So much more than just sightseeing: Energetic, Vibrant Berlin Adventures
Tina offers tours for English speaking guests which are rich with history and packed with energy. When touring with Tina you don’t just hear Berlin’s best stories and visit its most important sights, you also connect with the city’s spirit and uncover its real soul.
Reviews
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Tina is such an amazing guide! She is well read, funny and intelligent. I first went with her on the Welcome to Berlin tour and she was so good that I decided to book her Alternative Berlin tour the day after which was even better. She is by far the best guide I've toured with. She tried to claim other tour guides are just as good but I don't think that is possible. If you have the opportunity to go with Tina, you have to take it!
Tomas Strand
August 2, 2025Tina for sure does one of the coolest Berlin tours. Randomly bumped into her wonderful Instagram account and booked a tour. Her Alternative Berlin tour is up there with the best tours we have ever taken. It’s unique. Her passion and love for this city and its very alternative culture shows every second of the tour. I’m also sure her other tours would be equally amazing since we had some nice discussions about some great work what Nazis deem degenerate art’, ‘Bauhaus’, great club and food recommendations and even movies (she spoke about FW Munrau and a unique fact which got me very excited). I can go on. Highly highly recommended if you are in Berlin.
P S
August 2, 2025Today I took a Berlin Highlights tour and it was great experience! Tina was friendly, knowledgeable, and approachable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to get to know the city better!
Rade Gligić
August 1, 2025Tina’s Berlin Tour was a highlight and we would highly recommend her tours. Tina is so knowledgeable about Berlin and its rich but at times confronting history and she brings depth to the topics. We were able to cover so much in a short period of time. Tina was also really generous with her suggestions on other places to visit and good eating including Berlins best schnitzels!
Jim Corrigan
July 29, 2025Went on one of Tina's tours late last year while visiting Berlin with some friends, then again when I came back with my partner this year. Tina is an incredible guide. She has captivating storytelling skills, is super knowledgeable about the region, and holds excellent insights around history, culture and politics. She is great at answering any extra questions we had, and was even keen to give extra recommendations as to what else we could do while we were in town (catered to our unique interests). I recommend taking one of Tina's tours as your first stop in Berlin. It reveals the tip of the layered iceberg that is this city, and perfectly introduces you to all the main elements of history that you need to know. 10/10, five stars, A++. I'll be back again next time I'm in town.
Daniel Nodder
July 29, 2025I recently joined Tina’s Welcome to Berlin tour, and even though it’s a longer tour, Tina kept it so engaging and interesting! Her style and delivery paired with her deep knowledge of Berlin‘s history, including colonial, queer, and other often overlooked topics. I look forward to my next tour with Tina!
Samantha June
July 15, 2025I went on one of Tina's tours about the cold war, and it was absolutely amazing. Tina is extremely knowledgeable, and her enthusiasm for Berlin's history is contagious 🙂 . She made us all laugh, but also gave space for silence when needed: Berlin's history is fascinating, heavy, and complex. Tina's tour was well curated, and every time someone asked a question, she opened her inner library and reflected on the topic in a way that made me want to listen to her for hours. I can't recommend enough to attend one of Tina's tours. This won't be my last.
Ditte Østergaard
July 15, 2025Highly recommend Tina’s Alternative Berlin tour!! Tina is engaging, funny and knows all the good spots.
Lydia Sims
July 5, 2025 -
We booked Tina several months ago for our stay in Berlin. We were referred to her by a family connection and we had various communications with her as to our needs and preferences. All very well organised. We settled on a full day tour the morning after our arrival, and she met as at our hotel as promised (10 mins early). We then took off on foot and spent the next 5 hours seeing just about all that was possible to see in that time. She certainly knows her stuff (WW2, WW1, partition of Berlin & Germany, the wall, DDR, Stasi, history of the major buildings and monuments, the fantastic Berlin gardens, bars & restaurants, the workings of the public transport system and many other useful bits of information we used for the balance of our stay. She was even familiar with the 3 orders of ancient Greek architecture! Amazing. Super friendly, well spoken and a delight to spend time with. Could not recommend her more highly.
John Smith
