Discover Berlin, Potsdam, and Dresden
Explore the rich history and vibrant culture of Berlin, the architectural magnificence and natural beauty of Potsdam. and the baroque spendlor of Dresden through my unique tours. As a German-American historian and local expert with three decades of experience, I offer insights beyond what typical tours include. . Learn what sets my tours apart and makes them unforgettable experiences .
Berlin
Third Reich Walking Tour: My most popular tour. How did Adolf Hitler and the Nazis come to power? How did their authoritarian system of propaganda, repression and terror work? How did anti-Semitism, the cornerstone of Nazi ideology, lead to the Holocaust? Why did Germany fail to defeat the Soviet Union, and how did that failure bring about the total destruction of Berlin and Germany? Perhaps most importantly, what warning does the history of Nazi Germany have for our time? These are the questions we address on this tour. Sites include the Wilhelmstraße (once the government quarter of the Third Reich), the remaining part of the Nazi Propaganda Ministry, the Memorial to Georg Elser (the first of many would-be assassins of Adolf Hitler), the former site of Adolf Hitler's bunker, the memorials to the Jewish, homosexual, and Sinti & Roma victims of the Nazis, the Brandenburg Gate, the Soviet War Memorial in the Tiergarten, and the Reichstag Building. Duration: 2.5 hours. Cost: 200 Euros.
A Stroll through Prussian Berlin: For many, the Prussian state remains known for its militarism, but Prussia was also a kingdom that promoted education and culture. Nowhere else can you experience Prussia's magnificent cultural heritage than in central Berlin. Learn why Prussia strove to elevate the knowledge and taste of its population, why it pursued progressive policies of immigration and religious tolerance, how the Nazis broke with this legacy, and how the Prussian heritage is remembered in Germany today. Sites include Museum Island, the Berlin Cathedral, the boulevard Unter den Linden, the Humboldt Forum, the Forum Fredericianum with the Humboldt University, the State Opera, St. Hedwig's Cathedral, the former Royal Library and Bebelplatz (former Opera Square, site of the infamous Nazi book-burning) as well as the equestrian statue of Frederick the Great, Gendarmenmarkt (French and German "Cathedrals" and the Concert House, and the Brandenburg Gate. Duration: 2.5 hours. Cost: 200 Euros.
Queer Berlin. Sites include: Memorial to Magnus Hirschfeld (pioneer gay rights activist) and his Institute of Sexual Science, Memorial to the Homosexual Victims in the Tiergartn, the Nollendorf Platz Memorial (the first memorial for gay victims of the Nazis in Germany), the "Rainbow Quarter" in the district of Schöneberg, the center of gay life in the 1920's and early 1930's (still offering many queer bars, clubs, shops), former site of the legendary trans-club "El Dorado" (theme of a Netflix documentary) and the neighborhood where the British author Christopher Isherwood lived. (His book "Goodbye to Berlin" chronicled how gay life flourished in Berlin before being destroyed by the Nazis, and later inspired the musical "Cabaret." )Duration: 2.5 hours. Price: 250 Euros.
Full-day Berlin Tour. This tour offers an overview of the highlights in former east and west Berlin, along with tips for further exploration on your own and suggestions for museum visits, going out in the evening, and cultural events. The specific sites visited depend on the interests and wishes of my guests. Duration: 6 hours. Cost: 400 Euros.
Bus Tours.
Highlights of Historic Berlin: Brandenburg Gate (photo-stop), the boulevard Unter den Linden, Museum Island (photo-stop), Alexxanderplatz, Karl-Marx-Avenue, East Side Gallery (longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall with photo-stop), Checkpoint Charlie (photo-stop). Potsdamer Platz, Victory Column, Reichstag and government quarter, and much more! Duration: 3 hours. Price: 250 Euros.
Berlin in Depth: Brandenburg Gate (photo-stop), the boulevard Unter den Linden, Museum Island (photo-stop), Alexxanderplatz, Karl-Marx-Avenue, East Side Gallery (longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall with photo-stop), Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park (photo-stop), Checkpoint Charlie (photo-stop). Potsdamer Platz, Victory Column, Reichstag and government quarter, KDW department store, Emperor Wilhelm Memorial Church, Charlottenburg Palace , Olympic Stadium, and much more! Duration: 6 hours (includiing one-hour lunch break). Price: 400 Euros.
Potsdam
Sanssouci and the Old Town (half-day tour): Take the fast regional train to Potsdam, where I meet you to begin the tour. Experience the beauty of Sanssouci Gardens with its Chinese House, New Orangery, New Palace, and much more! ,See the world-famous Sanssouci palace from the outside (interior visit possible upon request), visit the grave of Frederick the Great, and afterwards walk through Potsdam's perfectly preserved 18th century old town and the Dutch Quarter. Duration: 3 hours. Cost: 250 Euros.
Sanssouci, the Old Town, and Cecilienhof, site of the Potsdam Conference (full-day tour): Take the train to Potsdam, where we will meet to begin the tour. Stroll through Sanssouci park, see the palace from the outide as well as the grave of Frederick the Great, enjoy a lunch break in the baroque old town of Potsdam, and then take a bus to the New Garden to see Cecilienhof Palace, site of the Potsdam Conference (the palace musuem is closed for renovations until Novemeber 202´7), Weather permitting, enjoy a cold drink in the "Meierei," the former royal dairy, now a brewery with Potsdam's most beautiful beer garden, before taking a bus directly back to the Potsdam Main Station to return to Berlin. Duration: 6 hours. Cost: 400 Euros.
The Babelsberg Villa Colony (half-day tour): Many know that the US-president Harry Truman, the British prime ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, as well as the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin met at Cecilienhof Palace for the Potsdam Conference. Less well known is where they stayed while they were here: the Babelsberg Villa Colony on the Griebnitzsee (lake). Here stood the summer homes of many investors, bankers, and industrialists who made their fortunes during the "Founding Era" of the Second German Empire (1870's). They were soon joined by prominent government officials, military officers, scientists and artists, many of whom decided to live in the colony year round. Reknowed architects of their time designed villas for the colony, including Alfred Grenander, Hermann Muthesius, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe . After the nearby Babelsberg film studio opened in 1917, the colony film stars bought homes here. The Golden Age of the Colony came to end with the rise of the Nazis. Perhaps half of the residents were Jews, all of whom were driven into exile or murdered. The colony became home to not only high-ranking Nazis but also members of the military resistance to Hitler. At the end of the Second World War, the colony was evacuated to make room for the delegations attending the Potsdam Conference. The division of Germany, which was confirmed at the conference, turned the colony into a kind of ghost town. Located in East Germany, the colony was now separated from West-Berlin by the Berlin Wall, with only those considered "reliable" elements allowed to live here. New challenges have arisen with German reunification, but the colony has once again become one of Potsdam's most-exclusive residential areas. Duration:2.5 hours, Cost: 250 Euros.
The New Garden and Surroundings: Okay, you've seen Sanssouci and a bit of the Old Town. But have you seen the Russian Colony? Have you enjoyed the breath-taking views from the Belvedere on Pentacost Hill? Have you seen the Marble Palace on the Heiliger See lake? Most important of all, have you visited the Meierei, once the royal dairy and now a brewery with Potsdam's best beer garden offering not only great views out over the water towards Wannsee but also its uniquely flavored "hops tea?" Take this tour and experience it all! Duration: 2.5 hours. Cost: 250 Euros.
