The Ultimate Weimar Berlin Tour: Explore 1920s Berlin & the Golden Twenties
- Matti Geyer
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
What was Berlin really like before the Nazis? Before dictatorship, war, and destruction, Berlin was the most exciting city in Europe — a place of jazz, avant-garde art, sexual freedom, political extremism, and nonstop nightlife. The Weimar Republic turned Berlin into a laboratory of modern life, and the 1920s in Berlin became legendary as the Roaring Twenties or Golden Twenties.
This private tour doesn’t just show places — it explains how 1920s Berlin worked, why it exploded creatively, and how it all collapsed so catastrophically. Think Babylon Berlin, but real — and historically accurate.
Why Take a Weimar Berlin Tour?
Weimar Berlin wasn’t just a party. It was a contradiction.
Radical freedom and extreme poverty
Queer emancipation and rising fascism
Glamour, drugs, jazz — and political assassinations
On this 1920s Berlin tour, you explore the city at its most intense moment, when Berlin was simultaneously the most modern and most unstable city in the world.
This tour answers the question many visitors ask:
What Sets This Weimar Berlin Tour Apart
This isn’t a generic history walk.
✔️ Deep focus on the 1920s and Weimar Republic
✔️ Hidden locations other tours skip
✔️ Cultural history, politics, nightlife & everyday life combined
✔️ Private and flexible (2–6 hours)
✔️ Led by a Berlin-born historian & professional guide
You don’t just hear names — you meet the people of Weimar Berlin: artists, dancers, revolutionaries, film stars, hustlers, and extremists.
Weimar Berlin Tour Itinerary (1920s Berlin in Detail)
🎭 Art Deco, Cabaret & the New West
The tour begins in Berlin’s “New West”, the playground of the Golden Twenties.
Renaissance Theater – the only fully preserved Art Deco theater in Europe
Theater des Westens & Delphi Kino – icons of Weimar entertainment
Stories of Russian émigrés fleeing the revolution
Why Kurfürstendamm became Berlin’s nightlife capital
You’ll meet legends like Josephine Baker, Anita Berber, and artists Otto Dix and Jeanne Mammen, whose paintings defined 1920s Berlin.
If possible, we step inside the former home of silent film star Asta Nielsen — a rare, almost untouched Weimar interior.
I’ll show you where Marlene Dietrich went to school and where she sat in the cinema as a young girl, long before she became a star.
🎬 Cinema, Crime & Excess
Berlin in the 1920s loved cinema — and scandal.
Berlin’s oldest cinemas, including Marmorhaus and Union Palast
The city’s most infamous robberies and scandals
A shot of Mampe Halb und Halb, Berlin’s signature 1920s drink
Where Nosferatu and Metropolis premiered
This is where the glamour begins to crack — and the darker side of Weimar Berlin emerges.
🏳️🌈 Queer Berlin & Cabaret Culture
Long before Berlin became a queer capital again, Schöneberg was one already.
LGBTQ nightlife in the 1920s
El Dorado and Berlin’s famous trans and gay bars
Christopher Isherwood and the real story behind Sally Bowles
How Cabaret culture challenged social norms
This part of the tour shows just how radical — and fragile — Weimar Berlin truly was.
(This concludes the 2-hour option.)
⚔️ Street Politics, Communists & Nazis
For longer tours, we shift east — and things turn violent.
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and Communist headquarters
Street battles between Communists and Nazis
The assassinations of Karl Liebknecht & Rosa Luxemburg
Why democracy failed in Weimar Berlin
Over absinthe in a vintage bar, we discuss how nightlife, politics, and extremism collided.
(This concludes the 3-hour option.)
🏛️ Babylon Berlin in Real Life
The full Weimar Berlin experience goes even deeper.
Remnants of Wertheim’s department store empire
Clärchens Ballhaus and its legendary mirror room
Friedrichstraße scandals and celebrity sightings
Bauhaus and Neue Sachlichkeit architecture
The real Moka Efti, made famous by Babylon Berlin
Where “Mack the Knife” premiered
The tour ends in a 1920s-themed restaurant, letting the era linger just a little longer.
(This completes the 4-hour walking tour.)
Extended Weimar Berlin Tour by Car (Up to 6 Hours)
Want to go beyond the city center?
Funkturm & Haus des Rundfunks – Weimar media revolution
Expressionist churches and villa districts
AVUS racetrack and modernist housing estates (UNESCO)
Delphi Kino Weißensee, a Babylon Berlin filming location
This option shows how Weimar Berlin shaped modern urban life far beyond nightlife.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a private Weimar Berlin tour cost?
Most tours range from €60–120 per hour, depending on duration, group size, and transport.
Is this tour good for Babylon Berlin fans?
Absolutely. This tour is often described as Babylon Berlin without the fiction.
Is it all walking?
No. Walking tours include breaks and public transport. Car tours are available, too.
Is This the Best Weimar Berlin Tour?
If you want:
1920s Berlin, not just Nazi history
Context, not just anecdotes
Golden Twenties and their collapse
A private, flexible experience
Then yes — this is the Weimar Berlin tour to take in Berlin.
Interested in your own Weimar Berlin tour?
Send me a message for a tailored quote — or combine this tour with other Berlin experiences for a fully bespoke itinerary.
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