Off Beat Ways to Discover Berlin

Berlin, a city grounded in history as being a central character in the Cold War battle between the United States and Russia, has grown into a unique smattering of old world charm and edgy new wave. There are many ways to for a traveler to see all that Berlin has to offer but here are some top picks that are slightly off the beaten track and provide a more unique experience.

Eye Spy Tour
Rickshaw Tour
Berlin Underground Tour

Eye Spy Tour

An original way to see the historical aspects of the city while still enjoying the present is through an Eye Spy tour. The tour guide takes visitors at night through some of the neighborhoods in the center of the conflict over the Berlin Wall, Tunnel 57, and the “death strip”. It is there that the tour takes on the merriment of a mix of a pub-crawl and a scavenger hunt. The group is split into two teams competing against each other to get clues at each bar to lead them to the next. This tactic shows the group the extreme measures that those took to get escape messages across during the time period of the Berlin wall such as dropping wads of paper “accidentally” behind random tables.

Rickshaw Tour

For those who do not wish to be frantically running around outside in Berlin at night for clues, another option to see the city is by a rickshaw. Most of these are pulled by native Berliners on bicycle and gives you a tour of the city that is less by the book than other tours given of the city. A plus about this type of tour in the winter is that a traveler can still enjoy seeing the city in comfort due to many rickshaws having warmers in their plush seats. It is by getting a first hand personal account of the city from someone slightly outside of the tourism industry that one truly begins to appreciate the beauty in this city.

Berlin Underground Tour

If seeing a completely different side of Berlin is what one is after, taking a tour of the Berlin underground should provide a once in a lifetime experience. Berlin Underworld’s Association, formed in 1997, provides tours in or near Gesundbrunnen station of architectural structures underneath the city. The structures range from caverns to air raid shelters to brewery vaults. Their website notes that normally photography and video are not permitted. If documenting the underground is especially important, one can submit an advanced written request and sometimes these requests are granted.

Architecturally Beautiful Berlin

No matter which way a traveler decides to see Berlin, the beauty of the city will still shine through. This beauty ranges from the architecture of the Brandenburg gate, when lit up at night is spectacular to the symbolic beauty of the Neue Wache (New Guardhouse), which honors soldiers of all wars brilliantly. One of the best displays of Berlin’s beauty and prowess in art lies on the walls of the East Side Gallery. It was recently renovated and the art displayed on the last remaining parts of the Berlin wall can keep a visitor captivated for hours.

Berlin is one of those cities that the visitor should give at least a few days to explore, which is convenient because there are a vast number of ways to enjoy uncovering all that this historical and beautiful city has to offer.