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This Germany tour greets you with its beautiful landscape, interesting history, fantastical castles and medieval towns. You’ll visit the cities of Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Rothenburg, Munich, Oberammergau, and Heidelberg. The conclusion of the tour makes stops at Neuschwanstein Castle, the Cologne Cathedral, Lake Constance, the Zwinger Palace and the Black Forest.
12 Days • fr. $3,599
Time to rest or to start exploring the bustling metropolis on the Main River. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Dinner
NH FRANKFURT NIEDERRAD
A special treat at the very start of your journey through Germany is a romantic Rhine cruise along the most scenic section of the Rhine River. See castle-crested hills, terraced vineyards, pretty wine towns, and the Lorelei rock.
Disembark and drive to Cologne to visit the monumental gothic cathedral. Its twin 515-foot towers, five naves, splendid stained-glass windows, and the shrine of the Three Holy Kings are eloquent testimony to medieval engineering and craftsmanship. Afterwards, join the locals for a beer at the Cölner Hofbräu Früh, one of Cologne’s famous breweries.
Breakfast, Dinner
STEIGENBERGER HOTEL KOELN
Ride the ICE train to Berlin, capital of reunited Germany, where sightseeing with a Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the fabulous boulevard Unter den Linden with its historical building. See the Berlin Cathedral and State Opera House, Museum Island, a picture stop at monumental Brandenburg Gate, the restored Reichstag, the 210-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park, Charlottenburg Palace and the elegant Ku-Damm. Visit the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church with its bomb-damaged bell-tower, stop for pictures at the Holocaust Memorial, and pass the former Allied Checkpoint Charlie.
Breakfast, Dinner
ARCOTEL JOHN F HOTEL
Spend a full day at leisure or join one of our exciting optional excursions, such as a visit to nearby Potsdam.
Breakfast
ARCOTEL JOHN F HOTEL
Arrive in Dresden, former capital of Saxony. Badly damaged by Allied bombing in February 1945, the city has since been restored to its baroque splendor. During your orientation, see the Zwinger Palace Courtyard to admire its impressive architecture; the magnificent baroque Semper Opera, originally built in 1841, once destroyed by fire, then destroyed by bombing, and finally restored in 1985; and the newly rebuilt Frauenkirche.
Breakfast
NH COLLECTION DRESDEN ALTMARKT HOTEL
Discover Bayreuth, of festival fame. Richard Wagner came to Bayreuth in 1871 and was not satisfied with the existing 18th-century theater, the Markgräfliches Opernhaus, so he had a new one built. Today, the Festival Hall is used exclusively for the Bayreuth Festival, and only works by Wagner are performed there.
Continue to Nuremberg, the town of children’s toys and gingerbread. Admire the impressive medieval ramparts and walk through the pedestrian area of the charming Old Town. See St. Sebald Church, painstakingly reconstructed as a monument to peace from the rubble of near-total wartime destruction, and admire the Schöner Brunnen, a 14th-century fountain dedicated to the Holy Roman Empire. It is said that it brings good luck to spin the two brass rings. Then, have Globus Local Favorite dinner at Bratwurst Röslein restaurant to taste the traditional Nürnberger Bratwürste.
Breakfast, Dinner
NH COLLECTION NUERNBERG CITY HOTEL
Prepare for Rothenburg—a picturesque, medieval walled town with ramparts and towers at the Romantic Road. Step back in time and follow your Tour Director for a walk to the main square with the Town Hall. Wander through the cobble-stone streets and shop for Christmas ornaments, for which the town is famous, before continuing to the Bavarian capital, Munich.
Overnight in Munich. Tonight, you may wish to join an optional dinner outing.
Breakfast
HOLIDAY INN MUNICH CITY CENTRE
Germany’s “Secret Capital” comes alive during your guided sightseeing: admire the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1972 Olympics; the 1,000-foot-high Olympic Tower; and Königsplatz, used for Nazi rallies during World War II. Drive along the Ludwigstrasse, and see the Bavarian Arch of Triumph and Field Marshall Hall, a monumental loggia on the Odeonsplatz. Visit lively Marienplatz with the Old and the New Town Halls and the gothic Frauenkirche.
In the late afternoon, drive to the romantic Passion Play town of Oberammergau, where you will stay for the next two nights.
Breakfast, Dinner
ROMANTIK HOTEL BOELD
Spend a full day at leisure, or choose from our optional excursions to make the most of your stay in this romantic area.
Breakfast
ROMANTIK HOTEL BOELD
Drive to nearby Schwangau where two castles are facing each other: Hohenschwangau, where King Ludwig spent much of his youth, and magnificent Neuschwanstein, the most famous in Germany and inspiration for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle at his theme park. Follow your Local Guide through this fairytale castle on its craggy outcrop high above a sparkling lake.
Then, continue along the panoramic German Alpine Road to the sunny northern shore of Lake Constance, Europe’s largest freshwater reservoir.
Visit the charming island of Lindau and the baroque church at Birnau before entering the lush Black Forest.
During dinner, traditional Schwarzwaldkuchen (Black Forest Cake) will be served.
Breakfast, Dinner
BEST WESTERN HOFGUT STERNEN
This morning, enjoy the peaceful surroundings of your hotel and attend a woodcarving demonstration, before continuing to Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university town, of Student Prince fame
When you arrive in Heidelberg you will have time to stroll around in the Old Town, then ride the funicular up the hill and visit the red-walled castle where the great vat, a 58,000-gallon 18th-century wine cask, attracts particular attention.
Return to Frankfurt, where a farewell dinner has been prepared to say auf Wiedersehen!
Breakfast, Dinner
NH FRANKFURT NIEDERRAD HOTEL
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
Breakfast
All rates listed are per person based on double occupancy and are subject to change without notice. Your land package pricing will be confirmed and guaranteed once your deposit is received and applied to the booking, except where price increases may result from increases in government taxes or fees. Room configurations are subject to availability. Guests added to your party after the booking are priced at the prevailing rate at the time they are added.