Best of Germany - Small Group

Your travels of Germany begin in the capital, Berlin. With the afternoon free, perhaps walk along the bustling Ku' Damm, shopping center of West Berlin, which during 40 years of division, became the shop window of the West. Tonight, join your Travel Director and travel companions at a local restaurant for your Welcome Dinner.

Join a Local Expert to see some of Berlin's many highlights. Travel along the Ku'Damm past the Memorial Church. Drive through the Tiergarten to see Norman Foster’s glass dome that crowns the reconstructed Reichstag building. Continue with a visit to the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of the reunification, and down along the Unter den Linden, past the Humboldt University and State Opera. Stop on Museum Island before enjoying a day at leisure in this once divided city. Perhaps take the opportunity to visit the glorious palace of the Prussian Kings at Potsdam?

In Dresden, join your Local Expert to see the splendors of the city. From the Frauenkirche, which has risen again from the destruction of World War II, walk past ‘The Procession of the Princes', a mosaic of colossal proportions on the Royal Palace facade. See the huge cathedral, Semper Opera House and Baroque Zwinger Palace. Although the town was heavily bombed during World War II, it remains a treasure trove of early German history and baroque architecture.

Join a Local Expert in Weimar to explore the city of literary luminaries Goethe and Schiller. Venture to medieval Erfurt and to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the best-preserved town on the Romantic Road. Plunge back into the 16th century during your orientation with your Travel Director as you walk through narrow cobbled streets lined with high-gabled houses to the market square, dominated by its Renaissance town hall. For your Dine-Around Evening, choose from a hand-picked selection of restaurants within the walls of the Old Town.

Enjoy an inspiring stroll through the narrow-cobbled streets with a Local Expert before taking in panoramic views on the historic city walls walk. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure for further exploration on your own, or perhaps a guided visit to the medieval town of Nuremberg.

Continue your travels through to Frankfurt and take in the city's famed landmarks with a Local Expert. See the gable-roofed Römer, European Central Bank, Frankfurt Cathedral's Coronation Site, and the eminent Paulskirche. Complete your visit with a tasting of local Apfelwein.
Your hotel is in the nearby town of Mainz, a bustling and important town since the time of the Romans. Enjoy a guided visit of the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to one of history's most important inventors.

Begin the day with a relaxing cruise past steep-sided vineyards, half-timbered taverns and hilltop castles. Stop in Bacharach on the banks of the Rhine, for a scenic stroll in the vineyards with a Local Expert. Sit down for a delicious Farm-to-Table Lunch prepared with locally sourced ingredients, and wine tasting.

This morning, continue your travels to Heidelberg. Visit Heidelberg Palace, one of the world's most impressive palace ruins and an icon of the Romantic Movement. Venture inside to see the Heidelberg Tun, a gigantic wine vat built into the building's cellar in 1591 and able to hold 130,000 litres. Hear its associated tales of the dwarf court jester, Perkeo. Marvel at the panoramic vistas of the city and Neckar Valley from the castle fortress. Continue on to your hotel in the Black Forest, the land of cherry cake and cuckoo clocks, where traditional farmhouses dip their thatched roofs almost to the ground. Stop to meet the locals who still make cuckoo clocks by hand, a tradition passed down for over 300 years.

The best way to enjoy this enchanting region is on a lake cruise. Relax and soak up the atmosphere of the Black Forest on a guided wildlife walk with a ranger, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.

Embark on an exciting visit to Neuschwanstein Castle, bristling with turrets and pinnacles and built as a retreat for the wildly eccentric King Ludwig II. See the extravagantly decorated apartments, including the Throne Room and Lohengrin Grotto. On your return to Munich, the rest of the day is free for you to explore Bavaria's capital city. Perhaps visit one of its many art galleries and museums, or relax and enjoy a coffee in the delightful Marienplatz?

Explore Munich with Insight Choice. Choose to join a Local Expert for a foodie walking tour in the city center.  Alternatively, visit the famous Residenz, and see its museum and Treasury. In the evening, round off your German experience with a farewell Celebration Dinner, complete with local wine. Prost!