Tour Overview
Welcome to Germany! Come and experience Northern Germany on this enticing 8-day program. We start in Leipzig: Leipzig is associated with composer Johann Sebastian Bach and the great German Romantic poets Goethe and Schiller- visit St. Nicholas’ Church and Schiller’s House as well as the impressive St. Nicolas’ Church- one of the symbols of German reunification. Then, stop in Meissen where you will visit Albrectsburg Castle where the story of Meissen Porcelain began. Next, explore Dresden, the “Florence of the North”, and finally explore the bustling capital of Berlin, with its newly created Potsdamer Platz, and visit Potsdam with its famous Cecilienhof Palace and Sanssouci Gardens.Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1: Leipzig, Germany Welcome to Leipzig! Today when you arrive at Leipzig Airport, you will be met by a local iExplore Representative in the arrivals hall and then be privately transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check in procedures. You will be confirmed for two nights at the Hotel Fuerstenhof in a Classic Double Room, including buffet breakfast. Please note that official check in time is 3:00pm. If your arrival is before this time we will request early check-in on your behalf however this cannot be guaranteed. Hotel Fuerstenhof: The city’s most luxurious hotel in inside the renowned Lohr-Haus, a revered former patricians palace restored to its former elegance. It is located only a five-minute walk from the main sites of the city center. The rooms are spacious and decorated with cherry wood designer furniture. The hotel has a sleek wine bar at the front and an elegant winter garden, complete with grand pianoHotel Fuerstenhof- Classic Room Day 2: Leipzig
This morning meet your local English-speaking guide and private vehicle for a half- day (4 hours) overview tour of the city. Leipzig is associated with composer Johann Sebastian Bach, who was the organist at St. Thomas’ Church, and also with the great German Romantic poets Goethe and Schiller, who both lived in this area. St. Thomas’ Church or Thomaskirche, which contains the tomb of composer Bach, was built in 1212. The church was extended and converted to Gothic style in 1496 and was the site of the baptisms of Richard Wagner, Karl Liebknecht and all of Bach’s offspring. Bach worked here as a cantor from 1723 until his death in 1750. Outside the church is the New Bach Memorial showing the composer standing against an organ, with his left-hand jacket pocket turned inside out- with 20 children and two marriages, the great composer claimed to always be broke. The St. Thomas Choir, once led by Bach, is still going strong and now includes 80 boys aged 8 to 18. Church services are held at 9:30am on Sunday. You will also have time to admire the impressive St. Nicholas’ Church, one of the symbols of German reunification. Begun in Romanesque style, it was enlarged and converted to late Gothic, with an amazing classical interior. More recently, the church was the chief meeting point for peaceful demonstrators from May 1989, shortly before East Germany imploded. A pamphlet tells the story of 600 party members who were sent to the church to break up the services, but ended up listening to the sermons and joining the protestors.
Breakfast
Hotel Kaiserin Fuerstenhof- Classic Room Day 3: Leipzig- Meissen- Dresden
Meet your English-speaking driver and depart for Dresden. Stop en route in Meissen where you will meet a local English-speaking local guide for a 3-hour sightseeing tour of the city. Meissen is a compact, perfectly preserved old town and the center of a rich wine- growing region, with red-tiled roofs reminiscent of coastal Croatia. Visit Albrechtsburg Castle; this medieval fortress crowns a ridge high above the Elbe River and contains the former ducal palace and Meissen Cathedral, a magnificent Gothic structure. Augustus the Strong of Saxony created Europe’s first porcelain factory here in 1710. You will also visit the Nikolai Church which has the largest figures ever made of Meissen porcelain. Continue your journey to your hotel in Dresden. You will be confirmed for two nights at the Hotel Taschenbergpalis Kempinski Dresden in a Standard Room, inclusive of buffet breakfast. A highlight of baroque architecture, the Hotel Taschenbergpalis Kempinski is one of the best- known luxury hotels in Germany, a place where timeless elegance and grand hospitality is combined with the highest comfort. The Standard Rooms are a size of 323 square feet and feature a mini-bar, safe and en suite bathrooms with granite design. Most of the rooms in this category are located on the 4th floor.
