Berlin Wall & Cold War Bike Tour
The Berlin Wall - Dividing the City for 28 Years
(Please scroll down for meeting point and meeting time information). We head away from the Mitte district and the pedestrian Cold War sights to take in more of the former East, more of the Wall, and more of what makes Berlin the unique city it is today.
Our Berlin Wall & Cold War Tour heads east along the imposing Karl-Marx-Allee before taking in the colorful Eastside Gallery and the powerful Treptower Park Memorial. From there we continue through the no-man's-land deathstrip along the former Wall to visit chckpoints and hear tales of espionage and escapte attempts.
A partial list of highlights include:
- Discussing numerous detailed anecdotes of escapte attempts and techniques, many on-site where they actually took place.
- Visiting the imposing Treptower Park Soviet Cenotaph. This is sure to be one of the most impressive sights on your European vacation. More than 5000 fallen Soviet troops are buried here and the reliefs lining the memorial are the finest of Stalinist propaganda. It's off the beaten tourist path - yet quite accessible by bike - and not to be missed.
- Passing no less than 3 checkpoints between the former East and West and seeing where escape attempts took place at each of them.
- Exploring the East Side Gallery, an almost mile-long stretch of still standing Wall, famous for its graffiti. Bring plenty of film or digital camera memory!
- Hearing about bizarre encounters such as why a group once escaped from the West into the East and how East Berlin attained the piping that sat atop the Berlin Wall.
- Retracing more than 5km of where the Wall stood to understand the differences still existing between East and West Berlin.
- Cruising along Karl-Marx-Allee, East Berlin's massive model "Champs Elysees", and understanding the differences between communist ideals and the starkly contrasting reality.
- Seeing where the failed escape of Peter Fechter took place and understanding how this vivid incident changed the world's perceived view of the Berlin Wall.
- Relaxing for a picnic in Treptower Park to eat and to plug your guide for even more information. (Food and drink not included in the tour price).
By the end of this bike tour, you will:
- Have a thorough understanding of all the contributing factors that led up to the building of the Berlin Wall,
- Understand why the powers in the West let the Berlin Wall be built
- Grasp what life was like on both sides of the Wall during its 28 years
- Realize the domino effect that eventually led to the downfall of the Wall on November 9, 1989
- See how Berlin is still dealing with the scars of its past
Dates & Times (Click here for a printable .pdf of our meeting times schedule and meeting point map)
May 15 - September 30: Monday, Thursday, Saturday at 10:30am.
Off-Season: please email us at info@FatTireBikeToursBerlin.com.
Duration
4.5 hours.
Meeting Point
It's easy. All tours meet outside the entrance of the giant TV Towre in Alexanderplatz. Look for our yellow sign - you can't miss us!
Price
€18 students / seniors, €20 adults - includes bike and guide (returning customers are always considered "students").
Reservations
Reservations ARE required for our Berlin Wall Bike Tour. Please reserve your tour here. If it is very short notice please email us or call us so that we can make sure to reserve a slot for you.
Weather
Tours run in all weather. Rain ponchos are available, should they be needed. And for the cold days below 50F/10C we provide free hot tea on the tour and free gloves for use during the tour.
Enjoy All Our Tours
City Bike Tour
Third Reich Bike Tour
Email
info@fattirebiketoursberlin.com
Telephone
24 04 79 91 (from within Berlin)
030 24 04 79 91 (from within Germany, but outside Berlin)
+49 30 24 04 79 91 (from outside Germany)