July 5, 2025Tina did a fantastic job of guiding us around Berlin! My small group consisted of 3 generations of women, and we were interested in learning about women’s past experiences in Berlin as well as the Nazi rise to power. Tina deftly handled both topics and more, weaving together the many layers of Berlin’s history and giving us a real sense of the overarching narratives involved. She also did a great job of responding to the interests of the individuals in our group. Tina’s knowledge of history and Berlin is extensive, and her enthusiasm for both was obvious. The places she showed us and the stories she told were meaningful, and we would have missed most of them without her directing our attention toward them. During the rest of our time in Germany, we often referenced what she had taught us. She was friendly and welcoming, and she made it super easy to arrange everything. She also gave us great suggestions about other sites to visit, food, logistics, etc. Our whole group had nothing but praise for our time with Tina. Highly recommend!
Tracy
July 5, 2025My 3hours walking tour just felt minutes. I was so involved that I didnt realise the passing of time. A wonderful guide and fabulous storyteller.
Suraj Kumar
July 5, 2025I have lead student trips to Germany for over 30 years and have hundreds of city guided tours. Tina gave us a tour of Sachsenhausen that was truly inspiring and thought provoking for our 23 teenage students. She is extremely knowledgeable on her topics and does an fantastic job engaging the students. The topic is highly sensitive and she did a wonderful job of having students reflect on the horrors of the past and bring it to their personal lives and what humanity means and how it reflects modern issues. I will certainly utilize her services again when I come back to Berlin!
Dan Murray
July 5, 2025Amazing guide! I am a tour director who leads WWII themed tours for students and was very lucky to have Tina as our Tour guide in Berlin. Our group was big (43 people) and she managed to keep them all engaged for 3 hours, which, believe me, is not easy when you travel with teenagers. She did not only have a wide knowledge and great storytelling and group management skills - I really appreciated that she was very fair and compassionate towards all who lost their lifes, irregardless of their nationality. Would really recommend!
Silvia Perdiguero
July 5, 2025Tina is an amazing guide! I live in Berlin and booked a private tour for visiting family. After a quick chat, she created a custom experience that was fun, insightful, and full of local gems. My family still says it was a highlight of their Europe trip. Highly recommend—and I’m already thinking about the next one
Rupert Storey
June 6, 2025Cinzia Gaggeri
May 28, 2025We took the Third Reich tour with Tina and even though we lived in Berlin for 2 years, we still learned so so much! Tina is truly passionate about history and her continuous research around the history of Berlin really shines in her tour. She's also super attentive about the guests' needs and makes sure we are all confortable at all times, which is highly appreciated. You can book with your eyes closed!
Laura de Rohan
May 28, 2025 -
My wife and I were visiting Berlin and upon the recommendation of friends, we booked a public 'Berlin Highlights' 3 hour tour with Tina. Wow. What a good decision that was. Tina's style, personality and knowledge of the city are a winning combination. We learned so much from someone who really knows the history and culture of this marvelous city. She has done so much research on the area and is very well-prepared. Our only wish is that we could have stayed in the city longer to take advantage of some of her other tours on lots of other topics. We'll be back some day and when we do, we will sign up for those. We can't wait! Thank you Tina
David Robertson
May 21, 2025Tina is a great tour guide she has a fountain of information and explains the dark history of the city in a respectful and truthful way. I would definitely recommend her for small or big groups.
Veronica Damian
May 21, 2025This is the second year we have utilized Tina, and her wealth of knowledge, as part of a study abroad tour. Not only is she great with our college students, but her ability to make changes to her standard tours to accommodate what we need/have already seen (or because of weather) is top notch. We are already looking forward to booking her again for next year!
Jason Lantzer
May 21, 2025I'm so glad I found Tina ahead of our visit to Berlin. We booked a private sunset tour and loved every minute of the experience. Tina helped plan an interesting, informative and fun few hours of exploration around Berlin, focusing on the WW2 and Cold War history. Tina is charismatic, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. I also appreciated Tina's recommendations for restaurants and willingness to plan a route that ended on track for our dinner destination. I'd highly recommend Tina for a personalised and memorable Berlin tour experience. Thanks again Tina x
Michelle Cresswell
May 21, 2025We took the Alternative Berlin tour with Tina and it was fantastic! A knowledgeable and passionate guide, she helped us to understand the social context of Berlin's counterculture and art scenes. Highly recommend!
Aiden McKenzie
May 14, 2025Tina was amazing!
Jeff Lucas
May 11, 2025Tina has a plethora of knowledge that she willingly shares with everyone. She is also a very passionate person which makes the tour even more enjoyable.
shokhi shah
