See Berlin’s iconic landmarks from the top deck of an open-air bus.
BIG BUS Germany
City Sightseeing LTD
City Sightseeing LTD
BIG BUS Germany
BIG BUS Germany
City Circle
City Sightseeing LTD
City Sightseeing LTD
City Sightseeing LTD
Quick Guide
Berlin Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tours
Four operators run hop-on hop-off buses in Berlin, and while they all cover the major sights, what comes with your ticket differs quite a bit.
Big Bus Tours bundles extras beyond just the bus ride. They offers three ticket levels that build on each other. The Discover ticket gets you 48 hours on two routes plus free currywurst. Essential adds walking tours (one guided, plus digital ones you follow on your phone). The Explore ticket includes everything from Essential plus a 75-minute evening tour at 18:00 with a live guide.
City Sightseeing runs two separate routes: a Classic Tour through central Berlin and a Trendy East Berlin & Wall Tour covering Cold War sites and eastern neighborhoods. You can buy just the Classic route or get access to both. Tickets stay valid for 3 months from booking, so you don’t need to commit to specific dates right away. Audio commentary available in 13 languages.
City Circle takes a simpler approach with one route hitting 26 stops. The full loop runs 2.5 hours, longer than other operators, and buses come every 15-20 minutes in summer. Audio guides work in 20 languages. Choose between 24-hour or 48-hour tickets.
Tempelhofer Sightseeing is the only operator with live guides on every bus. Instead of audio recordings, a real Berliner narrates in German and English, shares stories, and answers your questions. They cover 22 stops around the city. Only 24-hour tickets available, and there are no add-ons like walking tours or evening experiences.
Highlights
Tickets & Prices
All four operators offer different ticket options depending on how long you want to explore and what extras you’d like included.
Operator Comparison
| Feature | Big Bus Tours | City Sightseeing | City Circle | Tempelhofer Sightseeing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Overall | ||||
| Ticket Duration | 24h or 48h | 24h or 48h | 24h or 48h | 24h |
| Routes | 2 (Red + Blue) | 2 (Classic + Trendy East) | 1 (Best of Berlin) | 1 (Original Berlin) |
| Total Stops | Red: 17 Blue: 4 | Classic: 19 Trendy: 8 | 26 | 22 |
| Audio Languages | 14 | 13 | 20 | 2 (German + English) |
| Live Commentary | ✓ (Evening tour only) | ✓ (all tours) | ||
| Operating Hours | 09:35-17:11 | 09:30-17:30 | 10:00-18:00 (summer) 10:00-17:00 (winter) | 09:30-17:00 |
| Bus Frequency | Red: 20-30 min Blue: 60 min | Classic: 30 min Trendy: 45 min | 15-20 min (summer) 20 min (winter) | 15-30 min (30-45 min winter) |
| Free WiFi | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Live Bus tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Wheelchair Access | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Extras | ✓ Currywurst ✓ Walking tours ✓ Evening tour options | ✓ Free currywurst |
Detailed Pricing Tables
| Ticket Type | Adult | Child (5-15) | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover (24 Hours) | €28.50 | €16.20 | Access to Red & Blue Routes, free currywurst |
| Essential (48 Hours) | €36.75 | €19.20 | Everything in Discover, plus guided walking tour and digital walking tours |
| Explore (48 Hours) | €44.25 | €22.20 | Everything in Essential, plus 75-minute evening tour and souvenir bag |
| Evening Tour Only | €30.00 | €20.00 | 75-minute guided evening tour, departs 18:00 from Alexanderplatz |
| Ticket Type | Adult (16-99) | Child (6-15) | Infant (5 and younger) | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Route Only (24 Hours) | €27.00 | €13.50 | Free | Access to Classic Route (19 stops), audio guide in 12 languages, free WiFi |
| Classic Route Only (48 Hours) | €29.00 | €14.50 | Free | Same as 24h with extended validity |
| All Routes (24 Hours) | €32.00 | €16.00 | Free | Access to both Classic and Trendy East Berlin & Wall Routes (26 total stops), audio guide in 13 languages |
| All Routes (48 Hours) | €36.00 | €18.00 | Free | Same as 24h with extended validity |
All City Sightseeing tickets are valid for 3 months from booking date.
