Trabi Safari

With the Trabi Safari in Mitte, you don't sit in the back of a tour bus, but rather at the wheel of a two-stroke vehicle yourself. Around a hundred Trabis are ready on Zimmerstraße, driven in a convoy of up to six cars, with the guide commenting via radio. For Ostalgie in Berlin, this is the version with a clutch, four-speed gearshift, and the smell of a two-stroke engine.

Trabi Safari: At the Wheel Through Divided Berlin

The Trabi Safari starts on Zimmerstraße in Mitte, just a few steps from Checkpoint Charlie. Kochstraße subway station is about 300 meters away, as is Stadtmitte station. Around a hundred Trabants are ready in the courtyard, many in typical pastel shades, plus some converted e-Trabis with automatic transmission. The entire operation is run by East Car Tours GmbH, which also maintains a Trabi Museum and a shop at the same location.

Before setting off, the team explains the vehicle’s unique features, especially the four-speed gearshift on the steering wheel and starting with the two-stroke engine. Four people fit into one car, a driver’s license is mandatory, and if desired, the driver can share the wheel with their companion during the trip. Driving is done in a convoy of up to six vehicles. The guide sits in the first car and communicates via radio to all cars, so no one needs headphones. The pace remains manageable, as a Trabant with 26 HP naturally encourages a relaxed approach, and the group stays together in city traffic.

Convoy Past Brandenburg Gate and East Side Gallery

The short tour lasts 75 minutes and costs 49 Euros per person, while the longer version is 135 minutes and 79 Euros. The route passes by well-known city center landmarks, including Potsdamer Platz, the Brandenburg Gate, along Unter den Linden to Berlin Cathedral and the TV Tower, continuing to the East Side Gallery and over the Oberbaumbrücke. Children up to seventeen years old ride free when accompanied, but a suitable child seat must be provided by the parents.

What distinguishes the Trabi Safari from a regular city tour is the change in perspective. You don’t see the city through a panoramic window, but through the small windshield of a car that was on waiting lists for years in the GDR. The engine is loud, the steering is direct, and at every traffic light, passersby look over. At the end, every person at the wheel receives a Trabi driver’s license and a key chain. If you still need more two-stroke action afterward, you’ll find the Trabi Museum and a shop at the same location, where almost everything related to the vehicle, from spare parts screws to model cars, is available.