May 11, 2025Tina is the best! She has a really broad knowledge on art, history and the society. It was great fun to walk around with her and explore the city. I can definitely recommend her tours - thank you very much!
Max Hofer
May 11, 2025 -
We went on a tour with Tina in April 2025. Tina is an amazing guide who tailored the tour exactly to our wishes and interests. Tina knows everything there is to know about Berlin and has a great way of sharing fun and interesting stories. We totally recommend doing a tour with her, and we’re sure we’ll see her again in Berlin as we keep exploring and learning more about this amazing city. Thanks for everything, Tina!
Bjarki Már Baxter
May 11, 2025Tina led through a tour of Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Her ability to engage us was impressive and her knowledge of the history was amazing. She incorporated her own conviction (s) and they could be described as visceral in their delivery. A difficult place to visit but yet we can say, “Thanks a lot Tina!”
Gerald Kodde
March 11, 2025Tina was amazing! We toured Sachsenhausen concentration camp. She did a wonderful job of keeping us engaged and interested. She answered all our questions and had a lovely kind personality:) Thank you Tina!!
Salome Kodde
March 11, 2025AILIN GABRIELA GONZALES SAMAME
March 11, 2025Esther DeBoer
March 11, 2025Our walking tour of Berlin with Tina was absolutely outstanding! From start to finish, she impressed us with her incredible depth of knowledge and engaging storytelling. Her ability to bring Berlin’s complex history to life made the tour both educational and deeply compelling. Tina has a wonderful style of presentation—clear, insightful, and full of fascinating details that made even the most well-known landmarks feel fresh and new. She has a real talent for weaving historical facts with personal anecdotes, making everything feel more relatable and vivid. It was evident that she is truly passionate about the city and its history, and that enthusiasm was contagious. Whether you’re a history buff or just curious about Berlin, this tour is an absolute must. We left with a much deeper appreciation of the city, thanks to Tina’s expertise and engaging approach. Highly recommended!
drdetim
March 8, 2025Our walking tour of Berlin with Tina was absolutely outstanding! From start to finish, she impressed us with her incredible depth of knowledge and engaging storytelling. Her ability to bring Berlin’s complex history to life made the tour both educational and deeply compelling. Tina has a wonderful style of presentation—clear, insightful, and full of fascinating details that made even the most well-known landmarks feel fresh and new. She has a real talent for weaving historical facts with personal anecdotes, making everything feel more relatable and vivid. It was evident that she is truly passionate about the city and its history, and that enthusiasm was contagious. Whether you’re a history buff or just curious about Berlin, this tour is an absolute must. We left with a much deeper appreciation of the city, thanks to Tina’s expertise and engaging approach. Highly recommended!
drdetim
February 28, 2025Tina was the best tour guide ever! She show us so many interesting things and gave us a really unique insight into Berlin!
Niek Wiltjer
February 24, 2025
Who is Tina?
I am a storyteller, a passionate nerd for modern history, a psychology graduate, a curious observer and lover of mankind.
Born and raised in Queensland Australia, English is my native language. I have Italian family heritage, so my real name is Ernestina, after my great grandmother. I am proudly now also fluent in German, for my sins!
Growing up in a house where the walls were lined with history books and the corners crammed with boxes of newspapers, my parents ignited my fascination with modern history and what it can teach us about humanity.
I came to Berlin in 2017 for a 10 day nerdy history vacation of tours, museums and historical sites. I had not expected to encounter such a free, fierce, bold and unapologetic city. I made it home.
I've run an underground music venue, performed hula hoop dance at festivals and clubs and been both accepted and rejected by Berghain. Curious about what this is to do with history? This is why you need to tour with me.
I bring Berlin's history to life, make it accessible and help people to connect with it on an empathetic level. My passion for the city energises my tours. Passion is contagious - so prepare yourself to be captivated by Berlin.
I have been a member of the Berlin Guides Association (Bündnis Berliner Stadtführer) since 2021.
Personalised Tours
Whether you are a local wanting to better understand your home, a first-time visitor to Berlin or a business looking for an inspiring team-building event, Berlin has plenty to “wow” you.
Pick from one of my favourite topics listed below or let me design your own, personalised Berlin adventure.
I particularly love designing a “Best Day Ever”: a full-day Berlin adventure combining history, sightseeing, art, culture, food, drinks, people-watching and whatever else Berlin throws at us along the way!
Yes, I do accept multiple-day bookings.
Below are some of my favourite tours, which can be tailored to your likes and interests:

