City Sightseeing Berlin: HOHO Bus – All Lines (A+B) & Icebar

Berlin gives you history at every turn, and this tour covers a surprising amount of it from the top deck of a double-decker bus. You can pass the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Alexanderplatz, the East Side Gallery, and sections of the Berlin Wall without piecing together the city’s wide geography on your own.

I like the two-route format, since the classic circuit handles central Berlin while the East Berlin route reaches the Wall and East Side Gallery. I also like the unusual Icebar add-on: three drinks served among ice sculptures at minus 10 degrees. The main drawback is timing. The buses stop running relatively early, and Icebar admission is tied to a fixed slot.

Key points at a glance

• Two routes cover 26 stops: The A-Tour links central landmarks, while the B-Tour heads toward Berlin Wall sites and the East Side Gallery.
• Open-top views make orientation easier: You can see Berlin’s broad avenues, monuments, and changing districts without navigating public transport.
• Checkpoint Charlie gives the tour historical weight: It was a key Cold War crossing point and remains one of the city’s most recognized sights.
• Icebar Berlin is a separate evening-style attraction: The bar is kept at minus 10 degrees and contains 69,000 kilos of ice.
• Three drinks are included: A bartender’s nougat vodka suggestion has been a particular highlight, but the visit is brief and tightly timed.
• Plan around limited departures: The A-Tour runs every 25 minutes, while the B-Tour runs every 40 minutes, with the last departures in the afternoon.

Seeing central Berlin from the A-Tour

The 120-minute Classic Tour is the best first ride if you are new to Berlin. It begins at 9:30 a.m. from Stop 1 and continues until the last departure at 3:30 p.m. Buses come every 25 minutes, which gives you some freedom to get off, look around, and catch another bus later.

The route starts around Tauentzienstrasse and KaDeWe, Berlin’s famous department store. This opening stretch is useful for getting a sense of the western city center, though it is less important for major historic sights than the stops that follow.

At Lützowplatz, you are still in central West Berlin. The route then moves to Potsdamer Platz, where the modern city meets the memory of a divided one. The stop at the historic traffic-light display offers a small but telling reminder of Berlin’s rebuilding. Potsdamer Platz was once split by the Wall and later rebuilt as a major commercial district.

The Gropiusbau stop puts you near one of Berlin’s well-known exhibition buildings. From there, the bus reaches Checkpoint Charlie, one of the most useful stops for anyone trying to understand the Cold War city. This was an official crossing point between East and West Berlin, and the name remains firmly tied to the Wall era.

You should get off here if you want time to look around. A quick bus pass gives you the headline, but the site deserves a pause because Berlin’s division can otherwise feel abstract. The audio commentary helps, though it cannot replace time on foot.

Gendarmenmarkt, Alexanderplatz, and the old center

The A-Tour continues to Gendarmenmarkt, one of Berlin’s most impressive squares. It is a good place to leave the bus for a short walk, especially if you want grand architecture in a compact setting.

Next comes Neptunbrunnen, followed by Alexanderplatz. Alexanderplatz is one of the clearest examples of Berlin’s former East German character, with broad open space, large modernist buildings, and the familiar television tower nearby. It is also a practical transfer point between the two routes.

Lustgarten takes you toward Berlin’s museum district and the area around the former royal center. The Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse stop then places you along one of the city’s best-known boulevards. This part of the ride gives you a useful link between Berlin’s grand ceremonial spaces and its busy central streets.

The bus proceeds to Brandenburg Gate, probably the most important single stop on the classic route. The gate once symbolized a divided city and now represents reunified Berlin. You will want to see it from street level, but the open top deck also gives you a clean view as the bus approaches.

Nearby, the Reichstag is another essential sight. The building houses Germany’s parliament, and its modern glass dome is especially recognizable. The bus does not turn this into a guided interior visit, so treat the stop as an introduction and get off if you want to explore the area more closely.

From Hauptbahnhof to Kurfürstendamm

After the Reichstag, the route reaches Hauptbahnhof, Berlin’s main railway station. It is a useful landmark and a reminder that the city is connected by more than its historic center.

