2024 Curious Traveler Series: Germany

Depart the US from your designated airport and begin your journey to Germany! We hope you are as excited as we are.

Welcome to Germany! Arrive at Munich International Airport, collect your luggage, and either take the Lufthansa shuttle into the city, or take a taxi directly to the hotel. The Lufthansa shuttle stops across the street from the hotel. 

Your afternoon is at leisure. Use your Munich City Pass to explore on your own.

Meet your fellow travelers at a special welcome dinner this evening.

Highlights (included): Munich City Pass (2-day)

Overnight at Eden Wolff Hotel.
(Dinner included)

Our local guide will meet us at the hotel for a walking tour. We’ll explore the most significant places in the beautiful old town including Frauenkirche Cathedral, Marienplatz & the City Hall with its Glockenspiel. Our motor coach will meet us for additional touring outside the city center, ending at Theresienwiese, location of the world-famous Oktoberfest. We’ll make our way to our reserved seats in a tent for lunch and festivities. 

The remainder of the day is free for you to enjoy Oktoberfest, explore Munich further with your Munich City Pass, shop, or just relax. 

Highlights (included): Guided Munich city tour, lunch with reserved seating at Oktoberfest.

Overnight at Eden Wolff Hotel.
(Breakfast, lunch included)

Drive to the town of Kelheim where we embark on a Danube river cruise through the Danube Gorge. This is the deepest and narrowest part of the Bavarian Danube river, surrounded by steep limestone cliffs and breathtaking nature. We’ll disembark at the Benedictine monastery of Weltenburg, with history dating to 700 AD. After a guided tour and time to explore on your own, we’ll enjoy lunch in the Abbey’s beautiful beer garden (Klosterschenke) at the world’s oldest Monastery brewery. 

We continue to  Nuremberg where our walking tour will introduce us to the Old Town and the history of the city.

Enjoy dinner on your own at one of Nuremberg’s many wonderful restaurants.  

Highlights (included): Danube river cruise, guided tour of Weltenburg Monastery, Old Town Nuremberg walking tour.

Overnight at Hotel Victoria. 
(Breakfast, lunch included)

In addition to beer, Germany is known for its wine, in which we’ll indulge today! We’ll visit a family-owned winery known for its sustainability, and we’ll gain insight into historic and recent aspects of the Franconian wine culture. 

Then we’re off to the fairytale town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber which welcomes us with its old city wall and towers, half-timber houses, cobblestone streets, and medieval history. 

After dinner, our Night Watchman tour will take us through dark alleyways as we hear stories about how the people lived in the Middle Ages. 

Highlights (included): Franconian winery tour including wine tasting & lunch bites, guided Night Watchman tour.

Overnight at Tilman Riemenschneider Hotel.
(Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)

Today is Unification Day in Germany, a national holiday which commemorates reunification of the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990. 

Enjoy a leisurely morning with time to explore Rothenburg on your own. Walk the city walls, where information boards tell about the city’s history along the 42 towers in the city. Stroll the cobblestone streets, with photo opportunities around every corner, or visit the Christmas museum or the Medieval Crime Museum on your own. 

We drive south into southern Bavaria for a visit to an alpine dairy to see cheese production “from cow to cheese”, and will, of course, include samples!  

Our overnight stay is in the 700 year old town of Fussen, Bavaria’s highest town at an altitude of nearly 2,600 feet at the foot of Neuschwanstein Castle. We’ll enjoy dinner at our hotel.

Highlights (included): Visit to an alpine dairy with cheese tasting.

Overnight at Hotel Schlosskrone.
(Breakfast, Dinner included)

Our day begins with a guided tour of the 19th century Neuschwanstein Castle, where you’ll be  enchanted by the castle, view, and its breathtaking location in the Bavarian Alps.

Afterward, it’s just a short drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which was historically two separate towns, Garmisch and Partenkirchen. They merged in 1935 in preparation for the Winter Olympics held in the region. It has a charming and traditional Bavarian atmosphere, featuring well-preserved historic buildings, colorful frescoes, and beautiful churches. The main street, Ludwigstraße, is lined with traditional houses, shops, cafes, and restaurants, offering a taste of local culture and cuisine.

After lunch, a local guide will highlight its history, traditions, and customs on a walking tour. 

The remainder of the day is at leisure. Enjoy dinner on your own tonight.

Highlights (included): Entrance and guided tour of Neuschwanstein Castle, guided walking tour of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 

Overnight at Mercure Hotel Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
(Breakfast, lunch included)

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is surrounded by majestic mountains, including Germany’s highest peak, which we’ll experience today. The Zugspitze summit, at 9,718 feet, is accessed by cogwheel train and cable car. The trip up (and down!) is breathtaking, and at the summit, stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys await. 

We’ll enjoy lunch at the summit, with time to soak in the alpine beauty. 

Back in Munich, we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner and reminisce about our Germany adventures.  

Highlights (included): Guided trip to Zugspitze, including cogwheel train and cable car ticket.

Overnight at Eden Wolff Hotel.
(Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Independent transfers to the airport for your return flight, or extend your stay in Europe! 

(Breakfast included)