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Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin

The Warnemünde-Berlin Shore Excursion

Berlin In One Day From Your Cruise Ship

Duration12 HoursGroup6 PeopleFormatPrivate Van Tour
The Reichstag Dome
Memorial To The Murdered Jews Of Europe
The Berliner Dom & Television Tower
Overview

…the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the site of Adolf Hitler’s Führerbunker, the Kurfürstendamm, Alexanderplatz, Gendarmenmarkt, the East Side Gallery and much more…

Take advantage of your Warnemünde port call with our private full day shore excursion – a fast transfer from the Baltic coast to the German capital and back, and six unforgettable hours exploring Berlin in the company of a historian.

From Berlin’s humble beginnings in the swamplands of Brandenburg, through Prussian imperialism and the raucous years of the Weimar Republic, the tragedies of the Second World War and the intrigue of the Cold War, to German Reunification and the vibrant & cosmopolitan city today – almost 1,000 years of history in a single day ashore.

Pariser Platz and the Brandenburg Gate/Public Domain
Pariser Platz and the Brandenburg Gate/Public Domain

A cruise rarely leaves much time ashore, and Berlin lies three hours from the coast. Most port excursions spend the day on a coach, shepherding a crowd from stop to stop. This one is yours alone – a private van, a private guide, and a day planned around the people in it, and around your ship.

The start and finish of the day depend on when your ship docks in Warnemünde and when it sails again: your pickup is timed to its arrival, and your return to its all-aboard time. Your driver will be waiting in the arrivals area of the Warnemünde Cruise Center with a sign bearing your name. From there it is around three hours to Berlin in a private, air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen van with an English-speaking driver, and your guide meets you in the city.

Within the six hours in Berlin, with time for a lunch break along the way, you will cross the city from west to east – from Charlottenburg Palace and the Kurfürstendamm, through the Tiergarten to the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate, over the line of the Berlin Wall into the historic heart of the city, and on to Alexanderplatz and the East Side Gallery. Some sites are best seen from the van; at others we step out and explore on foot.

The Television Tower (Fernsehturm)
The Television Tower (Fernsehturm)

Certainly, it was far from evident from its humble beginnings – a minor trading town settled in an unforgiving backwater – that Berlin was destined for the world stage. Yet eras have begun and ended here: the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire, the nerve centre of Hitler’s Third Reich, a city carved up and occupied on the frontline of the Cold War, and today the capital of a reunited Germany.

As with every one of our private tours, the itinerary is yours to shape. Tell us which sites matter most to you – and which you have already seen on an earlier visit – and we will build the day around them.

Postcard depicting Unter den Linden/Public Domain
Postcard depicting Unter den Linden/Public Domain

At the end of the day your driver brings you back to Warnemünde – again around three hours – well before your ship sails. When you book, you give us the name of your ship; we check its docking and departure times and plan the day around them. If your ship berths somewhere other than the Warnemünde Cruise Center, let us know and your driver will meet you there instead.

The day suits families with children, and travellers who would rather not walk far: much of Berlin can be seen from the comfort of the van. Lunch, drinks and personal expenses are not included in the price.

Where it starts

Warnemünde Cruise Center — in the arrivals area, where your driver waits with a sign bearing your name

“Our group of six spent two full days with Matt and unanimously agreed he was an outstanding guide. His deep and wide-ranging knowledge of Berlin and German history—spanning centuries—enriched every moment of our time together. He answered every question with clarity and offered concise, engaging explanations of even the most complex topics. Matt was also incredibly flexible, effortlessly adapting each day’s agenda to suit our group’s interests. His restaurant recommendations were excellent as well. All in all, Matt was one of the best guides we’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering.”

Amy ScarboroughBerlin Shore Excursion · May 2025

“Excellent presentations with use of pictures for visual addition of various locations. Provided background information on each site. Great lunch selection. Very competent driver, Max, as well as Matt, our guide! Efficient use of allotted time!”

Tanny CraneThe Berlin History Tour · July 2025

“Excellent tour guide, among the best we’ve had. We would definitely book with him again when we return to Berlin.”

