BERLIN - LOCATION GUIDE
GERMAN LANGUAGE
Exceptional Tours Expertly Delivered
Our location guide offers you information on the range of visits available in Berlin. All visits are selected with your subject and the curriculum in mind, along with the most popular choices for sightseeing, culture and leisure in the area.
The information in your location guide has been provided by our partners in Berlin who have expert on the ground knowledge of the area, combined with advice from education professionals so that the visits and information recommended are the most relevant to meet your learning objectives.
Making Life Easier for You
This location guide is not a catalogue of opening times. Our Tour Experts will design your itinerary with opening times and location in mind so that you can really maximise your time on tour.
Our location guides are designed to give you the information that you really need, including what are the highlights of the visit, location, suitability and educational resources. We’ll give you top tips like when is the best time to go, dress code and extra local knowledge.
Peace of Mind
So that you don’t need to carry additional money around with you we will state in your initial quote letter, which visits are included within your inclusive tour price and if there is anything that can’t be pre-paid we will advise you of the entrance fees so that you know how much money to take along.
You also have the added reassurance that, WST is a member of the STF and our featured visits are all covered as part of our externally verified Safety Management System.
RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE VISITS
German Language Workshops Students take part in listening and speaking sessions based around your key topics. They are ideal for preparation and practise in the morning before going out and about in the afternoon to speak in real-life situations. Once your workshop is booked, the teacher will contact you directly to discuss your students’ abilities and study topics to ensure they will match learning objectives of the tour and keep the students attention. Language lessons are available Monday to Friday between 08.00 and 20.00 hrs. Not available on weekends.
Top Tip: Each lesson lasts for 45 minutes so we recommend you do 2 lessons together so that the students will get the benefit of a 90 minute lesson.
Website: www.prolog-berlin.com/en/language-school.htm Location: The language school is centrally located in the Schöneberg district.
DDR Museum Focusing on everyday life in the Communist Era this interactive museum has great opportunities to test reading and listening skills, whilst also providing some useful material for discussion back in the classroom.
Top Tip: Free quizzes are available (in German or English) for school groups to download and take around the museum.
Website: www.ddr-museum.de/en/ UBahn: Alexander Platz SBahn: Hackescher Markt
Potsdamer Platz Home to the Sony Centre, a hub of the best shops, cafes and restaurants, and a fabulous IMAX cinema. There are plenty of opportunities to practise language and to feel a part of the vibrant new Berlin.
Website: http://potsdamerplatz.de/en/ UBahn: Potsdamer Platz
TV Tower Located in former East Berlin, in Alexanderplatz, this is Berlin’s highest structure offering fabulous views over the city. The TV Tower can be pre-booked but not pre- paid, this visit must be paid directly on arrival.
Top Tip: The TV Tower is a great option as an evening visit, to see Berlin by night.
Website: www.tv-turm.de/en/index.php UBahn: Alexander Platz
Guided Walking Tour – with a twist Many of Berlin’s major sites can be covered on foot so a walking tour is an ideal way to get to know the city. For German Language students the tour can be covered in German. Our most popular walking tour for a language visit is:
Introductory tour Hidden Berlin & All the Main Sites. Duration 3-4 hrs. Sites included are:
Alexander Platz, Museum Island, Berliner Dom, Lustgarten, Humbolt University, Site of Palast der Republic, Bebel Platz, Berlin Wall, Topography of Terror, Wilhelm Strasse, Checkpoint Charlie, Site of Hitler's bunker, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Reichstag, The New 'Hauptbahnhof', Brandenburg Gate.
CULTURAL VISITS
No matter what your study aims are it is impossible to go to Berlin and ignore the tumultuous past of this city. Many groups choose to include key sites from the Nazi period or the Cold War to gain a greater understanding of how Berlin came to be the city it is today.
Brandenburg Gate area See the iconic monuments of 20th Century Berlin including The Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, The Victory Column and the Soviet War Memorial. These monuments are usually included in an introductory guided tour.
The Reichstag A guided tour of the Reichstag building is one of the most popular visits in Berlin. It will explain the functions, working methods and composition of parliament whilst also covering the history and architecture of the building. The highlight at the end is the opportunity to visit the famous dome, which has become an iconic image in Berlin and gives a great view of the city.
Top Tip: The design of the world famous dome is a real point of interest to Design students
Website: www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits Ubahn: Stadtmitte, Französische Strasse
Olympic Stadium This stadium was purpose built for the 1936 Olympics and is a great opportunity to view Nazi architecture, surviving virtually untouched in the battle to capture Berlin. The stadium will not be open to visitors on event days so please be ready to be flexible on which day you visit. Groups can take a self guided visit with an audio guide or an English speaking guided tour. From March to October, for an additional charge, you can also go up the bell tower which will give you an excellent view of the interior of the stadium.