The bus then passes the Siegessäule, or Victory Column, in the middle of the Tiergarten. The broad green park around it gives the ride a welcome change of pace after Berlin’s dense central streets. You get a particularly clear sense of the city’s scale from the upper deck.

The Zoo and Elefantentor stop serves Berlin Zoo and the entrance area known as Elephant Gate. From there, the route heads toward Café Kranzler and Kurfürstendamm 236. Kurfürstendamm is the heart of West Berlin’s famous shopping and hotel district, and the final stops bring the tour back to the area where it began.

I would use the full A-Tour early in your visit, then decide which central stops deserve a second look. The ride is useful for orientation, but the bus schedule matters. Since the final Stop 1 departure is at 3:30 p.m., you should not assume you can spend all afternoon hopping on and off.

Taking the B-Tour to Wall sites and East Berlin

The 60-minute Trendy East Berlin and Wall Tour covers a different side of Berlin. It also starts at 9:30 a.m., but the last departure from Stop 1 is later, at 4:30 p.m. Buses arrive every 40 minutes, so missed buses cost more time than on the A-Tour.

The route begins at Rotes Rathaus, near the Neptune Fountain and Alexanderplatz. From there, it moves to Oranienburger Strasse and Krausnickstrasse. This is a useful route for seeing how quickly Berlin shifts from major civic spaces to streets tied to the city’s cultural and political past.

Bernauer Strasse is one of the strongest stops on this circuit. The area is closely connected with the Berlin Wall and offers a more serious setting for understanding the human cost of the division. The listed stop is near Café Bar Central, while another stop serves Mauerpark at Bernauer Strasse 45.

Mauerpark is closely linked with the former Wall zone. The name means Wall Park, and the location helps you grasp how the barrier once cut through ordinary neighborhoods. If you are interested in Berlin’s 20th-century history, this route is not just an optional add-on. It reaches places that the classic circuit does not.

The B-Tour then returns toward Alexanderplatz and stops at the Park Inn Hotel. After that, it follows Karl-Marx-Allee near the Computerspielemuseum. Karl-Marx-Allee is known for its broad socialist-era boulevard and monumental apartment blocks, giving you a strong visual contrast with West Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm.

East Side Gallery and Ostbahnhof

The final major stretch reaches the East Side Gallery near Mercedes-Benz Arena. This open-air section of the former Wall is covered with murals and has become one of Berlin’s best-known public art sites.

The stop lets you connect political history with later artistic expression. The Wall was built as a barrier, yet sections that remain have been used to tell stories about freedom, division, and change. You should allow extra time here if the site is a priority, because the bus itself cannot provide more than a passing look.

The route ends at Ostbahnhof, near the Intercity Hotel. This is another practical stop for linking the East Berlin circuit with the city’s wider transport system, although the tour itself ends back at the meeting point rather than functioning as a one-way sightseeing transfer.

I would give the B-Tour its own half day if you want to get off at Bernauer Strasse, Mauerpark, or East Side Gallery. Riding it without leaving the bus gives you a quick overview, but the Wall sites reward time on foot.

What the audio guide adds from the upper deck

The audio commentary is available in 13 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Arabic, and Turkish.

That range makes the tour practical for mixed-language groups. The commentary gives you historical facts while you move between districts, so you are not simply looking at buildings without context. Still, the bus format has limits. You receive a broad introduction rather than a detailed walking tour, and the sound of city traffic may affect how much you catch from the recording.

The open-top deck is the main reason to choose this format over a standard city bus. You get 360-degree views of Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Victory Column, and Berlin’s wide streets. On a clear day, the height helps you see how the city’s different eras sit beside one another.

Weather can change the experience. The ticket gives you an open-top option, but you should dress for wind and be ready to move downstairs if conditions turn unpleasant. Smoking and pets are not allowed.

Entering Icebar Berlin at minus 10 degrees

The Icebar is the most unusual part of this package. Inside, the temperature is kept at minus 10 degrees, and the bar contains about 69,000 kilos of ice. Ice sculptures form the setting, so this is less a standard cocktail stop and more a short, highly themed attraction.

