Germany Journey with Fr. Dave Howell, October 4 - 17, 2020
Itinerary
Day 1: Sunday, October 4: Detroit Flight
Your flight departs Detroit Metro Airport for Frankfurt, Germany in the evening. (Call Tammy if you wish to arrive early or stay additional days, additional fees may apply) Meals and inflight entertainment on board.
Day 2: Monday, October 5: Arrival Frankfurt, (Cologne & Aachen)
Arriving in Frankfurt in the morning, you will be welcomed at the airport by your Tour Escort, who will accompany you on your travels through Germany.
Cologne is the first destination of your journey. When arriving there, you can expect an exciting guided tour of the city followed by a visit to the center and heart of the city, the Cologne Cathedral. During the tour you can experience the 2000 year old, multifaceted city with all its sights. Thanks to its old, rich history, its many sights and attractions especially for culture fans.
In the afternoon you will continue your journey to Aachen, Germany's most western metropolis.
The city at the border triangle with Belgium and the Netherlands has a lot to offer for its visitors. A guided tour through the beautiful Aachen Cathedral and the sacristy treasury are included, so you can see for yourself.
Continue on to the Rhine region! Once you arrive, you can reflect on the thrilling day at a welcome dinner in a local restaurant and end the evening in a relaxed manner.
Overnight Koblenz/ Cochem Meals: Lunch, Welcome Dinner and cocktail.
Day 3: Tuesday, October 6: Trier
Your day will start with your travel to Trier.
Founded in 17 B.C. Trier is the oldest city in Germany. Nowhere else north of the Alps can the Roman era be experienced as authentically as in this city. Here you will find the center of antiquity in Germany.
On a guided walking tour you can admire the cityscape of Trier, which is still characterized by the monumental buildings of the ancient world. Proof of the age of the city is also the oldest bishop's church in Germany, the Trier Cathedral, which you will visit next. In the cathedral, all eras of European art and building history are united, giving it a fascinating appearance that will certainly impress you. Afterwards you even have the possibility to participate in a holy mass in one of the beautiful churches of Trier.
Return with your coach in the afternoon to your hotel in the Rhine Region.
Overnight Koblenz/ Cochem Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Wednesday, October 7: Rhine river day cruise
Today a very special experience awaits you. Enjoy castles, vineyards and beautiful countryside during a boat trip on the river Rhine.
Your trip starts in the small wine town of Rüdesheim. The city has made itself an international reputation with its famous Drosselgasse, where more than 3 million visitors from all over the world crowd every year and enjoy good wine and cheerful music.
Along idyllic wine villages, old castles and palaces, the boat takes you to St. Goarshausen. The town, which also carries the pretty name Loreleystadt, is named after the nearby Loreley Rock, which rises imposingly at an altitude of around 193 metres.
Overnight Koblenz/ Cochem Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Thursday, October 8: Wurzburg & Rothenburg
This morning your journey continues to Rothenburg, with stop in the beautiful city Würzburg.
Once there, you will explore the city with a guide and get to know Würzburg with its many facets. Impressive buildings and sights, together with the magnificent residence and a medieval fortress, but also the youthful flair, coming from more than 25,000 students and pupils make the city so fascinating and convey a flair of cosiness and joie de vivre.
A visit to the famous Würzburg Residenz is definitely not to be missed when visiting the city. Strolling through the corridors of the once prince-bishop's palace and the court garden, you will be astonished by the extent of pomp and splendor. The massive building is considered a masterpiece of the baroque era. Nature, architecture, painting and stucco combine here to form an impressive unity.
After having explored Wurzburg properly, you will continue your journey to Rothenburg. Once you have settled down in the city, a guided Night watchman tour will take you on an authentic time travel back to the Middle Ages.
A marginal figure, in society at that time, the night watchman, had an important, but also dangerous task. He walked through the streets and alleys of the cities at night and ensured peace and order. Now accompany a Rothenburg night watchman on his walk through dark alleys and across sparsely lit squares and enjoy the unique atmosphere of the city at night. Historical facts as well as amusingly told anecdotes about life in the Middle Ages await you.
Day 6: Friday, October 9: Nuremberg
This morning you set off on your next adventure and leave for your next fantastic destination, Nuremberg. Surrounded by thick city walls and dominated by the historic buildings of the old town, Nuremberg makes a truly beautiful and interesting appearance.
The city was one of the largest and most important ones of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
A guide will take you through the city in detail and introduce you to the diversity of this historic yet modern metropolis.
Before returning back to Rothenburg, you have again the possibility to participate in a holy mass in one of the churches of Nuremberg.
Overnight: Rothenburg Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Saturday, October 10: Rothenberg city tour, Romantic Road and Munich
After breakfast you explore Rothenburg in the daytime. Poets and painters of the romantic period have made the beauties of the city and its surroundings known.
Famous for its medieval architecture, hardly any other town embodies history so impressively and vividly. As Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl, a well-known German novellist from the 18th century wrote in an essay: "A walk through the Tauber valley is a walk through German history".
