Tour Guides: Unlocking Berlin’s Art and Culture
Planning a trip to Berlin and wish to fully take in the city’s arty and cultural scene? Hiring a tour guide is a wonderful idea. There are these knowledgeable and passionate people that will be able to give you a better sense of this city’s history, its renowned museums, and an active contemporary art scene. In this blog post, we are going to take a look at the positive sides of having a guide in Berlin and of what it can bring to you when it comes to gaining knowledge about its rich artistic heritage.
What can a tour guide offer?
There is no doubt that tour guides will be indispensable when it comes to getting to know Berlin’s art and culture. The below are some of the things that they can offer.
- Tour guides have the perfect insider knowledge: all the best about Berlin’s art and culture. They can provide entertaining, intriguing historical facts, insider stories, and lesser known details that wouldn’t probably be shared with a casual visitor. It supplements your experience with their expertise.
- Hidden gems access: Berlin has a lot of hidden gems, ranging from tucked away art galleries, underground clubs to street art that had been tucked away for many years. Lesser known spots around Berlin, that most tourists don’t get a glimpse of, can be taken to you by tour guides and you will also discover a side of Berlin that you would have otherwise never noticed.
- It saves time: Planning that trip itinerary is almost often time consuming if you don’t know this city. If you take a tour guide, they can make up a custom made itinerary that gets the most worthwhile use of your time and doesn’t enable you to miss any should be viewed sites.
- Language assistance: Berlin is not an English speaking city, but rather one that prides itself on being bilingual and has an excellent public transport system. A language tour guide can close the communication gap, as the effort of your tour will be more enjoyable and thus less tiring for you.
Exploring Berlin’s Museums
A birthplace of the world cultural capital – Berlin is famous for its excellent art museums, arrays of the world’s best art collections. A few museums that you should visit have been listed as follows:
- Museum Island
And as any museum insider will tell you, Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is home to five rather magnificent museums: the Pergamon Museum, the Bode Museum, the Altes Museum, the Neues Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie. The assorted art and artefacts spread over several centuries are unique to each museum. Detailed explanations, the tour helps you rummage through the platforms and also points out the most important pieces.
- The East Side Gallery
East Side Gallery is a 1.3 kilometre long stretch of the Berlin Wall on which artists from around the world have spray painted their paintings. A tour guide can shed light on the murals, evoking them from something one reads about or sees, into something you learn about as a result of someone telling you the historical context of the wall and the messages those individual paintings deliver.
- Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart
For those who are truly passionate about contemporary art, the visit to Hamburger Bahnhof is a must. It has become an impressive collection of contemporary and conceptual art in this former railway station. And for those whose artier feelings drag behind, a tour guide isn’t a bad idea – it offers insider knowledge of artists and their works.
Co-Discovering Berlin’s Street Art
Berlin has had a legendary street art scene for years, and going with a tour guide to see it is unique. There are however these talented guides who can be able to take you through neighborhoods such as Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain whose streets are filled with stunning murals and graffiti. But they can introduce you to the artists as well as explain the hidden messages behind the artworks and tell you stories about Berlin’s alternative art scene.
Tour Options
What is important to choose as a tour guide when you know where to go, to see in Berlin? Some options include the following.
- Private tours: Alternatively, you will want a private tour instead, which is available as an option. It also lets you customize the itinerary according to the ones you prefer and spend longer time in the spots you are fond of.
- Group tours: Average time on location: 1 to 3 hours Duration: 8AM – 5PM no overlap This is an excellent choice if you wish to encounter others who are passionate about art and to have a travelling companion in this adventure. They tend to be less expensive than private tours, and you get to learn as a result of other people’s questions and viewpoints.
- Thematic tours: Berlin has lots of thematic tours covering different features of its art and culture scene. No matter what sort of art you are interested in, contemporary or street art or from a certain historical period, more than likely there is a tour that suits your fancy.
Final Thoughts
With a tour guide, exploring Berlin’s art and culture scene is one thing whose experience can be elevated to a whole new dimension. They know their expertise, they know the insider knowledge they have on this city and the passion they have for the artistic heritage of this city can really help you find hidden treasures. Thus, if you are working on your Berlin trip, include a tour guide in it. You won’t be disappointed!
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