We will be spending next weekend in Berlin. Has anyone tried either the "Original Berlin Walks" or the "Insider Tours in English?" They look very similar, but perhaps one has more interesting guides. Also, does anyone have restaurant recommendations? They would have to be casual as we are just taking carry on luggage. (and it Europe that means tiny)
Thanks for any help.
Cheers, Pam

I have taken the Original Berlin walks 3 times with a group and one time as a custom walk. They are CHEAP and excellent.

The overview walk is quite interesting and you get a good handle on the highlights of Berlin. I have also taken the Concentration Camp tour through them and that was superb. We also took the Third Reich tour and this was excellent as well.

Depending on whether you are staying in East or West Berlin, there are two spots to pick up the tour. Make sure you go to the one closest to your hotel. You can pick up transportation and discount booklets at the airport and I highly recommend this. You also get a discount on the tour and museums. You will find it necessary to use the public transportation system versus cabs in Berlin as it is a large city. The public transportation is excellent and cabs are very expensive. Most restaurants are excellent and many are casual. I don't remember the names of the places we went, but they were recommended by our hotel. The Radisson is centrally located and has two nice restaurants. I highly recommend the Topography of Terror museum (outdoors) and Checkpoint Charlie Museum. Skip the History of Berlin Museum. The art museums were great.

Have a wonderful time. It is a very interesting city. You can get a great flavor of the city by taking these tours and visiting these two museums.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all this information. I have tentatively scheduled our days to include two of the walking trips and the museums you mentioned. We booked the Marriott because it looks like a good location and was a terrific price (I think 129 euros including breakfast!) Thank you also for telling us to forget the History of Berlin museum....it was rated well in our tour book, but will give that a miss based on your recommendations.
Cheers, Pam

I believe the Marriott is near Potsdammerplatz in East Berlin. I think there is only one Marriott and it is very well located. The History of Berlin museum is in West Berlin and a distance away. You made a good choice staying in East Berlin as most of the historical areas are there. West Berlin has been rebuilt and looks exactly like the US. East Berlin has an interesting combo of ultra modern, communist, Fascist, and neo classic architecture.

Please write again and let us know how you enjoyed Berlin.