Top Tip: The Olympic Stadium is often visited in conjunction with Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, as a full day out of the city centre.
Website: www.olympiastadion-berlin.de UBahn: Olympiastadion Usually reached via coach – approx 20 minutes from the centre of Berlin / or SBahn.
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp One of the earliest concentration camps, Sachsenhausen tells the story of its origins, on to life in the camp and then its liberation with a series of exhibitions through the buildings.
Website: www.stiftung-bg.de/gums/en/index.htm Location: Sachsenhausen is usually reached by coach – approx. 40 minutes drive away. Alternatively Sachsenhausen is 45 minutes from central Berlin on the SBahn – Oranienburg Station.
The Berlin Wall It is essential to see the remains of the Berlin Wall when studying the Cold War and the Fall of Communism. Remains of the Wall can best be seen at the East Side Gallery or Bernauer Strasse.
Museum-Haus am Checkpoint Charlie A museum dedicated to the legendary border crossing point, with imagery and exhibitions of attempts to escape to the West and following the stories of fugitives and their helpers.
Website: www.mauermuseum.de UBahn: Kochstrasse
The Story of Berlin An interactive museum that explores 800 years of Berlin’s history. There are 23 theme rooms equipped with multi-media technology.
Top Tip: A worksheet can be downloaded from the website, in English, for students to fill in as they go round the museum.
Website: www.story-of-berlin.de/ UBahn: Uhland Strasse
Museum Island:
A group of museums located in the centre of Berlin on the River Spree: Alte Nationalgalerie: 19th Century paintings and sculptures from artists such as Monet, Renoir, Cezanne. Pergamon Museum: Antiquities, Islamic Art, Middle Eastern Art and objects. Bode Museum: Home to a collection of sculptures from Byzantium through to the Middle Ages.
The New Museum and The Old Museum: Greek, Roman and Egyptian art.
Eastside Gallery The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery is a 1.3km-long section of the wall near the centre of Berlin. Approximately 106 paintings by artists from all over the world cover this memorial for freedom and make it the largest open-air gallery in the world.
UBahn: Warschauerstrasse
Top Tip for Art Galleries: Most galleries stay open late on Thursday evenings, until 10.00 pm, so if you want to get the most out of your time in Berlin and keep them busy in the evenings, this is a great option.
LEISURE
Alexanderplatz The square was once the centre of East Berlin. Since re-unification there’s been a complete redevelopment and now Alexanderplatz is a major sightseeing and shopping area.
Potsdamer Platz Another redeveloped area of Berlin, this has an ideal central location and is full of shops, cafes and entertainment.
Website: http://potsdamerplatz.de/en/
Sony Centre Located in Potsdamer Platz this is home to the IMAX Cinema where you can catch a film in German or English, along with a great selection of cafes and shops. Great for a night out, especially if seeing a film on the giant screen.
Website: www.sonycenter.de/en/home2
Kurfürstendamm This is the main shopping street in Berlin and home to one of Europe’s largest department stores, KaDeWe, with all that a major store offers.
Bowling Berlin has a range of bowling centres throughout the city. Ask us for more information if you wish to book a session
Ritter Sport Bunte Schokowelt Located at the Gendarmenmarkt Square, this store offers a unique and varied assortment of items revolving around Ritter Sport chocolate. Chocolate lovers big and small can explore the store’s three floors. The SchokoKreation area allows visitors to create their own favourite chocolate bar.
Tropical Islands Water park An indoor tropical beach with waters slides, lagoons, rapids and wave pools. Great fun and a great place for students to burn off excess energy. This is approx. 1 hours drive from the centre of Berlin.
Website: www.tropical-islands.de/en/visitors.html
RESTAURANTS
Make your evening meal a night out. We can book a variety or restaurants ranging from traditional German, American diners, Italian and Chinese.
4 day Sample itinerary – Language and Culture
Day 1 Daytime flight and transfer to your accommodation. Time permitting take a guided tour of Central Berlin covering key historical sites of the city centre. Evening meal at hotel.
Day 2 Morning. Language workshop Afternoon. Guided tour of the Olympic Stadium Evening meal at your hotel . Evening visit to the top of the TV Tower
Day 3 Morning. See what everyday life was like in East Germany at the DDR Museum Afternoon. Free time in Potsdamer Platz, to get right up to date with today’s Berlin Evening meal at your hotel.
Day 4 Transfer to airport for your return flight back to the UK