Breakfast
Hotel Taschenbergpalis Kempinski Dresden- Standard Room Day 4: Dresden
Enjoy a four-hour walking tour of Dresden the “Florence of the North” today with your local English- speaking guide. You will visit the historical city center with the Zwinger Palace. It’s lovely, fountain studded courtyard is framed by an open-air gallery and several charming portals. Conceived for royal tournaments and festivals, the exterior has some fine examples of baroque sculpture (which are endlessly photographed), and the courtyard is a popular summer venue. Atop the western pavilion stands a tense- looking Atlas with the world on his shoulders; opposite him is a cutesy carillon of 40 Meissen Porcelain bells, which chime on the hour. The Zwinger houses 6 museums, the most important of which is the Old Masters Gallery which features masterpieces including Raphael’s Sistine Madonna. You will also visit the Dresden Royal Palace with its New Green Vault, which houses one of Europe’s most sumptuous treasure chests. The treasures here include the world’s biggest green diamond- all 41 carats worth, tiny sculptures fashioned from odd shaped pearls, and a stunning group of 137 gem-studded figures entitled Court of Delhi. Your tour will end back at your hotel.
Breakfast
Hotel Taschenbergpalis Kempinski Dresden- Standard Room Day 5: Dresden- Berlin
Today you will be privately driven to Berlin. The rest of the day is at your leisure. You will be confirmed for three nights at the Kempinski Hotel Bristol in a Standard Room, including buffet breakfasts. Located close to the bustling Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard, this “grand dame” of Berlin is simply eye catching with its fusion of classic and modern in its semi-circular façade. In the interior green marble, towering flower arrangements, solid dark wood columns and red cloth sofas reflect the avant-garde flair of Berlin. Berlin, once languishing as a divided city, has become a synonym for urbanity in the 21st century, a magnet for creative types of all stripes and a hub of European youth culture. Since the demise of the wall, the German capital has been a city frantically on the move, imbued with an infectious dynamism that has drawn the worlds best and brightest, from artists to scientists to architects, not to mention the scores of visitors curious about what’s cooking in this laboratory of creativity.
Breakfast
Kempinski Hotel Bristol- Standard Room Day 6: Berlin
Today you will explore Berlin on a half-day sightseeing tour (4 hours) with your local English-speaking guide and private car. Begin your tour at the newly created Potsdamer Platz, dubbed “Europe’s largest construction site” during the mid 1990’s. A showcase of urban renewal and perhaps the most visible symbol of the “New Berlin”, Potsdamer Platz is a major tourist attraction. Visit the nearby Checkpoint Charlie, the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin. A reconstructed U.S. Army guardhouse now stands at the site (the original being in the Allied Museum), as does the famous sign “You are now leaving the American Sector”. The period is engagingly chronicled in the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, with strong emphasis on the history and horror of the Berlin Wall. Visit the Reichstag with its stunning dome. Housed in the former Outpost Cinema for U.S. troops, the Allied Museum is an engaging multimedia exhibit that documents the history and challenges faced by the western allies during the Cold War. The original guardhouse from Checkpoint Charlie is here, as is a piece of the wall and an East German guard tower. Inside, highlights include the documentation of the Berlin Airlift and the partly recreated Berlin Spy Tunnel, built by the CIA to tap into the central Soviet phone system. The decision to move the federal government from Bonn to Berlin in 1991 sparked a frenzied building boom that lasted throughout the 1990’s. The main anchor of Berlin’s new government quarter, though, actually has quite a bit of history already: the 1894 Reichstag, which has been the seat of the German Parliament since 1999. Its most striking contemporary feature is the glistening glass dome, designed by Sir Norman Foster. Finally today, visit the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, whose ruin stands as a dramatic reminder of World War II.
Breakfast
Kempinski Hotel Bristol- Standard Room Day 7: Berlin- Potsdam- Berlin
Depart Berlin after breakfast today with your private car and English-speaking guide to the city of Potsdam (8 hours). Your first stop will be Cecillenhof Palace. Built in the early part of the 20th century, the palace served as an important place in world history when Truman, Churchill and Stalin signed the Potsdam Agreement here in 1945. It is said that each party had a private entrance to the castle so that no one party would know the arrival time of the others. After lunch (not included), you will continue to the Sanssouci Gardens, the royal residence of Frederick the Great. Strolling through the gardens you come upon the Chinese Teahouse, housing a small but elaborate porcelain collection; a Dutch Mill; a Greek Temple and even Roman Ruins, erected on a hill opposite the dream palace of Sanssouci. The rococo-style Sanssouci is the best-known palace in the complex; it rests on a hilltop of vineyards and the inside has a display of original furnishings.
Breakfast
Kempinski Hotel Bristol- Standard Room Day 8: Depart Berlin
You will be privately driven to Berlin Airport today for your flight home.
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