| Ticket Type | Adult (15-99) | Child (7-14) | Infant (6 and younger) | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Hours | €35.00 | €20.00 | Free | Access to Best of Berlin Tour (26 stops), audio guide in 20 languages, free WiFi, children’s channel |
| 48 Hours | €40.00 | €25.00 | Free | Same as 24h with extended validity |
| Ticket Type | Adult (18-99) | Youth (12-17) | Child (3-11) | Infant (2 and younger) | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Hours | €30.00 | €28.00 | €22.00 | Free | Live commentary in German and English, audio guide, 22 stops, dogs allowed free |
Tips for Choosing Your Ticket
The 48-hour ticket gives you breathing room. Even if you think one day is enough, that extra day means you can hop back on if you missed something or want to revisit areas at different times of day.
Walking tours add depth to what you see from the bus. Big Bus’s Essential and Explore tickets include guided walks that get you closer to Berlin’s history. The evening tour shows the city in completely different light after sunset.
Match the routes to where you’re staying and what you want to see. If you’re near the East Side Gallery or focused on Cold War history, check that your operator stops there. The routes overlap but they’re not identical.
More languages available than you might expect. City Circle offers 20 languages, City Sightseeing and Big Bus both have 13-14. If you’re traveling with family or friends who speak different languages, this matters.
Book with confidence. All tickets come with free cancellation up to 24 hours before your travel date, so you can book now and adjust your plans if needed.
FAQs About Ticketing & Pricing
Where can I buy Berlin hop-on hop-off tickets?
You can buy online or at the bus stops, and booking online usually gets you a better price. A digital voucher goes to your phone, so you just show it to board at any stop. The Tickets & Prices section above lays out the options for all four operators, from 24-hour passes to 48-hour tickets with walking tours included.
Is the Berlin bus tour worth it?
Berlin is big and its landmarks are spread right across the center. The Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island, the East Side Gallery, and Ku’damm sit far apart, and the bus strings them together with audio commentary in up to 20 languages. It suits anyone short on time or seeing the city for the first time. If you want extras, Big Bus adds walking tours and an evening run, and Tempelhofer puts a live Berliner guide on every bus.
How long is the Berlin hop-on hop-off tour?
It depends on the operator and route. Big Bus’s Red Route loop runs about 2 hours, with its shorter Blue Route at 40 minutes. City Sightseeing’s Classic Tour takes 120 minutes, and City Circle’s single loop is the longest at 2.5 hours across 26 stops. Few ride a full loop in one sitting. You get off at a sight and rejoin the route later.
Route Maps & Stops
Berlin’s four hop-on hop-off operators run six different routes covering the city’s major landmarks and neighborhoods.
Big Bus Tours Routes
Big Bus operates two routes that together cover 21 unique stops across Berlin. The Red Route takes you past all the major landmarks, while the Blue Route focuses on East Berlin and the Wall.
- Download Big Bus Tours detailed route map & timetable (PDF)
- Real-time bus tracking is available via Big Bus mobile app
Red Route
- Duration: 2 hours full loop
- Frequency: Buses every 20-30 minutes
- Operating hours: 09:35-17:11
- Main stop: Alexanderplatz (Stop 1)
Stops:
- Alexanderplatz (Alexanderstraße 3-5, opposite Park Inn Hotel)
- Museum Island / Museumsinsel (Schlossplatz)
- Friedrichstrasse (Unter den Linden 34)
- Brandenburg Gate (Ebertstraße 24)
- Reichstag (Scheidemannstraße)
- Hauptbahnhof (Ella-Trebe-Straße 14)
- Schloss Bellevue (Spreeweg 1)
- Siegessäule (Großer Stern)
- Ku’Damm (Kurfürstendamm 10)
- KaDeWe Department Store (Tauentzienstraße 21-24)
- Lützowplatz
- Potsdamer Platz (Stresemannstraße)
- Berliner Mauer (Niederkirchnerstraße 7)
- Checkpoint Charlie (Friedrichstraße 49)
- Gendarmenmarkt (Markgrafenstraße 37)
- Rotes Rathaus (Spandauer Straße)
Route Highlights:
The Brandenburg Gate is the obvious centerpiece here. Thousands of Berliners gathered at this spot in 1989 when the Wall came down, and it became the symbol of reunification.
