Discover the delights of Germany on this 11-day adventure including:
• Medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber
• The Romantic Road
• Nurnberg
• Roman “Castra Regina,” today’s Regensburg
• Munich
• King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle
• Berchtesgaden including nearby Salzburg, Austria
Our starting point, Miltenberg am Main, has one of Germany's most picturesque market squares.
Day 1: Miltenberg am Main (1)
Guests arrive at Frankfurt’s International Airport where they are met by tour guide and founder of European Focus, James Derheim. We drive an hour to the west to the little town of Miltenberg am Main, where we stay the night in Germany’s oldest inn. The “Riesen” was built in 1590 on foundations dating back to the 12th century.
Unlike big bus tours, we don’t push our guests to be too active on their arrival day. We understand that people may be tired from their journey. Therefore, guests have free time for the afternoon before we meet in the late afternoon for a walking tour of the town and dinner in a traditional “Gasthaus” or restaurant with beer brewed right in Miltenberg.
Day 2: Romantic Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2)
Rothenburg ob der Tauber was founded in the 10th century
We travel on part of the “Romantic Road” to the best-preserved medieval town in Germany and a stay of two nights in an historic inn located close to the center of the town. Guests can walk to all of the highlights. Tonight, enjoy a tour of the town with the “Nightwatchman,” and learn what it was like to live in “the Good Old Days.”
Day 3: Rothenburg and environs
Guests have the morning to enjoy shopping or a museum in Rothenburg. We meet at noon for a short road trip to a castle located about half an hour outside of town. This castle was mothballed in the middle of the 1700s after the last male heir died without children. The castle is a perfect time capsule of gentry life in this part of Germany.
We return to Rothenburg later in the afternoon for rest before dinner at one of the area’s best schnitzel restaurants. (Schnitzel is a pork filet, breaded and lightly fried – yum!)
Day 4: Nurnberg and Regensburg (1)
We leave Rothenburg after breakfast and drive via the back country roads to the former free imperial city of Nurnberg where we enjoy a walking tour lasting about an hour and a half with a local guide. After the tour, we meet at a tiny bratwurst kitchen which claims to be the oldest in Germany for lunch. Afterwards, we make a stop at the former Nazi party parade grounds where we see a grandstand used during those 1930’s rallies leading up to WWII.
We then continue to Regensburg for a night spent in the shadow of the massive cathedral.
A recent guest of European Focus enjoying the terrific brats at the St. Lorenz Gasthaus in Nurnberg
Day 5: Munich and Schwangau (2)
After breakfast wee leave for Munich where we have lunch and time for seeing the major sights including the Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz and the Hofbrauhaus. Later, we continue to the mountains south of Munich for a two-night stay at a family-owned and operated inn located within sight of Neuschwanstein Castle.
Day 6: King Ludwig’s World and Oberammergau
Neuschwanstein Castle - inspiration for Walt Disney
We see Neuschwanstein Castle this morning and then go to Oberammergau for lunch and time for shopping before we visit Linderhof Castle in the afternoon.
Day 7: Alpine drive to Berchtesgaden (2)
We drive over spectacular scenery to the far southeastern corner of Germany and a two-night stay in one of the prettiest parts of the country. Guests will enjoy tremendous scenery from their rooms.
Day 8: Salzburg, Austria
We take a short half-hour drive to Salzburg where we see some of the sights attached to the “Sound of Music” story plus other historical highlights.
Gorgeous scenery all around the Berchtesgaden area
After a morning visit to the famous “Eagle’s Nest” high above Berchtesgaden, we drive via the back country roads to our final stop of the trip, the charming small city of Landshut, located a convenient half hour from the Munich International Airport.
Day 10: Departure from Munich Intl. Airport
Guests depart. Extensions are available for those wishing to stay longer and explore other areas of Germany.
Total price per person including all sightseeing, lodging in high quality small hotels and inns, meals, transportation in Germany and Austria, private guide/translator and all incidentals: 3,145 Euro per person
Exchange rates can be found at www.x-rates.com
This is a special offer micro-group tour with no more than six adults invited. Price is based on a minimum of four adults. Because this is such a fantastic offer, guests must pay in full, in advance. Trip cancellation or interruption insurance is mandatory to protect all parties including European Focus in case a guest cannot make the trip due to illness or other reasons.
Sign-up deadline is October 12, 2011 for this October, 2012 tour.
Tour dates TBD but will be after the end of Germany’s Oktoberfest. (Start date after October 7)
Guests wishing to partake in Munich’s Oktoberfest can contact European Focus for assistance.
