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The people behind your tour
A Friend in Berlin has been showing visitors Berlin since 2004. Here’s who we are — and why we love what we do.
WHO WE ARE
Meet Jo & Natalie
Jo Eckardt
FOUNDER
I founded A Friend in Berlin in 2004, shortly after moving back to Germany after 19 years in New York, where I taught German at NYU and worked for the UN. The idea was simple: what if visitors to Berlin had a friend here who could show them around, help them make sense of the city, and make their stay truly memorable?
Over 20 years and hundreds of tours later, I’m proud to be passing the company on to Natalie — someone who shares that same curiosity, warmth, and genuine love for this city. You’re in wonderful hands.
Natalie Keynton
CEO
I’m an architect and certified Berlin guide, and I’ve spent my career looking at cities — how they’re built, how they tell their stories through their buildings, and what they reveal about the people who made them. Berlin is one of the most architecturally and historically rich cities in the world, and I never get tired of showing it to people for the first time.
I decided to partner with Jo to continue A Friend in Berlin because I believe in exactly what she built: a genuinely personal, genuinely expert alternative to the big group tour. You’ll get the same warmth and depth that guests have loved for over 20 years, with a fresh perspective from someone who sees the city through an architect’s eyes.
WHAT GUESTS SAY
“You’re so thoughtful in many ways. I think you ruin all my future tour guides for me for being so wonderful. You really made my first visit to Berlin so special.”
— Hyae, June 2018
THE WIDER TEAM
Our guides & drivers
Behind Jo and Natalie is a team of experienced, passionate guides and drivers who have been part of A Friend in Berlin for years. Each one brings their own speciality, background, and language. So whatever your interests or where you’re from, we have the right person to show you Berlin.
English
All guides
German
Most guides
French
Sophie, Wolfgang
Spanish
Sven, Luca, Thomas
Italian
Andromachi, Wolfgang
Mandarin
Cuihua
Need a guide in a specific language or with a particular specialism? Get in touch and we’ll match you with the right person.
SPECIAL TOURS WE’VE ORGANISED
We’ve organised tours for former soldiers who wanted to revisit where they were stationed in the past, people who had to leave Berlin during the Nazi era and came back to visit the apartments where they grew up in, Bauhaus-tours, birthday tours/parties, private boat trips on Wannsee, day excursions to Meissen and Dresden, trips to the Spreewald for kajaking, company events, and much more!
Ready to explore Berlin?
Browse our tours or get in touch – we’d love to help you plan the perfect visit.