Original Berlin Walks

What It Is and Where It Operates

Original Berlin Walks runs its own guided walking tours throughout Berlin and the surrounding region in Germany. The company was founded in 1993 by historians Nick and Serena Gay, who began offering tours of historical Third Reich sites in Berlin shortly after the city's reunification. The homepage calls it "one of the city's oldest historical walking tour operators," and the footer names the company as Original Berlin Walks GmbH. Tours run in Berlin, with day trips to Potsdam (Sanssouci and Prussian history) and to the Sachsenhausen memorial, and shore excursions from the cruise port of Warnemünde. The about page says the company is part of the Original City Walks family, which also runs tours in Hamburg and Potsdam, and the menu links to Hamburg and Munich. The Discover Berlin page says "Expert English-speaking, Berlin-based guides lead every tour." Prices are in euros.

The Range of Tours Offered

Original Berlin Walks organizes its catalog into public group tours and private tour options. The flagship public offering is the Discover Berlin tour, described as a 3.5 to 4-hour half-day introduction to Berlin's essential landmarks covering the span from Prussian imperial history through Nazi Germany, the Cold War, and reunification. The site lists the starting price as from €15 per person and notes the walking route covers approximately 5 kilometers. The tour features major sites including Museum Island (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Unter den Linden (the grand historic boulevard), Berlin Cathedral, Checkpoint Charlie, plus the Reichstag, the Book Burning Memorial, former SS and Gestapo headquarters, former Luftwaffe headquarters, the Prussian City Palace, State Opera House, Red Town Hall, Tiergarten, the Victory Column, and the TV Tower. The company also offers specialized single-focus tours: WWII and the Third Reich Tour (4 hours), Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Tour (6 hours as a day trip), Discover Potsdam Tour (approximately 4 hours as a day trip), Berlin Express WWII and Cold War Tour (2 hours), Berlin Street Art Tour (3 hours), East Berlin Tour (2 hours, on the Berlin Wall, the Stasi and everyday GDR life), Women of Berlin (3 hours), Queer Berlin Tour (3 hours, centered on Schöneberg), and seasonal offerings including Christmas Markets Tour and Berlin Illuminated Tour (both approximately 2 hours). Private tours are available as customized versions of the public offerings, with flexible start times on request and the ability to tailor itineraries to group interests. The company also organizes school and university private tours and events and team building experiences for corporate groups. For cruise passengers, Original Berlin Walks offers specialized shore excursion tours.

How Tours Work on the Day

The Discover Berlin tour meets outside the Starbucks at Hackescher Markt (Neue Promenade 3, Berlin), near Hackescher Markt S-Bahn station, with visitors asked to arrive 10 minutes before departure. The site states that a coffee and restroom break is included during the 5-kilometer walking route. No public transportation is required for the tour itself, so the walking remains on foot throughout. The company describes its guides as expert, knowledgeable, and passionate, with specific mention that guides hold academic degrees in history or related fields and undergo rigorous training before leading tours. The about page introduces many guides by name, such as Tobi, who was born in East Germany and has over 14 years of guiding in Berlin, and Anja, a museum guide since 2005. Tours run in all weather conditions, and the company recommends bringing suitable layers and rain protection. Visitors are advised to wear comfortable shoes given the approximately 5-kilometer walking distance. The Discover Berlin tour is described as wheelchair accessible "with a step-free route throughout." The site does not specify age recommendations, fitness level requirements, or dietary restrictions for any tours. Public tours are led in English; the site itself also has a German version. The about page says it runs tours "Every day," and the Discover Berlin page says there is "No minimum group size," adding that "the tour runs regardless of numbers."

Booking, Payment, and Terms

The site presents pricing as "from €15 per person" for the Discover Berlin tour, the entry-level public offering, and the homepage calendar shows standard prices for selected departures. The company states that final prices are shown upfront with no extra booking fees added at checkout. Cancellation of public tours can be done up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. If plans change and a visitor prefers to reschedule rather than cancel, the site says visitors should contact the company, and it will attempt to move the booking to another available date or tour of the same price, subject to availability. For private tours, the company's terms and conditions apply, distinct from the public tour policy. The site notes it offers gift vouchers and has a calendar showing upcoming tour departures with standard prices, recommending that visitors check booking for current availability and all departure times. Tours are booked online; the accepted payment methods are not listed on the tour pages. The site does not publish whether deposits are required, payment schedules for multi-person groups, or pricing for private tours.

What the Site Does Not Settle and Who This Suits

The tours overview gives only the Discover Berlin price ("from €15"), so the prices of the other tours need checking in the booking system. The site does not specify maximum group sizes for public or private tours, though it mentions the ability to handle groups as small as one and as large as hundreds for events. Exact accessibility details for tours other than Discover Berlin are not provided, though the company states expertise in creating personalized experiences. The site does not clarify pickup arrangements for private tours or whether they include hotel or airport collection. The homepage mentions "full public liability insurance" but gives no further detail. Rates for school and university groups are not published on the site.

Original Berlin Walks suits visitors interested in deep historical dives, particularly those focused on WWII, Cold War, and Prussian history, rather than those seeking a purely sightseeing experience. The Discover Berlin tour is positioned as the best first introduction for first-time visitors trying to orient themselves to the city's major landmarks and historical arc. The existence of both group and private options, plus specialized tours by interest and duration (2 to 6 hours), means the company can accommodate various visit lengths and group compositions from solo travelers to families to corporate teams. Visitors on a tight schedule can choose the 2-hour Express tour, while those staying several days could piece together multiple thematic tours covering different periods. The company's record of guiding "over a million travelers" since 1993 and its consistent 4.9 out of 5 rating across TripAdvisor, Viator, Google, and GetYourGuide based on 16,000+ verified reviews is the company's own summary of its reviews, though the company does not break down review counts or ratings by individual tour. The homepage also shows a Travellers' Choice 2026 badge, a TripAdvisor Experiences Collection 2026 listing and an official partnership with National Geographic Traveller, and the footer claims "Top 1% on TripAdvisor." Visitors who need a public tour in a language other than English should ask first, since the public tours are advertised with English-speaking guides.