Cruising around Germany

Discover Germany aboard relaxing river cruises, in the vibrant capital Berlin, along the Blue Danube and in the Bavarian Alps. Steam trains and other forms of vintage transport will also complement the experience.

• Enjoy scenic sightseeing cruises on the Rivers Spree and Havel in Berlin and Brandenburg.
• Glide over the famed Blue Danube for delightful private charter cruises in the historic cities of Regensburg and Passau.
• Visit the Bavarian Alps and enjoy the tranquility of Lake Starnberg on private lunch cruise aboard a vintage motor yacht.
• See some of German’s best railway museums in Nürnberg and Nördlingen, including live steam and ample
  photo opportunities.
• Enjoy relaxation and refinement in such fascinating cities as Berlin and Nürnberg, with ample free time to explore at leisure.
  

Saturday 3rd August
London to Berlin by high-speed rail

Travel on Eurostar and ICE services via Brussels and Cologne to Berlin where you check in to a centrally located 4-star hotel. Meet your fellow travellers for a welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant. (D)

Sunday 4th August
Berlin Technical Museum, Time at leisure, Museum Island Sunset Cruise
After a leisurely breakfast, you collect your complimentary multi-day public transport rover ticket, which allows you full flexibility and individual travel in the city. You then visit the Technical Museum in western Berlin, which has one of the finest collections of old locomotives, aircraft, cars and stationary steam engines in Europe. The museum is built around an old freight yard and two former roundhouses. The guided excursion will allow you to get familiar with Berlin’s layout and public transport network. Following the visit, you will have free time to discover the city at your own pace. In the evening you rejoin the group for a sunset dinner cruise with complimentary drinks on the River Spree in the city centre, passing all the major landmarks and the famed museum island on a vintage ship. (B D)

Monday 5th August
Brandenburg River Cruise and sightseeing by vintage tram
Today you visit the historic city of Brandenburg for a sightseeing tour by heritage tram. Experience a delightful German city that is full of historic charm, but attractively ‘off the beaten path’. A lunch time cruise will be enjoyed on the River Havel. After the visit you return to Berlin, where you can enjoy time at leisure in the city. (B L)

Tuesday 6th August
Berlin at leisure
Germany’s fascinating capital city offers so many unique attractions and today you may immerse yourself in all that Berlin has to offer. Visit Checkpoint Charlie or the Brandenburg Gate, walk into the public courtyard of the rebuilt Royal Palace, walk along the grand avenue Unter den Linden or visit the sights of West Berlin around Bahnhof Zoo and Kurfürstendamm. The choice is yours and your Tour Manager will be happy to advise. Alternatively you can use your public transport rover to explore the expansive tramway network or overground S-Bahn ring line around the centre. (B)

Wednesday 7th August
Berlin to Nürnberg
The time has come to transfer from Berlin to Nürnberg, the enchanting Medieval city in northern Bavaria. You take a late morning ICE train from Berlin Hbf directly to Nürnberg Hbf, travelling over the newest high speed railway lines in Germany. You arrive in Nürnberg in the early afternoon and check into your centrally located hotel, near the station and principal attractions. You will have some time for an initial exploration of the historic old town before rejoining your fellow travellers for an evening dinner at the hotel. (B D)

Thursday 8th August
National Railway Museum and sightseeing of Nürnberg by vintage tramway
Germany’s national railway museum is located in Nürnberg, as the country’s first railway line opened in this city in 1835. You have complimentary admission to the museum in the morning where you can spend a fair amount of time exploring its contents. After some free time, you enjoy a late afternoon sightseeing tour of Nürnberg by vintage tramway, which will take you around the historic ramparts, turrets and famed hilltop castle. You will also have a chance to visit the tramway museum and its extensive collection of vintage vehicles. Dinner at the hotel (B D)

Friday 9th August
River Cruising on the Danube in Passau and Regensburg
A real tour highlight awaits today as you embark on refined river cruises on the Blue Danube on two of the nicest sections of the river at the historic Bavarian cities of Passau and Regensburg. In the morning you take an ICE train from Nürnberg to Passau where you enjoy a private charter lunch cruise amidst the spires and grand architecture of Passau, which is attractively situated at the confluence of the Danube and the River Inn. You’ll then continue by train to Regensburg and have an evening sunset cruise with dinner at the UNESCO World Heritage site Regensburg, famed for its old town and impressive cathedral. Both charter cruises feature elegantly appointed salon ships with spacious decks and excellent observation platforms.
Enjoy the very best of continental river cruising! After the Regensburg cruise you return to Nürnberg by train. (B L D)

Saturday 10th August
Steam at the Bavarian Railway Museum in Nördlingen
Today you visit the perfectly symmetrical and circular walled city of Nördlingen in western Bavaria. This is a picture-perfect town famed for its timber-framed buildings, but still a best-kept secret and not overrun by mass tourism. Nördlingen is also the site of a Bavarian Railway Museum, replete with one of the largest steam locomotive collections in Germany. You will see the fine holdings and even enjoy a steam train excursion. One of the museum’s archaic steam engines dating from the late 19th century will be in steam to haul the private charter train, inclusive of photo opportunities on the turntable and a run-past. Lunch will be taken in Nördlingen, before returning to Nürnberg in the late afternoon by train. (B L)

Sunday 11th August
Scenic cruise on the Starnbergersee in Alpine Bavaria
After breakfast you take an ICE service on the direct high speed line to Munich and then change onto the regional train to Starnberg. There another private charter cruise awaits you on the historic motor vessel “Bayern”.
On this elegantly appointed salon-ship you will enjoy a lunch cruise on this famous Alpine lake, enjoying the views of the nearby peaks and tranquil landscape. After the cruise you return to Nürnberg. (B L)

Monday 12th August
Nürnberg to London by rail
The time has come to say “Auf Wiedersehen” to Germany and Bavaria, as you travel by ICE and Eurostar services from Nürnberg to London via Cologne and Brussels. (B)