ROMANTIC GERMANY ITINERARY:
1. Arrive Frankfurt / Wiesbaden
Tour departs: 11:30 AM from Frankfurt's Rhein-Main Airport.
Join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner at your
first night's hotel in Wiesbaden, centrally located next to the
market square, elegant shops, restaurants and cafes.
Meals LD
2. Rhine River Valley
Travel to the Rhine River Valley, the heart of Germany’s
wine country. Explore Rüdesheim, where the Drosselgasse, a
picturesque street lined with ornate wine bars, enjoys fame
throughout the area. Attend a wine tasting to sample local
vintages, and board a riverboat for a leisurely cruise
downstream on the Rhine River, one of Europe’s most historic and
important inland waterways. Glide past green hillsides, the
crests of which are dotted with romantic castle ruins and lovely
villages. Hear the legendary story of the Lorelei before
disembarking in Boppard, and return to Wiesbaden. Late afternoon
and evening are free, perhaps to stroll along the Wilhelmstrasse
or visit the elegant casino.
Meals BL
3. Heidelberg / Black Forest
Journey today along Germany’s fast-paced autobahns, then
enjoy a change of pace as you travel through typical villages of
the Bergstrasse in this well-known agricultural region. Follow
back roads at Schriesheim through forested mountains, and
descend to the beautiful Neckar River and the university town of
Heidelberg whose charms have inspired both songwriters and
poets. Arrive at the six-hundred-year-old castle, boasting
splendid views of the town, for a walking tour. Enjoy some free
time in Heidelberg before driving to the elegant Schlosshotel
Bühlerhöhe for a two-night stay in the fabled Black Forest; your
hotel is one of the premier spa resorts in Germany.
Meals BD
4. Baden-Baden, Spa Town
Drive to Baden-Baden for a walking tour of one of Europe’s
most luxurious spa towns, followed by time to explore at
leisure. Return to your spa resort to spend the afternoon
as you please. Dinner is in an old mill by a romantic
brook within a quiet valley - a Tauck highlights!
Meals BD
5. Lake Constance / Bavaria
Drive nearly the length of the scenic Black Forest High
Road, gradually descending past Freudenstadt into the foothills
of the Alps; soon you will arrive at Lake Constance, Germany's
largest lake. Enjoy lunch on the shores of Lake Constance, then
travel through Friedrichshafen, of Zeppelin fame, arriving in
Hohenschwangau.
Meals BLD
6. Neuschwanstein / Munich
Journey by horse-drawn carriage to Neuschwanstein, King
Ludwig II's magnificent castle, for a private tour.
Note: the carriage does not travel into the main castle
entrance; guests must walk a significant distance on steep
terrain to enter. Visit charming Oberammergau,
renowned for the Passion Play, and continue on to Munich.
Located in the hear of Munich, Hotel Bayerischer Hof has been
one of the world's truly grand hotels for 160 years.
Meals
BLD
7. Discover Munich / Dachau
A sightseeing tour includes Maximilianstrasse, with its
elegant shops; the Residenz, winter palace of early royalty; and
the old town hall. The tour includes a visit to one of Munich’s
most captivating museums, Alte Pinkaothek, housing many of
Europe’s finest art treasures. This afternoon, enjoy the
landmark sights of Munich at leisure or join us for a poignant
visit to Dachau. Meals B
8. Romantic Road / Rothenburg
Rothenburg is a favorite destination on the beautiful
Romantic Road; walls, towers, cobbled streets and 16th
centuryhalf-timbered houses have remained much as they were for
hundreds of years. A local guide takes you on a walking
tour, where you'll see a famous altar. Meals BL
9. Explore Historic Weimar
Arrive in Wimar, whose residents boasted Bach, Goethe, Liszt,
and Schiller. A walking tour introduces you to the city's
highlights, and includes a look at its legacy as the birthplace
of modern architecture following the Bauhaus movement in the
early 1920s. Meals BLD
10. Baroque Art in the City of Dresden
Travel from Wimar to Dresden, capital city of the state of
Saxony. Dresden's Royal Palace was all but destroyed in
the 1945 bombing of the city; extensive restoration work and
partial reconstruction brought the historic interior to new
splendor in 2006. Between 1723 and 1730, August the strong
combined his collection of valuables and jewels with other
Baroque and Renaissance masterpieces to create a museum in the
palace. The collections were displaced during World War
II, and were not returned to the Royal Palace until 2006; there
are approximately 4,000 works for art on display. A
private tour through the New Green Vault takes in art treasures
of the Renaissance and Classicist periods. Meals BLD
11. Sightsee Dresden
Visit Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), a Protestant church
destroyed in World War II- reconstruction was completed in 2005!
See the 300-ft. long Procession of Princes, the neo-Renaissance
Semperoper (opera house), and the famous Baroque Zwinger,
housing five diverse museums. Enjoy an afternoon exploring
at leisure in this unique city on the beautiful Elbe River.
Meals B
12. Potsdam / Berlin
Arrive in Potsdam, historic town of kings and site of the
famous Potsdam Conference. Visit Cecilienhof Palace, a country
manor house where Truman, Churchill and Stalin signed the
Potsdam Treaty on August 2, 1945. It was designated a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990, having once served as the
residence for Crown Prince William of Prussia. Following lunch, travel to Berlin by way of Glienicke Bridge,
located in the Brandenburg lake district – famous during the
Cold War as the location where spies were exchanged.
Your hotel this evening is in a central location in Berlin. Meals BLD
13. Discover Berlin
View the Deutscher Dom (German Cathedral) and the
Franzoischer Dom (french Cathedral); Unter den Linden Boulevard;
the Schauspielhaus; Brandenburg Gate; the Reichstag; and
Checkpoint Charlie, the controversial crossing point between the
former East and West Berlins. Spend the afternoon as you
wish, and join us this evening for a farewell reception and
dinner. Meals BD
14. Journey Home
Tour ends: 8:30 AM at Berlin’s Tegel Airport.
Persons departing at other
times should secure their own transportation to the airport.
Meals B
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