The Reichstag’s glass dome was added after reunification to symbolize government transparency. If you book ahead, you can go inside and walk up to the dome itself.
Checkpoint Charlie was where American and Soviet tanks faced off during the Cold War. Today there’s a replica checkpoint booth and actors in period uniforms (good for photos). The museum nearby tells stories of escape attempts across the border.
Museum Island holds five world-class museums, including the Pergamon with its massive ancient structures. The Gendarmenmarkt is Berlin’s prettiest square, with the Konzerthaus flanked by matching French and German churches.
You pass through Potsdamer Platz, which was bustling in the 1920s, became a wasteland divided by the Wall, and is now rebuilt with modern towers. The KaDeWe department store is one of Europe’s largest, and Ku’damm is West Berlin’s main shopping boulevard.
Blue Route
- Duration: 40 minutes full loop
- Frequency: Buses every 60 minutes
- Operating hours: 10:15-16:15
- Main stop: Alexanderplatz (Stop 1)
Stops:
- Alexanderplatz (Alexanderstraße 3-5)
- Karl-Marx Allee (Str. der Pariser Kommune 43)
- East Side Gallery (Mühlenstraße 13-14)
- Ostbahnhof (Am Ostbahnhof)
Route Highlights:
This shorter route focuses on East Berlin. Karl-Marx-Allee is the grand boulevard Stalin commissioned in the 1950s, lined with monumental apartment blocks the Soviets called “workers’ palaces.”
The East Side Gallery is the main draw here. After the Wall fell, artists painted murals on this 1.3-kilometer stretch. The most famous image shows Soviet leader Brezhnev kissing East German leader Honecker in what locals call the “Fraternal Kiss.”
City Sightseeing Routes
City Sightseeing runs two routes with 26 total stops (some stops overlap). The Classic Tour covers central Berlin’s major sights, while the Trendy East Berlin & Wall Tour takes you into the hipster neighborhoods and along the Wall.
Real-time bus tracking is available via City Sightseeing mobile app.
Classic Tour (A-Tour)
- Duration: 120 minutes full loop
- Frequency: Buses every 30 minutes
- Operating hours: 09:30-17:30
- Main stop: Tauentzienstraße (Stop 1)
Stops:
- Tauentzienstraße (Tauentzienstraße 15)
- KaDeWe (Tauentzienstraße 21-24)
- Lützowplatz (Kulturforum Tiergarten)
- Potsdamer Platz/Kolhoff-Hochhaus
- Gropiusbau
- Checkpoint Charlie (Friedrichstraße 45)
- Gendarmenmarkt
- Neptune Fontaine, Neptunbrunnen/Rotes Rathaus (Rathausstraße 1)
- Alexanderplatz / Park Inn
- Lustgarten
- Unter den Linden/Friedrichstraße
- Brandenburger Tor
- Reichstag
- Berlin Central Station, Hauptbahnhof (Ella-Trebe-Straße/Washington Pl)
- Schloss Bellvue
- Victory Column, Siegessäule/ Hofjägerallee
- Zoo/Elephant Gate, Elefantentor
- Café Kranzler (Kurfürstendamm 21-24)
- Kurfürstendamm 236
Route Highlights:
Alexanderplatz has been Berlin’s central square since medieval times. Locals just call it “Alex.” The TV Tower shoots up 368 meters, and when the sun hits the sphere, it creates a cross reflection that West Berliners nicknamed the “Pope’s Revenge.”
The Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie are the two sites almost everyone wants to see. The Gate marks where East met West, and thousands celebrated here when the Wall fell. Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous crossing point between the two Berlins.
The Gendarmenmarkt is probably Berlin’s most elegant square. The Konzerthaus sits between the French and German churches, with a statue of poet Friedrich Schiller in the center.
You pass the Reichstag, the Victory Column in the Tiergarten, and the elegant boulevard Unter den Linden. The route also takes you past the Zoo and down the Ku’damm shopping street.
Trendy East Berlin & Wall Tour (B-Tour)
- Duration: 60 minutes full loop
- Frequency: Buses every 45 minutes
- Operating hours: 10:00-17:30
- Main stop: Neptune Fontaine (Stop 1)
Stops:
- Neptune Fontaine, Neptunbrunnen/Rotes Rathaus (Rathausstraße 1)
- Oranienburger Straße
- Mauergedenkstätte
- Mauerpark
- Alexanderplatz / Park Inn
- Karl-Marx-Allee
- East Side Gallery
- Ostbahnhof
Route Highlights:
The Berlin Wall Memorial at Mauergedenkstätte shows how the Wall actually worked. Most people think it was just one wall, but it was two walls with a death strip in between, complete with guard towers and barriers.
Mauerpark comes alive on Sundays with flea markets and outdoor karaoke. Even on weekdays, it has that creative energy you find in former East Berlin neighborhoods.
The East Side Gallery appears on this route too, giving you time to walk along the murals. Karl-Marx-Allee shows off the grand Socialist architecture that defined East Berlin in the 1950s.
City Circle Route
City Circle operates a single route called the Best of Berlin Tour with 26 stops.
Best of Berlin Tour
- Duration: 2.5 hours full loop
- Frequency: Every 15-20 minutes (summer), every 20 minutes (winter)
- Operating hours: 10:00-18:00 (April-October), 10:00-17:00 (November-March)
- Main stop: Kurfürstendamm 216 (Stop 1)
Stops:
- Kurfürstendamm 216
- Hard Rock Cafe / Meinekestraße
- Gedächtniskirche / Rankestraße
- KaDeWe
- Lützow Square
- Kulturforum Tiergarten / Philharmonie
- Potsdamer Platz / Panoramapunkt
- Gropiusbau / Topographie des Terrors
- Checkpoint Charlie
- Gendarme Market
- Red Town Hall
- Alexander Square
- Karl Marx Avenue
- Berghain / Friedrichshain
- East Side Gallery
- Ostbahnhof
- Neptune Fountain
- DomAquarée
- Museumsinsel / Humboldt Forum
- Unter den Linden / Friedrichstraße
- Brandenburger Tor / Holocaust Memorial
- Reichstag
- Central Station
- Victory Column
- Zoo + Aquarium / Bikini Berlin
- Kranzler Eck
Route Highlights:
City Circle covers all the major landmarks plus some neighborhood stops other operators skip. You get the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island, and the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz.
The Memorial Church near stop 3 was left damaged as a war memorial. The Philharmonie at Kulturforum shows Berlin’s modern side. The Topography of Terror sits on the former Gestapo headquarters site.
The route goes through Friedrichshain, where the famous Berghain nightclub occupies a converted power plant. The Humboldt Forum is the reconstructed Berlin Palace, and Museum Island nearby holds five museums with artifacts from ancient civilizations.
You can take a shortcut between Red Town Hall (Stop 11) and Neptune Fountain (Stop 17) if you want to skip the eastern section.
Tempelhofer Sightseeing Route
Tempelhofer operates the Original Berlin City Tour with 22 stops and live commentary from local guides.
Original Berlin City Tour
- Duration: 2 hours minimum
- Frequency: Every 15-30 minutes (every 30-45 minutes November-March)
- Operating hours: 09:30-17:00
- Last full circuit: 14:30
- Main stop: Kurfürstendamm 231 (Stop 1)
Stops:
- Kurfürstendamm 231 (in front of Galeria)
- KaDeWe main entrance
- Lützowplatz
- Philharmonic
- Potsdamer Platz (at Kolhoff Tower)
- Potsdamer Platz / Linkstraße
- Topography of Terror
- Checkpoint Charlie Wall Museum
- Gendarmenmarkt, Markgrafenstr.
