Testimonials
For recent reviews, please check out our page on TripAdvisor.
Excellent tour today with Thomas! He was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and we really enjoyed our day with him. Thanks so much for putting us together with him!
I have returned home from my cruise. I am writing to you to thank you for your excellent arrangement and also many thanks to our driver Flo and tour guide Cuihua. Thanks to their professionalism and excellent services. My family had great time in Berlin. Thank you,
Ich gratuliere: der Reiseleiter war außerordentlich. Ich habe noch nie so eine gute Führung gehabt. Gratulation
Jeannine was such a pleasure to be with for our Berlin tour! She did an outstanding job. Thank you so much!
Jo, THANK YOU so much for the tour in Berlin. Josh was EXCELLENT in conducting our tour. Very knowledgeable and updated on facts. We saw more than we could have on our own or taking a bus tour. We will highly recommend your services to others. THANK YOU again, to you, Josh, and our driver. We will not forget the memories. BEST REGARDS,
It was a brilliant trip today, Jo! Please convey my sincere thanks to Anna and Ali! Much appreciated! Warm regards
Dearest Thomas, First of all, thank you for sending all those photos, looking at them bring back many wonderful moments during the tour. I really enjoyed the tour, it was so wonderful!!!
You’re so thoughtful in many ways and I did appreciate very much. I think you ruin all my future tour guides for me for being so wonderful! :)))
Once again, thank you for everything!! You really made my first visit to Berlin so special!!
Hi Jo and Thomas, Just a note to say thank you for a wonderful morning yesterday! We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and it has really helped us understand the dynamics of this wonderful city. Lunch was terrific — we didn’t leave the Reichstag until 3.30, after which we visited the “Memorial to the murdered Jews” and the Topography of Terror. We returned to the hotel @9pm. What a day!
Dear Jo, thank you for "loaning" us Thomas for the 5 Oct five hour tour of Berlin. Thomas was superb and told us history and showed us sights which we could never get from a travel book. Thank you and your group for a wonderful stay in Berlin.I will greatly recommend to anyone to use your group as a Berlin guide.
We had a great trip. In fact, such a great trip that my wife and I have decided to skip Vienna and Salzburg and go back to Munich next November (Nov. 2018), primarily because everyone was so nice to us and the scenery was spectacular.
I am a travel agent and have used A Friend in Berlin for many years for my clients, always with great feedback. Jo is a true professional, makes great suggestions for the guests, her associates are all very knowledgeable in history, art, architecture. Also, great knowledge about Dresden and Meissen. I recommend this company most highly
Dearest Thomas, Again, allow us to thank you for an absolutely spectacular tour. You have done your homework very well, and are simply smart not only about the facts of Berlin and events, but also about the context, and the forces yielding Berlin's evolution. It was a stunningly good encounter with history well told :-). My daughter has continued to describe what a valuable experience it was, and know that's a first --- she's been good on tours, but never so inspired as today. ... We remain most thankful to you for such a wonderful tour, and ever grateful to meet you, to get points of view from someone so directly a part of all aspects of Berlin--it's a "told" (experienced directly) narrative so real and valuable that it indelibly alters how we will ever see Berlin, Germany's history, and our own American depictions (right and wrong) about this profound historical epoch.
Thank you very much. We enjoyed meeting and spending the morning with CuiHua very much. Thank you again and I hope to leverage your services on my next trip to Berlin!
I could not have enjoyed my tour of Potsdam with Thomas Frys more. It will surely be a highlight of my time in Berlin. Thanks so much.
We are actually just finishing up and in the taxi on our way home. We stopped about 6 PM with Jeannine at a great place for a beer and sausages and the three of us really enjoyed it! So as you can see we had a wonderful day with Thomas and Jeannine
Really enjoying Berlin. Looking forward to tomorrow. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and company with us as we toured Berlin. We had the most fabulous time. It was so wonderful to meet and spend time with each of you. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!
Hi Jo, I am back home and must settle down to normal life again! OMG, I have no words yet to describe my experience of Berlin. I am still percolating it everyday. I wish I had stayed another week. Thomas was the best guide I could have ever hoped for. His depth of knowledge and his 'take' on events was ideologically just up my street. I learnt more in 4 days than I would have learnt in a month. (My friends thought I was a little mad, taking a risk, as they know I like to question conventional wisdom).
