Berlin tours - how much time to walk around?

[jojotravelgirl]

We have looked at the itineraries for several of the tour companies (TJ, Spb, Alla) that provide 12-hour Berlin tours from Warnemunde, and it looks like they basically take you to a bunch of places where you stay only long enough to take a photo or two, plus a 1-hour lunch stop. Has anyone been on one of these tours? Is it really 12 hours spent mostly on a bus, or are there some stops where you actually get to walk around? In general, we prefer to DIY so we can explore on our own and take as much time as we like at different places. But for Berlin, but the only "transfer only" options I can find would cost $750-$1,000 for our group of 5, whereas the tours are only $525 total for our group. Seems like it should cost less for just the transfer, so I'm not sure what's up. We would also consider renting a car, but that does entail some risk of missing the ship.

[fabnfortysomething]

we used SPB a few years ago

 

there was quite a bit walking involved-too much so for my husband who needed a hip replacement at the time!

 

there were 3 or 4 groups which were on the same large bus from Warnemunde to Berlin. Once there we were split into smaller vehicles which took us from one area of Berlin to another[some of the places of interest are far apart.]

 

we did walk around particularly the central part with Brandenburg gate and museums and there were plenty of photo opportunities. Personally I found the hour lunch too long and would have preferred more sightseeing.

 

explain what you want out of the trip in an email to the company and repeat your itinery to the tour guide on the day-we have found that they don't always read them and just assume what tourists want.This can result in trips to expensive restaurants/tourist traps and souvenir shops!

Edited May 11, 2014 by fabnfortysomething

[prish]

We've also decided on SPB for our Baltic cruise next year and I've asked if we could include a museum without a stop for lunch, we'll probably get sandwiches to eat on the bus. This will be classifies a "private"tour, but if we get a bus load of 16 the cost shouldn't be much more than the regular tour they offer. Since our cruise is still more than a year away I haven't yet worked out the itinerary, but the OP could consider this option too.

[Sauer-kraut]

You realize that it takes approx 3 hours to get to Berlin, so 6 hours of your 12 hours in the city are bascially just travelling there and back.