Begin your exploration of the real Berlin by meeting your guide at noon in central Berlin. During your comprehensive 4.5-hour walking tour, you'll go off the beaten path and see aspects of Berlin most tourists miss. Because of the more relaxed pace of a small-group tour, you'll have more opportunities to capture photos and ask your knowledgeable local guide questions.

Visit well-known neighborhoods such as Prenzlauer Berg, Mitte and Friedrichshain. Tour the colorful Turkish area of Kreuzberg and the city's Jewish community. View contemporary and underground art galleries, urban farms, guerilla gardens and organic markets.

Learn the origins of currywurst, a popular German fast food of fried pork sausage with curry-seasoned ketchup, and Doner kebab, a Turkish gyro first served in Berlin. You'll also see Prater Garten Berlin, the city's oldest beer garden.

As you wander around town, your guide will point out sites related to various countercultural movements, including the student protest movement of the 1960s, the rise and fall of the Baader-Meinhof gang in the 1970s and the punk movement and May 1 riots of the 1980s. See mind-blowing street art, graffiti and murals all over town. Learn about the electronic dance musical festival called the Love Parade and the hip-hop, reggae and rasta scene of Yaam Beach.

By the time your in-depth cultural tour of Berlin concludes at Yaam Beach, you'll know much more about the history, neighborhoods and alternative scenes of this fascinating city.