-Day 1 Start tour
Day 2 Guten Tag Munich
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Day 3 Munich landmarks
Details: Munich guided sightseeing tour
Join a professional licensed tour guide for a whirlwind look at Munich. Founded in the 12th century by Henry the Lion, Munich now roars with the hustle and bustle of modern German life. As you pass by Marienplatz (named after the square’s gilded Virgin Mary and Child statue), mechanical knights joust and coopers dance to the folk-music chimes of the Neues Rathaus’s Glockenspiel. The twin onion-bulb towers of the Frauenkirche Cathedral frame this whimsical display, while the scents, sounds and colors of the nearby food market attempt to draw your attention elsewhere. Resist temptation and continue on to Olympiapark, a new suburb built for the 1972 Olympic Games. Pass by several museums, such as the BMW Museum, Alte Pinakothek (home to Munich’s most precious art collections), and the Deutsches Museum of science and technology.
Details: Olympic site of 1972
Visit Olympia Park, site of the 1972 Olympics. Buildings include the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Hall, and the Aquatic Center. Many cultural events are still held at Olympia Park.
Details: Marienplatz
Discover the area of Munich around Marienplatz, which is dedicated to the patron of the city. See the Neues Rathaus and observe the Glockenspiel on its facade. This is the fourth largest chiming clock in Europe, and stages an elaborate performance twice a day.
Details: Bavarian bratwurst dinner
Enjoy Bavarian- or Berlin-style sausage with traditional sides, made from veal and pork back bacon (Bavarian-style), or fried pork (Berlin style).
Day 4 Munich
The Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism visit
Details: Dachau Concentration Camp & Memorial visit
A grim glimpse into the past, Dachau was the first of Nazi Germany’s camps and a model for the 3,000 work and concentration camps to come. A chilling memorial to the 206,000 prisoners who were interned in the camp from 1933 to 1945, the museum examines pre-1930 anti-Semitism, the rise of the Nazi party, and the documented lives of prisoners.
Day 5 Outside Munich
Neuschwanstein & Oberammergau excursion
Details: Neuschwanstein Castle visit
This elaborate castle was built atop a rock ledge over the Pöllat Gorge in the Bavarian Alps by order of Bavaria's King Ludwig II, referred to as "Mad Ludwig," whose favorite pastime was midnight sleigh rides through the countryside. This stronghold was the crowning jewel of the king’s building spree across Bavaria and was the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle in Disney World. Begun in 1869 and left unfinished at Ludwig's death in 1886, this lavish palace is an eccentric reconstruction of a medieval castle, and it boasts major technological and architectural achievements for the time, including running water, flushing toilets, a hot water system for the kitchen, and bathrooms with warm-air heating systems.
Day 6 Munich--Nuremberg
Travel to Nuremberg
World War II Art Bunker guided tour
Durer Haus visit
Day 7 Nuremberg landmarks
Details: Nuremberg guided sightseeing tour
Nuremberg is perhaps best known for its role in German politics. The city was the site of many Nazi rallies from 1933 to 1938. Unfortunately, 90% of the city was destroyed in 1945. The Allies chose Nuremberg as the site of the war crimes tribunals because of the city's ties to Nazi power.
Details: Nazi Party Rally Grounds Museum visit
Unearth the causes, connections and consequences of Nazi Germany amidst the remains of the rally grounds where more than a million people gathered to support the National Socialists between 1933 and 1938. The museum’s sobering Fascination and Terror exhibition takes a deeper look at Nazi dictatorship and the history of party rallies during the Nazi regime.
Details: War Crimes Trial Museum visit
Post-World War II, Nazi leaders were forced to answer for their crimes before the International Military Tribunal in Courthouse 600. Sit in the courtroom where history was rewritten at the Palace of Justice, then learn more about the Nuremburg Trials and how they influenced international criminal law. *Courtroom 600 is still an active courtroom and can only be viewed on days when court is not in session.
Day 8 Start extension to Vienna
Details: Travel to Vienna via Salzburg
He is the pride of Vienna, and on your way there to learn more about the prodigal composer, stop in Salzburg to visit Mozart’s birthplace. Touring No. 9 Getreidegasse, get a glimpse of the violin he mastered as a boy. And as you walk the gardens of Mirabell Palace, “Do-Re-Mi” (from Sound of Music) may come to mind as you soak up the ambiance of the famous movie scene.
Details: Mozart’s birthplace visit
Feel the rhythm of Salzburg’s Old Town Square as you enter the unassuming yellow domicile at Getreidegasse 9. This is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. View an impressive collection of the young composer’s first instruments and immerse yourself in the captivating saga of this prodigy’s early life.
Day 9 Vienna landmarks
Wiener Schnitzel dinner
Details: Vienna guided sightseeing tour
Join a professional licensed tour guide on a sightseeing adventure around Vienna, the city of brilliant musicians, Baroque art and architecture, and velvet-clad coffeehouses. Along your journey, you’ll sense the power and decadence of the city’s early ruling family, the almighty Habsburgs. Wander down the infamous Ringstraße, the series of boulevards circling the city, commissioned by Emperor Franz Josef in 1857. Pass the world-famous Opera House and the 450-foot Gothic St. Stephan’s Cathedral, Vienna’s most adored symbol. Encounter the Neoclassical Parliament, where the Austrian National and Federal Councils congregate. See the Habsburgs' winter retreat at the Hofburg (Imperial Palace). Inside lies the Imperial Treasury, which includes religious relics like the nails from the Crucifixion and the thorns from Christ’s crown. End the adventure with a visit to Schönbrunn Palace, where the Habsburg’s ruled until 1918 and six-year-old Mozart serenaded Marie Antoinette.
Details: Schönbrunn Palace visit
Stop just outside the city center for a visit to the 1,441-room Schönbrunn Palace, which was designed for the Habsburgs
before becoming the imperial summer palace during the 40-year reign of Maria Theresa. It was the scene of great
aristocratic events during the Congress of Vienna, including a performance by a 6-year-old Mozart.
Details: St. Stephen’s Cathedral visit
Visit St. Stephen's Cathedral, one of the greatest Gothic structures in Europe. St. Stephen’s is rich in woodcarvings, altars, sculptures, and paintings. One of the paintings shows the scene of the double marriage between the Habsburg, Bohemian, and Hungarian dynasties in 1515 that laid the foundation of the Austrian Empire.
Tour Includes:
- Round-trip airfare
- 6 overnight stays (8 with extension) in hotels with private bathrooms
- Full European breakfast daily
- Dinner daily
- Full-time services of a professional tour director
- Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
- Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
- Tour Diary™
- Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
- Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
- Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.
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