- Alexanderplatz, TV Tower (between Red City Hall & Neptunbrunnen)
- Karl-Liebknecht Str. 5 (transfer to boat tours)
- Museumsinsel / Humboldtforum
- Unter den Linden 10, Bud Spencer Museum
- Unter den Linden 36 / Friedrichstraße
- Unter den Linden 74, Madame Tussauds Berlin
- Brandenburg Gate, Ebertstraße
- Reichstag, Scheidemannstr
- Hauptbahnhof, exit Washington Place
- Haus der Kulturen der Welt (currently out of order)
- Bellevue Palace
- Bikini Haus, Budapester Straße
- U&S-Bahn station Zoologischer Garten
Route Highlights:
The live guides on Tempelhofer buses share personal stories alongside historical facts. They explain how Potsdamer Platz went from bustling square to wasteland to modern city center, and what it was like living in a divided city.
The route covers the standard highlights: Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Reichstag, Museum Island. You pass the Topography of Terror and see remaining sections of the Wall.
Unter den Linden runs from the Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island, lined with historic buildings including Humboldt University where Einstein taught. The government district around the Reichstag is where modern Germany’s political decisions get made.
Note: Some buses bypass stops 11-13 around Museum Island due to a tunnel on Unter den Linden that’s structurally unstable. When this happens, the bus takes an alternate route past Hackescher Markt and the New Synagogue.
Which Operator Has the Best Routes?
If you want everything on one route: City Circle covers 26 stops without requiring you to switch buses. The 2.5-hour loop runs frequently (every 15-20 minutes in summer), and you get audio guides in 20 languages.
If East Berlin and the Wall are your focus: Big Bus’s Blue Route or City Sightseeing’s Trendy East Tour both cover this well. Big Bus’s version is shorter, City Sightseeing’s includes more eastern neighborhood stops.
If you want more than just the bus: Big Bus offers walking tours and an evening tour with live guides. The evening tour especially shows Berlin from a different perspective after sunset.
If you want a live guide throughout: Tempelhofer is the only operator with live commentary on every regular bus tour, not just special evening tours. The guides are Berliners who answer questions and share local perspectives. The downside is commentary only in German and English, and just 24-hour tickets.
If you need lots of language options or flexible booking: City Sightseeing tickets work for 3 months from purchase and offer 13 audio languages. City Circle has 20 language options, the most of any operator.
What to See & Do
Listen to Commentary About What You’re Seeing
The buses come with audio guides that explain the sights as you pass them. Big Bus and City Sightseeing offer 13-14 languages, City Circle has 20.
The commentary gives you context for what you’re looking at. Why does the Brandenburg Gate have that particular goddess on top? What actually happened at Checkpoint Charlie? How did Berlin rebuild after the Wall came down? You get these answers as you see the actual places.
Tempelhofer uses live guides instead of recordings. These are actual Berliners speaking in German and English. You can ask them questions, get restaurant tips, and hear what it was like living in a divided city.
See the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie
Every route stops at the Brandenburg Gate. Built in the 1790s as a triumphal arch, it became the symbol of division when the Wall went up, then the symbol of reunification when the Wall fell in 1989.
Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous border crossing between East and West Berlin. This is where American and Soviet tanks faced off during tense moments in the Cold War. Today there’s a replica checkpoint booth and the museum nearby tells escape stories.
The Reichstag building houses Germany’s parliament. Norman Foster added the glass dome after reunification to represent transparent government. If you book ahead online, you can go inside and walk up to the dome.
The TV Tower at Alexanderplatz was East Germany’s attempt to show socialist superiority. When the sun hits the sphere, it creates a cross reflection that West Berliners called the “Pope’s Revenge.”
