Alternative Berlin Tours

Alternative Berlin Tours: Subculture Tour from Alexanderplatz to Holzmarkt

The meeting point is the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz, and from there, Alternative Berlin Tours leads for three hours into a city that is not in any travel guide. The tour begins at Haus Schwarzenberg and ends at Holzmarkt 25, with stops in between at the occupied Köpi house, Bethanien, YAAM, and the Treehouse at the Wall. Another stop is SO36, which is associated with David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Nick Cave, and whose stage has hosted Black Flag, Faith No More, and Rage Against the Machine over the years. The provider’s office is located on Trachtenbrodtstraße in Prenzlauer Berg. Tours are conducted exclusively in English, and an AB single ticket should be carried, as the group takes the train at times. Even those who think they already know the city will discover places that usually disappear behind gates and construction fences. Groups remain small to allow for discussion along the way.

Street Art with Guides from the Scene and Graffiti Crews like 1UP and Berlin Kidz

In addition to the flagship tour, there is a dedicated Street Art Tour that starts in Friedrichshain at Smack Burger on Warschauer Straße and ends in Kreuzberg. The guides are artists themselves and part of the scene, which is evident in how specific they get: it’s about the crews 1UP, Berlin Kidz, GFA, and CBS, about Berlin’s oldest preserved tags, and about the rooftop culture that is usually not perceived from the ground. Alternative Berlin Tours has existed in this form for almost 20 years, and over 500,000 guests have participated in the tours. Lonely Planet listed the tours among the ten best things to do in Berlin in April 2025. The Alternative Berlin Tour and the Street Art Tour each cost 20 Euros, and the four-hour Real Berlin Experience is 25 Euros. Places are deliberately limited, so advance booking is necessary.