Jim DemandThe Berlin History Tour · July 2025

“Matt and his driver Marcus did a great job of showing us Berlin in a 6 hour period. We were able to see and learn about the city and it’s rich history in an efficient and interesting manner. It was like having two good friends show you around their city. They shared many interesting facts and stories that we thoroughly enjoyed and will think about in the future. We highly recommend them and this tour.”

Matteo SlaninaThe Berlin History Tour · May 2025

“Matt is a fantastic guide. He is so knowledgeable, prepared and interesting. We were able to see so much in one day. I highly recommend Matt if you want a thorough and fascinating day in Berlin.”

Gary StephensonThe Berlin History Tour · May 2025

“Matt is amazing. His depth of knowledge and interpersonal skills are unmatched. We had a great time ( my two teenage sons and myself) and learned so much! Highly recommend and thank you for an amazing morning!”

Linda EppedioThe Berlin History Tour · April 2025

★ 5.0 · Google · Tripadvisor · Facebook

Good to know

  • We also offer private walking-tour variations of all our famous private transportation tours.
  • Get in touch for bigger group tours — we also offer bus tours for companies and schools.
  • English-language tours with native English speakers — in other languages on request.
  • Book directly with a local company — over 20 years' experience offering guided tours of Berlin.

The itinerary

Sites that can be included in this tour.

All of our private tours are carefully tailored to our clients wishes and expectations.

Featured experiences

Deep-dives on the sites you'll explore.

Mythbusting Berlin

The myths we set straight on this tour.

A day in Berlin is not only a chance to see the city’s present but also to come to understand its unique past – and to find answers to some of the most common questions about its history.

Before you book

Frequently Asked Questions

View from the Siegessäule, Berlin
View From The Siegessäule
How do I book a private guided tour of Berlin?

Booking a tour via our website is simply a matter of navigating to the tour page and choosing the date you would like to tour and starting time via the calendar panel on the page. You will then be taken to a booking form, where you enter your personal details and can then choose your payment option. Once you complete your tour booking it will then enter our system as pending until confirmed on our side (this usually takes less than an hour depending when we see the booking request). Then within the next 24 hours we will contact your directly via the email you supply during the booking process to say hello and confirm the booking. If you have any special requests or requirements, please add them to your booking during the checkout process and we can finalise these details via email.

How do I pay for a tour?

You pay securely at the time of booking. When you pick your date and booking option on the tour page you’re taken straight to a secure checkout (processed by Stripe) that accepts all major credit and debit cards — VISA, Mastercard, Amex and more. Standard and Flexible bookings are paid in full at checkout; if you Reserve with a Deposit you pay half now and the balance 45 days before the tour. For bank transfer, agent invoicing or any other payment question, email info@berlinexperiences.com before booking and we’ll arrange it.

When do the tours start?

We find that as many of our clients are holidaying in Berlin that starting slowly in the morning for our Full Day Experiences is both recommended and most rewarding. A relaxing 10am start for our five/six hour tours also means that we can integrate a short coffee/snack break or lunch around 12:30pm. For the Half Day Experiences, we would also recommend the same – although along with the One Hour Experiences there is more flexibility due to the reduced length of the tours. When booking your tour, you will find the options for starting times in the booking window. If you don’t find the time you are looking for – get in touch(info@berlinexperiences.com) and we can work something out!

Where do the tours start?

For all of our Full Day Experiences, it is possible start and finish the tour at your hotel/accommodation. Depending on the location in the city and its distance from the areas we will be exploring, it may be more advisable to start at a centrally located landmark (within the Mitte district) such as the Brandenburg Gate or Museum Island. Our One Hour Experiences are designed with specific starting point and end points in mind – for each of these tours there is a train station nearby which is easy to reach for travellers wishing to arrive by public transportation. Check the description on the tour pages for these One Hour Experiences to see exactly where the meeting points are. For the Half Day Experiences, it may be possible in some cases (such as the Bitesize Berlin 3 Hour Private Van Tour) to start at your accommodation also. The other tours listed have specific starting points – be they the Berlin Brandenburg Airport for the Airport Transfer Tour or the Brandenburg Gate for the Berlin Explorer Tour.

Do you customise your tours?

