English-Speaking Tour Guide in Weimar: Private Walking Tours with Andrea Otto
Looking for an English-speaking tour guide in Weimar? Private walking tours in English on Goethe, Schiller, Bauhaus and the 1919 constitution. Fixed price per group, book online.
Weimar is small, but its story is not. Goethe and Schiller lived here, the Bauhaus began here, and in 1919 Germany's first democracy wrote its constitution in the National Theatre. Most of that is easy to miss when you walk past the houses with a guidebook. If you are looking for an English-speaking tour guide in Weimar, this is how I work and what you can expect.
Who guides you
I am Andrea Otto, a certified tour guide based in Weimar and an educator by training. I am a member of the Verein der Stadtführer Weimars and of the German Association of Tour Guides (BVGD). I guide in German and in English, and the English tours are not a translated script. I tell the same stories in English that I tell in German, with the same details.
Private tours, not a crowd
Every tour is private. You do not share it with strangers. It is just you, your partner, your family or your friends, and I adjust the pace and the focus to your group. If you want more Goethe, I give you more Goethe. If you are mostly interested in the Bauhaus or in the story of democracy, we spend more time there.
Which tour fits you
All tours can be booked in English. The price is a fixed price per group, not per person.
Weimar Short Tour, 1 hour, 85 euros: a stopover or a first look, the key sites of Classicism in one compact walk.
Weimar Old Town Tour, 1.5 hours, 95 euros: your first day in Weimar, with the palace, the poets and the place of the 1919 constitution.
Weimar Complete, 2 hours, 120 euros: Classicism, democracy and Bauhaus in depth.
In Goethe's Footsteps, 2 hours, 120 euros: a park walk along the Ilm with love stories, ruins and Goethe's garden house.
Off the Beaten Track, 1.5 hours, 110 euros: Weimar's darker and lesser-known layers, away from the classic route.
Strong Women in Weimar, 2 hours, 120 euros: the women behind Goethe, Schiller and the Bauhaus.
Weimar Family Tour, 1.5 hours, 65 euros per family: for children and teenagers aged 6 to 16.
The price applies to groups of up to 20 people. For 21 to 25 people there is a one-time surcharge of 10 euros.
What you will hear
A few stories from the tours, to give you an idea of the tone:
The Weimar town hall carillon has 35 bells, and they are made of porcelain, not metal.
In 1717 Johann Sebastian Bach wanted to leave Weimar for a better job. His duke refused and had him locked up for four weeks.
On 19 February 1919 Marie Juchacz became the first woman to speak in a German parliament. Her first words, "Meine Herren und Damen" (Gentlemen and Ladies), were met with laughter. She let the men laugh and carried on.
The ginkgo leaf is split in the middle. In 1815 Goethe sent one in a letter to Marianne von Willemer and wrote a poem about it.
Practical information
Meeting point: usually the market square in front of the town hall. For the park tour it is the City Palace (Stadtschloss), for Off the Beaten Track the Neues Museum.
Booking: online, directly on this website. You choose your date and your language, English or German.
Payment: on site, in cash or by card. There is no prepayment.
Group size: up to 20 people at the fixed price, up to 25 with the surcharge. Larger groups are possible on request.
Getting here: Weimar is easy to reach by train from Erfurt, Leipzig and Berlin. The old town is compact and best explored on foot.
Book your English tour
Choose your tour on the tours page, pick a date and select English when you book. If you are not sure which tour fits, write to me and I will help you decide.
