💡 The Short Version: Berliner Unterwelten, the Berlin Underworlds Association, runs seven public tours of bunkers, tunnels and a Cold War shelter, each 90 minutes and €18 (€13 reduced). Tickets are sold only in its online shop, 30 days ahead, never at the meeting point, and cannot be refunded. Sturdy closed shoes are compulsory, the tours are not step-free, parts are about 10 degrees, and photography is not allowed. The Flak Tower tour runs from April to the end of October and is for 18 and over. The Berlin Story Bunker is a private museum in a Second World War bunker, €18, open every day 10:00 to 19:00. Or book the museum ahead: the Berlin Story Bunker entry ticketad is €18, the operator’s own price (GetYourGuide).
Berliner Unterwelten tours
Berliner Unterwelten is a non-profit association. Its public tours are for individual visitors, and each has its own page in the association’s tour list. All seven public tours take 90 minutes and cost €18, or €13 reduced; the Dresdener Straße tour has no reduced price. The tickets and the dates are in the online shop, whose calendar shows which tours run in English.
The Humboldthain flak tower from the air, rising out of the park’s trees. Photo: Kasa Fue, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Tour | Meets at | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Worlds | Brunnenstraße 105, beside the Info and Book Shop; S+U Gesundbrunnen | A Second World War air-raid bunker as it was left, and 160 years of Berlin’s civil underground |
| From Flak Towers to Mountains of Debris | Lower platform of the flak tower in Volkspark Humboldthain; follow the signs from the park entrance by the Badstraßenbrücke | Three of the seven floors of the Humboldthain flak tower; April to the end of October; 18 and over |
| Subways, Bunkers, Cold War | Badstraße at the corner of Böttgerstraße, beside the white entrance building | The underground structure at Blochplatz, from public shelter to Cold War civil defence |
| Nuclear Bunker Pankstraße | Badstraße 50, in front of St Paul’s Church, near U Pankstraße | An atomic fallout shelter and the history of civil defence |
| Tunnel and Bunker Dresdener Straße | Dresdener Straße, the access building opposite number 44; U Heinrich-Heine-Straße or U Moritzplatz | A 450-metre tunnel and station shell with a bunker built in; 14 and over; €18 only |
| The Fichtebunker Kreuzberg | Fichtestraße 6; U Südstern | A bunker in Kreuzberg with lofts built on its roof, whose interior is an exhibition space |
| Under the Berlin Wall | Brunnenstraße 141; U Bernauer Straße | Escape tunnels, in the vaults of a former brewery |
The association also gives a Dresdener Straße Special, for 18 and over, in which flashlights and waders are provided because part of the facility is unlit and under water (berliner-unterwelten.de).
A room on the Berliner Unterwelten tour of the Dresdener Straße tunnel and bunker. Photo: GodeNehler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Booking
Online shop only · 30 days ahead · no refunds
Tickets for the English tours are sold only in the online shop; there are no ticket sales at the meeting point, and the Info and Book Shop at Brunnenstraße 105, open daily 10:00 to 15:30, sells publications, not tour tickets. Tickets go on sale 30 days ahead and must be shown at the tour entrance. They are excluded from exchange, refund and return, and a refund is made only if the association cancels the tour, but the tickets are not personalised, so an unused ticket can be passed on or sold. The Berlin WelcomeCard is not valid for tours; it is valid only for the “Hitler’s plans for Berlin: Myth of Germania” exhibition. Groups book separately through the contact form, and some tours are available in English for groups on request (berliner-unterwelten.de).
The rules
- Shoes. Sturdy, fully enclosed shoes with a solid sole. Sandals, flip-flops, heels and ballet flats are not allowed, and on the Flak Tower the shoes are checked before entry.
- Cold. Warm clothes are advised: parts of the tours are around 10 degrees all year, and the Flak Tower is 10 degrees at best, with helmets provided.
- Age. Children under 7 are refused. The tours are aimed at adults and recommended for ages 14 and over; for 7 to 13 the parent or guardian decides.
