East Side Gallery, murals and Berlin's living canvas.
Duration3 hours
Berlin has one of the liveliest street art scenes anywhere. It started in the 1980s, when the Berlin Wall became one giant canvas for graffiti — the East Side Gallery is the best-known surviving stretch of that. Since then the scene has spread across empty walls, building entrances, backyards and pretty much every public surface in the city.
From political statements to comic strips, from small stickers and tags to massive murals, Berlin has an incredible range of work by artists like AlaNiz, El Bocho, BLU and many others. I'll take you to the hotspots, walk you through the different styles and techniques, and explain how something once written off as vandalism ended up in galleries and the international art market.
Starting point: U-Bahn station Schlesisches Tor.
Highlights
- East Side Gallery — the Berlin Wall's best-known surviving canvas
- Political murals, stickers and tags across the city
- Artists like AlaNiz, El Bocho and BLU
- From street vandalism to the international art market
Dennis made the tour of Berlin an amazing experience. I am 14 and I was captivated by every second of his tour. Dennis, unlike most guides, delved deeper into the history of Berlin and went beyond the script. He not only told us about every place imaginable in Berlin but also about his own experiences of Berlin, having grown up there. Before the tour we emailed Dennis to tell him about the sites and places we wanted to see and he showed all of them to us, meaning we left Berlin with a feeling of satisfaction. My favourite part of the tour was the street art. Dennis knew all of the different artists that had put their art on the walls and explained the meanings behind their graffiti. I have been on many tours with many guides and in different countries, but Dennis stands out as the best guide I have ever had. Without him I would never have understood Berlin and its history as I do now.
Andrew S · 2018