PhillyFan

Hi. We are looking at a 4 hour private walking tour (for 2) of Berlin as part of our short time in Berlin at a cruise stop.

The fees are "between 60-90/Euro per hour based on "what you can afford and what you think of the tour".

I have nothing to compare this to - have any of you used a private guide in Germany?

All I know is that in Sicily and Ephesus, on our last cruise, we hired private guides who picked us up at the cruise dock and transported us all over the place and I know we didn't pay anywhere near 600+ Euro (tours were about 6 hours) for each of those trips. (I think Ephesus was about $300). I know I'm not comparing apples to apples, but the Germany fees seem high - which is why I am posting this for your thoughts and experiences.

With our Germany situation, we will transport ourselves to Berlin and meet the guide for a 4 hour walking tour - no car involved.

There is no deposit, but a cancellation fee was mentioned. I asked for clarification, since no deposit is required:

<<If you were to cancel with a very short time frame and I can't fill the time I have held for you I simply ask for a small fee as a compensation for lost work. This has only ever happened once and the client transferred €150 which is what I asked for.

I respect that I am tying up this tour guide's time if I cancel (and I can't imagine we would, but one never knows). Is 150 Euro a "small fee"?

What do you think of these charges? Any insights? If you any guides you've used and loved, please let me know. Toucan2's guide was already booked.

traveller1959

I found more than a dozen guide offers on the web, but most of them had no prices except the one which said 60-90 Euro per hour and another one for 46 Euros an hour:
http://www.urlaub-anbieter.com/your-...m#Urlaub-Preis
The website is in German, but they offer English tours too.

Actually, Berlin is easy to visit and I doubt if you really need a guide. At first, you should ride the public bus no. 100 - it is a double-decker bus and it is a perfect hop-on/hop-off sightseeing route. You will see most of the important buildings. The fare is € 2.70 p.p.

annhig

you can also do a boat trip on the Spree around the centre of Berlin, which also takes you past some of the major sights, like the Reichstag. probably more than the bus ride but still a lot less than a private guide.

Have you tried the Berlin tourist office to see what they offer?

http://www.visitberlin.de/en/article/guided-tours

quokka

I am a freelance art historian in Germany (though not a tour guide) and I know how a self-employed person in this country has to calculate. These charges per hour are absolutely realistic. As a rule of thumb, max. one third of it is the person's actual income.

The guide reserves his/her time for you and if you cancel at short notice s/he will not have any other earnings, so the compensation fee is also understandable.

PhillyFan

Tell us more about what you do, quokka. It sounds very interesting.

Thanks traveller. A friend from Fodors pointed me to a walking tour that does seem easy to do on our own.

jrjcolllins

Another option is to use the Berlin Greeter, part of the Global Greeter Network. We have not used them in Berlin but have in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Tokyo. They are not tour guides but are volunteers who want to show their city to visitors. It's a free service although you should tip them well. You sign up on line, tell them where you want to go, they pick you up at your hotel, or some other place you want to me. We've enjoyed being with the greeters in all three cities. It's a wonderful organization! http://www.berlin-greeter.org/en

thursdaysd

You tipped your Greeters??? Surely not.

From the site you yourself linked:

"Berlin Greeter is a completely free offer for Berlin visitors who want to discover Berlin in a new way. Our Greeters are forbidden to take any fees or tips. If you want to support the Berlin Greeter program, you can make a donation."

I have taken Greeters small presents, I have bought them coffee, I have bought them lunch, but I have certainly not tipped one. Why is it that Americans always want to give money to people?

nytraveler

If it's like the Big Apple Greeters in NYC the greeters do not accept tips - but of course a donation to the program is appropriate. Also, many groups invite the greeter to join them for a drink or a casual meal.

jrjcolllins

That is correct, they do not officially accept tips......but, it depends on the country. In Japan, we gave our greeter a gift but in Russia both guides gladly accepted tips. So just do what you feel comfortable with.

thursdaysd

Why is it you feel comfortable giving money to people who are not supposed to take it, and who are being friendly rather than doing a job? And why advocate tipping (quote: you should tip them well) when you know it is against the guidelines?

@nytraveler - yes, Big Apple Greeters turn out to be the very first.

Mainhattengirl

At 60 € per hour, a 4 hour tour is only 240 €.

For the poster that wants to compare a boat ride on the spree to going on a private tour, they obviously have no idea what a private tour offers and how it can enhance your visit to a city.

I can recommend 3 companies:
"Jeremy, the Berlin Expert"
"Gablinger Tours"
"Insider Tours"

annhig

For the poster that wants to compare a boat ride on the spree to going on a private tour, they obviously have no idea what a private tour offers and how it can enhance your visit to a city. >>

If you read my post carefully, Manhattan girl, you will see that I was making no such comparison but suggesting something cheaper in case the OP decided that a private guide was too expensive. of course I know what having a private guide can offer but not all of us are able to afford one.

Mainhattengirl

Except that Berlin is chock full of tour companies offering 4 hour tours that you can join for as little 12 euro. Riding a boat, or riding bus 100 like another poster suggested are nothing like going on a tour whether it is a group tour or a private tour.

If a private guide is too much (but from their comments about going on private tours in other cities, I would say they they are used to shelling out a couple 100 euro), then a regular group tour would work well.

Cowboy1968

Even though four hours sound like a lot of time, I think you will be able to see only the central Mitte district (if you deduct time to actually visit sights, and not only look at the from the outside). But Berlin is much more spread out. And to get a bit of a bigger picture, it might even be more interesting to ride one of the HOHO busses than to focus on a tiny slice of the cake.
But it depends on the program of that guide - and your interests, of course. And I'd check his/her route first to see if I find it interesting.

annhig

Except that Berlin is chock full of tour companies offering 4 hour tours that you can join for as little 12 euro.>>

so why not tell the OP that, Mainhattangirl, rather than make sarky remarks about things that other posters haven't actually said?

PhillyFan

Thanks for the tour recommendations - the first one was recommended to me by others here and he is already booked for our day.

I cancelled our tour. Her definition of "very short notice" was 2 weeks, or else I owe almost 50% of the tour cost. While this might be typical for Germany, it seems high and not a risk I want to take -- even though I have every expectation and desire to go on this trip. I can't plan ahead if the volcano erupts and disrupts air travel, etc.

Also, when I say 4 hours, we have 4 hours to explore and within that time frame also to get back to our pick up point to meet our transportation back to the cruise port. Obviously, we cannot be late for that, so a group tour won't work (unless it's shorter) b/c we need to end at a very specific destination.

I will contact a few others, but if need be, my son and I can find our way around Berlin to get to some of the highlights.