Berlin City Tour

Your Berlin adventure starts out at Messe Berlin. From there, you take the B2 through Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, one of Berlin’s most beautiful districts. You’ll ride past the Deutsche Oper opera house and later Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Then you’ll follow the B2 through the Charlottenburg university campus and over the bridge Charlottenburger Brücke, where you will already see part of Berlin’s Tiergarten park to your right. 

The further you ride through the Tiergarten, the more prominent the view of the Siegessäule becomes. The impressive victory monument is 67 m tall and was constructed in 1864. The column is crowned by a statue of Victoria, the Goddess of Victory, measuring eight metres in height and weighing 35 t, which is affectionately referred to as Goldelse by the people of Berlin. Do a lap around the Großer Stern and then turn off onto Spreeweg.

It’s worth making a detour down Spreeweg, because that’s where you’ll find Schloss Bellevue, the official residence of the president of Germany. Built in the 1780s, the palace was destroyed during the Second World War but rebuilt in the 1950s. If the flag on the main building is raised, that means the president is currently in the Berlin metropolitan area. Right next to Bellevue Palace lies the picturesque Luther Bridge and on the opposite side of the bank you can see a gigantic brick-façade structure with a wavy form: the ‘Bundesschlange’ – or ‘Federal Snake’. This unusual building complex was built when Berlin took Bonn’s place as the seat of federal government, and its provides official housing for federal civil servants. After crossing the Luther Bridge, you pass by the Bundesschlange and can turn onto Alice-Berend-Straße and Lüneburger Straße.

From Lüneburger Straße, you will turn right onto Alt-Moabit and ride over the Moltkebrücke bridge onto Willy-Brandt-Straße. Then, you will have reached the Regierungsviertel. To your right, you will see the Bundeskanzleramt and its impressive fountains, before turning right onto Annemarie-Renger-Straße. From there, you will continue along Paul-Löbe-Allee and Heinrich-von-Gagern-Straße to reach Scheidemannstraße and the Reichstag building, which is home to the German Federal Parliament. 

From Scheidemannstraße, turn right onto the B2 and cruise past the imposing Brandenburger Tor. The Brandenburger Tor is perhaps the most recognisable landmark in Berlin, so it’s worth making a stop here. The triumphal gate was originally built on request from Frederick William II, but it has now long stood for the Federal Republic of Germany and the 1989 reunification. Although you can’t ride straight through the Brandenburger Tor, you can take Behrenstraße to Unter den Linden and Pariser Platz – the perfect spot to have a little break. The United States and French embassies as well as the famous Hotel Adlon are located right next to the Brandenburger Tor.

After you've marvelled at the Brandenburger Tor, climb back onto the saddle and ride east along the Unter den Linden boulevard, past the State Opera and the German Historical Museum all the way to the Schlossbrücke bridge, which you cross to get to the Museumsinsel. On your right is the Humboldt Forum, while to your left the Berliner Dom cathedral towers over the island. From the Museumsinsel, follow the B2 road to the square of Alexanderplatz.

You pass by the Rotes Rathaus and continue onwards to Alexanderplatz. The Rotes Rathaus owes its name to its bright-red brick façade that makes the building a real eye-catcher. Built in the late 19th Century, the structure is home to Berlin’s state government. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see one of the peregrine falcons flying by that nest up in the city hall’s tower. You’ll leave the Rotes Rathaus behind you and continue on to Alexanderplatz.

Aside from the Brandenburger Tor, the “Alex” is probably Berlin’s most well-known attraction: This is the site of the 386-metre-tall Berliner Fernsehturm. The Fernsehturm [TV tower] is accessible to the public: In just 40 seconds, the visitors’ lift can take you to the top of the tower, where you can enjoy a 360° view over Berlin. Another highlight at Alexanderplatz that is worth a visit is the Weltzeituhr [world time clock]. 

From Alexanderplatz, you ride down Alexanderstraße. Before reaching the bridge Jannowitzbrücke, you take a left onto Holzmarktstraße and continue down the street until you arrive at the East Side Gallery.

This open-air gallery is made up of the longest section of the Berlin Wall still preserved today. After the wall was opened, over a hundred artists from 21 countries painted this part of it. Here too, it’s worth parking your CE 04 to have a break and take in the 1,000-metre-long work of art.

With the River Spree to your left, you will ride back from the East Side Gallery via Mühlenstraße and Holzmarktstraße to reach the Jannowitzbrücke, which will be the bridge you cross this time. Straight after crossing the bridge, you will turn off to the right and continue along Wallstraße, past the Bertolt-Brecht-Denkmal to the Roßstraßenbrücke, and then onto the Spittelmarkt. Then, you will ride via Niederwallstraße and Taubenstraße to reach the Gendarmenmarkt. Then, you will turn left onto Markgrafenstraße, following it until you turn right onto Leipziger Straße. You’ll then ride along Leipziger Straße to reach Friedrichstraße, where you will head south and see Checkpoint Charlie. 

After Checkpoint Charlie, turn right onto Kochstraße and then onto Wilhelmstraße, which will take you back northwards to Leipziger Straße. Follow it to Ben-Gurion-Straße and from there, continue on Tiergartenstraße westwards.

On this part of the route, you will pass by numerous embassies, including the embassies of South Africa, Italy, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. You will keep following the street as it changes names to Stülerstraße and pass the Swedish, Norwegian, and South Korean embassies. After you have crossed the bridge Corneliusbrücke, you will follow Budapester Straße as it turns into Nürnberger Straße and continue to its big intersection with Tauentzienstraße. Here you will turn right and head straight towards the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. The church was severely damaged in 1943 during the Second World; the tower ruins remained standing as an anti-war memorial. Locals call the remnants of the Neo-Romanesque structure the ‘Hollow Tooth’.

Tauentzienstraße turns straight into Kurfürstendamm. The Ku'damm – is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, and it’s an iconic site for the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district. Enjoy cruising along this magnificent boulevard.

Now, you’ve reached the home stretch of your tour! Tauentzienstraße leads right onto Kurfürstendamm. The Ku’damm – is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, and it’s an iconic site for the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district. Enjoy cruising along this magnificent boulevard.