At What Price-Point Per Person Is a Private Guide Not Cost-Effective

A private guide comes into play when the group tours do not match your time schedule or you have a very specific theme/interest you want covered that a group tour doesn't. Or if you have some sort of disability that makes a group tour difficult for you.

Shop around though. Private guides will charge different hourly amounts no matter what city you are visiting. Small towns usually have cheaper private guides, especially from the Tourist Info, where as in big cities, the Tourist Info often charges higher hourly fees than local companies do. It has little to do with the quality of the tour.

It's definitely a splurge but if there is something in particular you want to see in depth you should do it. We had a private tour for the Rome Colosseum geared for my husband who is visually impaired because he very much wanted to experience it. It was pricey compared to a group tour but we got so much more out of it being the only ones. Our questions were answered without being rushed and the guide took particular care in covering what we wanted. It gave me a break because I did not have to read the guidebook out loud as I was walking.

Typically, we just research where we are going in advance and have an idea of what to see and then do so on our own. Check out Rick's materials plus an endless variety elsewhere. Also, TI offices have information such as maps and can suggest the latest attractions for tourists. Do you have enough time to switch careers and hit it big as hedge fund manager?

or you have a very specific theme/interest you want covered that a
group tour doesn't.

To Jo's good points I'll add that they can be worthwhile investments if you want the deeper dive - on an academic level, say - into a particular subject than a group tour will provide.

A personal guide also allows you to move more nimbly and flexibly: to spend as much time as you wish to in some areas, and as little as you wish to in others. Plus, you never have to worry about holding a group up if you have lots of questions.

We tend to avoid tours altogether, except when they're mandatory to access a particular site at all, as we prefer to dawdle away on our own time but I know there will be situations in the future when we'll probably sign up for a small-group guide.

Financially speaking, my husband and I are somewhere between hostels and hedge funds ourselves. We have taken multiple small group day tours that have all been excellent - many of these have included solo travelers. The only time we hired a true private guide was for a day trip to Nuremberg for WWII sites. Our private hiking guide for Yellowstone cancelled a day and a half before our first hike - but that's another story.

To me, up to 250 Euros for the experience, whether it's a full day or half day is the limit. This assumes the guide is for something I really really want to see and a guide is necessary, in my sole opinion, to get the most out of the experience in the available amount of time.

To what has already been said above, let me add that I don't know your exact price point is for what makes something affordable for you. What you need to consider is what you need to see while you're there (things that you'll kick yourself forever if you don't see them), and how much that is worth to you.

I have done both local group tours and private tours. The private tour was only because I was traveling alone and wanted a guide for a very specific location. I feel that I got my money's worth out of it, because I was able to see and understand what I was seeing far better than if I'd wandered there on my own. Having said that, of COURSE I wish I could have done that for less money. But c'est la vie.

There are tons of places that offer group/individual tours. Research them and don't be afraid to email them with questions.

The responses above have been extremely helpful. I found myself nodding yes with so many responses. I know what I intend to do. Thanks to all for your responses.

Hi,

"...shortly be visiting Berlin as a solo traveler." Bravo! When? I was there solo for two full weeks in June.

I won't say anything positive or negative on going for a private guide, since that is definitely not my style, all the more so when it comes to Berlin. If you have ample time there, say at least seven or eight nights, as your reference to "several days in a location" suggests, and it's your very first visit, I would do one of the HoHo tours, regardless if it's worth it in price, ca 13 Euro? Why the HoHo? You sit on the top deck so as to shoot away with the digital camera, better angle and position, plus getting bird's eye view, if you are after photos of street scenes, architecture, especially historical architecture, statues, memorials, or just buildings, , or maybe names of streets with named after historical personalities, such Wieland, Leibnitz, Kleist, Lützow, etc, etc.

First of all, Berlin is spread out, ie big. There are tons of things to see in the east and the western sides. From west to east Grunewald and Spandau to Karlshorst if you look at it laterally. Historical Berlin is basically eastern Berlin. Numerous sites I can recommend in eastern Berlin or the Groß-Berlin area if your primary focus is history, and I don't mean merely DDR related history. Memorial plaques (Gedenkstafel) are all over, some in English along with the German.

