Just wanted to share a wonderful and information experience I had in Berlin a while back. A friend of a friend recommended we take a day tour with a US expat who has been living in Berlin for several years and knows the city like the back of his hand.

He offers tours based on just about any interest you might have including Historical, Cultural, Jewish, Gay, or just general touristic Berlin to see the sites. His knowledge base is expansive, stories amusing, he's flexable and in general he showed us the city as I'm sure noone else could have (we did the Jewish walking tour). He'll even pick you up if you're arriving on a cruise or go out of the city (eg Potsdam or Leipzig) if you wish. Sometimes I've had a problem understanding a local tour guide but because Jeremy is American that's not a worry (although if you're from UK you might not think so--just a joke!) Anyway, his website is http://www.theberlinexpert.com .

Feel free to PM me if you would like further info.

If others have recommendations of similar tour guides around the world I'd love to get that info.