For me the most powerful memorial statue was the huge Soviet soldier. But then again, everything I saw resonated with what I had learnt in my teaching years, and now I understand things that never really made sense.
I loved the level on civil obedience in your city, and the safety and orderliness. Here we live on the edge all the time. I now have a green man key ring hanging in my car! The friendliness of people was quite overwhelming too. And I was very lucky with the perfect walking weather.
What a luck to have found you on the web!
Dear Jo, Thank you so much for all your help! We had a wonderful time in Berlin. I am sitting here going through our evaluations and people were very impressed with the Berlin experience, out of the nine conferences we have done over the years Berlin was rated second best destination! Sophie and Jeannine were wonderful guides and very helpful. The tours went very swift and smooth and it was a good mix of culture/architecture/history and development. I am VERY happy!
I'm sorry for taking so long to write to you. Ralph and I wanted to say how lovely it was that you took time to meet with us. Jeannine was lovely, informative, answered all our questions and gave us the best advice regarding the museums which we really enjoyed. Please give our thanks again to her. All the very best and thanks again for our private tour in Berlin!
We just arrived home after a wonderful vacation and wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our day in Berlin.We can’t say enough how great Sharon and Tom were and how they really helped us to have a memorable time.The six of us agreed that they were both a perfect team who did everything to make us comfortable, keep us well informed and we were so glad that they were the people with whom we were spending our time.
Tom was waiting for us on the pier just as you said he would with a warm and welcoming smile. The drive, as we expected, was a long drive but Tom made it so smooth and pleasant. He was a pleasure and was informative and interesting as well. Sharon was a doll! He was most informative, interesting, flexible, so easy to be with and tried very hard to comfortably pack as much as possible into our visit to Berlin. He chose a fabulous vegan restaurant which everyone was really happy with. Thank you for providing us with these great guys and a really interesting day in Berlin. We arrived back at our ship at a comfortable time. Our cruise was great and we really had a fascinating trip!
Just want to let you know how much we enjoyed our tour. Suzanna and Thomas were fantastic. That was the highlight of our trip so far. Will definitely encourage people going to Berlin to contact you.
Just to give you some feed-back: your guide, Susanna, was a revelation: incredibly well informed and full of insight on Kreutzberg, and practically anything else. The teachers who participated, were very pleased. So: thank you so much.
I don't know how to post a review on your site, but I want to be sure to let others know what a great day we had. Thomas was just fabulous and so accommodating as he organized our transportation for the day. Jeannine did a great job of showing us the basics but taking us to places that even our more experienced travelers to Berlin had not visited. I very much appreciate the time you took to ensure we had the best folks available to customize our tour and family visit...especially given the time constraints we had. We enjoyed a quiet but beautiful lunch at the Käfer overlooking the city. Thank you
Thank you VERY much for a wonderful day in Berlin. It was fantastic and I will savor the memories. You made my time in Berlin an even more memorable experience. I LOVE your city and I sincerely hope I can be back with Lucy soon.
Hi Jo, I wanted to let you know how terrific Susanna was today as our guide. We had a splendid day with a very knowledgable local and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the sites. We finished off with a delicious Vietnamese meal at a restaurant we had on our list of places to try. Thank you again, and we will be passing on your details to others who visit Berlin. I think we will be back also in this great city. Cheers
Hi Jo,My husband and I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our tour of Berlin and Sachsenhausen with Robert. He was knowledgeable, informative, entertaining, and personable. We had a great time. How lucky we were to have a guide with his knowledge of Sachsenhausen. We learned so much on our visit. A few days earlier we had toured Stuttoff in Poland on our own and did not come away with the same experience. Thank you for matching us with Robert.
