Berlin Wall Memorial to the East Side Gallery, Berlin: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour along the Berlin Wall from Bernauer Strasse to the East Side Gallery in Berlin: 5 stops, about 12.3 km, about 165 minutes of walking plus about 32 minutes of listening. The route follows the Berliner Mauerweg, the official Berlin Wall Trail. Start at the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, where windows became escape routes in 1961. Pass the Brandenburg Gate, once trapped in the death strip, and Potsdamer Platz, one of the strip’s widest stretches. At Checkpoint Charlie, Soviet and American tanks faced off in October 1961. Finish at the East Side Gallery, painted by 118 artists from 21 countries. Many more memorial sites line the way.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 12.3 km
- Walking:
- about 165 min
- Listening:
- about 32 min
Two ways to do this walk
Berlin with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsBerlin Wall Memorial to the East Side Gallery, Berlin: how long does the walk take?
About 197 minutes in all: about 165 minutes on foot over about 12.3 km, plus about 32 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Berlin Wall Memorial to the East Side Gallery, Berlin: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Berlin Wall Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, and East Side Gallery. The longest stretch between two stops is about 5.2 km, about 69 min on foot.
Official route: Berliner Mauerweg
This walk follows the route Berliner Mauerweg as Land Berlin (berlin.de) describes it: here is every official stop, in order. The linked stops have a free Mappu audio guide.
- Gedenkstätte Berliner MauerStop 1 of this walk
- Kapelle der VersöhnungOn the route, no audio guide
- S-Bahnhof NordbahnhofOn the route, no audio guide
- Ausstellung „Grenz- und Geisterbahnhöfe im geteilten Berlin“On the route, no audio guide
- Friedhof der St.-Hedwig-GemeindeOn the route, no audio guide
- Ehemaliger Grenzübergang ChausseestraßeOn the route, no audio guide
- KaninchenfeldOn the route, no audio guide
- Gedenkstätte Günter LitfinOn the route, no audio guide
- InvalidenfriedhofOn the route, no audio guide
- Ehemaliger Grenzübergang InvalidenstraßeOn the route, no audio guide
- Parlament der BäumeOn the route, no audio guide
- Mauermahnmal im Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-HausOn the route, no audio guide
- Weiße KreuzeOn the route, no audio guide
- Ehemalige Wasserkontrollstelle an der MarschallbrückeA detour off the route
- TränenpalastA detour off the route
- ReichstagOn the route, no audio guide
- Brandenburger TorStop 2 of this walk
- Potsdamer PlatzStop 3 of this walk
- Mauerreste im BundesumweltministeriumOn the route, no audio guide
- Wachturm der DDR-GrenztruppenOn the route, no audio guide
- Topographie des TerrorsOn the route, no audio guide
- Checkpoint CharlieStop 4 of this walk
- Gedenkort Peter FechterOn the route, no audio guide
- Ehemaliger Grenzübergang Heinrich-Heine-StraßeOn the route, no audio guide
- EngelbeckenOn the route, no audio guide
- Osmans GecekonduOn the route, no audio guide
- SchillingbrückeOn the route, no audio guide
- East Side GalleryStop 5 of this walk
- Warschauer StraßeOn the route, no audio guide
Source: Land Berlin (berlin.de), read on October 25, 2026: Mauerweg: Von der Wollankstraße zum Nordbahnhof · Mauerweg: Vom Nordbahnhof zum Potsdamer Platz · Mauerweg: Vom Potsdamer Platz zur Warschauer Straße
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
In August 1961, photographs from Bernauer Strasse travelled around the world: people throwing themselves from their windows into sheets held out by West Berlin firefighters.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Brandenburg Gate · about 5.2 km, about 69 min on foot
Stop 2
In 1806 Napoleon took the Quadriga from the top of the gate to Paris as a trophy; the Prussians brought it back eight years later.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Potsdamer Platz · about 1.3 km, about 17 min on foot
Stop 3
Once one of Europe’s most important transport hubs, the square became one of the widest stretches of the Wall’s death strip, then the largest building site on the continent.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Checkpoint Charlie · about 1.1 km, about 14 min on foot
Stop 4
On 27 October 1961, Soviet and American tanks stood directly facing each other at this Allied crossing on Friedrichstraße; the standoff ended peacefully.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: East Side Gallery · about 4.7 km, about 63 min on foot
Stop 5
In 1990 this stretch of the Wall was painted by 118 artists from 21 countries; Dmitri Vrubel’s fraternal kiss between Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker is among its most famous murals.
about 7 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Berlin?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Berlin
Route checked by Mappu on October 25, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.