If you have been ambushed by friends or relatives from out of town who simply must see those famous Mitte sights, this is the boat for you. In the hour-long tour along the Spree, all of the picture postcard attractions are covered: the cruise takes you, your overpriced beer and your boatload of new intercontinental companions eastwards from Friedrichstraße.

Enjoy such beauties as Museum Island and the Nikolaiviertel, and beasts like Alexanderplatz and the Radisson, then turn around and head for the Reichstag, Angie’s office, the Hauptbahnhof, the Siegessäule and the Tiergarten, before you are finally dropped back at your point of departure.

There are some interesting facts along the way, even for the most seasoned of Berlin residents (who knew the Hauptbahnhof cost €3 billion?) - just as long as you speak Deutsch, that is. The English announcements are half as long as the German ones, and not just because it takes twice as long to say everything in German. Apart from this, the tour is a surprisingly enjoyable way to spend an hour gently educating both you and those pesky visitors.