During a guided tour of Rothenburg you will certainly notice the special medieval flair of the city. Let yourself be enchanted by the city which is enthroned on a hill and has so many pretty little alleys and beautiful half-timbered houses.
Enjoy Bavaria from its most beautiful side on your way to Munich, when travelling you’re your coach on the Romantic Road, Germany's most famous holiday street. As you drive past quaint villages, wonderfully preserved medieval towns and fascinating landscapes, you will soon understand why this road bears this lovely name.
After breakfast, enjoy a guided walking tour to the historic walled city of Rothenberg, then travel along the Romantic road toward Munich, Lunch enroute.
Overnight in Munich Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Sunday, October 11: Munich, Dachau
After indulging in a delicious breakfast your day begins by exploring Munich.
For many, Munich is among the most beautiful cities in Germany. No wonder! The city has so much to offer, from fascinating culture and architecture, to pretty parks, lakes and traditional, regional cuisine.
With a guide you will stroll through the center of Munich. The guide will show you what the city has to offer, such as Marienplatz, the world-famous vibrant center of the Bavarian capital, which is very busy at all times of the year.
In the afternoon you set off to witness a dark time of German history. The Dachau concentration camp was one of the first in Germany and is also one of the most famous. Although the Dachau concentration camp was not actually an extermination camp, more than 30,000 prisoners died there between 1933 and 1945. On a tour of the concentration camp, accompanied by a guide, you will learn about the history of the camp, the functions of the various buildings and places and the life and suffering of the prisoners there.
The history of this place, the misery and injustice that happened to the people there, will surely captivate, touch and above all shock you. After your visit to the concentration camp you can participate in a holy mass in the Catholic Church in Dachau.
Overnight in Munich Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Monday, October 12: Neushwanstein Castle
Continue your adventure by travelling onwards to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the community in southern Upper Bavaria surrounded by a unique alpine landscape. Look forward to a visit in the fairytale castle Neuschwanstein. The castle, built by King Ludwig II in 1869, is particularly captivating because of its romantic architecture in picturesque surroundings. It looks simply magically beautiful! Let yourself be enchanted by a guided tour through the magnificent castle.
In the afternoon you explore Garmisch-Partenkirchen on a guided walking tour. The place where the ski races take place every year is definitely also worth seeing in autumn. The place itself is totally charming with all the typical Bavarian houses. Here you can, after all the hustle and bustle in the castle Neuschwanstein, relax and enjoy the wonderful landscape.
Overnight in Munich Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10: Tuesday, October 13: Dresden
This morning, you continue your journey and you make your way with your coach to Dresden. The city, so beautifully situated on the Elbe River, has many impressive buildings, which are so close to each other in the old town that you can admire one every few meters.
During a guided walking city tour you will learn more about Dresden's history, culture, tradition and life.
Overnight in Dresden Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11: Wednesday, October 14: Dresden to Berlin
After breakfast the journey continues to Berlin.
Welcome to the vibrant, dynamic city of Berlin, a city famous for its diversity and exciting culture. An adventurous day awaits you, as there is a lot to experience in Berlin!
Start to discover and get to know Berlin on a guided city tour. The guide will show you the most important sight, such as the “Brandenburger Tor” or the Berlin wall. You will see what makes the metropolis so special and exciting and why it attracts a stream of visitors from all over the world every year.
Afterwards you will get to know the seat of the German parliament (called Bundestag), the Reichstag. Here you can learn about the history and function of this important building. Especially the spectacular dome and the visitor's terrace on the roof of the Reichstag building with its fabulous view over Berlin will surely delight you.
Overnight in Berlin. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12: Thursday, October 15: Berlin (Museum day)
This morning you visit one of the most outstanding museum complexes in Europe, the Museum Island Berlin. In the center of the city, the various museums house a unique collection of art and cultural history of Europe and the Mediterranean region.
You have a day ticket which allows you entrance to 5 museums, including e.g. the Pergamon museum and Neues Museum. Marvel at the sculptures, works of art and exhibits the museums have to offer.
A special highlight is waiting for you in the afternoon. Probably the most famous and distinctive landmark of Berlin: the television tower. Located at 203 m above the ground, offers a magnificent view over Berlin. In good weather you will even be able to see as far as the outskirts of the city. Enjoy this beautiful experience to the full on of your the last days of your journey.
Overnight in Berlin, Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Friday, October 16: Berlin (Free Day)
Enjoy a day at leisure in Berlin before you come together one more time for a delicious Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Berlin, Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14: Saturday, October 17: Fly Home Berlin to Detroit
After breakfast you check-out of your hotel and you start your journey homewards.
Included in this tour:
- Round trip Airfare: Detroit to Frankfurt, return Berlin to Detroit
- Accommodation for 12 nights, (3) Koblenz, (2) Rothenberg (3) Munich, (1) Dresden, (3) Berlin
- All transfers by a private deluxe air conditioned motor coach
- Entrance fees to all sites as indicated on the itinerary
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary, including Welcome dinner, Farewell dinner
- Gratitude’s for Local Tour Manager, Driver, Guide, restaurant staff
- English speaking Guides
- Private Mass/ Liturgy
- Personal listening devices
- All service charges and city taxes