Oktoberfest, Breweries & the River Rhine
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Oktoberfest, Breweries & The River Rhine 10 DAYS/9 NIGHTS — GROUP TRAVEL SUGGESTED ITINERARY — CAN BE CUSTOMIZED INCLUSIONS This 10-day, 9-night tour will pair Germany’s rich beer culture with other memorable, must-see attractions. You’ll begin in Bavaria during its world-famous Oktoberfest 3 nights in Munich celebrations, cross into the Czech Republic to see the “birthplace of beer,” enjoy exciting, 1 night each in Plzen expert sightseeing in Germany’s historic cities, and cruise down the Rhine River to see and Bamberg Germany’s amazing castles and Riesling wine country. Join us on a tour that will tickle your 2 nights in taste buds and leave you exclaiming “PROST!” Düsseldorf 1 night each in Cologne and DAY 1 ~ ARRIVAL IN Wittelsbach family is one of the most Wiesbaden MUNICH beautiful palaces in all of Europe. Breakfast daily Lunch and dinner Alternatively, en-route from the airport a Arrive in Munich, Bavaria’s per itinerary political and cultural tour could be made of the Dachau Ground transport via capital. After exiting customs, meet your Concentration Camp and Memorial. air conditioned private coach local assistant in the terminal’s arrivals hall. Tonight join your fellow group members for English speaking Your group will then travel by private coach a welcome dinner of Bavarian specialties in assistant and guides to the hotel. (Even though your group will the hotel’s restaurant. Admission tickets as most likely arrive before the hotel’s check- outlined in itinerary DAY 2 ~ MUNICH in time, feel free to store your luggage with HIGHLIGHTS the reception staff). There will be free time After breakfast in the hotel, until this evening to begin exploring your group will enjoy a Oktoberfest tent reservations in Munich, a city famed for its beer culture. half-day, guided tour of Munich Consider checking out one of Munich’s 400 Munich (combination coach & walking). City sightseeing biergartens, or pay a visit to the Paulaner You will see this city’s best attractions tours in Munich, Brewery, which was established in the early including Peterskirche (St Peter’s Church), Bamberg, Düsseldorf 1600s by the Minim Friars; the brewery which is the oldest church in Munich, as and Cologne Excursion to the well as the open-air market, tour lasts approximately 90 minutes, Czech Republic to features a film that explains how Paulaner Viktualienmarkt, and the medieval Isartor visit the “birthplace beers are brewed, and finishes up with a Gate. You will also visit Munich’s of beer” traditional snack paired with one of their Marienplatz, which has served as the city’s Visit the largest beer museum in the local brews. main square for almost 900 years. If your world group arrives at 11:00 am, you’ll get to Note: If you and your fellow group Sightseeing cruise enjoy the iconic Glockenspiel’s life-size along Rhine River’s members arrive at the Munich Airport in figurines perform high atop the New Town castles and vineyards the morning and decide to go ahead and Hall (Rathaus). Your group’s tour will finish immediately begin sightseeing before just before lunch, and the balance of the heading to the hotel, en-route from day is free for you to continue exploring Munich’s Airport to the city center we Munich on your own. Keep in mind that recommend that your group stop and tour Munich is home to some of Europe’s very the Schloss Nymphenburg; this former best museums, so consider visiting the Alte summer residence of Munich’s ruling Pinakothek or the Deutsches Museum this afternoon. Alternatively, car fans could exports: Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus. visit Munich’s impressive BMW World. After the tour, which does include a tasting, your group can continue to the nearby Beer DAY 3 ~ MUNICH Museum to continue its education on OKTOBERFEST Bohemian brews. After breakfast in the hotel, the world’s largest beer Tonight your group will feast on traditional festival awaits your group. Your group has Czech dishes in the hotel’s restaurant. day-time lunch reservations in one of the DAY 5 ~ BAMBERG big tents at the Theresienwiese After breakfast in the hotel, fairgrounds, and based on your hotel’s your group will travel west exact location, your group might want to by private coach back into consider using public transportation as Germany. Your first stop will be in the driving in Munich can be quite difficult lovely Bavarian town of Bayreuth, which is during Oktoberfest. The lively festivities go situated in the heart of the beer Franconia late into the evening, so feel free to spend region. Few other towns offer such a wide the remainder of the day as you wish, range of breweries and beers. While here hopping around from tent to tent. Should