The most overlooked world is the one on your doorstep. Hardly the most original quip, I grant you, but like all clichés it holds a kernel of truth. At least it does in Berlin, where you can go on a little jaunt almost anywhere and find all sorts of gems and oddities, from modern street art and Weimar-era housing to century-old gas street lamps. If you need pointing in the right direction, however, it’s worth considering one of the many tour guiding companies in town – for instance Art:berlin, whose tours cover everywhere from Alexanderplatz to Zehlendorf. As the name suggests, the excursions lean towards art and architecture: 19th-century authors and painters in Friedenau, graffiti and murals in Kreuzberg and, yes, Zehlendorf’s modernist architecture. Besides the tours, the company is now expanding its offerings with an outdoor escape game. This AR-powered twist on the escape room is a cross between geocaching and code cracking, with a storyline that unfolds across different locations. You and your fellow clue hunters spend around two hours walking through the city, solving puzzles with the help of an iPad that uses augmented reality. Designed for groups of friends and companies, the escape game requires a minimum of one team of five to seven people or can be booked as a private corporate event. Art:berlin tours, meanwhile, can be attended with a single ticket or as a private outing. Whichever adventure you pick, you will end up looking at the city a little differently.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: art:berlin, David Varnhold, neoquest
Art:berlin guided tours – program and tickets available here.
Outdoor escape game – check out the website for more info and to book.
@artberlin_touren