Walk Along the Berlin Wall
The East Side Gallery runs 1.3 kilometers along the Spree River. After the Wall fell, artists painted murals on this remaining section. The most famous shows Brezhnev and Honecker kissing in what’s known as the “Fraternal Kiss.”
The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße shows how the Wall actually worked. It wasn’t just one wall but two walls with a death strip between them, including guard towers and vehicle barriers.
You can walk along the preserved section and read about escape attempts and families separated overnight when the Wall went up in August 1961.
Visit Museums and Historic Sites
Museum Island in the Spree River holds five museums. The Pergamon Museum (being renovated in sections) has the massive Pergamon Altar and Ishtar Gate from ancient Babylon.
The DDR Museum near Museum Island shows everyday life in East Germany. You can sit in a Trabant car, search through a recreated apartment, and see what products people bought.
The Topography of Terror sits on the former Gestapo headquarters site. The exhibitions document Nazi crimes with photos, documents, and testimonies. Entry is free.
See Different Neighborhoods
Potsdamer Platz was Berlin’s busiest square in the 1920s, became divided wasteland, and now has modern towers like the Sony Center. At night the Sony Center’s canopy lights up.
Alexanderplatz has been a main square since medieval times. It’s a bit rough around the edges but full of energy, with that towering TV Tower overhead.
Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg in former East Berlin have become creative neighborhoods. Street art covers the walls, vintage shops line the streets, and you’ll find clubs and bars that define Berlin nightlife.
Walk Historic Streets
Unter den Linden runs from Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island. Frederick the Great planted linden trees here in the 1600s. The street passes Humboldt University, the State Opera, and the German Historical Museum.
Kurfürstendamm (Ku’damm to locals) is West Berlin’s main shopping boulevard. This 3.5-kilometer street is lined with department stores and cafes. The bombed Memorial Church at one end was left damaged as a war memorial.
See Soviet-Era Architecture
Karl-Marx-Allee stretches through East Berlin like a showcase of 1950s socialist ambition. Stalin commissioned this boulevard with monumental apartment blocks decorated with tile mosaics and sculptures.
The buildings were called “workers’ palaces” because they had spacious apartments with modern amenities for the time. Today they’re protected landmarks that show what East Berlin looked like during the Cold War.
FAQs
What’s the best hop-on hop-off bus tour in Berlin?
The choice is about route coverage versus extras. City Circle packs the most onto one route, 26 stops on a single loop with no bus changes. Big Bus is the pick if you want extras, with included walking tours and a 75-minute evening tour at 18:00. Tempelhofer is the only operator with a live Berliner guide on every bus. City Sightseeing suits flexible plans, with tickets valid 3 months from booking.
Where does the hop-on hop-off bus go, and what are the must-see stops?
Every operator hits the big landmarks: the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island, the Reichstag, and the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz. The Brandenburg Gate is the centerpiece, where thousands gathered in 1989 when the Wall came down. For Cold War Berlin, Big Bus’s Blue Route and City Sightseeing’s Trendy East Tour both run out to the East Side Gallery, the 1.3-kilometer stretch of Wall covered in murals. The Route Maps & Stops section on this page breaks down every stop by operator.
Where are the bus stops, and how many are there?
Berlin’s four operators run six routes between them, covering the city’s main landmarks and neighborhoods. City Circle and City Sightseeing reach 26 stops each, Tempelhofer covers 22, and Big Bus’s two routes total 21. Most start from a central anchor like Alexanderplatz, Kurfürstendamm, or the Brandenburg Gate. The Route Maps & Stops section lists each operator’s full stop list and links its downloadable route map.
When do the Berlin buses run?
Hours vary by operator. City Circle runs 10:00 to 18:00 from April to October and shorter hours in winter, with buses every 15 to 20 minutes in summer. City Sightseeing’s Classic Tour runs 09:30 to 17:30 every 30 minutes, and Big Bus’s Red Route runs 09:35 to 17:11. The final complete loops leave in the early-to-mid afternoon, so catch your last full circuit before then. The Route Maps & Stops section has each operator’s timetable.