Overview
Itinerary
Welcome to Germany! Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free. This evening, meet your Tour Director and travel companions for the welcome dinner at the hotel. (D)
Today's highlight is an included Rhine cruise to enjoy scenic views of the Rhineland, including the famous Lorelei rock. Next is the city of Cologne, the city known for its joyous attitude, with free time to visit the city centre. Today's Distance: 193 mi/ 310 km (B)
Journey into Niedersachsen to visit Hamelin. Admire its town centre with the historical buildings and magically fancy gables echoing the "Pied Piper" legend. Continue to Hamburg. Today's Distance: 304 mi/ 490 km (B)
Start the day with an orientation drive in Hamburg, one of Germany's greatest maritime cities. Later, depart for Lubeck, formerly a free Hanseatic city and independent state. Lubeck, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered the cultural capital of northern Germany. Thomas Mann, Gunther Grass, and Willy Brandt-all Nobel laureates-were among the famous residents of this city. Later, arrive in Berlin and enjoy your first evening in the capital of Germany. (B) Today's Distance: 249 mi/ 400 km
No longer divided but every bit as fascinating, Berlin was once the city of contrasts with the wall separating two different worlds. Now, the city has developed into a harmonious blend of new and old, preserving its historical buildings and impressive boulevards as well as creating brand new buildings in contemporary architectural styles. See all of this on the included city sightseeing with a Local Guide. Consider an optional excursion this afternoon. (B)
Travel southwest to Dresden, the old capital of Saxony and at one time called the "Florence on the Elbe." On the included guided sightseeing tour, see the Zwinger Carillon Pavilion where the 40 bells of the Glockenspiel sound four times per hour, and much more. Then it's on to Leipzig, where composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Felix Mendelssohn lived the last years of their lives. It was Mendelssohn who founded the Leipziger Conservatory in 1843. (B/D) Today's Distance: 224 mi/ 360 km
Leave Leipzig to visit Weimar, home to many intellectuals of the past but mainly known for the name given to the historical period of the "Weimar Republic." This city is also famed as the home of the Bauhaus architectural movement in the 1920s. Next stop is Coburg. Visit the mighty Veste Coburg Castle, built in 1225. Continue to Nuremberg and admire its town centre, dominated by the imperial castle. (B) Today's Distance: 249 mi/ 400 km
As you leave Nuremberg, stop for a photo at the famous Zeppelinfield. On the way to Munich, visit the quaint Medieval village of Rothenburg on the Romantic Road. Marvel at its towered gates and battlements, squares of half-timbered houses and decorated fountains. Today's Distance: 217 mi/ 350 km (B)
With a Local Guide, take advantage of the included sightseeing tour of the city known as Germany's "Secret Capital." Time to admire the beautiful main square, Marienplatz, do some shopping, and sample Munich's famous beer!
Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Trip Inclusions
- 9 Breakfasts
- 2 Dinners
- Frankfurt Hotel Frankfurt Messe Affiliated by Meliá (First-Class)
- Rhineland Hotel Achat Monheim (First-Class)
- Hamburg NH Altona Hamburg (First-Class)
- Berlin B&B Berlin-Tiergarten (Superior Tourist-Class)
- Leipzig NH Leipzig Messe (First-Class)
- Nuremberg B&B Hotel Nürnberg-City (Superior Tourist-Class)
- Munich NH Muenchen Messe (First-Class)
- Airport transfers at your arrival and departure destination are not included in the price of the tour.
- Itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and specified internal flights. International flights not included.
- 2025 - Special Departures Oktoberfest departures:19 and 26 September
- 2025 - Christmas markets departures: 05 and 12 December – includes Cologne, Lübeck, Dresden, Nuremberg, Rothenburg, and Munich Christmas market visits.
Enjoy inside visits to Europe's the must-see sites with a great mix of included excursions, free time and affordable value. Read more
Cosmos build free time into every one of their holidays, so you can eat, shop, and explore the way you want. Read more
Cosmos' easy going, fun-filled and multilingual Tour Directors and Local Guides love exploring as much as you do. Read more
Trip Reviews (18) View All Most Recent 'Highlights of Germany' Reviews
The tour director, did a great job, especially in the way she had to handle a passenger with physical and medical conditions that developed within this and an immediately previous tour. The included tours with local guides were good, as were some of the optional tours, the highlight for us being the "River Danube Evening Dinner Cruise", not for the dinner but the stunning views of all the buildings illuminated along the river. As always, we feel the optional tours are a little expensive, but we have come to accept that.
Things that we felt were not good were that following a 10 hour coach journey from Prague to Budapest to go straight to a restaurant for dinner before checking into the hotel was not on. Also, in Salzburg it took at least 15 minutes to walk back to the coach, in pouring rain, from dinner at a city restaurant. Accepting that Cosmos are not responsible for the weather, the consideration of the restaurant's location should be taken into account when they know that majority of the passengers are elderly and find walking a long way difficult at the best of times. As usual, the booking process with Global Journeys was faultless, many thanks to Georgie for her professional work once again! (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)
The Hungarian tour director was amazing. She could speak a little bit of most languages in the countries we visited and was very knowledgeable about the places we went to. She also tried to give us free time where the schedule permitted. Most of the local guides were also very good. Overall I feel the tour was good value for money and provided what was advertised. I got a taste of the culture and history of some of Europe's Imperial Capitals in a short period of time. (Ed: Review based on slightly different itinerary. Trip name and itinerary updated this season)
Availability
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you enquire. Additional savings may apply. We guarantee the lowest price in Australia. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Cosmos. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from Cosmos. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
