I came to Berlin over 25 years ago. An American Jew living in the German capital. I have walked almost every inch of this city, exploring its tormented and rich history, living its dynamic present. There was a lot of homework to do here. I've done it all. Let me share it with you.
I offer custom-made tours for English speakers visiting Berlin. No need to tell you that Germany's history is a difficult one. I've asked the hard questions since I arrived and would be glad to share with you what I've learned. But there is also a vibrant transition taking place in Berlin. Let me show you.
Are you interested in architecture, technology, culture, or Jewish history? You name it. I will design a tour that will keep your mind alert without killing your feet! My tours are unscripted and tailored to your interests. You will feel as connected to Berlin as I am.
Let me show you why millions of visitors are falling in love with this reunited new/old capital. Take it all in with me. You'll be amazed, you'll learn a lot and there will always be time for a Cafe Latte served only as the Berliners know it: in big bowls!
My friends refer to me as Mr. Berlin. My rule is to do something new here each day. As a result, I know this city better than most locals. And Berlin is like a film you have to see several times in order to really appreciate it! Each time I give a tour I continue to discover something new, and I'd love to share that with you!
I’m proud to be featured in Rick Steves Berlin, the essential guide for travelers. Rick’s recognition of my tours highlights the personal, authentic experiences I create for my guests.
Join me, and let’s uncover Berlin’s history, stories, and hidden gems together — one step at a time.
Years in Berlin
2001 — 2026
A Quarter Century in Berlin
I made Berlin my home in 2001. More than 25 years later, this city still surprises me. From my first visit during the Cold War to the Berlin I know today, curiosity has always led the way.
Discover my Berlin story ↗︎
1981
First visit
A first encounter with a divided Berlin.
2001
Berlin becomes home
I made Berlin my home on August 1, 2001.
2026
25 years in Berlin
Still exploring. Still discovering.
Berlin with Jeremy Minsberg
I was featured on Monday Night Travel, the live Rick Steves travel show, as a Berlin tour guide sharing my expert insights on Berlin’s top attractions, Jewish heritage sites, and hidden neighborhoods like Prenzlauer Berg. It’s a great introduction for anyone planning a Berlin tour or looking for a Berlin guide to explore the city’s rich history.
See more on YouTube
Guidebook for 2025
I’m listed as a recommended Berlin private tour guide in the fully updated Rick Steves Berlin Guidebook for 2025. Whether you’re exploring Berlin’s top attractions, uncovering its rich Jewish heritage, or planning day trips to Potsdam and Sachsenhausen, this trusted guidebook has everything you need for an unforgettable trip.
This is not my job - this is my passion and hobby. I don't have set fees. You name your price. Please contact me for details.
I Love Berlin
and I like to give back
whenever possible.
A portion of the fee always goes to charity, supporting various educational and cultural initiatives in Berlin. Giving back to the community is an integral part of my work.
No other tour guide in Berlin does this.
The berlin expert
tour vouchers
Give someone a Berlin tour.
Gift certificates for tours
are available.
Please feel free to ask.
A private introduction to Berlin's essential landmarks, history and neighbourhoods for first-time visitors.
Selected Highlights
Victory Column, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz, Potsdamer Platz, Hitler's Führerbunker, Luftwaffe Headquarters, Gendarmenmarkt, Topography of Terror, Checkpoint Charlie, The Berlin Wall, Unter den Linden, Book Burning Plaza, Museum Island, The Berlin Cathedral, plus more...
Explore Jewish life in Berlin past and present, from historic communities and persecution to today's renewed Jewish culture.
Selected Highlights
Holocaust Memorial, Old Jewish Graveyard, The Jewish Boys' School, The Jewish Girls' School, Ahavah Orphanage, The New Synagogue, Oranienburger Synagogue, The Old Synagogue, The Anne Frank Center, Rosenstrasse, Skipping Stones - Stolpersteine, Otto Weidt Workshop for the Blind, Hackescher Markt, Track 17, Wannsee Haus, Kindertransport Memorial, plus more...
Explore the division and reunification of Berlin through Wall sites, GDR landmarks and places connected with the Cold War.
Selected Highlights
The Russian Embassy, The Berlin Wall, The 17th of June Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, The Soviet Memorial, DDR Museum, TV Tower, Alexander Platz, Karl Marx Allee, Palace of Tears, Death Strip, Ghost Stations, GDR/DDR Landmarks, plus more...
Explore Berlin's architecture, from historic facades and Bauhaus modernism to postwar rebuilding and contemporary projects.
Selected Highlights
New Central Train Station, Pariser Platz, Potsdamer Platz, New Government Ministries, TV Tower, Alexander Platz, Schinkel, Albert Speer, I.M. Pei, Helmut Jahn, Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry, Sir Norman Foster, David Chipperfield, plus more...
The Nazi Period: Berlin's darkest chapter. See the stage of a nation that entered its abyss.
Selected Highlights
Goering's Air Force Ministry, Hitler's Chancellery and Führerbunker, SS & Gestapo headquarters, Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry, Topography of Terror, Germania, Reichstag, Soviet War Memorial, Memorials to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Memorial to the Murdered Sinti and Roma, Memorial to the Murdered Homosexuals, plus more...
