Berlin Wall & Cold War Bike Tour

• Day tours by bike
• Germany
• Berlin

Discover a chilling chapter in Berlin's history

This bike tour of the historic Berlin Wall and Cold War takes you through the key sites of this dark chapter in Berlin’s history. Enjoy the benefits of bike rental and a family-friendly day tour suitable for children.

Beginning in Prenzlauer Berg, now home to hip boutiques and restaurants, you’ll ride on to Zionskirche, a symbol of resistance in East Germany. Next is Bornholmer Straße, the site of the fall of the Wall, where you’ll be transported to a moment in history when the whole world held their breath. You’ll enjoy the bike ride through the Mauerpark with its sloping hill and beautiful trees, site of the former Death Strip along the Berlin Wall. Learn of amazing escape attempts at Bernauer Straße, the only fully-preserved section of the Berlin Wall - exactly as it was at the end of the 1980s - and site of the Berlin Wall Memorial.

Cycle on to Nordbahnhof, to hear about the "Ghost Stations" famous for the haunting scenes witnessed by passengers in the abandoned, dimly-lit stations. See the Kieler Eck, a former Berlin watchtower preserved as a memorial to victims of the GDR border troops as well as the famous Brandenburg Gate, once a symbol of divided Berlin and now a symbol of its unity. Bike on to Checkpoint Charlie, a former border crossing now operating as a museum, which offers opportunities to pose with guards in authentic uniforms.

The bicycle tour concludes at the 'Palace of Tears,' the former checkpoint on Friedrichstraße, so named for the heart-wrenching partings between West Berlin visitors and their restricted East Berlin relatives.

For a day tour of the Cold War to give you the chills, look no further.

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Highlights

Berlin Wall, Prenzlauer Berg, Zionskirche, Bornholmer Straße, Mauerpark, Death Strip, Bernauer Straße, Nordbahnhof ‘Ghost Station’, Kieler Eck, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, ‘Palace of Tears’

What’s included

• Bike and helmet rental
• English-speaking guide
• Rain ponchos and gloves in cold temperatures

All Berlin on Bike bicycles are equipped with a small basket for backpacks, bags, or jackets, plus there are tension straps so that the load is also secured. Heavy luggage or purchases can be left in the operator's office during opening hours. No matter how old your children are, there are suitable vehicles available. Whether it’s a child trailer with a baby seat, child seats, tag-alongs or children’s bikes in various sizes, with derailleur gears or back pedal brakes, and of course matching helmets. There are also special tours tailored to families with smaller children.

Meeting place & directions

All public bike tours start at the Berlin on Bike shop in the Kulturbrauerei campus in the neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. The campus (a large former brewery) has several entrances, the most convenient being the archway at Knaackstraße 97.

The campus is right by Eberswalder Str. Station, which can be reached by the U2 U-Bahn (Subway) or the M1, M12, or M10 tram.