On his website lebegeil Jan shares the best recreational activities and adventures in Germany and all over the world. From parachuting to bungee jumping to surfing he has done it all and is always on the lookout for new kicks.
Berlin activities: 5 adventures for a an awesome weekend in German’s capital!
In Berlin there is always something going on. Weekends are so busy and full of options I often cannot decide how to spend my time because the possibilities are endless. As a visitor to the city it must be even harder to decide what to do in the limited time you are in town. Having to choose from a selection as large and varied as here can be overwhelming.
So in this article I want to introduce you to five Berlin activities that are out of the ordinary and will make your time in the German capital unforgettably exciting.
Live Escape Games: real life computer games
Nothing has been as enthralling recently as live escape games. They are basically computer games, room escapes, transferred into real life.
The main idea is always the same. You and your team are in a room and need to solve problems, puzzles, riddles, decode number locks, find clues or physical keys and master challenges to reach a certain goal.
Normally, this goal you are working towards is to free yourselves from the room within a limited amount of time. But I have also been commissioned to disarm bombs, find mass murderers and have saved all of humanity several times over.
The cool thing is that Berlin already has more than ten live escape game sites and every single one of them has a different way of putting the main idea into action.
There are so many different rooms with super creative puzzles to solve. Some games can be more numbers and maths based, others pay great attention to details in the room or the historical setting of the game to provide a specific experience. Other games focus on the storyline and want to make the game as realistic as possible, here authenticity is key.
Amongst the best known gaming providers in Berlin are The Room, EXIT and TeamEscape. But there are many more with even more unusual ideas. At Hipster Escape Party you wake up in a flat after a party and have to figure out how to get out of the flat before the owner comes home.
Claustrophobia crafted one of its rooms after the Fallout computer game. You survive a nuclear attack in an underground shelter and want to get back to the earth’s surface.
Playing Cat in the Bag you are snowbound in a log cabin in the Alps. Your goal is to find a way to get out of the cabin without taking harm.
Seriously, if you are looking for an unusual experience in Berlin, you have to check out escape games! The hard part now is chosing one of them. Maybe you just play several in a row. But be warned, they are addictive!
Base Flying: your turn jumping from a hotel
If you are more into action and adrenaline, Berlin will definitely be a blast for you. You can go parachuting in the greater Berlin area, or plummet from a tower crane with a rubber tow.
Or go straight to the city center, Alexanderplatz, where another rare attraction will send adrenaline rushing through your body.
Base Flying is a combination of bungee and base jumping. You take an elevator to the rooftop terrace of the 125 meter high Park Inn hotel which is situated right in front of the Berlin television tower, but you won’t stay there for long.
As soon as you arrive you are put into safety gear and then asked to walk along a wooden platform which is some five meters long. At the end of the platform you lean forward and are held by nothing but a rope and a hook.
The rope is then gradually loosened and there you are, hanging 125 meters above Alexanderplatz, with the most fantastic view of the area and a feeling of panic and bliss at the same time.
A few more seconds and the rope is detached. Suddenly you are in free fall towards the earth.
What can I say, an amazing feeling. All of you who have been bungee jumping before: you know what I’m talking about.
You are softly slowed down just before the bottom, then you land safely on Alexanderplatz. And of course you can have the whole thing videotaped in case you need proof that you really did jump from a 125 meter high hotel.
Base flying is not for the feeble, but if it is adrenaline you are looking for in the capital, you have come to the right place.
Gourmet City Tour: indulge and get to know Berlin
Berlin is full of tourist double deck buses. If you don’t feel like walking they are the best way to see a lot of the city and its landmarks in a short time.
But there is also a different, unique way of getting to know Berlin. Check out the Gourmet-Liner.
This is not your regular old double deck sightseeing bus. It is the luxurious version with two bars and a kitchen on board. No crappy bus seats but large comfy chairs, business class so to say.
On the 3,5 hour ride through Berlin past the great sights and landmarks you are served a gourmet meal by top chefs. It can sometimes be hard to concentrate on the attractions outside of the bus when you are constantly disracted by culinary highlights. Not to mention the drinks! And while you are being treated to food and drinks the tour guide entertains you with interesting and also funny stories about Berlin.
How about a bachelor/bachelorette party in Berlin? Rent the entire bus for yourself and the boys/girls. Of course you can also just join a tour and enjoy being fed and pampered.
At 99 € a tour this is a lot more expensive than a regular tourist sightseeing bus but on the other hand dinner and drinks are included.
Hot Rod City-Tour: charging through Berlin in soap box cars
If touring the city on a gourmet bus sounds too boring for you, this is one of the Berlin activities that might be an alternative. On a Hot Rod City-Tour you get to zip around Berlin with a small guided group of soap box cars.
They might look a little slow but are incredibly powerful with their 14 horsepower motors. Don’t be fooled, the soap boxes will accelerate up to 88 km/h and can really send you flying.
Driver’s license and good mood required.
A tour with the motorized soap boxes takes 1-2 hours and brings you to all the important tourist sites: East Side Gallery – Alexanderplatz – Hackescher Markt – Friedrichstraße – Reichstag – Brandenburger Tor – Potsdamer Platz – Gendarmenmarkt
The driving experience is similar to go-carts. The motor is right behind the back of your seat so you really get to feel the engine’s power when accelerating. To get used to driving a soap box you make a few turns on the premises, then you hit the road and discover Berlin.
Again, the acceleration of these little cars is insane. Revving them up to maximum speed and charging through the city is great fun. Of course you have to comply by the rules of the road just like everyone else which is harder than it might seem when you hit 70 km/h within seconds.
Driving past a double deck bus really brings back proportions and you realize that your soap box only is a very fast soap box so driving defensively is a must! Drivers often simply don’t notice you and your little vehicle.
But the people on the side of the road will! Be prepared for a lot of attention and looks of jealousy and/or amusement. And many a time will you be asked where these tours are offered and what it costs. And you have probably never been photographed this often in your life.
The two hours go by way too fast but they definitely are two of the funniest hours I have ever spent in Berlin.
Quad Tour: full speed through the mud
If you still haven’t had enough action and also want to get to know Berlin’s surroundings then offroad quad tours are perfect for you.
If you have ever driven a quad you know very well that it is the most fun when the weather sucks the most. And since Berlin is not exactly known for good weather, Berlin and quads are a pretty good match.
You need to leave the city area and drive to Offroadpark Berlin Brandenburg. There you mount your quad and have an hour to go crazy in the park area.
Quads are fantastic, there is no other way to put it. Accelerating to full speed to zip through a puddle, drift around bends in the mud paths or fly through the terrain is super fun.
If it is very dry then there is a lot of dust, which is fun, but really you want to be there just after a good rain, when everything is muddy. That is what it’s all about. Forget all the rules and just enjoy life. You cannot help but smile when you dismount the quad caked in dust and mud!
These were five awesome activities and experiences in Berlin which will show you a new side of the city. Do you have any adrenalin-tipps for a visit to the capital?