your group will take a walking tour to see you decide that you’d like to escape the the house where the great German crowds, head to the Englischer Garten, composer Richard Wagner lived, the Munich’s vast public park, or visit one of hexagonal castle tower, and much more. the museums you weren’t able to make it After some free time for lunch you will visit to yesterday. (If you choose to visit Alte the Maisel Brewery and Cooperage Pinakothek, one of the most important art Museum, the largest beer museum in the museums in Europe, you’ll want to allow at world. Discover first-hand the traditional least two hours to view its masterpieces or fine art of brewing in an interactive four hours if you are a serious art experience. Visit the machine room, the enthusiast). brewing rooms and the museum’s DAY 4 ~ PLZEN collection of more than 3,300 beer glasses After breakfast in the hotel, and jugs. The tour will finish in the old your group will travel bottling plant with a complimentary glass northeast by private coach of Maisel’s. to the “birthplace of beer,” Plzen, Czech Afterwards your group will re-board its Republic. During the drive you can enjoy private coach and travel a short distance the countryside views and rest up from west to the city of Bamberg. Located on yesterday’s festivities. Founded in 1295, the River Regnitz and renowned for its this largely industrial city is the rachbier (smoked beer), Bamberg is a true administrative center of western Bohemia. Bavarian gem. As one of the few cities that After centuries of microbreweries trying to survived the bombings of World War II, create the perfect beer, they decided to Bamberg is rife with historical and cultural work together and collectively came up heritage, which led to its historic city center with a superior brew through what is being named an official UNESCO World known as the “Pilsner brewing method”. Heritage Site. After checking into the hotel, This afternoon your group will have a one- enjoy an evening at leisure to explore hour tour of the Pilsner Breweries, which Bamberg’s wonderful taverns, breweries produce two of the Czech Republic’s best and pubs. DAY 6 ~ DÜSSELDORF to this fantastic art capital on the Rhine River, your group will drop its bags off at After an early breakfast in the hotel and begin an exciting sightseeing the hotel, this morning your tour during which you’ll see impressive group will leave the attractions including Cologne’s gothic Franconia region and continue traveling Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. west by private coach to the 2,000 year-old After a break for lunch, the touring will town of Koblenz. Situated on the banks of continue into the afternoon with a visit to both the Rhine and the Mosel rivers, this the topnotch Museum Ludwig, home to a charming town has an abundance of marvelous collection of modern art, cultural monuments and historical including works from Andy Warhol, Roy buildings. Enjoy free time for lunch, where Lichtenstein and the largest Picasso you can dine in a traditional weinstube (a collection in Europe. The tour will finish at wine tavern) or seek out a strausswirtschaft the hotel in the afternoon. After check-in, (a winery or wine grower’s cottage, where the evening is free for you and your group you can sample homemade wines). After members to explore Cologne. Be sure to lunch your group will have a bit of free time try kölsch, a local brew favorite in Cologne. to explore Koblenz on its own before re- boarding the coach and traveling north to DAY 9 ~ RHINE RIVER the hotel in Düsseldorf, your home for the CRUISE next two nights. After breakfast in the hotel, your group will embark on a Tonight your group will feast on traditional very memorable last day in Germany. German dishes in a local pub. Today’s cruise down the Rhine River will DAY 7 ~ DÜSSELDORF likely be the highlight of your trip. You’ll After breakfast in the hotel, travel by private coach along the Rhine to your group will enjoy a the picturesque town of St. Goarshausen guided tour of Düsseldorf’s for embarkation. This amazing stretch of Old Town with its narrow lanes, old the Rhine is prime wine country, home to churches, quaint breweries and historic some of Germany’s best Riesling wines. pubs. You will also learn all about the city’s Known as the Rhine Gorge, it was made an rich history of brewing beer, with a official UNESCO World Heritage Site for its particular emphasis on Altbier, a dark, remarkable natural beauty and cultural semisweet lager that originated in heritage. Your group will cruise for three Düsseldorf. As part of the guided tour, hours down the Rhine to Rüdesheim, one your group will also go inside the local Alt of the prettiest winemaking towns in all of Breweries to learn about the brewing Germany.