Berlin’s Hidden WWII Sites
From €549
5 Hours
ENG & DE
Private Tour
Most of what you'll see on this tour isn't secret. You probably know that Germany surrendered in Berlin, ending the war in Europe. You may know that the Nazis planned to rebuild the city as a colossal capital called Germania. But where are these places?
This tour takes you beyond Berlin's familiar landmarks to find them. Stand in the room where Germany signed its unconditional surrender, see the remains of Berlin's enormous flak towers, and discover sites that reveal a very different side of the city's wartime history.
Led by a specialist historian, this private tour takes you to seven remarkable WWII sites across Berlin — places with extraordinary stories that most visitors never reach.
Tour Highlights:
Humboldthain Flak Towers — Explore the remains of one of Berlin's enormous wartime air-defence towers, built on Hitler's orders in 1940.
Moabit Freight Station — Discover the site from which more than 30,000 Jews were deported from Berlin between 1942 and 1944.
Plötzensee Prison — Visit the site where thousands of opponents of the Nazi regime and other prisoners were executed.
The Schwerbelastungskörper — See the 12,650-tonne concrete cylinder built to test whether Berlin's ground could support the monumental architecture planned for Germania.
SA Prison Papestraße — Step inside one of Berlin's early Nazi prisons, established in 1933 before the concentration camp system had fully developed.
Tempelhof Airport — Explore one of Nazi Berlin's monumental building projects and discover its later role during the Berlin Airlift.
Museum Berlin-Karlshorst — Stand in the room where Germany's unconditional surrender was signed on 8 May 1945.
What You’ll Discover
How the Nazi state functioned on the ground — through sites connected to air defence, persecution, imprisonment, execution, monumental architecture and war.
How these seemingly different places connect — from a flak tower and freight yard to a prison and surrender room, each site reveals another part of Berlin's wartime history.
How the war in Europe ended — stand in the room where Germany's unconditional surrender was signed in May 1945.
A side of wartime Berlin most visitors never see — going beyond the famous landmarks to explore surviving places hidden throughout the modern city.
Book Your Hidden WWII Sites Tour
Choose your preferred date below to check availability and book your private tour.
Can't Find a Date That Works?
We may be able to arrange an additional date for your private tour. Let us know when you'll be in Berlin and we'll see what we can arrange for you.
Tour Itinerary
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![Humboldthain Flak Tower in Berlin, a surviving Second World War anti-aircraft defence tower and one of the city’s hidden WWII sites.]()
Humboldthain Flak Tower
One of Berlin's enormous wartime air-defence towers, built on Hitler's orders in 1940. Explore the surviving structure and terrain while hearing the stories of the Berliners who sheltered here and the forced labourers who helped build it.
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![Memorial at Moabit Freight Station in Berlin, the deportation site where thousands of Jews were transported to concentration and extermination camps during the Holocaust.]()
Moabit Freight Station
Between 1942 and 1944, more than 30,000 Jews were deported from this site. The station is gone; today, 24 pine trees mark where the railway tracks once stood. Their absence forms part of the memorial.
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![Inside Plötzensee Prison in Berlin, where members of the German Resistance and political prisoners were executed during the Nazi era.]()
Plötzensee Prison
One of the Nazi regime's principal execution sites, where more than 2,800 people were killed. The execution room, with its preserved iron hooks, remains one of the most sobering places on the tour.
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![The Schwerbelastungskörper in Berlin, a massive Nazi engineering test structure built to assess ground stability for Hitler’s planned world capital, Germania.]()
Schwerbelastungskörper
A 12,650-tonne concrete cylinder built in 1941 to test whether Berlin's ground could support the monumental architecture planned for Germania. It is one of the few surviving physical traces of the project.
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![The former SA Prison Papestraße in Berlin, an early Nazi detention centre used to imprison and torture political opponents in 1933.]()
SA Prison Papestraße
A basement transformed into an SA prison in 1933, during the first months of Nazi rule. Around 500 people were imprisoned and tortured here, and the original prisoner graffiti remains visible on the walls.
