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

Berlin’s coolest sightseeing trick is saved for the end: after passing Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Alexanderplatz, and the East Side Gallery by open-top bus, you can step into Icebar Berlin at minus 10 degrees. The combination gives you a broad city tour plus one short, very unusual stop.

I like the freedom of two bus routes and the choice of 24 or 48 hours. I also like the Icebar’s three included drinks, with nougat vodka a good suggestion if you want something more memorable than a standard pour. The main drawback is timing: the East route runs less often, and the Icebar requires you to arrive for a fixed time slot.

• Two routes cover old Berlin and the former East Berlin, including the Wall, Bernauer Strasse, and East Side Gallery.
• The Classic Tour takes about two hours, with buses every 25 minutes during its operating window.
• The East Berlin and Wall Tour takes about one hour, but buses come every 40 minutes.
• Icebar Berlin stays at minus 10 degrees, with 69,000 kilos of ice and three included drinks.
• Audio commentary comes in 13 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Arabic, and Turkish.
• The ticket works for 24 or 48 hours, so you can treat the bus as transport as well as sightseeing.

Seeing Berlin from Brandenburg Gate to Kurfürstendamm

The Classic Tour, also called the A-Tour, is the best first ride. It links central Berlin with the western shopping district and gives you a useful overview before you decide where to spend your time on foot.

The route begins at Stop 1 on Tauentzienstrasse, near KaDeWe, Berlin’s famous department store. From there, you pass Lützowplatz and head toward Potsdamer Platz, where the historic traffic-light display offers a small reminder of Berlin’s divided past. The stop at Potsdamer Platz is useful for modern architecture, wide public spaces, and easy access to the German Spy Museum and nearby cultural sights, though the bus ride itself only gives you a broad look.

At Gropiusbau, the bus reaches one of Berlin’s major exhibition areas. Checkpoint Charlie follows, and this is one of the stops where hopping off makes sense. The former Cold War crossing point is now surrounded by museums, restaurants, souvenir shops, and heavy foot traffic. I would not treat it as a quiet memorial, but it is a practical place to start learning how Berlin was divided.

The bus then passes Gendarmenmarkt, one of central Berlin’s most handsome squares. Neptunbrunnen and Alexanderplatz bring you into the former East Berlin city center. Alexanderplatz is a good place to pause for the Fernsehturm area, shops, food, and connections to other parts of the city.

Unter den Linden, Reichstag, and the city’s grandest views

The route continues through Lustgarten and along Unter den Linden, Berlin’s major ceremonial boulevard. This section brings several big sights close together, so you can use the bus to get your bearings and then walk between them.

The Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse stop puts you near museums, shopping streets, and central landmarks. Brandenburger Tor comes next. From the upper deck, you get a useful approach to the gate and the surrounding government quarter. If you hop off, you can walk toward the Reichstag, though entry inside the parliament building is not part of this ticket.

The Reichstag stop is worth noting for its location. You are near the German parliament, the Brandenburg Gate, and broad open spaces that show how much of central Berlin was rebuilt or reshaped after reunification. The bus gives you a 360-degree view, but remember that the best photographs can be harder when the vehicle is moving or crowded.

At Hauptbahnhof, you see Berlin’s large central train station and gain another useful transport point. The route then heads toward the Siegessäule, the Victory Column, in the middle of the Tiergarten. This is a strong section for open-top sightseeing because the surrounding parkland gives the ride a little breathing room after the dense city center.

From the Victory Column to Berlin’s western shopping district

The next stop is Zoo and Elefantentor, beside Berlin Zoo. This is a handy stop for families and for anyone who wants to combine the bus ride with the zoo or nearby park areas. The bus does not include zoo admission, so plan this as a separate visit.

Cafe Kranzler and Kurfürstendamm 236 bring you into old West Berlin. Kurfürstendamm, often shortened to Ku’damm, is the city’s main western boulevard, lined with shops, hotels, cafes, and restaurants. The final stops make the A-Tour more than a central landmark loop. You get a look at how Berlin’s western center differs from the government district and former East Berlin.

The A-Tour takes about 120 minutes if you remain on board. Buses leave Stop 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., arriving about every 25 minutes. That frequency is helpful, but the last departure matters. If you board late in the day, you may have time for only one complete ride and limited hopping off.

Bernauer Strasse and the Berlin Wall on the B-Tour

The Trendy East Berlin and Wall Tour, or B-Tour, has a different purpose. It is shorter, more focused, and especially useful if you want to see places linked to the Wall and the former East Berlin.

The route begins at Rotes Rathaus, near the Neptune Fountain. From there, it heads to Oranienburger Strasse and Krausnickstrasse. Oranienburger Strasse is a central street with cultural attractions and nightlife, but the bus gives you only a quick view unless you get off.

Bernauer Strasse is the key stop. The street is closely tied to Berlin’s Wall history, and the area provides a more serious setting for understanding how the barrier affected homes, streets, and families. Mauerpark follows at Bernauer Strasse 45. Its name means Wall Park, and the stop connects the former border zone with one of the city’s best-known public spaces.

The B-Tour then moves to Alexanderplatz and the Park Inn Hotel. This gives you a chance to connect the two routes. If you ride the A-Tour first, Alexanderplatz is an easy place to switch focus and continue into East Berlin.

Karl-Marx-Allee comes next, near the Computerspielemuseum. The broad avenue reflects the grand urban planning of East Berlin, while the museum offers a very different subject, the history of computer and video games. Admission to the museum is not included, but the stop works well if you want a break from monuments.

