Raw Tour: Belin Exposed Bike Tour

The story of Berlin has always been a tale of two cities, even before the trauma of the Wall. Today is no different, with city housing both the bureaucratic machinery of the state and a vibrant counterculture under one big umbrella. Throughout the city there are districts where street artists and non-conformists live cheek by jowl with yuppies and hipsters.

Among the topics covered during this five-hour cycle tour of alternative Berlin are urban renewal, multiculturalism and creative spaces. Learn how the city has met the challenges of reunification and dealing with its traumatic past while exploring its hidden gems. Visit what was the no man’s land and hear how argued for public spaces, while others saw the former deathstrip as an investment opportunity.

Visit the former Tempelhof Airport and hear about its astonishing rise and fall, and how it became after much debate a massive city park. Then, to understand multi-kulti, delve deep into the trendy district of Kreuzberg to focus on the Germany’s historical guest worker programmes and how they impact on the city’s politics and social dynamics. See both famous squats as well as where this much maligned lifestyle is being transformed.

Much like during its 1920s golden era, today’s Berlin is a city of contrasts, one where order and disorder live under the same roof. Having reclaimed its place as Germany’s political capital, it has also done so as Europe’s capital of counterculture.

Meeting point: Panoramastrasse 1a at the entrance to the TV Tower.
Start time: 10.30am.
Languages: English.

Assistance or guided tour

Equipment

In English at 10.30 am

Appropriate age for child ticket from 0 to 12 years