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![Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, an iconic historic site linked to Nazi Germany, the Second World War and the Berlin Airlift.]()
Tempelhof Airport
One of the monumental building projects of Nazi Berlin and still one of the largest buildings in Europe. Later, Tempelhof became a symbol of the Cold War as a vital hub of the 1948–49 Berlin Airlift.
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![The surrender hall at the German-Russian Museum Karlshorst, where Germany signed its unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945, ending World War II in Europe. CC BY-SA 3.0]()
Museum Berlin-Karlshorst
Stand in the room where Germany signed its unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. Today the historic surrender room preserves the setting of that night, where the war in Europe formally came to an end.
Planning Your Tour
Pick-Up & Meeting Point
Hotel pick-up and drop-off are included. We'll collect you from your accommodation and return you at the end of the tour, with private transport between all seven sites throughout the day.
Prefer to meet us directly? We can meet at S+U Gesundbrunnen, in front of the McDonald's at the station entrance. Your guide will be holding a “Hidden WWII Sites” sign.
Address: Brunnenstraße 108A, 13355 Berlin
What’s Included
Private expert historian
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Private vehicle and transport between all seven sites
Entry to relevant memorials and museums
Original “Then & Now” photographs and maps
Wi-Fi in the vehicle
Bottle of water
What to Bring
Comfortable walking shoes — terrain varies throughout the tour
Weather-appropriate clothing
Water
Your questions and curiosity
Cancellation
Free up to 48 hours before the tour.
Pricing
Private tour: €549 for up to 7 guests
Larger groups are welcome. For groups of more than 7 guests, we arrange a larger vehicle and will provide a customised price.
Why Choose Us?
Why Choose Us?
Expert-led military history tours. Our guides specialise in bringing complex history to life on the ground, combining detailed research with engaging and accessible storytelling.
Private tour — your group, your guide, your pace. With no other guests, there's more flexibility to ask questions, explore particular subjects in greater depth and experience the history at a pace that suits your group.
A guide who connects the sites. From a flak tower and deportation site to an execution prison and surrender room, your guide connects seven very different locations into one coherent story of wartime Berlin.
Historical expertise featured on National Geographic and Discovery Channel. On The Front Tours founder Matthew Menneke has contributed his expertise to international history documentaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. This is a completely private tour for you and your group, with your own guide and vehicle. This gives you greater flexibility with the pace of the tour and more opportunity to ask questions and explore particular subjects in depth.
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Absolutely. Although the tour focuses on sites away from Berlin's usual tourist trail, your guide provides all the historical context needed to understand what you're seeing. It's a great choice if you want to discover a different side of Berlin's WWII history.
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Not at all. The tour is designed to be engaging whether you're already knowledgeable about WWII history or discovering much of the subject for the first time. Your guide will provide the context at each location and adapt the depth of discussion to your interests.
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The tour deals with serious subjects, including persecution, deportation and execution. We present this history carefully and without sensationalism, but some locations and themes may be difficult for younger visitors. Parents should use their own judgement based on their child's age, interests and maturity.
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Yes. Hotel pick-up and drop-off within Berlin are included. Alternatively, you can meet your guide at our designated meeting point at Gesundbrunnen.
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The standard private tour price of €549 covers up to 7 guests. Larger groups are also welcome, but we need to arrange a larger vehicle, so the price will vary. Contact us with your group size and we'll provide a customised quote.
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The interior isn't included on this tour. We explore the exterior of the flak tower, the surrounding terrain and its history. Access to the interior is available separately through Berliner Unterwelten's guided programme, which operates seasonally from April to October.
If you'd like to experience both, we're happy to advise on arranging the two tours — they complement each other rather than covering the same ground.
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The private vehicle reduces most of the walking between sites, but accessibility varies at each location. Humboldthain involves a hill, while the Papestraße prison is located in a basement accessed by stairs. Tempelhof and Karlshorst are largely accessible.
If you have specific mobility requirements, let us know when booking and we'll advise you on the best approach. Walking aids can usually be accommodated in the vehicle.
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You can cancel your booking free of charge up to 48 hours before the tour. Cancellations made after this point are subject to our cancellation terms.
Have a Question?
Not sure whether this tour is right for you, travelling with a larger group, or have a question before booking? Send us a message and we'll be happy to help.
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