Boat Tours and Cruises in Berlin

Berlin can be discovered in many ways and one of them is to do it through a small cruise on the river that runs through the city. You can choose from different options by selecting the experience that best suits your plans and travel style.

The most complete option

Berlin Dinner Cruise

Secure your boat trip with 3-course dinner included

Perfect if you want to relax watching a sunset over the river Spree while enjoying the city of Berlin and tasting its most traditional food.

From $77 at Hellotickets

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This 2.5 hour cruise on the Spree River has everything you would expect from a boat ride in Berlin. While discovering the city's architecture and historical monuments, you can sample three courses of Berlin's exquisite food along with a complimentary drink, all for a very affordable price.

You will tour the most important neighborhoods of the German capital, such as Kreuzberg or Turkish quarter, Mitte and Friedrichshain, contemplating the main attractions such as the Reichstag or the Berlin TV Tower.

Why I like this option: The Berlin dinner cruise is ideal for an entertaining evening dining with your loved ones while cruising the Spree.

Recommended if... if you go with your family or couple, as you can share a very pleasant moment with them.

This option is ideal to get an overview of Berlin and its history. The one-hour cruise on the Spree River has audio commentary. It departs from the Nikolai district in old Berlin; it is a very central location, so you will have no difficulty walking or taking public transportation from your hotel or any other key location in the city center.

A positive point is that, at most, you will be 20 people taking the cruise at the same time, so you can forget about the typical image of a crowded ship with tourists shooting pictures all around; this is, rather, a relaxed tour of the city that can serve as a first contact with Berlin or as a last look before ending your trip in the German capital. I summarize below the main points of your itinerary.

Reichstag building

It is currently the seat of the German parliament in Berlin, but you probably know it more for being the building where the Weimar Republic was proclaimed after the First World War or for being the place where a suspicious fire occurred in 1933. The audio commentary will tell you more in detail about the historical significance of the Reichstag, but don't hesitate to visit inside to enjoy its impressive modern dome. You won't be disappointed.

Museum Island

It is so called because many of the **world'**s most important museums converge here: the Pergamon Museum, the Old Museum, the New Museum, the Old National Gallery and the Bode Museum. You will need a whole day if you want to see them all, but for now during this walk you will contemplate the views of the whole and you can hear what each of them houses and then decide your itinerary. Get your camera ready as you approach the island.

Berlin Cathedral

Crowned by its green dome, the cathedral is probably the most representative building of the city of Berlin. When you see it from the boat you will feel like lying on the lawn in front of it to enjoy a picnic or a relaxing time; you will have time, for now enjoy the view from the river.

Victory Column

Also known as "the golden donkey" (pay attention to the audio commentary and you will find out why), it is another symbol of the German capital. If you don't want to leave the city without enjoying some great panoramic views, set aside time during your trip to climb this 67-meter-high monument.

Center for Contemporary Art

The art in Berlin does not end on Museum Island. The modern half-moon building you will see from the ship is the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, a contemporary art center dedicated, above all, to discussing art in non-European cultures. Don't miss the illuminated building.

Bellevue Palace

It is the official residence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. Enjoy its exterior views because seeing the interior can become mission impossible as visits are very small and waiting times are several months long.

The television tower

Wherever you are in Berlin, you can always orient yourself by the television tower, the tallest building in the city located on Alexanderplatz. Its construction is not accidental, but was made to show the superiority of communism over capitalism during the years of the wall.

If you are attracted by the idea of the boat ride and you have time and desire to enjoy the city without rushing, the option of the two and a half hour cruise through Berlin is the most complete. Groups are limited to a maximum of 30 passengers and you will have audio commentary during the tour in several languages. When you book your place online you can choose between different times throughout the day to perform the activity.

The departure is from the pier located next to the Friedrichstraße bridge; you have a subway and bus stop with the same name located in the city center and you can also walk from the Brandenburg Gate.

If you choose this experience my advice is the following: the duration of the tour will give you time to take pictures and also to listen to the audio commentary, also reserve some time to enjoy the views without paying attention to anything else.

Itinerary

Ana's Traveller Tip

In winter the temperatures drop considerably in Berlin; although it is beautiful to see the snowy city wrap up warm if you are going to enjoy a river cruise.

This experience includes two activities: a one-hour boat ride on the Spree River and a pass for the sightseeing bus that runs through the city. The latter can be used to take a complete tour of Berlin's sights with audio commentary included (just like the boat ride) or to get around the center of the German capital.

You can choose to combine the boat tour with a sightseeing bus pass valid for 24 or 48 hours depending on your travel plans. On both the boat and the bus, audio commentary is available in several languages.

As for the schedule, when you book your place for this experience you will be able to choose which day and time you want to take the river cruise. The tour bus pass, on the other hand, can be activated at any time. Once you make your reservation online you will receive an email with all the details, but I'll give you a preview of the operation and route of the tourist bus so that you have it clear if you have never used this service before.

About the bus

It is a bus with panoramic views and audio commentary that passes through the most emblematic sites of the city of Berlin. During the time your pass lasts you can take this bus as many times as you want from the stop you want; the frequency of passage is 15 to 20 minutes and the hours of operation from 9:30 am to 18:30 pm.

Itinerary

Ana's Traveller Tip

The audio commentary is an interesting guide to the main buildings in Berlin; use it to help you plan your visit.

The Berlin Pass includes a city cruise among its 50+ activities. You can take a Berlin cruise with the Berlin Pass: plus you can enjoy Berlin to the fullest with free entry to the Berlin Wall Museum, the Pergamon Museum, the Bode Museum, and many others, as well as including the climb to the Berlin Cathedral, a sightseeing bus tour of the city, walking tours and entrance to Legoland.

Before you buy the Berlin Pass I recommend you to read about its advantages here: Berlin Tourist Cards.

The boat tour of Berlin is similar on all cruises that cross the part of the Spree River that passes through the city center. Therefore, the differential factors that you have to take into account when booking online one or the other option are:

During any of the boat tours in Berlin you will have the opportunity to enjoy the views of the city on the one hand and on the other hand audio commentaries that will put in context the different points of interest. You can do the same, from another point of view, if you hire a guided walking tour of the most important points of the city or if you buy a pass for any of the tourist buses that run through the city of Berlin.

If what you enjoyed most about the boat ride was learning historical facts through the audio commentary, you can delve even deeper into the history of the city on a guided walking tour. There are different types and they are usually organized by neighborhoods. In this post about Day Trips from Berlin you have all the necessary information; I tell you that this is one of my favorite experiences in any city.

If instead you have done the boat ride on the Spree river and what you have enjoyed the most are the views, take a look at this other article on Berlin Hop-On Hop-Off Buses. You can buy a pass to access the Berlin sightseeing bus for one or several days and besides being able to take different tours around the city you can also move freely between the different points of interest with the option of free stops.