Grand Germany

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1-2 Hamburg and Lübeck

   Arrive in Hamburg and meet your tour leader. On the first afternoon walk through the Speicherstadt, the red-brick warehouse district on oak piles, to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza for a view over the harbour, then board a boat for a harbour tour past container ships and dry docks. The next day a short drive brings you to Lübeck, the Queen of the Hanseatic League: enter through the Holsten Gate, visit St. Mary's Church and taste marzipan at Niederegger, made here since 1806. Back in Hamburg, dinner with fresh North Sea fish by the harbour.

   
2. Day 3-5 Berlin and Potsdam

   A first-class ICE takes you to Berlin in under two hours. Your guide shows you the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag dome, the Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse, and you see the painted East Side Gallery. The second day is free for Museum Island, a Spree cruise or the lively streets of Kreuzberg. On day five a regional train takes you to Potsdam for Sanssouci Palace above its vineyard terraces, the Chinese House and lunch in the red-brick Dutch Quarter.

   
3. Day 6-7 Dresden and Saxon Switzerland

   The ICE continues south to Dresden, the Florence on the Elbe. At the rebuilt Frauenkirche, the Zwinger palace and the Semper Opera your guide tells the story of the city's destruction in 1945 and its rebirth, and you walk along the Brühl Terrace above the river. The next day the coach takes you into Saxon Switzerland National Park: cross the Bastei Bridge among sandstone towers 194 metres above the Elbe and visit Königstein Fortress, which was never captured, with wide views over the valley.

   
4. Day 8 Nuremberg

   A train ride through the hills of Saxony and Franconia brings you to Nuremberg. Walk up to the Imperial Castle, where German emperors stayed, for the view over the red roofs, then visit Albrecht Dürer's House and the main market square with the Beautiful Fountain, where you turn the golden ring for luck. In the late afternoon taste the city's famous little sausages, grilled over beech wood, with sauerkraut and a dark Franconian beer in a traditional sausage kitchen.

   
5. Day 9-10 Munich and Neuschwanstein

   Continue by train to Munich. Your guide shows you Marienplatz with the Glockenspiel, the twin domes of the Frauenkirche and the Viktualienmarkt, and in the evening you sit in a beer garden or the famous Hofbräuhaus. On day ten the coach drives into the Alpine foothills: stop at the rococo Wieskirche, then visit King Ludwig II's Neuschwanstein Castle with timed tickets and walk to the Marienbrücke for the classic view over the gorge. Return to Munich in the evening.

   
6. Day 11 Garmisch and the Zugspitze

   Into the mountains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, host of the 1936 Winter Olympics. A cogwheel train climbs through forests and a tunnel to the Zugspitze glacier, and a cable car brings you to the summit at 2,962 metres, the highest point in Germany, with views over more than 400 peaks in four countries. Back in the valley, stroll along Ludwigstrasse in Partenkirchen, lined with houses decorated with colourful frescoes, and enjoy coffee and apple strudel before dinner.

   
7. Day 12 Black Forest

   A scenic drive west along the northern shore of Lake Constance brings you into the Black Forest. Walk up beside the Triberg Waterfalls, the highest in Germany, visit a cuckoo clock maker and see the world's largest cuckoo clock. At the Vogtsbauernhof open-air museum you step inside 400-year-old farmhouses with huge roofs. A slice of genuine Black Forest cake with cherries and kirsch is included. Overnight in a traditional Black Forest hotel with wooden balconies and forest views.

   
8. Day 13 Heidelberg and the Rhine

   In the morning a funicular takes you up to Heidelberg Castle with its Great Barrel, then you walk down to the old town, cross the Old Bridge and climb the Philosophers' Walk for the view over the Neckar. In the afternoon cruise through the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO landscape, past the Marksburg, the Cat and Mouse castles and the Lorelei rock. The farewell dinner is in Rüdesheim's lively Drosselgasse, with Riesling wine and live music.

   
9. Day 14 Departure

   After breakfast, transfer to Frankfurt Airport, about one hour from Rüdesheim. If your flight leaves later, stop at the Römerberg in Frankfurt's old town for a final look at the half-timbered houses. Two weeks from the North Sea to the Alps, by fast train and private coach, through cities, castles, forests and mountains: you now know Germany from top to bottom. Our team stays in touch after the trip and will gladly plan your next journey.