Firstly, I am not a tour kind of person. I will begrudgingly go on a tour when it's something in…read morewhich I have a strong interest and I have no option to see it on my own. My friend Jennifer recommended Alternative Berlin as a great way to see some of the counter cultural sites in Berlin, places that would take weeks or months of living in Berlin to find on your own. I decided to suck it up and go along since I was only going to be in town for 3.5 days.
Alternative Berlin has several tour options. I did the Real Berlin tour, which is an extended version of their free walking tour. They also have a street art workshop (combined tour and DIY tutorial), a twilight tour and an alternative pub crawl. Our guide Dora spoke Italian, German and English, but conducted the tour in English. Dora was fluent on the historical and cultural aspects of the city. We visited several squats and art complexes, learning about the transformation of the structures over the years. Dora also pointed out some of the more colorful bars in the area and took us to the Turkish neighborhood of Kreuzberg.
All in all, it was a great intro to Berlin.
HELPFUL HINT
- Pick up a day public transit pass ticket in advance as you'll be riding the trains between sites.
- Bring money for lunch/snacks.
- The meeting spot, the Starbucks, is somewhat obscured from view until you are close. It's in the small complex of businesses directly at the base of the Alexanderplatz TV Tower.
