Best of Germany (Premium)
12 Day Tour to Berlin, Dresden & Frankfurt | Operated by InsightVacations
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12 Days
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1 Country
Germany -
12 Cities
Berlin, Dresden, Weimar, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Frankfurt, Mainz, Boppard, Koblenz, Heidelberg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Neuschwanstein Castle, Munich -
16 Meals
4 Dinner with Wines, 11 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch with Wine -
Pace: Comfortable
Mainly 2–3-night stays in each location. Comfortable travel days with numerous stops. Requires 1-3 miles of walking per day that might involve some uneven surfaces, such as cobblestones and stairs.
Trip Itinerary
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 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, 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 Courtyard. 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!
Say Auf Wiedersehen to your new friends as you trip comes to an end.
Price Includes
Dining Summary- - 4 Dinner with Wines (DW)
- - 11 Breakfasts (B)
- - 1 Lunch with Wine (LW)
- Join your Travel Director and fellow guests at a local restaurant in the heart of Berlin for a delightful Welcome Dinner, served with wine.
- For your dining pleasure, you're offered an excellent selection of Rothenburg restaurants, each with its own distinctive ambience and cuisine. From local Franken specialties to international menus, your Tour Director's inside knowledge ensures a more intimate and authentic dining experience.
- You Local Expert provides a tour of this vibrant city. Drive along the Ku'Damm, passing the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and through Tiergarten to the Reichstag building. See the Brandenburg Gate, State Opera House and visit Alexanderplatz.
- Your guided tour with a Local Expert shows you the Frauenkirche, the colossal 'Procession of the Dukes' mosaic, the cathedral, Semper Opera House and Zwinger Palace. You'll also learn about the traditional German Christmas Pyramids.
- Picturesque Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the best-preserved medieval town in Germany and a truly enchanting destination. Step back in time and explore the city walls, towers, and gates around the old town as well as the old town itself.
- Join a Local Expert for a walking tour through Rothenburg's narrow-cobbled streets.
- Your Travel Director leads you an on orientation of the city.
- Take in Frankfurt'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.
- Enjoy a guided visit of the Gutenberg Museum, dedicated to one of history's most important inventors.
- Cruise beneath the semi-ruined castles and terraced vineyards. Sleepy villages slip by as you saunter upstream.
- Explore one of Germany's most enchanting cities during your orientation with your Travel Director.
- Venture inside the magnificent castle built in red sandstone, overlooking the Student Prince’s town. See the massive Heideleberg Tun built into the cellar in 1591, visit the Apothecary Museum and enjoy panoramic views of Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley.
- Visit the archetypal fairy-tale castle that allegedly inspired many of Walt Disney's castles. Led by a local historian, walk through the magnificent halls, take in the lavish decoration and enjoy spectacular views.
- During your orientation of the city with your Travel Director, see Feldherrnhalle in the Odeonsplatz, the Palace of the Dukes of Wittelsbach, the English Garden, the Hofbräuhaus, St. Peter's Church and the famous Marienplatz.
- Discover the art of cuckoo clock making at a charming workshop in the Black Forest. Watch a demonstration by a lively artisan, while you enjoy a glass of cherry wine.
- Join your local nature guide for a fun and educative wildlife walk in the stunning Ravenna Gorge. Breathe in this magical environment of sweeping forest and fairy-tale waterfalls, as you learn about the Black Forest.
- Embark on a foodie walking tour in the heart of Munich.
- Visit Munich Residenz.
Optional Experiences
Optional Experiences are subject to change. Your Travel Director will supply you with a final list of Optional Experiences available on your trip. Optional Experiences cannot be booked online; they can be purchased during your trip through your Travel Director.
Highlights of Former East Berlin (Available on Day 2)Explore the shadows of the past with our Local Expert and visit the staggering Holocaust Memorial. Stop for a photo at ‘Checkpoint Charlie', location of the tense stand-offs between U.S. & Soviet forces during the Cold War. Then a real highlight as we visit the Berlin Wall Memorial. The memorial contains the last section of the Berlin Wall with a guard tower and preserved grounds and is thus able to convey an impression of how the border fortifications developed until the end of the 1980s. Learn about this focal point of 20th-century history and of the fate of those who attempted to cross it.
Adult Price: €35 Bridge of Spies, Sanssouci & Dinner (Available on Day 2)Our evening takes us to Potsdam, the summer home and royal residence to the Kings of Prussia. Here we'll see the ‘Sanssouci’ palace of the most celebrated Prussian king, Frederick the Great. We'll enjoy time for photos in the gardens and then continue to the Glienicke Bridge, the famous 'Bridge of Spies'. The bridge was used for spy exchanges between East & West during the Cold War. We'll cross the bridge on foot before continuing to historic Wirsthaus Moorlake, nestled on the banks of the Havel river, for an evening of traditional German fare.
n.b. This optional experience may be offered without dinner for €48.
It was in Dresden that the first porcelain in Europe was made. We will visit the Meissen factory where we are shown how this world-famous porcelain is made before we visit the museum. Later there is time to visit the factory shop for some bargains and enjoy a coffee. Before we head back to the hotel we will enjoy the scenic ride along the river Elbe and we will stop to take in the beauty of Moritzburg castle.
Adult Price: €44 Nuremberg Rally Grounds and the Historical Center (Available on Day 5)Today we will make our way to the rally grounds and unfinished Congress Hall of the former Nazi Party. Here we will meet our local Expert who will show us around the vast area and detail the Party's fascination with rallies and also the causes and consequences of National Socialism. We also see Zeppelin field with the Tribune and the Luitpoldhain (the former Luitpold arena). Later we visit the Main Square of Nuremberg where you can turn the Golden ring on one of the oldest fountains of Germany and make your wish.
Adult Price: €41 Rüdesheim Dinner And Entertainment (Available on Day 6)Drive to the small river port of Rudesheim, known for its Riesling wines and narrow ‘Street of Thrushes', which buzzes with lively restaurants, old taverns and festive music long into the night. Throw back a schnapps, feel the pulse of live entertainment, and enjoy a fun-filled evening of song, merriment and regional German food. Prost!
Adult Price: €78 Colmar Excursion (Available on Day 9)Nestled in the heart of the Alsatian vineyards lies the impossibly quaint little town of Colmar. Our local expert will help you discover its half timbered byways and Venetian-style canals.
Adult Price: €40 Bavarian Dinner (Available on Day 10)Tonight we'll soak up the lively atmosphere of a popular traditional restaurant. We'll enjoy traditional Bavarian hospitality and sample delicious regional specialties and local beer.
Adult Price: €74 The Dachau Memorial (Available on Day 11)After Hitler's rise to power in 1933, the first concentration camp for political prisoners was opened outside the town of Dachau and it became a blueprint for others to follow. Now maintained as a memorial, spend some reflective moments with our Local Expert amid the remains of the camp prisons, reconstructed barracks, kitchens, workshops and baths which serves as the museum. A chilling and emotional reminder of the horrors of war.
Adult Price: €38