You receive three complimentary drinks. One useful detail is that the drinks are served in the frozen setting, and nougat vodka has been a particularly successful choice. If you enjoy sweet spirits, ask for that option. Food and other drinks are not included unless specifically stated.

The Icebar opens Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. until midnight, and Saturday and Sunday from 4 p.m. until midnight. It is closed Mondays, with last admission one hour before closing.

Most important, this is a timed ticket. You need to arrive for your booked time because later admission is not guaranteed. The Icebar ticket is also non-refundable, even though the bus portion allows cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

Plan the day in reverse. First check the Icebar opening day and time, then choose your bus rides. The afternoon bus cutoff and the evening Icebar slot can work well together, but only if you leave enough time between the last sightseeing stop and your admission time.

Is $48 a fair price?

At $48 per person, the package makes the most sense if you use both bus routes and visit the Icebar. A single ride around central Berlin would not provide strong value on its own, especially since the A-Tour lasts two hours and the final departure is fairly early.

The 24-hour ticket is likely enough for a focused visit. Use one part of the day for the A-Tour, get off at Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, or Alexanderplatz, and use the B-Tour for Wall sites. The 48-hour option gives you more breathing room and reduces the pressure to cram every stop into one day.

The ticket includes unlimited hopping on and off during its validity, stops near major sights, the audio guide, Icebar entry, and three drinks. That package has real value for a first Berlin visit, especially if you prefer a simple overview before choosing where to spend more time.

You should not buy it expecting a detailed guided tour at every stop. The bus connects the sights and supplies useful commentary, but your deeper visits happen independently. The price works best for people who value convenience, city orientation, and the Icebar experience together.

Who should book this Berlin combination?

I would recommend it to first-time visitors, families, and anyone who wants a low-effort way to cover Berlin’s wide center. It also suits people who want to compare East and West Berlin in one outing, since the two routes present very different parts of the city.

The tour is less suitable if you prefer walking every street, dislike fixed schedules, or want long guided explanations at historic sites. The B-Tour’s 40-minute frequency can feel slow when you are waiting, and the Icebar slot limits your evening plans.

The activity is wheelchair accessible, which adds practical value. Both mobile and printed paper vouchers are accepted. Meeting points can vary by the option booked, so check your selected departure information before setting out.

One service concern deserves attention. Contact with the provider may not be quick if you have a question, so sort out the meeting point, bus route, and Icebar time before the day begins. Do not rely on a last-minute email response.

Should you book it?

Book this experience if you want a broad Berlin introduction with a clear route to the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Alexanderplatz, East Side Gallery, and Wall-related stops. The Icebar makes the package more memorable than a standard sightseeing bus, and the three included drinks help justify the added cost.

Choose the 48-hour option if you want to explore several stops on foot. Choose 24 hours if your schedule is tight and you can plan carefully. Most of all, confirm the Icebar slot first and build the bus day around it. Used that way, this is a practical overview of Berlin with one wonderfully cold change of pace.

FAQ

How long is the bus ticket valid?

You can choose a 24-hour or 48-hour hop-on hop-off ticket. Check the selected option for the exact validity period.

How many routes are included?

Two routes are included: the 120-minute Classic Tour, called the A-Tour, and the 60-minute Trendy East Berlin and Wall Tour, called the B-Tour.

How often do the buses run?

The A-Tour runs every 25 minutes. The B-Tour runs every 40 minutes.

What time does the Classic Tour operate?

The first A-Tour departure from Stop 1 is at 9:30 a.m., and the last departure from Stop 1 is at 3:30 p.m.

What time does the East Berlin and Wall Tour operate?

The first B-Tour departure from Stop 1 is at 9:30 a.m., and the last departure from Stop 1 is at 4:30 p.m.

What is included at Icebar Berlin?

Entry to Icebar Berlin and three complimentary drinks are included. The bar is kept at minus 10 degrees.

When is Icebar Berlin open?

Icebar Berlin is open Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. until midnight, and Saturday and Sunday from 4 p.m. until midnight. It is closed Mondays, and last admission is one hour before closing.