Berlin Highlights
Let’s do the “must sees”, but more importantly, let’s bring them to life with their incredible, fascinating and sometimes surprising stories.
Highlights include the Brandenburg Gate, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, site of Hitler’s bunker, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island and many more. East Side Gallery tours also available.

Socialist East Germany and the Berlin Wall, the Cold War era
Up until 1990, much of Berlin stood in a completely different country: the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR). What was life like in the GDR and what marks has it left on Berlin and the German people?
We will see some remnants of the Berlin Wall, check-out some communist art and architecture and visit some of the most important sites from the Cold War.
GDR tours could also include sights like the former Stasi headquarters, East Side Gallery, escape sites, memorials and former ghost tunnels.

Hitler's Berlin: The Nazi Years
Let's tour the scars of Adolf Hitler's "Third Reich", which reigned from 1933-1945. The Nazis built intimidating buildings, drew-up plans to develop Berlin into a megalomaniac global capital, purged art and literature which they deemed "degenerate", horribly persecuted and murdered people who they deemed "Ungerman" and dragged the globe into World War II. By the end of their 12 year dictatorship, the Nazis had devastated humanity and reduced Berlin to rubble.
Let's tour what's left of their architecture, envision how their planned capital would have looked, trace the stories of some of the top Nazis and also those of their victims. Sites might include former Nazi government buildings, exhibitions, the site of Hitler's Bunker, war damage (bullet holes etc), air raid bunkers, stumbling stones, sites of resistance acts, the Reichstag building, memorials to Nazis victims e.g. the Memorial to the Murdered Jews or Europe or Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under Nazism etc.

Counter-culture and street art
Street art, squats, alternative living projects, LGBTIQ culture, demonstrations, clubs, techno, punk… Berlin emerged from its oppressive history to value freedom and LIFE above all and to revel in both through art, parties and politics.
How did Berlin’s WWII bomb damage give birth to some of the world’s most famous (and notorious) street artists? How did the Berlin Wall lead to new styles of rock music and a wave of occupied houses? Why were artists like David Bowie and Nick Cave so inspired by this city? Why are Berlin locals locked in a fierce battle to remain masters over their own city and what does this have to do with an anarchist- queer- feminine housing project? How did the fall of the Berlin Wall transform the city into a “temple of techno”, why is it so hard to get into the city’s clubs and why are they so important to Berlin? What is Berghain and what does it take to get in?

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
The concentration camps of the Nazi era continue to appal and horrify the world. These were places of forced labour, medical abuse, torture and mass murder.
Many diverse people suffered in Sachsenhausen, from homosexuals to pacifists, priests to artists, journalists to Jews, resisters to ethnic minorities slandered as “gypsies”.
In this tour of Sachsenhausen’s former prisoner area, we will share some of their stories. We will build an image of life inside a concentration camp, explain how this hideous episode of history escalated and address Sachsenhausen's specific role in the Holocaust. A tour here is an emotionally challenging experience, but also extremely worthwhile.

Vintage/ Second Hand Shopping
Berlin has great second hand and vintage shopping scenes! I'm afraid that I'm absolutely useless where brands and fashion are concerned, but I know where to find the best deals and unique collections! For several years, I've been trying to only buy second hand textiles for environmental and human rights' reasons. Let me show you my favourite spots!

