A walking tour in Berlin is a great way to see the city, and to learn more about its past, present, and distinct districts, while walking. So when organizing your walking tours in the city it is always recommended that you change the various guided tours to make them more enjoyable and interesting. In this guide, you will learn some essential strategies to improve your walking tours in Berlin if you are a veteran guide or a first-time tourist.

1. Select Specific Themes and Routes

This is the reason why one of the most effective strategies for transforming your walking tours in Berlin into exciting activities is choosing activities’ themes and routes. As one avoids standard tourist traps or visiting standard tourist attractive places, considering various districts, or unique subjects like graffiti, food, or buildings. This will enable your participants to find the marvels you may not have known about or learn about Berlin in a unique way.

For example, a participant could propose a learning activity of a walking, biking or driving tour of districts such as Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg to sample the various street art options. Bur what I excluded was the stories and techniques behind the art and how street art defined Berlin.

Tips:

• Conduct your homework and find unique spots and/or narratives that you have not seen in other similar theme-related materials.
• Ensure that tourists have most of the picture perfect sites alongside other unusual but great places to visit.
• It is possible to either specialize in particular types of programs for specific audiences, for example, for history lovers or gourmet cafes.
• Always look for strange and unique places and old legends and myths that support the given topic.
• It’s important to give and take the famous tourist attractions with obscure places to tour as a way of capturing the imaginary of the communities.
• Special focuses should be made, for example, on history buffs or gourmets to appeal to the selected category of users.

2. Make your participants interact with what you are doing by embedding the following.

A walking tour should be more than a narrated tour given by the guide. To make it engaging you must be adding the engagement components all through the tour. When sensitive subjects come up, use still pictures that depict scenes or landmarks or shorten dramatic scenes to save face. This aids one to see situation as they were in the past as well as help the participants gain insight of the history of the city.

Further, engage the audience in a way that they have to do something out of their own accord. Provide them with something to think about, start a conversation and engage them by offering something that they could discuss on their own. This not only promote the feeling of togetherness as people with same interests but also adds value to the tour.

Tips:

• Write on the whiteboard or bring visuals or slides that depict historical dates or even the past and the current state.
• The use of information technology should also be applied by giving additional information, or links to other applications such as mobile applications or QR codes.
• This should be done to allow for break time to move around, open the environment or take photos.
• Obtain pictures or develop power point visuals to show significant historical events or observations that could have then and now disparities.
• Chinese: Incorporate an App or QR code where users can learn more about the product or where he/she can be directed to get more information regarding the product.
• Suggest participants spend some of their time in between sessions walking around, taking a part, or even taking pictures.

3. Use School Stories/Memories and Family Stories

Therefore, personalizing your walking tour will make the experience truly unforgettable even when walking in Berlin. Put interesting and unique facts about the local area and personal experiences not to be encountered in standard guidebooks. Invest and proceed through the city to come across and gather some memorable stories from the locals which make the past and present picture of the city more real and colorful.

For example, tell a story about a local artist who contributed to the development of the cultural life of the city, or tell your observation connected with a particular historical place. Such actions bring the element of real life feel into the show and are personally interesting to participants.

Tips:

• Go look for people around the town and follow the social groups where the residents could share interesting stories.
• Make your stories short, and train yourself in story telling so that you can have a hold on your viewers.
• Use of questions, commentary, or anecdotes should be encouraged from participants during the tour.
• Go out there to meet people who can offer different and specific stories of the residents.
• I admire short stories and encourage you to learn how to tell stories to make your audience listen.
• It would be useful for participants to relate their own experiences or express curiosity at some points in the tour.

4. Technology is good…but understand the need to use it as an adjunct not an end in itself.

Avail technology to improve your walking tours. Personal interaction is also valuable to the process, but the addition of digital factors can also enhance the experience. Make use of the smartphone or a tablet for aspects like augmented reality tour, historical pictures or/and maps. This enables the participants to have a deeper and more engaging tour mode of experience.

Furthermore, don’t forget about posting on social networks to reach the target audience before and after the tour. Constructing an online place where participants could anonymously share photographs, stories, and search for more information will ensure prolonged interaction.

Tips:

• Find and trial fit-for-purpose mobile apps, AR applications, or online environments that relate to your tour topic.
• Try to establish that all persons are able to use every technology that you want to incorporate in your teaching and learning process and offer support where necessary.
• Allows the participants to tell their experiences on social media using certain hastags of your tour.
• Find and try out compatible mobile apps for your tour theme, or augmented reality experiences, effective online platforms, etc.
• Make sure the participants are relaxed while employing the technology and if they seem to have challenges offer your hand.
• Explain to the participants that they should recount their experience on social media while using specific hashtags of your tour.

5. Keep Updated on the New Developments of the Berlin Dynamic Market

In fact, being a walking tour guide, it is always important to keep abreast with any new event or changes taking place in Berlin. New and new attractions, exhibitions, and wonderful places that are not well known to tourists can be found in the city all the time. Know what is going on in your locality and get updated with the latest cultural events or local community projects, so as not to have your tours go out of date.

Read other bloggers, newly created forums, or local Facebook groups and share your experience with other guides. This not only enables you to bring new content into your tours but also to update your participants with relevant information and the best recommendations.

Tips:

• Explore unique destinations in Berlin often to find out more interesting places and things to do.
• Take city-led tours or workshops where you can meet other guides and get more important information yourself.
• Make sure your participants are giving you feedback on how you can further enhance your tours, when needed.
• Daily try to visit new places in Berlin to check new locations and services.
• Participate in city-led tours or drills to imbibe from other experts or to get first-hand scoop.
• These factors must be encouraged from participants of the guided tours to make changes with time.

Any person who conducts walking tours or is a tourist, it is always a challenge to make the tours in Berlin more unique or at least interesting. With these particular subjects, attracting participants, telling local stories, adapting to technology, and always being up to date, you can create a spectacular tour through a changing Berlin.