Classic Germany

This afternoon half-day tailor-made panoramic city tour of Berlin will be in private car with an English speaking guide. Your tour will lead you through former East and West Berlin, you will understand the city's history, how life was during the Wall's existence, and its developments since the Wall's Fall. You will pass by the most important sights of Berlin, some of the buildings being architectural gems, the Reichstag, Brandenburger Tor, Potsdamer Platz, Hakesche Höfe, Museum Island, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Berlin Dom, Gendarmenmarkt, Checkpoint Charlie and many more. You will do a few photo stops en route, amongst others at the East Side Gallery, a former section of the Berlin Wall, where artists after its fall have turned it into the largest open-air gallery in the world with over one hundred paintings.

During this tour, you will visit the Berlin Wall Memorial, situated at the historic site on Bernauer Strasse. You will also have a stop at the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 km section of the old Berlin Wall. Furthermore, you can visit the North Bahnhof, also called the Ghost station, and make a stop at Checkpoint Charlie, the best-known border crossing and famous film setting for spy movies.

You will meet with a professional journalist who will personally guide you through 'her Berlin', discovering the places that inspire her. Along the way, you will witness crazy buildings and unusual views of this city, and most importantly, exchange with a true Berliner, who will take the time to show you some hidden spots in her neighbourhood and share some very special stories.

Enjoy a walking tour through the town of Potsdam. Its Dutch quarter is the largest preserved settlement in the Dutch style outside of the Netherlands, and was built by Dutch craftsmen at the behest of King Frederick William I. Potsdam, one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, surrounds the Brandenburger Strasse pedestrian zone, with its numerous shops and stylish passages that are fashioned from old courtyards.

You will stop at Cecilienhof Palace, where in summer 1945 world history was made. After the end of hostilities in Europe, representatives of the three main allies of World War II met here for top-level discussions on the restructuring of Europe and the future of Germany. Conference participants were the heads of state of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain – Harry S. Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill (who was replaced by his successor Clement Attlee). The results of the conference officially known as the Three Powers Conference of Berlin were recorded in the Potsdam Agreement and the Potsdam Declaration. The resolutions of the Potsdam Protocol are presented exactly where they were agreed in: in the conference room with its famous round table, the central feature of the Cecilienhof historical site.

Today's highlight will be your visit to the Rococo-style Hohenzollern Sanssouci Palace, located in the Sanssouci Park. Numerous works of art disappeared from the palaces of Potsdam during the Second World War. At least Frederick the Great’s book collection, along with 36 oil paintings, returned to Palace Sanssouci after Germany’s reunification. Almost every monarch left his mark on the park in one way or another. Friedrich the Great built Sanssouci (literally ’without a care’) as a summer retreat – and the palace and spreading park are still magical places today. Friedrich the Great was renowned for his modesty, epitomised in his saying “A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in”. Without a show of pomp and circumstance, but with considerable personal discipline, he guided the fate of Prussia in the 18th century. His beloved summer palace was his ideal of everyone’s wish of living without a care – Sans Souci. The palace is elegant rather than opulent – after all, it was intended as a retreat to enjoy the country air. In contrast to the baroque splendor of the stately Neues Palais (New Palace) at the other end of the park, Sanssouci is informed by the lighter spirit of the rococo. And with this little palace only comprising twelve rooms, it was clearly designed for intimacy rather than show.

Nicknamed the "Florence on the Elbe", and recognised as the capital of Saxony, Dresden will carry you away with a synthesis of the arts,as you discover everything from fascinating buildings and art treasures, to impressive museums, as well as orchestras and choirs of worldwide reputation. Your tour will visit all the major highlights in the historic city centre of Dresden, such as the Theatre Square, The Zwinger, The Royal Palace, The Church of our Lady, The Royal Cathedral, The Royal Mews and The Procession of Princes.

As you explore Dresden, you will hear about the rise of the city into a major cultural centre, before it met its tragic fate during WWII. You will learn about its devastation but also marvel at the results of the loving resurrection that allows visitors today to see the reconstructed historical buildings. Your guide will be happy to provide you with information about further attractions, such as the museums and all other aspects you would like to know about Dresden.

Enjoy your breakfast of a typical sausage 'weißwurst' at the Victualien market and stroll around all the stands with vegetables, cheese and flowers - a real 'Munich' experience. At exactly midday, you can witness the famous carillon. Halfway up the 85m tower of the New Townhall is one of Munich biggest tourist draws, a two-tier glockenspiel (carillon) with 43 bells and 32 mechanical figures. The figures rotate around accompanied by the music of the bells. It lasts for 15 minutes.