While each of our tours have been designed to approach a certain historical theme or aspect of the city, we can always tailor your time in the city further. Berlin is not laid out chronologically, so when exploring it is only natural that we will pass landmarks and locations that are from different periods or are worth mentioning for certain events that have taken place there. If there is any aspect of Berlin’s history or theme that you would like to explore further we can always work on integrating relevant parts of the city into a tour you book – or suggest another tour that might be more relevant. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if there is something you would like to explore that you don’t see as part of our catalogue of tours. Send an email to info@berlinexperiences.com and we can discuss how to best make the most of your time in our extraordinary city.

What is your cancellation policy?

This depends on the booking option you choose at checkout. With a Standard booking (our best value) you can cancel within 24 hours of booking for a full refund, and up to 30 days before the tour for a 75% refund of the tour price; within 30 days of the tour, sales are final. A Flexible booking lets you cancel up to 14 days before the tour for a full refund of the Standard tour price (the Flexible premium itself is non-refundable). If you Reserve with a Deposit, the deposit that secures your date is non-refundable after the first 24 hours, and once the balance is paid the booking is confirmed and can no longer be cancelled. You can compare all three options, and their prices, on every tour’s booking calendar and on our Booking options & cancellations page. If you’d prefer to move your tour to another date rather than cancel, we’re always happy to help at no extra cost — just request a cancellation from your account or email info@berlinexperiences.com, and any approved refund is returned to your original payment method automatically. We always recommend travel insurance for unforeseen circumstances; your invoice can be used to claim from your insurer or card provider.

Can I book multiple tours?

Absolutely. You can do this either by booking tours individually through the booking platform we used or by adding tours to the shopping card system and booking multiple tours together.

Do you accept last minute bookings?

Due to the high number of tours we have booked during the high season (April-December), we have a one week limit on our booking platform. This means that you cannot automatically book any tour that would take place within the next 7 days through the platform. If you would like to book a last minute tour – just because we do not list availability on our booking platform does not mean that one of our guides is not available – do get in touch via email(info@berlinexperiences.com) and we will see what we can do!

Does Matt personally lead all of the Berlin Experiences tours?

I (Matt) endeavour to lead all the tours I offer, but depending on availability may already be booked with other clients. In which case, I have a team of the best professional guides in Berlin, all with years of experience and dedication to their work, that I work with. All are members of the Berlin Guides Association, an organisation known throughout the world for its guiding excellence. When you book you will receive a confirmation email within 24hrs to follow up on your booking and present which guides might be available and best suited for your tour/s.

Are all the suggested sights listed in your tours covered on every tour?

The sights listed in the itinerary sections of our tours are a general guide to what may be covered when booking those particular tours and not necessarily what we may be able to cover during that day. Particular factors such as official state visits, political demonstrations, reconstruction – and even the odd bomb disposal of Second World War ordnance – can shape & reshape our path through the city. We appreciate that every guest is different and approaches the city with different expectations and interests – and we tailor our tours accordingly. If you find something in particular that interests you then please do refer to this when contacting us so we can arrange your day accordingly.

Can you arrange an airport transfer for my day of arrival/departure?

Our professional drivers are also available for airport transfers – provided with either Mercedes Benz V-class or Volkswagen Caravelle vans. This service is for up to 4 people – including a moderate amount of baggage (one large bag and one small bag per person). You can book directly via the private BER airport transfer item in our booking platform. If you are looking for a private airport transfer and require a larger vehicle for a bigger group – get in touch via email(info@berlinexperiences.com).

I am having issues with the booking process/my card was rejected.

If you are having issues booking through our booking platform – please get in touch via email ASAP(info@berlinexperiences.com) so we can see what we can do to fix the problem. If you receive a particular error message that might be due to our booking system please do take screenshots (photos of your screen with the error) if possible. We also accept alternative forms of payment through bank transfer/Paypal or cash on the day for clients who would prefer these methods.

Do you charge VAT on your tours?

As we are based in Germany, we charge the official 19% VAT (sales tax) – already calculated as part of the cost of our tours and the price that you see when you pay. Additionally, we include the booking fee, guide fee, admin fee, driver and transportation costs (where applicable), and the mandatory German tourism insurances as part of the costs we present. We aim to be 100% transparent with our services – offering a fair price for a fantastic day’s exploration!

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Step inside the story.

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Reserve The Warnemünde-Berlin Shore Excursion