Type: Free Time, Historic Monuments, Photo Stops, Scenic Drive
Length: 11.5 / 12 Hours
Walking: Easy
Mobility: Folding wheelchair OK, some sites may be inaccessible (advance notice required)
Guide: See notes above
Language: English

Wismar Shore Excursion - This tour is a must for first time visitors to Germany. It allows you to see Berlin's Top 10 Sites in a relaxed day. There are photo stops at most sites plus free time to pick up souvenirs.

You are met at the pier in Wismar where you begin your journey into Berlin. During the drive you learn about Germany and Berlin. Upon arrival in Berlin one of your first stops is the East Side Gallery portion of the Berlin Wall. This is a 3/4 mile long section of the wall near the center of Berlin. In the early 1960s East German soldiers occupied the Soviet sector of Berlin and started sealing it off from the west. After being a barrier that divided the city and its people for almost 30 years, the wall was finally opened in 1989. Today approximately 106 paintings, by artists from all over the world, cover this memorial for freedom and make it the largest open-air gallery in the world.

Checkpoint Charlie is another stop that is included. This was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. The name was given to it by the Western Allies.

Next you drive along the popular shopping street of Friedrichstrasse as you head to the Bebel Platz. This is the square where, in 1933, the Nazis ordered the book burning by National Socialist students. Works of hundreds of free authors, publishers, philosophers and scientists were burned. A stop is provided to see the symbolic underground library which is left empty, with the space for 20,000 books that where estimated to have gone up in flames.

Next is a stop for you to enjoy a typical German style pub lunch (meal not included).

After lunch you pass by the Potsdamer Platz, formerly a no man's land between East and West where the first gap in the Berlin Wall was made in 1989. Today a pristine block of futuristic glass-and-steel skyscrapers includes the headquarters of Sony Europe and Europe's first traffic light built in 1924.

A few blocks from here and close to the site where Hitler's bunker was hidden, a somber memorial commemorates the Jews who perished in Europe during the Second World War. At the Holocaust Memorial you will have the opportunity to reflect on the events which took place before making your way to the famous Brandenburg Gate. This monument, more than any other site, symbolizes Berlin's history.

Close by you also have the chance to see the Reichstag building which is Germany's seat of Parliament. Today it is well known for having the world's largest glass dome, designed by the famous architect, Sir Norman Foster.

Those with a fondness for Prussian history will enjoy the exterior visit to the Charlottenburg Palace. You enjoy a photo stop of the oldest surviving Prussian palace that reflects the former splendor and grandeur of the Hohenzollern dynasty.

A drive into the former western part of Berlin, will take you along the Kurfuerstendamm (Ku-Damm), which is West Berlin's most famous street. Here you will pass by the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedaechniskirche (also known as the hollow-tooth), which since WW II, has served as a stark reminder of the damage done by the war. Close by you will pass by the largest department store on the continent of Europe, KaDeWe. This shopping paradise is a legend and had its 100th birthday in 2007.

Next is Berlin's Hauptbahnhof or Main Train Station which houses more than 80 shops that are open 7 days a week. The building has been dubbed an architectural and logistical wonder, with trains arriving and departing in all directions every 90 seconds.

Depending on the order of the tour you will enjoy free time for shopping or an afternoon snack at KaDeWe, Friedrichstrasse or Berlin's main train station.

At the end of the day you will be taken back to the pier in Wismar.