If you want to see the highlight cities of Germany, this vacation is a perfect fit! Start and finish in Frankfurt, with overnight stays in Cologne, Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich, the Passion Play village of Oberammergau, and in the Black Forest area. Highlights include a romantic Rhine River cruise; a first-class train ride on the fast Eurocity train from Cologne to Berlin; a woodcarving demonstration in the Black Forest; and visits to Cologne’s twin-spired cathedral, Bach’s Thomaskirche in Leipzig, medieval Rothenburg, Munich’s Marienplatz, scenic Lake Constance, Heidelberg Castle, and King Ludwig’s fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle (tour ZD only). A full day at leisure in Berlin allows for an optional excursion to Potsdam. A wonderful Germany escorted vacation!

Highlights Eurocity train
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Brandenburg Gate
Old Town
St. Sebald Church

Transatlantic flight.

Day 1: Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Arrive in Frankfurt, Germany

Day 2: Time to rest or explore the bustling metropolis on the River Main. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel.

Frankfurt – Remagen – Cologne

Day 3: A special treat at the very start of your journey through Germany is a RHINE CRUISE along the most scenic section of the Rhine River with castle-crested hills, terraced vineyards, pretty wine towns, and finally the Lorelei rock. Disembark and drive to the ruins of the bridge in Remagen, where American troops breached Hitler’s West Wall. Spend the afternoon in Cologne and visit the awesome 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 the quality of medieval engineering and craftsmanship.

Cologne – Berlin

Day 4: Ride the EUROCITY TRAIN to Berlin, capital of reunited Germany, where sightseeing with a Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the elegant Ku’damm, the restored Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace, a picture stop at monumental Brandenburg Gate, and the 210-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park. Visit the KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL CHURCH with its bomb-damaged tower, drive along Unter den Linden Boulevard, and pass the State Opera House and Checkpoint Charlie.

At Leisure in Berlin

Day 5: You may wish to join an optional excursion to Potsdam, and tonight, why not sample Berlin’s fine restaurants and nightlife?

Berlin – Leipzig – Nuremberg

Day 6: On your way south through what used to be the “other” Germany, visit Leipzig, an important center since the Middle Ages. Visit the THOMASKIRCHE, where J.S. Bach worked, and the Market Square with its fine renaissance buildings. Continue to Nuremberg, the town of children’s toys and gingerbread. It is also the birthplace of painter Albrecht Dürer and poet and meistersinger Hans Sachs. Admire the impressive medieval ramparts and walk through the pedestrian area of the charming Old Town. Visit ST. SEBALD CHURCH, painstakingly reconstructed as a monument to peace from the rubble of near-total wartime destruction.

Nuremberg – Rothenburg – Munich

Day 7: Today, focus on Germany’s Romantic Road, which leads from the flat country towards the Alps. Enjoy a walking tour of medieval Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes, and 16th-century houses. Then, head south to the Danube Valley and Munich. Enjoy an orientation featuring the Olympic Park and its 1,000-foot-high Television Tower and MARIENPLATZ with its Old and New Town Halls.

Munich. Excursion to Neuschwanstein

Day 8: Highlight today is a visit to King Ludwig’s NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE, one of the most famous German castles. Follow your Local Guide through this fairytale castle on its craggy outcrop high above a sparkling lake. Afternoon and evening at leisure; ask your Tour Director for suggestions.

Munich – Oberammergau – Lindau – Black Forest

Day 9: A scenic day starts out with a short stop in the Passion Play town of Obergammergau. Next, a leisurely drive along the panoramic German Alpine Road to the sunny northern shore of Lake Constance, Europe’s largest freshwater reservoir. Stop for a lunch break in charming Lindau, then, continue north and visit the baroque CHURCH at Birnau on the way to your hotel in the Black Forest.

Black Forest – Heidelberg – Frankfurt

Day 10: This morning, enjoy a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION before arriving in Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university town of Student Prince fame. Time to stroll around and to have lunch in the Old Town, followed by the highlight of today: a visit to the red-walled CASTLE where the GREAT VAT, a 49,000-gallon 18th-century wine cask, attracts particular attention. Then, back to Frankfurt for a farewell dinner with your companions of a fascinating vacation.

Homebound flight.

Day 11: Your homebound flight arrives the same day.