Berlin

Despite all the energy and excitement that surrounds Berlin, the city is infamous for its laid-back way of life that emphasises freedom and creativity over wealth and status. Many joke that it's a challenge to find someone who was actually born and raised in the city as it has a reputation of being a city filled with people from all over the globe. Whilst the trendy party capital namesake reigns true, Berlin has a captivating history that is made evident with its breathtaking landmarks scattered throughout the city including, the 250 year-old Brandenburg Gate, the home to the German Government, The Reichstag, the awe-inspiring Berlin Cathedral and Berlin’s largest palace, Charlottenburg Palace, to name a few.

Those travelling to Berlin will be amazed by how easy it is to get around. The city is home to a huge public transport system with the U-Bahn and S-Bahn subway systems combined lengths equalling a mammoth 473km alongside another 120 kilometres of tram lines. These figures tower over London’s 400km and Paris’ 214km subway systems. A public transport stop is never more than 500m away.

Another astonishing feat of the city is its insane number of bridges, home to approximately 1,700 including the highly Instagrammed Oberbaumbrücke. The city holds more bridges than Venice! This is due to its 180km of waterways, even more waterways than Venice, Stockholm and Amsterdam combined, making it just as easy to navigate the city by boat. Berlin is also known for its greenery, thought to be Germany’s greenest city with 50% of the city being made of rivers, parks, woods and waterways. This makes for an amazing place to explore and get lost in, especially during the warmer months when you can bask in the sun by a lake in a beautifully kept park.

Another interesting aspect of Berliners is their love for their iconic meals and drinks (mostly beer). On average Berlin devours 1000 kebab skewers a day and an astounding 70 million

Currywursts a year. It also boasts the longest beer garden in the world, the record-breaking International Berlin Beer Festival is a jaw dropping 2.2km long. The city also has its own special brew, the Berliner Weiße is a cloudy, sour beer dating back to the 16th century that has recently made a popular return amongst Europe.

If you know anyone travelling or living in Berlin, Gifting Owl has got you covered with a dynamic variety of unforgettable tours for any type of giftee. If you're unsure of what to get your giftee, we recommend the Hidden Berlin Tour, visitors will discover dozens of Berlin’s hidden gems and spots that only true locals know about. This 4 hour tour is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser filled with insider knowledge and even some traditional German treats.

For the history buff Gifting Owl has a variety of tour options including the Storyline of Berlin tour and the 3-Hour Berlin Walking Tour. In these tours, your giftee will explore Berlin’s iconic landmarks that emphasise the turbulence of the Nazi and Cold War eras. Your guide will help you consider Berlin’s dark past as well as its reinvention of itself as a modern capital known for multiculturalism, tolerance and creativity.

Gifting Owl offers a Berlin Photo tour if your giftee is an avid photographer or even if you just want to see some incredible photos of their trip abroad! They will be guided around Berlin’s best photo spots by a professional photographer who will be keen to share all their tips and tricks for the perfect snap.

Gifting Owl is also home to several art tours around Berlin including the 3-hour guided tour of Berlin's Hamburger Bahnhof. The tour guides will familiarise your giftee with some of the biggest contemporary art as they navigate through massive works by pioneers such as Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly and Roy Lichtenstein.

Finally one of our favourite tours Gifting Owl offers in Berlin has to be the David Bowie and The End Of The World tour. The tour takes guests back to the 1970’s Berlin that inspired many of his classic albums. From the flat he shared with Iggy pop to his recording studios, this tour can not be missed.

No matter what your giftee is interested in, Gifting Owl has the perfect tour for them only a few clicks away.