- Access. The tours are not step-free: most of the time is spent walking and standing, with no chairs and several staircases.
- Bags and animals. Nothing larger than a handbag or a small backpack, no luggage storage, and no animals. There are lockers at S/U Gesundbrunnen.
- Photography. Photography, filming and sound recordings are generally not permitted, and neither are smart glasses.
- Toilets. None on site. For the tours that start at Gesundbrunnen, use the public toilet at the station.
Under the Berlin Wall
€18 (€13 reduced) · 90 minutes · U Bernauer Straße
Seven tunnel projects were started within 350 metres of Bernauer Straße. The tour is held in the vaults of the former Oswald Berliner Brewery on the street and ends at the only original escape tunnel still visible under the Wall. The association recommends the Berlin Wall Memorial’s documentation centre afterwards: see the Berlin Wall Memorial guide.
Berlin Story Bunker
€18 (€12 reduced) · every day 10:00 to 19:00 · about three hours
The Berlin Story Bunker, at Schöneberger Straße 23A, is a private museum in a Second World War bunker, run by Berlin Story, not a state museum. One ticket covers three exhibitions: “Hitler: How Could It Happen”, on National Socialism; “Germany 1945 to Today”, from the unconditional surrender to the war in Ukraine; and the Ukraine Museum, on the Russian invasion. It is open 365 days a year from 10:00 to 19:00, with last admission at 17:30. Payment is by card only, the bunker is not suited to wheelchairs, the texts are in German and English, and the audio guide comes in 12 languages (berlinstory.de). The ticket is on the Berlin WelcomeCard all inclusive; it is not in the Museum Pass. GetYourGuide’s entry ticketad is the same €18 (7,393 reviews).
The Berlin Story Bunker on Schöneberger Straße. Photo: Fred Romero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Which to book
- A bunker as it was left: Dark Worlds, from Gesundbrunnen.
- The Cold War: Subways, Bunkers, Cold War, or the Nuclear Bunker on Pankstraße.
- The Wall: Under the Berlin Wall, then the memorial on Bernauer Straße.
- Out of season: the Flak Tower is closed from November to April; the Story Bunker is open every day.
- A museum open every day: the Berlin Story Bunker.
The Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße is where the association suggests going after the Under the Berlin Wall tour. For the Stasi, see Stasi Museum or Hohenschönhausen, and for guided walks on the same period, Berlin walking tours. What to book before you go to Berlin lists the sights that need tickets, Berlin public transport covers the trains to Gesundbrunnen and Bernauer Straße, and where to stay in Berlin compares the areas. Checkpoint Charlie and the DDR Museum cover the same years above ground, and free things to do in Berlin lists what costs nothing.
Common questions
How much are the Berliner Unterwelten tours and how do I book?
Each public tour is €18, or €13 reduced, for 90 minutes. Tickets are sold only in the association's online shop, on sale 30 days ahead, and not at the meeting point. They cannot be exchanged or refunded, but they are not personalised, so you can pass them on.
What do I need to wear on a Berlin bunker tour?
Sturdy, closed shoes: sandals, flip-flops and heels are not allowed, and the Flak Tower tour checks footwear before entry. Warm clothes, because parts are around 10 degrees all year. There are no visitor toilets on site.
Can I take photographs on the Berliner Unterwelten tours?
No. Photography, filming and sound recordings are generally not permitted, and neither are smart glasses with recording functions. Bags larger than a handbag or a small backpack are not allowed, and there is no luggage storage; lockers are at Gesundbrunnen station.
Are the underground tours suitable for children?
Not under 7, who are refused entry. The association recommends the tours for ages 14 and over and leaves 7 to 13 to the parent. The Flak Tower and the Dresdener Straße Special are for 18 and over, and the Dresdener Straße tour for 14 and over.
How much is the Berlin Story Bunker?
€18, or €12 reduced, for a ticket that covers all three exhibitions. It is open every day of the year from 10:00 to 19:00, with last admission at 17:30, and takes cards only. Allow about three hours.