Decide which are the top priority places, culturally, historically to be tracked down and then those of second priority. My list would be different from that which you draw up but they may also overlap.

It is the question of price vs. value as most choices are when traveling. I see value in having a custom tour that is designed with your particular interests in mind. You will have to decide in each case if the value exceeds the price.

I think private guides that have specialized or unique knowledge or insights about a subject that you're really interested in - but not likely to attain quickly or easily on your own - can be worthwhile, even at a high price-point. But I don't know exactly how to ferret out their qualifications on the internet, I guess you have to go by references and some degree of gut feeling. There are a lot of information sources out there (hard copy and electronic), but there are also many off-the-beaten path and more obscure sites or topic areas where the right guide (with a special background/training) can really provide a lot of value (e.g., when they translate from another language in addition to providing commentary on something that you cannot find a lot of in-depth info on).

Fred,

Assuming there are no hurricanes threatening south Louisiana before my departure, I am scheduled to leave on Sept. 20, arrive in Berlin on Sept. 21, and leave Berlin on Sept. 27. It may be crowded--the Berlin marathon is that weekend. But after my arrival day, I will have five full days in Berlin. I know that you are one of the resident experts on Berlin and German history, so I will always welcome any other suggestions that you (or anyone else) would care to offer. I do have an interest in Berlin during the Weimar and Third Reich periods.

My intent is take on my first day a group tour covering Berlin's highlights (some of which I saw in a quick visit several years ago) and to look at the walking tours offered by the better known walking-tour companies in Berlin.

With the help of the responses above, this is what I have concluded: From a value standpoint, I am willing to take a personal tour with an exceptionally knowledgeable guide, showing me sites that I would never see on my own. But the guide would have to be exceptional, and the tour would have to specially tailored, to justify a fee of, say, 240 Euros for four hours.

@ Richard...thanks. If you feel getting a guide is best in terms of your time and interests, I'll leave that up to you. All I know is getting a guide for Berlin is not an option for me. I'm not talking about price either. That's an individual decision.

Well, re your interest in the Weimar period, I suggest you see the "Berliner Ensemble" Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in eastern Berlin. Brecht's plays were performed there, a cultural spot of Weimar Berlin.

On the war years there are so many sites that you'll have to prioritize. Berlin-Karlshorst is where the Soviets received the German surrender a day after it was done in Reims to the Anglo-Germans. It was the last of the four surrenders, signed by the Germans at four different occasions and places in 1945. The building in Karlshorst is currently the site of the German-Russian Museum, which focuses on the war on the Eastern Front...all refurbished, modernised, expanded with audiophones, etc if you need that. From the S-Bahn station Karlshorst to the museum on Treskowstraße it's about a 30 min walk but there is a bus that goes right to the museum. Outside the museum building is garden area where Soviet tanks, tank destroyers, etc are displayed.

There is the British RAF military cemetery in the western area on Heerstraße, ca. 40 min walk from the S-Bahn station. There is also a bus that goes down Heerstraße...The RAF site is revealing, poignant.

The Soviets have three memorial sites in Berlin, I've seen two of them. They are at Pankow, Treptow, and down from the Tierpark on Straße des.17. Juni. If you have time for only one, I would suggest the big one at Treptow.

Hi,

part 2 here...Hopefully you won't have any weather problems that would impede or delay your departure.

I would suggest when you get to the Brandenburg Gate from the eastern side, ie Pariser Platz, think of the documentary film you've seen of the place. Walk past Pariser Place ca 2 mins to the Adlon Hotel, not only is it now one of the fanciest and most expensive hotels in Berlin, the hotel (the original) was famous in the Weimar period, where the journalists and writers, etc gathered, a popular "in place" then.

Over ten years ago I witnessed this "argument" at the Pension I was staying then, between the Canadian couple and one of the women who ran the Pension. I stood in the hallway and watched the exchange that went back and forth in English. The Canadians were arguing, contesting about the price of the room, asked this and that re amenities, why no credit card payment, etc, etc.