Local bar experience with Tina and an original Berliner
Let's show you some of Berlin's best bars!
My boyfriend is born and raised in Berlin and I think that I'm humbly able to finally call myself a Berlin expert. We love exploring the city's best nightlife spots and have a huge list of our favourites. We'll take you to a few of our favourite bars, varying from "hip" modern Berlin bars to old Berliner "Eck-Kneipe" (traditional pubs).
This is bookable privately and also occurs regularly in in small, open groups.

Modern Architecture East vs West
"Can you tell whether you are in East or West Berlin based on the buildings?" Is one of the most common question asked by guests. The answer is more complicated than you might think. There are some places in former East Berlin where the architecture is clearly socialist. Along the former Stalin Allee for example, you can trace the journey of socialist architecture from the unexpected classicism of Stalin's time to the later, prefabricated, concrete, high-rises. The socialists did not, however, have the monopoly on utilitarian, practical buildings. Many superstars of modern architecture in the capitalist world, such as Martin Gropius, Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer left their mark on West Berlin with buildings that are often mistaken to be socialist because of their appearance. Let's trace the East vs West, socialist vs capitalist battle as it played out in the modern architecture of Berlin. Sites include the former Stalinallee and Hansaviertal or Kottbusser Tor.

Jewish Berlin
Let's trace the history of Berlin's modern Jewish community. We'll see some of the empty spaces where the Nazis successfully purged sites of Jewish life from Berlin's cityscape, but we'll also visit many survivors.
This tour is around Große Hamburger Straße in the Hackesher Markt area. Sites include the location of the first, "old" Synagogue of Berlin and the grand New Synagogue, the first Jewish cemetery of Berlin, and many memorials. We'll share the history of Berlin'd modern Jewish community and their experience during the devastating years of the Nazi's atrocious Third Reich.
I'll share with you stories of some Berliner Jews who did particularly amazing things in the city's history.

Bavarian Quarter
This tour is particularly good for someone who's visited Berlin many times and would like to go off-the-beaten-path to a neighbourhood that most people never see.
The Bavarian quarter in the Schöneberg district was home to many of Berlin's most famous residents, including Albert Einstein, the writer Alfred Kerr, the sportswoman Lilli Hennoch and the director Billy Walder.
The Bavarian Quarter had a significant Jewish population, meaning that it bore the brunt of the Nazi persecution particularly harshly. A clever art installation around the streets tells the story of the escalation of persecution.
This tour is a combination of elegant pre-war and less elegant modern architecture, Jewish history, Cold War intrigues and stories of celebrities from Berlin's.

The best day ever
Private tours are always tailored to your personal interests. Don't feel that you have to restrict yourself to only one of the topics above: we can mix and match and combine as many as we have time for!
Let’s spend a day or half-day exploring some of the best that Berlin has to offer for you personally.
We can balance sightseeing and history with gastronomy, people watching, art, architecture and whatever else interests you the most. Are you a coffee nerd? Wine lover? Graffiti addict? Let me know and I will tailor our day to your interests.

Want it on wheels?
Please let me know if you'd like me to organise a private vehicle and driver for our tour i.e. bus, minivan or car.
I do offer bicycle tours, but for groups of maximum 6 people, unless you're already confident riders in city traffic.
Dying to tour with Tina!?
Private tours range between 75€ and 120€ per hour (excluding 19% VAT). This is per tour and not per person. If this isn’t in your budget, then get in contact to ask about joining one of my regular, public tours.
Call/ Whatsapp/ SMS/ carrier pigeon me on +4915906391611, e-mail me at ernestina.searle@gmail.com or send me a message on Instagram or Facebook and I will get back to you.
Check-out Tina's Tours on Instagram
Extra Content?
Check-out my interview with Trip101 for tips on visiting Berlin. We discuss everything from how to best reach the city from the airport, to the importance of carrying cash when in Berlin, to tips on what to do in the city:
Podcast Episodes
I’m a regular guest at the Ministry of History podcast in episodes about Berlin. Listen online here:
Or watch us on Youtube:
Impressions









