Welcome to the German National Tourist Guide Association (BVGD)


The German National Tourist Guide Association (BVGD) was founded in 1994. Its main purpose is to promote and coordinate the work of tourist guides from all over Germany.

Tourist guides represent the cities, regions and countries that they are qualified to present. It depends on their performance whether the visitors in their charge feel welcome, want to stay longer, or decide to come back. They thus contribute considerably to the way a tourist destination is perceived. Tourist guides are able to help travellers understand the culture of a region and the way of life of its inhabitants. They have a particular role in promoting the cultural and natural heritage but also in helping to ensure its sustainability by making visitors aware of its importance and vulnerability.

Our guides conduct tours in German, English, and many other languages, and they provide you with interesting and accurate information on the many historic and natural sights in Germany.

Currently, the BVGD represents about 5300 tourist guides from more than 180 towns and regions in Germany.

  • CEN Definition: What is a tourist guide? What is a tour manager?


  • View the list of our member organizations to find the location of your choice.


  • Looking for a Tourist Guide in Germany




    • A fundamental goal of our association is to uphold and increase the professional standards of tourist guides. To this aim, the BVGD has introduced comprehensive guidelines, which have been adopted in many places as the basis for training programmes by the local tourism organisations. Topics taught in these programmes include knowledge of art, local and regional history, rhetoric, and didactics. Members who have passed training programmes approved by the BVGD receive certificates.
    The most advanced qualifications offered by the association are the BVGD Certificate and the new BVGD Certificate DIN EN.


  • Service standardization - tourist guide training
        Requirements for the provision of professional tourist guide training and qualification programmes are now specified in DIN EN 15565.

  • EN 15565


    • Until today, more than 1300 guides have obtained these high degrees of qualification.
  • Click here for more information about the BVGD certificates and a list of certified tourist guides.


  • BVGD NEWS DIN EN 15565


    •     May 2008: BVGD gets DIN certificate for its tourist guide training programm

        June 2009: 57 Berlin guides are the first in Europe with DIN EN certificate

        Verband der Berliner Gästeführer - Berlin Guide e.V.

        February 2010: DIN EN certificate for 10 RegioColonia guides

       March 2010: Munich guides and Dachau guides get DIN EN certificate

       September 2010: DIN EN certificate for 19 guides in Cologne (Kölner Stadtführer e.V. - VKS)

       February 2011 DIN EN certificate for 28 guides in Heidelberg (Heidelberger Gästeführer e.V.)









  • International Tourist Guide Day in Germany since 1999
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  • Looking back / poster


    •     ITGD 2006
        ITGD 2007
        ITGD 2008
        ITGD 2009
        ITGD 2010
        ITGD 2011
        ITGD 2012

  • Preview of ITGD 2012
    •


  • International Memberships

    •     European Federation of Tourist Guides (FEG)
        World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA)

    If you have any question please contact our office

    Bundesverband der Gästeführer in Deutschland e.V.
    Gustav-Adolf-Straße 33
    D- 90439 Nürnberg

    Fon: 49-(0)911 - 65 64 675
    Fax: 49-(0)911 - 65 64 746
    E-Mail: info@bvgd.org
    www.bvgd.org


    The Association does not arrange tours.





    © 2010 BVGD, alle Rechte vorbehalten. Vervielfältigung und Publizierung der Inhalte dieser Seiten - insbesondere der Texte und Fotos - nur mit schriftlicher Genehmigung des BVGD.