I could tell the German woman was getting pretty exasperated; finally, in effect, she told them to get out, ie if you don't want the room at the Pension, by saying if they wanted all this and that, "go to the Adlon.!"

I heartily suggest seeing the Resistance Museum, Gedenkstätte deutscher Widerstand, all the more so in light of all the reading you've done. It has audio phones too, which commonplace for historical museums now but I was at one historical memorial museum in Germany in June where that was not the case, no English at all, (Just as in the old days!) yes, the museum had audio phones but those were in German too.

Do you plan on spending a whole day in Potsdam given your time constraint?

I'll just insert a personal recommendation for a guide, altho I did not tour with him in Berlin. Carlos Meissner was my guide on the RS Germany, Austria, Switzerland tour last year and I really liked him. With his PhD in history as well as his family history in Germany he has immense depth of knowledge and shares that in relatable terms with tour members. His Dad was from Thuringia but escaped to the West in the 50's. His Mom was a Costa Rican diplomat in Bonn.

I have no idea what his schedule is in relation to RS tour leading next week nor do I know what his costs are. I do know I would go on any tour led by him!

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/guides/carlos-meissner
https://guides-berlin.org/guides-bbs/carlos

Fred, how did you know I was staying at the Adlon?

Perhaps on the next trip (or the Regent).

As always, thank you for the excellent suggestions. The Resistance Museum is high on my list. However, I was not planning a visit to Potsdam. There are two types of sights I do not enjoy as much as others do: art museums and palaces.

@ Richard...surely you jest, staying at the Adlon?? That's one of the most famous hotels in Berlin along with the Kempenski on Kurfürstendamm. If you get a chance to see the Kempenski, on the side is memorial plaque in German since the owners were German Jews, they didn't make it

Since palaces and art museums are lower priority, I'll refrain from suggesting those, which several of these Schlösser can be seen in Potsdam. In addition to Resistance Museum I absolutely recommend the Invalidenfriedhof , the oldest and most famous of the Prussian-German military cemeteries in Berlin, easy to get to. Take a right turn out of Berlin Hbf , the Invalidenstraße, ca, 20-25 mins walk to Scharnhorststraße, hang a left. It is on the left hand side. The glass plaque has English along with the German, the rest of the place is all in German, some of it written in Fraktur, ...very revealing, poignant, as you read the explanations.

I suggest also you set aside at least half a day for this site since it involves taking the train from Berlin Hbf to Frankfurt an der Oder, then the S-Bahn to Seelow to see the memorial site, cemetery and battlefield museum (Gedenkstätte und Museum Seelower Höhen) of the Soviet attack on Berlin, the biggest battle on German soil, The museum now has audio phones but the literature in the small shop is all in German.

@ Richard...If you want to get to a place in Berlin without having to see international tourists or just German tourists, I would suggest going to Spandau, Köpenick, Karlshorst, Pankow, You would know the writer of the Weimar period, K. Tucholsky. I tracked down his house in Berlin in my 1999 visit, it is in the Steglitz district, very surprising, revealing going to working class residential areas.

To get bird's eye view of the city, crossing it in various directions, ride the different S-Bahn lines, # 3, 7, 75, etc.

Hi,

Where are you staying in Berlin? In the eastern or western side? I stay in the western side, mainly out of habit, the Pension is ca 15 min walk from Bahnhof Zoo, but since Bahnhof Zoo is now useless (for all practical purposes), the S-Bahn station "Savignyplatz" is 3 min or so away.

There are great places to eat in both parts of the city, international (Greek, Italian, Turkish, Shanghai, French, etc, and traditional good old German cuisine, say in Berlin-Charlottenburg and Alexanderplatz, Köpenick, etc.

Hi,

This activity I would suggest dong on a Sat or Sun, assuming if you've not seen it before.