Hi Jo, Arrived back from our cruise aboard the beautiful Regent Voyager and had a wonderful time. I just had to write you and tell you how much we enjoyed our tour in Berlin with Michael. He was very informative and passionate about his beautiful city Berlin. We saw many fabulous sights and Michael gave us so much insight about the history. I will definitely recommend your company to all of my clients. I thank you so much and wish you much success. Thanks again
Jo, I can't offer enough thanks for the hard work that you put into our family trip to Berlin and Munich. Our trip was only successful because of the extraordinary efforts that you put into making sure that everything we wanted to do and see could be possible. The schedule that you prepared for us was perfect. From our arrival at the Berlin Airport to our departure from Munich, every detail was addressed. I was so impressed by the arrangements that you made for us to see my father's childhood apartment, my mother's childhood apartment, my great-grandparents grave site, the Ryke Synagogue, the Reichstag, the Jewish Museum, the front row tickets to the opera, the first class train tickets, and the numerous lunch and dinner reservations. I know you worked tirelessly to make everything we wanted to do possible and you should know that your efforts were greatly appreciated. You were also a terrific guide. For our family to return to the land of our heritage, it was not only emotional, but with the information that you provided for us, it was a wonderfully educational experience. Additionally, the perfect sized bus for the 14 of us made getting around the city easy and comfortable. Your attention to details is second to none!
Hi Jo: Our week in Berlin was all that we anticipated. Both Michael and Robert were terrific guides, showing us perspectives on the city we would never have seen on our own. Your recommendations on what to see and where to go kept us busy, immersed in Berlin’s history and culture and very well fed. Best wishes
Jo,My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful walking tour of Berlin with Michael yesterday morning. His deep knowledge of history and architecture combined with his enthusiasm and willingness to share personal memories made our tour unforgettable. Thank you for your quick response to my last minute request and for having talented guides like Michael on your staff. Best regards
We very much enjoyed our tour today. Will you please pass onto to Michael our sincere thanks for making the trip so interesting and enjoyable as well as informative. His knowledge of and pride for Berlin was a delite. Also, please thank Jürgen for his contribution to our morning and for his skillful and safe driving. Very best regards
Thanks for picture. We really enjoyed and benefitted from your tour. We got to see and do many of things you told us about, including time/lunch at KaDeWe, much of 1 day on Museum Island, and show Yma last night there. Berlin in a beautiful city, with much to see and do. Thanks for introducing us to your city.
Hello Jo: We would like to thank you for the enchanting tours we made with you & Robert. It was very interesitng , intelligent & mind broadening. Thanks again
Hi Jo, We just arrived home from our cruise, and wanted to thank you very much for the wonderful tour you provided of Berlin for our group of 12. The tour guide, Ophir, was the best guide we had of all the ports we visited...he is very knowledgeable, and has a very pleasant personality...just the right combination. We thoroughly enjoyed the day with him. We will definitely recommend your company to anyone we know planning a trip to Berlin. Best regards
Hi Jo: Just wished to say thank you for organising our tour of Berlin for us. The Andersons & Nilsson’s had a very informative guide - Tania Masi & an excellent driver Thomas. The vehicle that collected us was top notch and Thomas looked after us very well. When Tania joined us in West Berlin, she was a delight and made us feel really welcome. What a lovely girl with so much knowledge on the history of Berlin and the arts. We were sorry that we did not get to meet up with you but your stand in was very good. Would definitely recommend your tour company as an excellent one. Please pass on our regards to Tania & Thomas. Take care and thanking you
Dear Jo: I wanted to write and thank you for the most informative and enjoyable day we spent with you last week at Potsdam and places along the way. We could not possibly have duplicated the day without you. Your restaurant suggestions also added immeasurably to our visit to Berlin. Our only mistake was in not devoting more of our trip to Berlin. We are looking forward to a return visit before too long. We are also appreciative of Michael's efforts to introduce us to Berlin on our first day and to show us his home town of Dresden as we could not have seen it through our own eyes.
