Your Holiday Itinerary - 2009

9-Day Break

• Day 1 – Local departure then onward to Belgium for an overnight stay.
• Day 2 – To Germany and Rüdesheim and then to our hotel in Assmannshausen for 2 nights. Rüdesheim (included). Enjoy the lively Drosselgasse, a narrow street with cosy cafés, shops and bars. Why not join our optional ‘exploring Rüdesheim’ excursion – which includes a winetasting, a ride on the Winzer Express road train, and a visit to Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett, with its collection of self-playing musical instruments. B,D
• Day 3 – The Rhine Valley (Rhine Valley (optional, included on SILVER SERVICE). Marvel at the superb medieval castles and vineyards; the world- famous Loreley Rock; Boppard with its splendid Rhine promenade and St. Goar, home to the world’s largest cuckoo clock shop. Rhine Cruise (optional). The perfect way to view the Rhine is from the water. Our optional cruise takes us through the Rhine Gorge, famous for its many ancient castles, picturesque villages and vine-clad slopes. B,D
• Day 4 – Via the Romantic Road to Austria for a 4-night stay. Romantic Road (included). Our scenic drive takes us to the charming medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, past Nördlingen and Donauworth to enter Austria and reach our base for four nights. B,D
• Day 5 – Neuschwanstein and the Wieskirche Neuschwanstein and the Wieskirche (included). We visit the village of Hohenschwangau and King Ludwig II’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Please note, at Neuschwanstein there is a degree of walking involved, as well as a number of steps to climb. We then pay a visit to the marvellous pilgrimage church of Wies, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its remarkable rococo architecture. Return to Reutte for some free time. B,D
• Day 6 – Innsbruck and Vipiteno. (Innsbruck and Vipiteno (optional). Into Italy, to the medieval border town of Vipiteno. In the afternoon, we visit Innsbruck with its fine regal buildings. B,D
• Day 7 – Linderhof Castle, Oberammergau, Ettal and Garmisch. (Linderhof Castle, Oberammergau, Ettal and Garmisch (included). A day of scenic delights as we drive through lovely scenery to see King Ludwig’s beautiful Linderhof Palace, before visiting Oberammergau, renowned for its Passion Play, which takes place again in 2010. In the afternoon we see the beautiful Benedictine monastery in the village of Ettal and the spa and winter- sports resort of Garmisch at the foot of the lofty Zugspitze mountain, the highest peak in Germany. B,D
• Day 8 – To Belgium for an overnight stay. B
• Day 9 – To Calais, then return home. B

Your Holiday Itinerary - 2008

9-Day Break

• Day 1 – Local departure then onwards to the Rhine Valley for a 3 night stay.
• Day 2 – To Germany and Rüdesheim, then to our hotel in Assmannshausen for 2 nights. Rüdesheim (included) Exploring Rüdesheim (optional) We visit the picturesque riverside ‘wine town’ of Rüdesheim, where we can enjoy the lively Drosselgasse, a narrow street with cosy cafés, shops and bars. Why not join our optional ‘exploring Rüdesheim’ excursion; we join the Winzer Express road train and travel through the streets and alleyways to the 16th century Bassenheimer Hof, where Adolf Störzel will welcome you for a wine-tasting of his excellent wines. Then we visit next door Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett, one of the largest collections of self-playing musical instruments in Europe, where we will see and hear fantastic examples from the tiniest music box to the giant Concert-Piano- Orchestrion. B,D
• Day 3 – Rhine Valley (optional, included on SILVER SERVICE) River Rhine Cruise (optional). Marvel at the superb medieval castles and vineyards; the world famous Loreley Rock; Boppard with its splendid Rhine promenade; and St Goar, home to the world’s largest cuckoo clock shop. The perfect way to view the Rhine is from the water. The optional cruise lasts for approximately 1 ¼ hours and takes us through the Rhine Gorge, famous for its many ancient castles, picturesque villages and vine clad slopes. B,D
• Day 4 – Romantic Road (included) The Romantic Road is probably the most beautiful of the many tourist routes in Germany. Our scenic drive takes us to the charming medieval town of Rothenburg–ob–der-Tauber, where time almost seems to have stood still since the Middle Ages. Onwards south past Nördlingen and Donauworth to enter Austria and reach our base for four nights. B,D
• Day 5 – Neuschwanstein and Linderhof (included) We cross into Germany to the village of Hohenschwangau to Ludwig II’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Built in the 19th century, this fairytale castle offers panoramic views of the surrounding area. Please note at Neuschwanstein there is a degree of walking involved, as well as a number of steps to climb. In the afternoon we drive along the Graswang valley to visit beautiful Linderhof, modelled on the Trianon at Versailles. B,D
• Day 6 – Innsbruck and Vipiteno (optional, included on SILVER SERVICE) Into Italy, as we visit the medieval border town of Vipiteno, where you can shop for bargains. In the afternoon we visit the ‘capital of the Tyrol’, Innsbruck, with its fine regal buildings. B,D
• Day 7 – Herrenchiemsee and Oberammergau (optional) Located on an island in Lake Chiemsee, Herrenchiemsee is the largest and most expensive castle built by Ludwig II. We drive to the lakeside town of Prien for some sightseeing time, then take a boat across to Herren Island, before our stroll through the woods to the castle. Then to the world famous Bavarian town of Oberammergau, renowned for its Passion Play. B,D
• Day 8 – To Belgium for an overnight stay. B
• Day 9 – To Calais, then return home. B

B=Breakfast D=Dinner