Berlin Museum Island Free Tour: from Kaisers to Communists

Join us, as we explore Berlin’s Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important cultural centers in Europe. Comprised of five renowned museums, drawing over 1.8 million visitors a year, the museums on Museum Island are dedicated to art, archaeology, and natural history and showcase a wealth of cultural artifacts and works of art. Whilst we don’t enter the museums, our guides help you understand which ones are right for you, which are free, and which you might save for next time.

Your Berlin Free Tour meets in front of Starbucks Cafe at the Hackesche Markt, and finishes at Bebelplatz on Unter den Linden. Join us on this introduction to Berlin, a great way to orientate yourself in the city as well as in the history of Germany, embodied by the stories and buildings of the Museum Island. We never cancel; tours run rain, hail or shine.

The Seat of Prussian Power
Before this was home to some of the world’s most important antiquities, it was the seat of power for the Kaiser’s of Imperial Germany. For over 400 years, this was their capitol and their stronghold, surrounded by the natural “moat” of the Spree. They built with intention and strategy. Many of their royal buildings survived WWII and others have been restored or rebuilt over the decades, lending to the overwhelming Neo-classical and Greek Revival architecture, creating a sense of time-traveling in the usually modern Berlin cityscape. Listen with fascination about what the Prussians were going for here, become a fan of Fredrick the Great (aka Alte Fritz!), Berlin’s local hero and Prussia’s greatest military genius and King, and why it is that the last Kaiser of Germany is the only one not buried in the crypts of the Berlin Cathedral, their royal church.  Read More