The next exciting stop is the castle Nymphenburg. With its unique combination of architecture and garden design, Nymphenburg is one of the best examples in Europe of a synthesis of the arts. Following the birth of the heir to the throne, Max Emanuel, Elector Ferdinand Maria and his consort commissioned the architect Agostino Barelli to build Nymphenburg Palace, which was begun in 1664.

The tour comes to a relaxed finish at the Botanical Garden. Covering an area of 21.20 hectares (52.4 acres), the Munich Botanical Garden in the suburb of Nymphenburg is one of the most important botanical gardens in the world and is visited by over 350,000 visitors a year. It is home to approximately 19,600 species and subspecies.

Today you will take a privately guided art tour through one of Munich's museums. One example of a museum you might visit is Lenbachhouse. Since the 1970s the museum has been presenting the important trends and artists of the international contemporary art world and collecting contemporary art. Starting with the acquisition in 1980 of Joseph Beuys's 'Zeige deine Wunde' (Show Your Wound) (1974–1975), the museum shifted its focus towards collecting representative works and groups of works.

Another possible museum is Alte Pinakothek which focuses on the development of art from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance and the Baroque up to the end of the Rococo period. The collection comprises more than 700 artworks from the glittering epochs of German, Flemish, Netherlandish, French, Italian and Spanish painting.

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds. The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then more than 60 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and later, similar structures.

In 1873 King Ludwig II of Bavaria acquired the Herreninsel as the location for his Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee (New Palace). Modelled on Versailles, this palace was built as a "Temple of Fame" for King Louis XIV of France, whom the Bavarian monarch fervently admired. The actual building of this "Bavarian Versailles", which was begun in 1878 from plans by Georg Dollmann, was preceded by a total of 13 planning stages. When Ludwig II died in 1886 the palace was still incomplete, and sections of it were later demolished. The highlights of the large state rooms are the State Staircase, the State Bedroom and the Great Hall of Mirrors. The king's own rooms were in the intimate Small Apartment, designed in the French rococo style.

In 1876 Court Garden Director Carl von Effner completed the plans for a large garden resembling that of Versailles. When the king died, only the sections along the main axis with their famous fountains and waterworks had been completed. Augustinian Monastery (Old Palace) The present monastery building on Herrenchiemsee was constructed in the baroque era. The four wings enclose a large, almost rectangular courtyard with an idyllic rose garden. Herrenchiemsee Palace Park Top priority was given to copying the palace and gardens of Versailles as an epitome of monarchic splendour, in the construction of the dreamworlds of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Making plans for this project commenced in 1868.

Ludwig II purchased the Chiemsee island of Herrenwörth in 1873 as a construction site, after the originally selected location in the Graswang Valley near Ettal turned out to be too small. Instead of a copy of Versailles, Schloss Linderhof developed therefrom an additional building. It was not the intention of Ludwig II, to copy Versailles in detail. The central rooms in the middle section of the palace – of special significance here the imposing show bedroom and the hall of mirrors – sufficed for his slipping into the role of Roi du Soleil.

Head up on this popular tour out of Aschau im Chiemgau with beautiful views and multiple restaurants to reward your efforts. This area has a number of popular climbing locations in addition to an area frequently used for paragliding. The starting point is always in Aschau. The trail gently rises switching between gravel paths and mountain trails. Between the difficulty levels three to nine, there is something suitable for every hiker/climber. And the good thing is, for those who are not that fit: with the cable car you can comfortably reach the mountain station in 14 minutes.

Today you will discover the beauty of a landscape formed several million years ago through meltwater and debris which hollowed out the rock leaving a narrow gorge – the Partnach Gorge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The gorge has been declared a natural landmark, but it hasn’t always been as tame and approachable as it is today. Once upon a time, visitors trying to walk through the gorge risked their lives, whilst nowadays there are two safe trails to choose from, which you will experience.

Let the wild waterfalls, rapids and tranquil water basins enchant you as you traverse through this magical scene. You'll start your walk from the Olympic Ski Stadium to the entrance of the Partnach Gorge, which will take around 20 minutes, before heading all the way up the amazing gorge during a walk of around 30 minutes.

During this experience, you'll be taken to a beautiful alpine chalet where you'll begin by enjoying a typical "Kaiserschmarrn", a traditional dish which consists of cut-up and sugared pancake with raisins, or a schnitzel for
the meat lovers. Next you'll create your own Alps cocktail, before enjoying the music of two musicians, exclusively booked for you. In addition to their traditional Bavarian music, you'll also be taught how to dance the "Schuhplattler" - a typical Bavarian dance.