A Friend in Berlin

20/05/2026

This week's free audio tour starts at the Memorial Church and takes you down West-Berlin's famous Ku-Damm boulevard. You'll hear about the Wild Twenties, the devastation caused by the war, and the rebellious 60s.
To get the free tour, just go to your VoiceMap app (or, if you don't have it, download it: https://voicemap.me/publisher/jo-eckardt)
and add the following code: 63986068
There are five tours available, first come first serve.

voicemap.me/west-berlin

See 100 years of dazzling change come alive in Charlottenburg’s storied streets with this self-guided tour of Berlin, Germany. For the best experience, install the VoiceMap audio guide app with automatic GPS playback and offline maps.

23/11/2025

This week's free audio tour starts at the Reichstag and ends at Potsdam Square. You'll discover monuments and memorials along the way, and see some spots that most tourists miss.

To get the free tour, just go to your VoiceMap app and add the following code: 609FD1AC
There are five tours available, first come first serve.

https://voicemap.me/tour/berlin/memorials-and-monuments-a-berlin-walking-tour-from-reichstag-to-potsdam-square?_gl=1*1kt5hq*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTM3OTMyNDc2OS4xNzYzODg4MDY0*_ga_QHMB8LEQTM*czE3NjM4ODgwNjMkbzEkZzEkdDE3NjM4ODg1NDYkajYwJGwxJGg2ODUzNzkyOTg.

16/11/2025

This week I will give away another audio tour. This one is a bike tour around the Lake Scharmützel, just oustide of Berlin.
Starting point is Bad Saarow, not far from the train station, so you could bring your bike from Berlin by train.
I've created five free copies, so if you want to try out the tour for free, go to your VoiceMap account and enter the following code:
B874F77B
Once done, you're ready to download the tour. Have fun!

Head out on a fun, adventurous tour through beautiful scenery and amazing nature with this self-guided tour of Bad Saarow, Germany. For the best experience, install the VoiceMap audio guide app with automatic GPS playback and offline maps.

07/11/2025

Starting now, I will give away a free audio-tour every week.
Starting with "Stories of Escape and Tragedy". The walk begins at North Station in Berlin and runs down Bernauer Strasse where a piece of the wall is still standing. You'll hear of people who escaped by jumping from windows into the West, and of people who, tragically, died trying. And you'll get the full story behind the iconic picture of the soldier jumping across the fence to freedom.
This tour can also be enjoyed by listening to the stories at home.
I am giving away 5 vouchers. So act quickly to be among the first to load it down. Once you have the VoiceMap app installed, enter the code: 70E945D0
Enjoy!
And come back next week for another free tour.

Listen to tales of triumphs and losses along the city‘s former death-strip with this self-guided tour of Berlin, Germany. For the best experience, install the VoiceMap audio guide app with automatic GPS playback and offline maps.

05/09/2025

Check out my tour of Colmar

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16yB1V3Le5/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/08/2024

Discover Germany through Audio-tours. Explore historic towns on your own, at your own pace, but with all the information and entertainment you would get from a private guide. You can even sample the tours from home and get help in deciding which places to visit. Check out all the towns that are available (Berlin, Potsdam, Freiburg, Munich, Hamburg, Colmar, Dresden, Düsseldorf and many more). Write to me for a free audio tour.
https://link.voicemap.me/fb-jo-eckardt

14/11/2023

How about seeing new places without traveling far? You can do a virtual audio tour sitting at home! I have recorded lots of tours in beautiful historical places such as Berlin, Potsdam, Meissen, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Quedlinburg, Meissen, Sylt, Edinburgh and more. If you want to try one out, I will send you a voucher for a free tour, just let me know which one you would like, and I'll send you a code to use. They are yours to keep, so if you ever come to town, you can do the tours on site!

My name is Jo Eckardt. I studied literature, history, and social work - in Cologne and then in New York where I lived from 1984 to 2001. In 2001 I returned to Germany, settling in Berlin, my favorite city! A few years later I started my own touring company called A Friend in Berlin (www.afriendinber...

31/08/2023

I just published my 16th audio tour (most are in English, some are in German). This is a great way to explore a place on your own, guided by your mobile's GPS, and listening to interesting facts and stories. So far I've covered Berlin, Potsdam, Meissen, Düsseldorf, Quedlinburg, and Warnemünde. Or maybe you would want to listen to a tour from home? That's possible too. I have a few free vouchers. If you are interested, please send me a message, and I send you a free voucher for the tour you chose.

My name is Jo Eckardt. I studied literature, history, and social work - in Cologne and then in New York where I lived from 1984 to 2001. In 2001 I returned to Germany, settling in Berlin, my favorite city! A few years later I started my own touring company called A Friend in Berlin (www.afriendinber...

03/07/2023

What do Germans secretly dream of? Being Italian! This was at the all white Tavola event of my favorite restaurant in Berlin, at the Osteria Maria.

20/05/2023

Spreewald - just 60 minutes from Berlin. So beautiful! We‘d be happy to plan an excursion for you.