Professional Drivers

Our tours can naturally also be ordered with a vehicle and a professional driver (chauffeur). The price for this addition includes the insurance and depends on several factors: the duration of the tour, the size and quality of the required vehicle, seasonal variations as well as the availability of the various drivers. Please write us and we will make the inquiries for you.

Touring with a vehicle can have many advantages, but we don't recommend having a vehicle for every tour, as many of them can be easily done as walking tours or with Berlin's public transportation system. In the Jewish quarter, for example, the sites are very close to each other, so having a vehicle doesn't make much of a difference. Nevertheless, each guest has his or her own needs, and we'd be happy to advise you personally and to plan our tours accordingly.

We both have a German driving license, but for tours with a vehicle we always book professional drivers with appropriate vehicles. These chauffeurs hold special licenses for commercial driving, and are regularly tested by the authorities. This additional license for commercial passenger transportation (in German: "Personenbeförderungsschein") is required by German law, even if it's just one or two passengers/clients.

Moreover, the vehicle must also be approved for commercial transportation, which means it needs to fulfill some extra requirements that are not imposed on vehicles for private use. It also means that cars and vans with such approval are checked more often and more thoroughly than similar vehicles for private use. It's not about the specific model of the vehicles, but about the purpose for which they are used: As soon as it's commercial, there's a different licensing procedure for the vehicle.

This legal framework might seem odd to foreigners, especially Americans that are used to Uber and similar companies, but this kind of regulation is just how things are done in Germany. This is, by the way, why Uber's normal business model is actually illegal in Germany, which means that you can use the Uber app only to order an official taxi or a professional driver with a commercially licensed vehicle operated by an Uber subcontractor (but never just an ordinary driver with an ordinary vehicle, because that would be illegal).

All of these conditions - for the driver as well as for the vehicles - are legal prerequisites for city tours with a car, a van or a limousine. Without them, the whole thing is illegal, which means (among other repercussions) that the passengers/clients have no insurance coverage. This is why we always hire a professional chauffeur with an adequately licensed vehicle.

If you want a tour with a chauffeur, just let us know and we'll be happy to make the arrangements. It's important that you write us about it in advance, so we can find and book a driver for you. Please note that because of the extra costs, we only book a chauffeur and a vehicle when we're asked to do so by our guests. Since most people want walking tours, that's the default.

In recent years, some “unofficial guides” emerged in Berlin, who offer tours in their private cars without holding the required license, i. e. without a legal permit (for themselves and for the vehicle). These tours are usually cheaper than normal, but as explained above, it's very important for you as the clients to know that during such tours, there is no insurance coverage - the insurance policies of the car and the driver are void. Therefore, regardless of your guide, we warmly recommend you to make sure in advance, that the tour you're offered is done with an adequately licensed, professional driver and includes full insurance coverage.