Bus passengers view Berlin's Hauptbahnhof (central rail station) from open top deck.
I have just spent two days utilizing a hop on/hop off bus tour in Berlin, a city of over 3.5 million people. Berlin has a strange geography, created by WWII destruction followed by postwar division into western and eastern sectors, the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and its removal in 1989. Berlin is still rebuilding and construction sites are frequent.
One of the tour buses in Berlin.
I have found a bus tour gives a good overview of a city, especially a tour that provides the opportunity to get off to see some of the sights and then get back on to continue the route. In the last few years I have done such tours in several cities and countries. In Berlin I got off and spent time at Checkpoint Charlie and the nearby Topography of Terror photographic exhibit; Museum Island, five museums that constitute a World Heritage site; and a couple of city squares. The driver’s 20 minute break at the Mercedes Benz Arena gave the passengers time to walk to the East Side Gallery where in 1990 artists painted murals on a 1.3 km remaining section of the wall to create an international memorial to freedom.
Part of Berlin Wall that remains & the famous Checkpoint Charlie.
One of the murals at Berlin's East Side Gallery on part of remaining wall.
A bus tour can get you to the particular parts of the city that are on your wish list. In Northern Ireland a hop on hop off tour got me to the Titanic Belfast museum as well as to the areas of the city that continue to play a large role in the sectarian divisions within the country (Getting acquainted with Ireland's history). In Dublin my main goals of seeing the illuminated medieval manuscript known as the Book of Kells and the historic Glasnevin Cemetery were met on a bus tour.
I got to the Titanic Belfast museum on a hop on/off bus tour.
Dublin: Library at Trinity College houses the Book of Kells & Glasnevin Cemetery holds the grave of Michael Collins, Irish independence martyr.
Such a bus tour is often a good way to get to locations that are somewhat out of the way and might otherwise require a trip by taxi. This was the case in Panama where the tour travelled not only to attractions in Panama City, including Casco Viello (Admiring old architecture in Panama City) but also to the new Museo de la Bioversidad near the canal zone and the canal itself (Connecting and disconnecting the Americas).
In Panama the tour bus got me to several destinations on my wish list.
In many cities you can ride the tour circuit more than once, a good way to gain familiarity with the layout of the city for further exploration on your own if you are staying longer or plan to return.
Up close to the buildings in the narrow streets of Quito, Ecuador.
The open top deck of the bus also provides a vantage point for views and photos that you won’t get otherwise, such as the narrow streets of Quito or the sculpture atop the Victory monument in the roundabout at Berlin’s Großer Stern (Great Star) intersection.
Berlin's Victory Column commemorates Prussian victory over 3 neighbouring countries in 1860s and 1870s.