Nazi Germany. Today the remains of these two buildings house exhibits of the Nazi rise to power, including a look at\u00a0<\/span>Goebbels\u2019s Propaganda, Himmler\u2019s secret state police, Goering\u2019s elite Air Force and\u00a0Hitler\u2019s master plan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 3.5\u00a0hour tour covers t<\/span>he Reichstag,\u00a0Politician Memorial,\u00a0<\/span>Soviet Memorial,\u00a0<\/span>Homosexual Memorial,\u00a0<\/span>Jewish Memorial,\u00a0<\/span>Goebbels and the Propaganda HQ,\u00a0Topographie of Terrors and the\u00a0New Synagogue. It will leave you with a heavy heart and I suggest taking the tour in the morning and allowing yourself a bright and happy excursion – and beer, in the afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Museum
Museum to Russian Soldiers, a controversial addition to the city as many Germans had terrible memories of the invasion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Monument
Monument to Russian Soldiers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Memorial
The Jewish Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Germany, designed by architect Peter Eisenman with its two thousand, seven hundred and eleven grey concrete slabs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

3. Street Art and Alternate Tours<\/h2>\n

For anybody who loves street art, Berlin as the graffiti capital of Europe is the place to visit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stranded behind the Iron Curtain for nearly 40 years, West Berlin developed its own, unique identity and became a magnet for non-conformists in search of an alternative lifestyle. Sub-cultures, squatters and graffiti became part of the city’s\u00a0distinct style and with the fall of the Wall this scene didn\u2019t disappear, it simply moved east. On this tour we explored the <\/span>gritty, grungy, underground of the city, including a visit to Kreuzberg, where\u00a0<\/span>Berlin’s revolutionary heart and immigrant roots can be found.<\/p>\n

Also a 3.5 hour tour, allow for an open mind and to be with a crowd that may be swigging beer as you go, something that seems the norm on the streets of Berlin. We visited the Bethanien gallery\u00a0for contemporary art, learnt about the difference between graffiti and street art and the modern day ‘bombing’ that Berlin takes place in. If you’d like a taste of the nightlife, stay on for the Alternate Pub Crawl, which takes you away from the obvious to the smaller underground, burlesque and absinthe bars that you may not discover on your own.<\/p>\n

\"Across
Across the river a sign of welcome to the Syrian refugees that are arriving in the city.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

\"Most
Most of the walls, almost every surface, is covered with street art and grafitti expressions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"One
One of many stores in the Mariannenplatz area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Cycling or Walk\u00a0Potsdam<\/h2>\n

In every sense picturesque, I highly recommend a trip to nearby Potsdam, either for an overnight or by 40 minute train ride for a day trip. A\u00a0Unesco World Heritage, this\u00a0former royal capital and garrison town with its many palaces, gardens and historic quarters\u00a0can\u00a0easily be explored on foot, but given the scope of the area and attractions, it’s much easier to\u00a0rent a bicycle\u00a0and pick up a map which will allow you to\u00a0reach\u00a0the whole of Potsdam, with or without a guide. Potsdam may be\u00a0best known for the\u00a0palace Sanssouci, but there is so much more here, including huge English style parks, villas built by famous architects, a perfect Russian Orthodox Church and cobbled streets with excellent shopping and dining.<\/p>\n

In total I covered a distance of just on 25km during a full chilly day, with a lingering stop at the La Maison du Chocolat<\/em> in the Dutch quarter for a cup of 100% pure melted chocolate (read 600 calories) and some apple strudel and cream for sustenance. Or\u00a0visit the Meierei brewery<\/a> on the river, a good spot for lunch. In all a perfectly happy day out.<\/p>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

\"The
The view from Sanssouci towards Potdam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Potsdam
Potsdam Meierei Brewery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

\"Pure
Pure chocolate stop in\u00a0Potsdam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Apple
Apple Stubble and Hot Chocolate is obligatory.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over and above these tours listed you’ll find the option of a Green Tour and Taste of Berlin tour, or you may opt to do a self-guided tour of\u00a0the main sites yourself. Berlin is an easy city to explore and is well sign posted. Linger at Check Point Charlie and get your photo taken with the guards there, it’s obligatory really. Also the Check Point Charlie Museum or\u00a0Mauermuseum\u00a0<\/i>provides an excellent look at the\u00a0ways in which people tried to escape East Germany\u00a0and\u00a0brings that period of history to life, ensuring that it is not forgotten.<\/p>\n

Another place not to be missed is Berlin\u2019s Museum Island with its impressive\u00a0ensemble of five museums on an island in River Spree.<\/p>\n

\"Bode
Bode Museum on Museum Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Berlin\u00a0is a surprisingly warm and welcoming city, one that seems to bear no judgement but simply embraces all as they are. My one guide told me that of the over 3.5 million inhabitants in the greater Berlin area, hardly any had a real job, they simply ‘all lived on art, culture and the appreciation of good living’.<\/p>\n

\"A
A virtual antique when it was designed in the 1950s, the Trabant was East Germany’s answer to the ‘people’s car’.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Thierry
Thierry Noir is a French artist who is claimed to be the first street artist to paint the Berlin Wall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"East
East Berlin themed street shopping.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Unusual
Unusual street shopping.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Useful Information when planning your trip to Berlin.<\/strong><\/p>\n