Get to the DHM (Ger Hist Museum) on Unter den Linden early. You'll probably spend 2-3 hrs. The WW1 section is, Germano-critical and Germano-centric, basically, the Museum's presentation of WW1, it origins and the way it was fought buys into the Fischer Thesis. If you are familiar with the British professor/historian C Clark's, The Sleepwalkers" (also translated into German), Clark absolutely takes issue with the Fischer Thesis The DHM is one of the places I've seen the 88mm gun in the section on WW2. It's also in New Orleans, London, Vienna, and maybe Paris, can't recall exactly.

On the ground floor the Museum has a nice cafe. After that, as you head east towards Museum Island, you'll run into into this "farmers' market" set -up but it isn't selling produce or food, all sorts of other things. Among the tables there is this long table of books on the right hand side, one table after another, to accommodate a ton of books...all on war history, battles, military, unit memoirs, WW1 and 2, tanks, U-Boats, planes, esoteric monographs on battle campaigns, etc, etc. all in German (99.9%) , a few translations from Anglo-American historians and writers on war "stuff". ....fascinating and enlightening. A white haired guy runs this stand. I talked with him at length, on his books, the topics, historical interpretations, etc he certainly knows his "stuff."

If you're in the area and so inclined, check this place /table out. I don't know if he speaks English well enough to engage in a topical conversation, I did tell him I was from Calif.

I had actually planned to go to the German History Museum on Sunday. It seems a good day to go with the Berlin Marathon taking place that day.

Fred, I would feel remiss if I did not in this forum express my gratitude for the time you have spent offering your many excellent suggestions. This is the reason that people visit so frequently the RS forums. As evidenced by the many helpful posts on this thread, it's a great club to belong to.

@ Richard...A good way to ensure not encountering the crowds for that event is to duck into a museum. If you decide not to swing by the "open air market," you can continue after the Ger Hist Museum walking east until you see the sign for Nickolai Viertel. It's prior to reaching Berlin Alexanderplatz, It's interesting, all refurbished , I first saw this site during the commie days, a few months (Aug 1989) before the "Abriß der Mauer" (tearing down of the Wall).

There is a restaurant on the edge of the Nickolai Vierrtel,"Mutter Hoppe" on Rathausstraße, the corner of the street. It serves traditional Berlin cuisine, super popular, so much so you can't get a table. I went on a Friday night at 19: 00hrs, I know wrong time, it was packed, there was a line, not too long, but I was not in the mood for waiting, esp as a solo diner, Maybe you're luck will be better.

To get to a less crowded small restaurant with typical Berlin cuisine, I recommend this one in Köpenick, on the side street of the Rathaus Köpenick, called "Restauration zur Gardestube" It advertises itself as serving the old Berliner cuisine the way it was done at the turn of the century, say in 1906. The atmosphere of this small place is a take off on C. Zuckmayer's play, "Der Hauptmann von Köpenick." It's frequented by only east Berliners/ Germans, the waitress might speak English, (I don't know) just a nice place, not pricey...no international tourists go out here anyway, ca a 40 mins walk (a bus runs along the main street too) from the S-Bahn station Köpenick. Culturally, historically I think you'll find this restaurant delightful.

Hi,

Hopefully the weather is not going to affect your flight out.

I want to point out that since you'll be at the Resistance Museum on Stauffenbergstraße, don't overlook the memorial at the spot where he and three others were shot by firing squad. If you want to pursue more on this history and Stauffenberg himself, the family memorial Schloss is located south of Stuttgart near Hechingen in a village accessible by train, the "Stauffenberg Gedenkstätte (Memorial site), Stauffenberg Schloß" open to the public only three days a week, each day for three hours. It has been only ten years this site serves as the memorial to him and his brothers. It is all in German, the literature save one brochure in French and English, the audio phones, the explanations for the photos, etc.

Here is another option for you to choose in Berlin: Tours on underground Berlin. Several tours are offered, one deals with the Flak Towers, inquire at Brunnenstraße 105 near the Berlin Gesundbrunnen station. The address is that of Berliner Unterwelten eV which are in charge of these underground tours, berliner-unterwelten.de