Original Berlin Walks

What Original Berlin Walks does

Original Berlin Walks GmbH is a privately held guided walking tour company headquartered in Berlin, Germany, founded in 1993 by British historians Nick and Serena Gay. Acquired by current Managing Director Lars Beineke in 2016, it operates as Berlin's oldest continuously running walking tour firm with 70+ guides—most of whom are trained historians holding advanced degrees and, for memorial-site tours, officially licensed credentials. The company serves approximately 250,000 guests annually from 90+ nationalities, with cumulative volume exceeding 500,000 since founding. Sister companies extend the brand into Hamburg and Munich.

Name

Original Berlin Walks

Legal name

Original Berlin Walks GmbH

Website

https://berlinwalks.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Original Berlin Walks is Berlin's oldest guided walking tour company (founded 1993), serving ~250,000 annual guests across historical, cultural, and memorial-themed tours led by 70+ trained historian guides, with sister operations in Hamburg and Munich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Guided Walking Tour Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land (48711)

akta.pro primary industry

Walking City Tours (Highlights & Orientation) (THAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

History, Heritage & Museum-Focused Study Tours (THAKAGAN), Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides (THAJALAA), Art, Street Art & Creative Scene Tours (THAJAAAE), Neighborhood & Local Life Tours (Communities & Hidden Gems) (THAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Guided walking tours
• Historical city tours
• Berlin sightseeing tours
• Cultural tour experiences
• Memorial site tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Tour Tickets: One-time ticket sales for scheduled group walking tours in German and English languages, with prices starting at €15 per person
2. Private Guided Tours: Customized private tours for individuals, families, school groups, and corporate events with flexible itineraries and pricing based on group size and duration
3. Gift Vouchers: Digital vouchers for public tours and physical gift certificates with custom monetary values for private tours, valid for 5 years
4. Welcome Card & ÖPNV Ticket Sales: Commission revenue from selling Welcome Cards and public transport tickets, with proceeds going to social projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Original Berlin Walks operates a portfolio of guided historical and cultural walking tours across Berlin, Potsdam, and the Sachsenhausen Memorial. The company sells per-person public group tours in German and English as well as customized private tours for individuals, families, school groups, university groups, and corporate clients. It supplements tour fees with gift voucher sales and commission revenue from Welcome Card and public transport ticket partnerships.

Product overview

Original Berlin Walks operates a portfolio of guided walking tours focused on Berlin's history and culture. The core offering consists of themed walking tours including the flagship 'Berlin entdecken' (Discover Berlin) tour, specialty tours covering WWII/Nazi history, street art, queer history, and East Berlin/the Berlin Wall, plus day trips to Sachsenhausen Memorial and Potsdam. The company also offers private guided tours, school/university programs, and corporate team-building events. A charitable arm, Berlin Walks Cares e.V., channels proceeds from Welcome Card partnerships and ticket sales toward local social projects. Tours operate primarily in German and English, with private tours available in multiple languages upon request.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Berlin entdecken (Discover Berlin Tour)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500,000 satisfied guests served since founding in 1993
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• VisitBerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of VisitBerlin, Berlin's official tourism organization, providing authority positioning and cross-promotion with Berlin's primary tourism marketing body
• TrafalgarmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPremium tour operator partner bringing international travelers to Original Berlin Walks tours throughout the year
• Insight VacationsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLuxury guided tour operator partner sending travelers for Berlin walking experiences
• Gate 1 TravelmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerValue travel operator partner with international reach sending tourists to Berlin tours
• Expat ExploreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBudget-friendly tour operator providing group travel experiences including Berlin tours
• TopdeckmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerYouth-focused adventure travel company with historical tour offerings in Berlin
• ContikimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal tour operator for 18-35 age group, providing walking tour experiences in Berlin
• Rick StevesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTravel guide author and media personality recommending Original Berlin Walks to his audience
• Lonely PlanetmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTop recommendation in Lonely Planet travel guides for Berlin walking tours
• FodorsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRecommended in Fodors travel guides as preferred Berlin tour operator
• Rough GuidesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in Rough Guides for quality Berlin tour experiences
• Berlin Walks Cares e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany-founded charitable organization channeling proceeds from Welcome Card sales and partner bookings to local and international social projects; donated €38,102 in 2024
• Gedenkstätte SachsenhausencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed tour partner with officially licensed guides; part of each ticket sale supports the memorial site's preservation

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ToursByLocals: Marketplace connecting travelers with private local guides for customized tours in cities including Berlin. Overlaps with OBW's private guided tours offering on pricing, customization, and platform-based distribution.
• Withlocals: Online marketplace for private, host-led tours across Europe, including Berlin. Comparable in the private-tour and corporate-custom segment where OBW also competes; competes on guide variety and platform-driven booking convenience.

Direct peers

• Sandemans New Europe: One of the largest walking-tour operators in Europe with a strong Berlin presence, running free (tip-based) and paid walking tours in the same historical neighborhoods as Original Berlin Walks. Directly competes for the same individual tourist and small-group demand in Berlin.
• StattReisen Berlin: Berlin-based walking-tour operator known for politically and socially themed tours (alternative history, migration, labor history). Overlaps with OBW's themed-tour portfolio (e.g., Street Art, Queer Berlin) and competes for the same alternative-Berlin tourist interest.
• Fat Tire Tours: International walking and bicycle tour operator with active Berlin tours covering major sights and history. Targets the same individual and small-group tourist demand with a comparable guide-led model, and overlaps in distribution channels such as Viator and GetYourGuide.
• Free Tour Berlin: A free (tip-based) walking-tour operator active in Berlin offering competing free daily tours of the city's main historical sights. Directly competes on price with OBW's €15+ public tour offerings and targets the same solo and budget traveler segment.

Broad incumbents

• City Sightseeing Worldwide: Global franchise network operating hop-on-hop-off bus and walking tours in major cities including Berlin. Competes with OBW for international visitors on multi-format sightseeing itineraries and shares the same OTA distribution ecosystem.
• Big Bus Tours: Established global hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus operator with a Berlin route. While bus- rather than walking-based, it competes for the same sightseeing-tourist wallet and lists on the same OTAs as OBW.

Others

• Viator (Tripadvisor Experiences): Tripadvisor-owned tours and activities marketplace that lists OBW tours and has awarded it multiple Viator Travel Awards. Functions primarily as a distribution and review platform for OBW rather than a head-to-head walking-tour competitor.
• GetYourGuide: Major tours and activities marketplace that distributes OBW's tours and also operates its own supply in Berlin. Not a direct operator-level competitor, but a key distribution channel and aggregator whose commission structure and ranking algorithms affect OBW demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/berlinwalks
• Facebookfacebook.com/originalberlinwalks
• Instagraminstagram.com/originalberlinwalks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-original-berlin-walks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Original Berlin Walks