Berlin Cold War History Walking Tour

Walk the Wall. Hear the Spies. Feel the Divide.
Step into Cold War Berlin with us on this eye-opening 2-hour free walking tour that dives deep into one of the most dramatic chapters in modern history. From spy games to secret police, from brave escapes to brutal crackdowns, this isn’t your average history lesson — it’s the real, raw story of a city once split in two.

We’ll take you from the Brandenburg Gate to the haunting Palace of Tears, exploring key landmarks that shaped life behind (and beyond) the Iron Curtain. Stand at the Berlin Wall Memorial, where stories of hope, courage, and heartbreak still echo.

Whether you’re a history buff or just curious about Berlin’s divided past, you’ll leave this tour with a powerful new perspective on the people who lived it — and the city that rose from it.

Meeting Point

Brandenburg Gate

Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Your East Berlin Walking Tour meets in front of the Starbucks at the Brandenburg Gate (S/U-Bahn Brandenburger Tor). Look for the SANDEMANs NEW Europe team with a red umbrella..

What's included:

• Local English speaking guide

Not included:

• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Food and drinks

What to expect:

Duration: 2 hours

Brandenburg Gate

Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Beginning near the Brandenburg Gate, this walking tour will take you on an exploration of East Berlin to reveal how the city’s former Soviet sector became the front line of the Cold War.

Pass by without stopping

Consular Section of the Embassy of the Russian Federation

Behrenstraße 66, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Stop to see what was the Soviet (and is now the Russian Federation) Embassy - only a short distance from where the American Embassy in East Berlin once stood.

30 minutes

Stasimuseum

Normannenstrasse 20, Haus 1, Berlin, 10365

Discover the chilling world of the Stasi, the most feared intelligence agency of its time. They didn’t just listen in on phone calls—they collected smells, bugged homes, and kept entire families under surveillance. Would you have been watched?

30 minutes

Palace of Tears

Reichstagufer 17, Mitte, Berlin, 10117

See the Palace of Tears, which used to be the crossing point between East and West Berlin.
Your expert guide will share with you insightful information about how several families were suddenly divided when the Berlin wall was built in 1961.

30 minutes

Berlin Wall Memorial

Bernauer Str. 111, 13355 Berlin, Germany

Trace the path of the Berlin Wall and discover the lives of those who lived behind the Iron Curtain.
Learn how the two-wall system (with the Death Strip in the middle) functioned and hear the stories of those who tragically died trying to go over the Wall.

30 minutes