Marvel at Germany's time-tested ability to maintain its charming, nostalgic traditions, while transforming into a modern cultural center. See Berlin, Dresden, Munich and Bamberg on this memorable 12-day tour.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 - Berlin
Your vacation begins with an overnight flight to Germany.
Day 2 - Berlin
Touch down in the capital of reunified Germany. A Go Ahead representative greets you at the airport in Berlin after you clear customs and then assists you with the transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or begin acquainting yourself with the city, a spectacular center of German culture. Meet your fellow travelers at an included dinner this evening.
Included meals: breakfast (in flight), dinner
Day 3 - Berlin
Today, a local expert guide shows you the monuments to Berlin’s intricate past as well as signs of its re-emergence as a vibrant cultural center. Visit Brandenburg Gate, once the symbol of the undeclared Cold War, and now the symbol of a reunited Berlin. See the site where Checkpoint Charlie once guarded the border between East and West Germany.
Journey down Unter den Linden, once considered one of the world’s most elegant boulevards. Spend a free afternoon on your own or take part in an optional World War II walking tour.
Included meals: breakfast
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$69 USD |
World War II Walking Tour
Take a walk through history on this insider’s tour of Berlin during World War II, detailing the rise and fall of Hitler and the Third Reich.
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Day 4 - Berlin
Travel to Potsdam, the pride and joy of former East Germany. Once the
royal playground of Prussian King Frederick the Great, Potsdam was also
the location where American, British and Soviet leaders drew up plans
for the postwar administration of Germany at the Potsdam Conference in
1945. First, you’ll tour the Neues palace, built by Frederick the Great
in the mid-1700s. Next, visit Cecilienhof, buily by Emperor Wilhelm II
of Germany in the early 1900s and the site of the Potsdam Conference’s
iconic photograph of Truman, Churchill and Stalin.
Included meals: breakfast
Included entrances: New Palace, Cecilienhof
Day 5 - Dresden
Leave Potsdam for Dresden today. Enjoy a guided tour of Dresden, once
considered by many to be the most beautiful city in the world. Pass the
renovated Semper Opera House and a statue of Martin Luther. You’ll also
visit the magnificent Zwinger Palace. Destroyed by the Allies’ infamous
Dresden firebombing in 1945, the palace was later rebuilt and remains
one of the most impressive examples of baroque architecture in Eastern
Europe. It is now home to the works of such luminaries as Raphael,
Dürer and Titian. Visit the New Green Vault, one of Europe’s most
impressive treasure museums. Enjoy an included dinner with your group
this evening.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Included entrances: Zwinger Palace, New Green Vault
Day 6 - Dresden
Today, pass the time at your leisure in Dresden or embark on an optional excursion to Gorlitz, including lunch.
Included meals: breakfast
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$95 USD |
Gorlitz
Within easy reach of Dresden and Leipzig is Gorlitz, one of the most beautiful towns in Germany. On a guided tour today, visit The Holy Trinity Church which houses a perfect copy of the Holy Sepulchrein Jerusalem. Continue on to Zgorzelec, located a stone’s throw away at the German-Poland border. Lunch is included.
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Day 7 - Bamberg
Travel by way of Weimar, where you'll enjoy a guided sightseeing your of the city. This intellectual hub nurtured the genius of Goethe, Nietzsche and Schiller. The city also gave rise to the Weimar Republic, the failed attempt to establish a liberal German democracy between the two World Wars.
Continue through the Weimar countryside for a visit to Belvedere Palace. Reach the Bavarian town of Bamberg in time for this evening’s included dinner.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 8 - Bamberg
Today’s guided tour leads you through the plain, islands and seven hills of Bamberg. Wander through the well-preserved medieval Old Town, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the Bamberg Cathedral, an impressive Romanesque structure with four imposing towers.
Then pay a visit to “Little Venice,” a colony of quaint fishers’ houses on the banks of the river Regnitz.
This afternoon, delve into the medieval history of Germany with an optional tour of Rothenburg.
Included meals: breakfast
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$55 USD |
Rothenburg
Visit Rothenburg, the best-preserved walled town in Germany. During the Middle Ages, Rothenburg was Germany's second-largest city, with 6,000 inhabitants. Today, it is a favorite for those seeking a slice of quaint Medieval Germany.
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Day 9 - Munich
This morning, travel to Munich, a city renowned for its festive and charming traditions. Stop in Nuremburg along the way to see the legacy of the World War II military tribunals.
Upon your arrival, embark on an expertly led guided tour of the Bavarian capital. Travel past the Olympic Stadium, the fashionable Schwabing district and the Residenz, once home to the Wittlesbach dukes of Bavaria.
Pay a visit to Nymphenburg Palace and continue to Marienplatz, Munich’s medieval heart, where you’ll see the city’s famed Glockenspiel.
Included meals: breakfast
Day 10 - Munich
Revel in the friendly ambiance of Munich with a free day to explore on your own. Or join an optional excursion to the former concentration camp at Dachau.
Included meals: breakfast
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$29 USD |
Dachau
Once a typical German village, Dachau served as one of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Today, the camp is a Holocaust memorial museum and serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
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Day 11 - Munich
Take advantage of free time for a walk in the Englischer Garten or a visit to the BMW museum. Or head into the Bavarian mountains on an optional excursion to Neuschwanstein, the castle of “Mad King” Ludwig. The excursion includes a visit to Oberammergau. Reflect on your travels at this evening’s Farewell Dinner.
Included meals: breakfast, dinner
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$75 USD |
Neuschwanstein & Oberammergau
One of the most recognizable castles in the world, Neuschwanstein is a spectacular sight to behold. As you tour the castle’s interior, you’ll see many examples of the young "Mad" King Ludwig's eclectic tastes. Please note: Due to the 2010 Passion Play in Oberammergau between May and September, this excursion will visit Wieskirche instead.
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Day 12 - Munich
Continue on our tour extension to Vienna. Otherwise, a Go Ahead representative escorts you to the airport for your return flight home.
Included meals: breakfast
(In the case of early morning departures, breakfast may not be included.)
Extend Your Stay
Add 3 nights in Vienna for only $ USD (Single room: add $ USD)
Proper citizens of Vienna, it has been said, waltz only from the waist down, holding their upper bodies ramrod straight while whirling around the crowded dance floor. The movement resulting from this correct posture is breathtaking in its sweep and splendor, and its elegant coupling of free-wheeling exuberance and rigid formality is quintessentially Viennese. The town palaces all over the inner city—built mostly during the 18th century—present in stone and stucco a similar artful synthesis. They make Vienna a Baroque city that is, at its best, an architectural waltz.