Insight Vacations Best of Germany

• Black Forest: Watch skilled artisans at work and learn about the history and ancient techniques of clock-making.
• Oktoberfest: Strap on your Lederhosen for a visit to the world’s greatest Volksfest in Munich on select departures.
• Oberammergau: Explore the town and see the theatre where the Passion Play has been performed since 1634 and the next performance will be in 2020.

• VIP door-to-door transfer service – taken directly from your door to departing airport.
• Airport transfers at the destination.
• Quality accommodation as per itinerary.
• Experiences & quality dining as per itinerary.
• A coach with more legroom, air-conditioning, sound system, video & Wi-Fi.

Day 1: Arrival in Berlin

Your complimentary, private transfer takes you to your local departure airport. On arrival at Berlin’s Tegel Airport, transfers to your hotel depart at 10:30 and 12:30.

Day 2: Berlin Sightseeing

Join a Local Expert to see some of Berlin’s many highlights. Travel along the Ku’Damm to the Memorial Church. Drive through the Tiergarten to see Norman Foster’s glass dome that crowns the reconstructed Reichstag building. Continue past 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?

Day 3: Dresden

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

Day 4: Munich

In the morning, depart Dresden and travel south to Nuremberg and stop at the rally grounds. Continue on to the vibrant city of Munich. Enjoy a city orientation that will show you the university, Victory Arch and the Marienplatz, where crowds gather at the Town Hall to watch the antics of the Glockenspiel.

Day 5: The Jewels Of The Bavarian Alps

In the morning, travel to Neuschwanstein, the fairytale castle spectacularly perched on an Alpine mountainside. A local historian will show you Ludwig II’s favourite castle. Visit the exuberantly decorated apartments, including the Throne Room and Lohengrin Grotto. Continue along part of the Alpine Road amid beautiful scenery to the Wieskirche, a masterpiece of Bavarian Rococo. Journey onto Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps, home of the Passion Play since 1634. See the immense theatre and colourfully-painted chalets. Afterwards, return to Munich for a free evening.

Day 6: Lindau On Lake Constance And Into The Black Forest

Travel through lush, rolling dairy country to Lindau, an island situated in the middle of Lake Constance, connected to the mainland by a causeway. Stroll through the narrow streets past old inns and half-timbered houses, to admire the fantastic backdrop of the Swiss and Austrian Alps across the lake. Take a delightful drive along the shores of Lake Constance, lined with orchards and vineyards and into the Black Forest. For dinner you are treated to a Farm-to-Table experience at a local restaurant with locally sourced ingredients, skillfully prepared and accompanied with wine.

Day 7: Medieval Rothenburg

The Black Forest is 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 over 300 years. Venture 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. With an artisan baker, enjoy a demonstration and learn about the history of the traditional pastry Schneeballen (snowball), followed by a tasting. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure for further exploration on your own. For your Dine-Around Evening, choose from a hand-picked selection of restaurants within the walls of the Old Town.

Day 8: The University City of Heidelberg

Head through the valleys, where villages and isolated farms nestle beside fast-flowing streams, before travelling north to Heidelberg. Visit Heidelberg Palace, or Heidelberger Schloss in German, one of the world’s most impressive palace ruins, synonymous with 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. Spend time in the vast and insightful Apothecary Museum, before marvelling at the panoramic vistas of the city and Neckar Valley from the castle fortress. Your hotel is in the nearby town of Mainz, a bustling and important town since the time of the Romans. Enjoy an orientation with your Travel Director and see half-timbered houses and medieval market squares that the city is known for.

Day 9: Castles of the Rhine Experience

Begin the day with a relaxing cruise past steep-sided vineyards, half-timbered taverns, hilltop castles and the infamous Lorelei Rock. Arrive at Boppard and continue to Koblenz where a gigantic equestrian statue of Wilhelm I guards the junction of the Rhine and Moselle. Have your camera ready as you return along the eastern bank. Enjoy the scenic views from the mighty Niederwald Monument. In the evening, round off your German experience with a farewell Celebration Dinner overlooking the River Rhine, complete with local wine. Prost!

Day 10: Depart Frankfurt

Your journey comes to an end after breakfast with departure transfers arriving at Frankfurt airport at 08:00 and 10:00. On arrival at your home airport, your driver will greet and escort you to your waiting car for your private transfer home.

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.