Hi Jo- I just wanted to send a note of the outstanding staff you have at your disposal. Both Julie and Robert represented everything that we were looking for in a driver and guide. Julie was very friendly, helpful and a pleasure to be around. Robert expressed the passion he has for Berlin. His passion was engaging and became reciprocal. His expertise in the history was enthralling, not to mention his love of lamp posts. Through the enjoyment of these two people, my group has talked often about returning to Berlin to explore in more detail this amazing city. A very sincere and grateful thank you
Dear Jo, We would personally like to thank you for all the help and information that you rendered to us in Berlin and also for helping us out for the Black Forest Region. We were very fortunate to get a good deal from the travel agent you recommended. Thanking you profusely once again, I remain
HI, WE GOT BACK TO THE STATES ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND WE WANT TO THANK YOU AND THE CREW FOR SHOWING US SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME IN BERLIN!!!!!WE ENJOYED SO MUCH OUR TRIP WITH YOU TO RAVENSENBRUCK .AND WE LOVED SPENDING THE DAY WITH MICHAEL. THE RESTAURANTS YOU SENT US TO WERE FANTASTIC. I WILL RECOMMEND YOUR GROUP IN THE FUTURE IF I KNOW OF ANYONE ELSE COMING TO YOUR PART OF THE WORLD. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN. WE REALLY ENJOYED OUR TRIP TO BERLIN BECAUSE OF YOU. SEND OUR REGUARDS TO EVERYONE
Hi Jo, we are back in Spain. It was great! fantastic! everything worked perfectly! I will keep you in mind for next time for sure. Thanks a lot for your kindness.
Wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our day with you. It began wonderfully with Julie and Marion picking us up promptly at the dock in Warnemunde. They were delightful and gave us an insight into how much life has changed in the past years. Our day in Berlin with you, was everything we had hoped for. Our group has nothing but praise for how well everything was planned and how much we managed to see in such a short time. We will definitely recommend 'A Friend in Berlin' to anyone who needs a guide in Berlin.
We truly enjoyed our day with you. You were indeed “a friend in Berlin.” We were, and are, delighted that the G8 Summit did not interfere with our planned visit to Berlin. You and Stephan guided us expertly from one place to another, and at the end of the day we felt like we had been given a very good glimpse of Berlin by a friend who just happened to live there.
Hi Jo, thanks for the tour of Berlin and Dresden. I had a lot of fun. You were a wonderful guide (also a very good driver). I found that your years spent in the States were extremely helpful and truly enhanced the comprehensive perspective that you provided. Thanks so much.
We (20 UT Austin students) enjoyed our competent and personable tour guide who shared her knowledge - not only about the history and sights of Berlin - but also about Berlin's night life. Our students had a great time. They learned a lot and had fun, thanks to Jo's advice
Many thanks to Jo for a wonderful visit to a great city! We traveled to Berlin in August of 2005 and Jo provided many unique insights and helpful comments concerning what to see and do while visiting the city. She also took the time to research some of our specific interests (the Bauhaus movement) and give a tour that enhanced our knowledge of their impact on Berlin. We would recommend her highly to others considering a tour.
Jo set up a short trip outside of Berlin (Leipzig and Dresden) for my husband and me. She not only made lovely hotel and restaurant reservations, she reserved tickets and made wonderful suggestions for sightseeing. She gave us maps of the area and driving instructions.. oh, she reserved the ar for us, too! I would highly recommend her services!
Jo organized a tour for our company during a visit to Berlin in April 2004. The tour was not only informative and original, it was also a lot of fun! The next time our company will be in Berlin, we'll book another tour with Ms. Eckardt! Thank you!
Thank you so much for your great tour of Berlin back on August 11th (2006). You really did a very professional job, giving us the quick overview of your city. We do recall many of the sites and were glad that we had seen them. The van driver should also be praised - very competent and efficient.
We booked a family (cruise ship passengers docking in Rostock) for a tour of Berlin with Ms. Eckardt and they came back extremely happy. They loved the personal service and saw more of Berlin than if they had been on a large bus. We are looking forward to booking more passengers with "A Friend in Berlin"!
Jo, I want to tell you how very much we enjoyed being with you and Peter (driver)... you knew your history and fit as much as you could into the day, with our limited time in Berlin off the cruise ship, which we appreciated. It was fun having our small group and walking right into the museums and places of interest with you. Peter was very conscientious about our safety and that was important to us being in a foreign country. Your lunch idea in the park was fun, tasty, and a nice time to visit with you and Peter and see where the locals eat too. We also enjoyed Peter's explanations on our drive to/from Rostock. I would highly recommend your tour to anyone visiting Berlin.