Discover Berlin's long LGBTQ+ history, from early movements and persecution to memorial culture and contemporary openness.
Selected Highlights
Christopher Isherwood's apartment, New Gay Memorial, Nollendorfplatz and the Pink Triangle Memorial Plaque, The Eldorado Nightclub Site, The Magnus Hirschfeld Institute, Bebelplatz book burning, Memorial to the Murdered Homosexuals, plus more...
Discover Berlin by bike on a private route that connects major sights with historical context.
Selected Highlights
Victory Column, Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz, Potsdamer Platz, Hitler's Führerbunker, Luftwaffe Headquarters, Gendarmenmarkt, Topography of Terror, Checkpoint Charlie, The Berlin Wall, Unter den Linden, Book Burning Plaza, Museum Island, Berliner Dom, plus more...
Explore Potsdam's palaces, parks and the Prussian and Cold War history surrounding Berlin.
Selected Highlights
Sans Souci Palace and gardens, The New Palace, Cecilienhof and 1945 Potsdam Conference, Schloss Gleinecke, The old palace site, The old town square, The windmill, KGB prison, Marble Palace, Dutch quarter, Museum Alexandrowka, plus more...
A private historical visit to Ravensbrück Memorial and Sachsenhausen Memorial, north of Berlin.
Selected Highlights
Arbeit Macht Frei gate, Memorial to the Death March, The Standing Barracks, Infirmary Barracks, Barracks 38/39, Station »Z«, Ravensbrück’s “Woman Carrying Woman” Memorial, the Cell Block and Schwedtsee lakeshore, plus more…
Spend time in Berlin with Jeremy and combine must-see sights, local stories and less-visited places at your own pace.
Want some company during your stay in Berlin? Spend the day with me! I am happy to share my personal experiences, stories and anecdotes about living as an expat in Germany's capital. We can do the must-see's or take the not-so-beaten path in this fascinating city.
A private Berlin day trip planned around your cruise ship's arrival and departure schedule.
I arrange for a pick-up at the cruise ship dock for a Berlin day trip. Please ask for details and tours available.
Explore Berlin with a professional, locally licensed driver while Jeremy guides you throughout the route.
I offer a car and driver service. Please ask. I prefer to work with professional, locally licensed drivers so that I can give you my complete and undivided attention.
Do you like dogs? Weather permitting, Jeremy can bring his Dachshund Leylah along for the walk.
Live from Berlin
Come take a “WALK” with me in Berlin!
Do you miss the adventure and learning of travel? Maybe I can help.
I invite you to come to explore the city with me even if you can’t personally travel. Let me spend two hours with you as we wander Europe’s most vibrant city together using Zoom or FaceTime. It’s a terrific way to get a very personal and very real tour.
2 hours
Zoom or FaceTime
Gift option
Please contact me at any time for more information, availability, and pricing — including gift options for someone you know who might have cabin fever.
For many visitors, Germany isn’t just a destination. It’s part of their family story.
If your parents, grandparents, or earlier generations came from Germany, I can help you explore the places connected to their lives and put the history around them into context.
Bring me the names, addresses, photographs, documents, or stories you have. Together, we can follow the clues — and turn family history into something you can actually see, walk through, and experience.
Tell me your family story →Have documents, photographs, names or addresses? Send me what you have and let’s start from there.
Films & Books about Berlin
These are just a few highlights - contact me for my complete, regularly updated list of movies, series, and books about Berlin.
Quick answers about tours, fees, booking and Jeremy's background. Can't find what you need? Just ask.
Ask JeremyJeremy Minsberg offers private, custom-made tours of Berlin in English. Popular choices are the Berlin Overview, Jewish Berlin, Cold War, Architecture, Third Reich and LGBTQ+ history tours, a bike tour, a Potsdam day trip, and concentration camp memorial visits to Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück. If you cannot travel, he also guides live virtual tours over Zoom or FaceTime. Every route is tailored to your interests.
Yes. The Berlin Jewish Tour explores Jewish life in Berlin past and present, from historic communities and persecution to today's renewed Jewish culture. Typical stops include the New Synagogue, the Holocaust Memorial, Rosenstrasse, the Stolpersteine (Stumbling Stones), the Anne Frank Center and Track 17. Jeremy, an American Jew who has lived in Berlin since 2001, tailors the route to your interests.
Jeremy Minsberg is an American-born private tour guide in Berlin and the founder of The Berlin Expert. He first visited divided Berlin in 1981 and made the city his home on August 1, 2001. Friends call him "Mr. Berlin." He is listed as a recommended private guide in the 2025 Rick Steves Berlin guidebook, appeared as the expert Berlin guide on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel, and is a proud member of the Bündnis Berliner Stadtführer*innen (BBS), the Berlin guides association.
Yes. The Virtual Tour of Berlin is a two-hour live "walk" with Jeremy through the city over Zoom or FaceTime, ideal if you cannot travel right now. Contact him for availability, pricing and gift options.
Email Jeremy at theberlinexpert@gmail.com, or call or message him on WhatsApp at +49 176-7032-2854 (from the USA: 011-49-176-7032-2854). Tell him what you would like to see and when you will be in Berlin. Gift certificates for tours are also available.
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