The route continues to East Side Gallery near Mercedes-Benz Arena. This is one of the most popular Wall-related sights in Berlin because artists painted a long surviving section of the former barrier. It is also a busy stop, so give yourself enough time if you plan to look closely at the murals.

The final stop is Ostbahnhof, near the Intercity Hotel. The B-Tour takes about 60 minutes and operates from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Buses come every 40 minutes. That lower frequency is the main practical issue. Missing a bus can cost you a noticeable part of the afternoon, so check the time before you hop off.

How to use 24 or 48 hours well

The 24-hour ticket is enough if you want one full overview, a few selected stops, and Icebar Berlin on the same day. I would start early with the A-Tour, stay on for the full loop, then choose one or two central stops for a walk. After that, use the B-Tour if the timing works.

The 48-hour option gives you a calmer plan. Use the first day for the Classic Tour, Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag area, Checkpoint Charlie, and Alexanderplatz. On the second day, focus on Bernauer Strasse, Mauerpark, Karl-Marx-Allee, and East Side Gallery.

The ticket is most valuable when you actually hop off. If you simply remain seated for both routes, you are paying for transport, commentary, and a broad view. That can still suit a first visit or a short stay, but Berlin’s best understanding comes from pairing the ride with time on the ground.

Bring a layer even in warm weather. The top deck can feel exposed, and the Icebar is a much sharper change in temperature. You are allowed to use either a mobile or printed voucher, which is useful if you prefer a paper backup.

Audio commentary in 13 languages

The audio guide covers English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Arabic, and Turkish. That makes the tour accessible to many visitors, but it is still an audio tour rather than a live guide.

I like audio commentary on a bus because you can listen while watching the city instead of trying to keep up with a walking group. The tradeoff is that the experience may feel less personal, and moving traffic can make it harder to match every sight with every explanation.

The open top is the main visual advantage. You can look across major streets and government buildings without a window frame in the way. On the other hand, weather, wind, and crowded upper-deck seating can affect the ride, so the lower deck remains a sensible fallback.

Icebar Berlin at minus 10 degrees

Icebar Berlin is not a long museum visit. It is a timed bar experience built around the novelty of drinking in a room made from ice. The temperature is minus 10 degrees, and the interior contains about 69,000 kilos of ice, including ice sculptures.

Your ticket includes entry and three complimentary drinks. A useful tip is to ask about the nougat vodka, which has been singled out as a particularly good choice. The drinks give the visit more value than a simple photo stop, though you should treat the Icebar as a short add-on rather than the main reason to book a full-day city tour.

The timing needs care. 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, and last admission is one hour before closing.

This is a fixed time-slot ticket. You need to arrive on time, and late admission is not guaranteed. The Icebar portion is also non-refundable, even though the bus booking can be cancelled up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund. Check the Icebar time before building your bus plan, especially if you want to use the full B-Tour that afternoon.

Price, access, and who gets the best value

At $48 per person, the package makes the most sense if you use both the bus and the Icebar. Three drinks and entry help balance the price, while the 24 or 48 hours of unlimited rides give you flexibility that a single sightseeing loop does not.

The value is weaker if you already know Berlin well, prefer public transit, or have no interest in the Icebar. Berlin has an extensive transport system, and a visitor focused only on museums may gain more from separate admission choices. For a first visit, though, the bus can save planning time and provide a clear picture of a city that is spread across several districts.

This tour suits you best if:

• You are visiting Berlin for the first time.
• You want a quick overview before choosing where to walk.
• You like seeing both central landmarks and Wall-related sites.
• You are traveling with family members who need flexible sightseeing.
• You want an unusual evening stop with three included drinks.
• You can keep track of the Icebar appointment and bus schedules.

It is less suitable if you want a live guide, a small group, or a tightly focused history tour. The bus covers a lot of ground, but it cannot give every stop the time and detail of a dedicated walking tour.

Should you book this Berlin combination?

I would book it for a first Berlin visit of one to three days, especially with the 48-hour option. Ride the A-Tour for orientation, use the B-Tour for the Wall and East Berlin, and save the Icebar for an evening when you can arrive exactly on time.

The strongest part is the coverage: Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag area, Checkpoint Charlie, Alexanderplatz, Bernauer Strasse, Karl-Marx-Allee, and East Side Gallery all fit into one flexible ticket. The weakest part is the schedule, particularly the B-Tour’s 40-minute interval and the fixed Icebar entry.

Book it if you value easy sightseeing, open-top views, and a playful finale. Skip it if you want a guide-led history lesson or plan to spend every hour inside museums. Used with a little planning, it gives you both a practical city overview and a memorable, very cold drink.

FAQ

How long is the hop-on hop-off ticket valid?

You can choose a ticket valid for 24 or 48 hours.

How many routes are included?

The ticket includes the Classic Tour, also called the A-Tour, and the Trendy East Berlin and Wall Tour, also called the B-Tour.

How long does the Classic Tour take?

The Classic Tour takes about 120 minutes when ridden as a full loop.

How often do buses run on the Classic Tour?

Buses run about every 25 minutes. The first departure from Stop 1 is at 9:30 a.m., and the last departure is at 3:30 p.m.

How often does the East Berlin and Wall Tour run?

The B-Tour runs about every 40 minutes. It operates from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., with the first and last departures from Stop 1 during those times.

What languages are available for the audio guide?

Audio commentary is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Arabic, and Turkish.

What is included at Icebar Berlin?

Entry to Icebar Berlin and three complimentary drinks are included. The bar is kept at minus 10 degrees and contains about 69,000 kilos of ice.

Is the Icebar visit flexible?

No. Icebar entry is tied to a time slot, and you should arrive on time. Late admission is not guaranteed, and the Icebar ticket is non-refundable.