We’ll travel by train about 40 minutes beyond the city limits to visit a huge, abandoned hospital complex, originally designed as a sanatorium and later used as a military hospital during both world wars. After lunch, we’ll make our way back into the city to learn about the Geisterbahnhöfe (Ghoststations). These stations were created as a solution to a subway system that crisscrossed two countries during the Cold War, when Berlin became divided. At the time, East Germany barricaded and closely guarded or booby-trapped certain train stations to prevent them from becoming escape portals to West Germany. As part of our tour, we’ll have the rare opportunity to walk through one of the abandoned pedestrian tunnels, which remains closed to the public. Take the rest of the afternoon to wander on your own or perhaps take a dip at our hotel before meeting back up for our private dinner in an unusual location. The remainder of the night is yours to get some rest or explore the city’s famous nightlife.

After breakfast, we’ll set out for a private tour of "The Bunker." Originally built in 1942 as an air raid shelter, this historic structure has had many lives—as a prisoner-of-war camp, a textiles storeroom, a fruit storage facility, and later a popular techno club. The Bunker is now a beautiful 32,000-square-foot exhibition space housing a personal art collection. Next, we’ll enjoy lunch at  Clärchen’s Ballhaus. Founded in 1913 by the businessman Fritz Bühler and his wife Clara, Clärchen’s Ballhaus has become a microcosm of history and an embodiment of the essence of Berlin. The late afternoon and dinner will be on your own tonight before we reconvene for some nighttime exploration: an after-dark tour of Teufelsberg (Devil’s Mountain), Berlin’s highest hill. Perched atop this hill you’ll find an abandoned NSA listening station, used during the Cold War and abandoned after the fall of the Berlin Wall. We’ll get a fascinating glimpse into Teufelsberg’s history and the city’s alternative subculture.

This morning, we’re venturing underground at Berliner Unterwelten (Subterranean Berlin), home to one of the last remaining civilian air raid shelters in Berlin. An expert guide will take us behind an inconspicuous green door in a subway station; in the dark passages and confined rooms of the shelter, we’ll learn about the experiences of average Berliners during World War II. In the afternoon, we’ll observe how the city is being transformed by creatives and collectives. We’ll begin at the extraordinary Bikini House (Bikinihaus), a high-concept shopping mall. It’s an excellent example of Berlin’s creative architecture and design, and has sweeping views over the city which we’ll enjoy during lunch. Next we’ll explore a few lesser-known places in the district of Kreuzberg, including a Brutalist church converted into an art gallery and a historic Bethanian Hospital that’s been transformed into studios, galleries, and workshop spaces. For dinner, our destination is Berlin’s most popular indoor street food market—the best place to discover what’s new and exciting on the local food scene. For those who still have energy to spare, we’ll wind down at the Holzmarkt. Built on a formerly languishing wasteland, it has evolved from a wooden shack serving as a dingy open-air techno club on the river Spree into a quirky urban oasis with restaurants, cafés, artist studios, and an outdoor beer garden. 

This morning we’ll travel by subway to Tempelhof Airport for a fascinating glimpse into this symbol of Berlin's turbulent history. Built as an expression of Nazi ideology, Tempelhof is weighed down by a history of forced labor and weapons production. However, due to the important role it played in the Berlin Airlifts of 1948 and 1949, it has also come to stand as a symbol for freedom. Its empty main hall, restaurants, and cellars remain a photographer’s eerie dream. More recently, the runways and fields have been converted into a giant public park, while the airport building itself is home to one of the largest refugee shelters in the city. We’ll have lunch together before a free afternoon of independent exploration or, if you’d like, continue with your guide. There are lots of nearby spots to explore in the gentrifying NeuKölln neighbourhood, such as quirky art galleries, the weekly outdoor Turkish Market, a cargo ship-cum-swimming pool anchored in the Spree River, and an underused parkade-turned-beer garden with the best views over the city. We’ll gather back together for a farewell dinner—in a secret location where we’ll need to knock before entering.