BEST OF CENTRAL EUROPE

14 DAYS

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HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR TOUR
• Fully Escorted in Europe by an experienced Tour Manager
• Roundtrip airfare from New York's JFK airport
• Mix of 4 and 3 Star hotels
• Full buffet breakfast and dinner daily
• Travel kit
• Deluxe Air-conditioned Motorcoaches
• Tickets for the Passion Play and accommodations in the village
• Special Passion Play Book to follow along each act.

This tour is offered only as a suggestion.
You may customize this itinerary and any other aspect of this tour.


DAY 1 – NEW YORK • ZURICH
Begin your Passion Play journey by departing for Zurich. Meals and overnight on board.

DAY 2 – ZURICH • LUCERNE
We arrive at the Zurich airport where our tour guide will meet us after customs and take us on a brief orientation tour of Zurich to view some Zwingli sites, and busy Bahnhofstrasse, before driving to the lovely lake shore city of Lucerne. The afternoon is at leisure. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 3 – LUCERNE
After breakfast enjoy a guided tour on foot to the Old Town with its pretty open air market, the unusual covered wooden bridges, Kapell and Spreuer and the Lion Monument. We have the afternoon free for shopping and individual sight-seeing or an optional excursion to Mt. Pilatus or Rigi Kulm for the hikers or a boat trip on the lake for the romantics. Dinner at the hotel.

DAY 4 – LUCERNE • INNSBRUCK
This morning we head for Austria and en route we will enter the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein, have a lunch stop in Vaduz and continue through the Voral mountains and the Arlberg pass to Innsbruck. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 5 – INNSBRUCK
This morning we take a guided morning city tour by bus and by foot showing us the main sights such as Maria Theresien Strasse, the Belfry, and the charming Little Golden Roof. Afternoon is at leisure or optional excursion to the Swarousky Crystal Factory in Wattens, or a cable car experience to Hafelekar Mountain. Dinner at the hotel. After dinner, you may wish to partake in some Tyrolean folklore entertainment.

DAY 6 – BAVARIAN CASTLES • OBERAMMERGAU
Today we head into Germany via the quaint Alp and Olympic Games resort of Garmish Parten Kirchen up to the Fussen area where we will visit King Ludwig II’s two magnificent but different castles: Newschwantsein Castle (Disney’s fairy tale inspiration), and Linderhof Castle with its cascades and gardens. Continue on to Oberammergau, site of the Passion Play for dinner and overnight at the hotel.



DAY 7 – OBERAMMERGAU • MUNICH
Full day in Oberammergau for the Passion Play. A village in the Bavarian Alps, famous for its woodcarving industry. In the year 1633, the town was stricken by the plague. In desperation the people of the village took an oath that they would stage a performance of the Passion of Jesus every 10 years if the plague would vanish and save their town. The town was saved and the first performance took place in 1634. From 1690 on, the play has been performed regularly every 10 years. The play takes almost eight hours to perform and the 124 speaking parts are performed by inhabitants of the village. The audience is seated in a roofed auditorium while the stage is open-air. Lunch and dinner are included. Following the Passion Play we will transfer to our Munich hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 8 – AUGSBURG• DACHAU • MUNICH
Heading north this morning we stop and have a look at the Wies Church, Domenikus Zimmerman’s amazing masterpiece of Bavarian roccoco, and proceed to the Roman city of Augsburg with its gothic impressive cathedral. We visit the former concentration camp of Dachau before returning to Munich. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 9 – MUNICH
This morning a guided panoramic city tour by bus takes us to Marienplatz, the lovely Church of our Lady, the Palace, the City Hall with its famous Glockenspeil Clock, and the Olympic Village. The afternoon is at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 10 – MUNICH • HEIDELBERG
After breakfast we take a drive along the Romantic Road via cute Nordlingen and Dinkelsbuhl and make a lunch stop in its “pearl”Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Heidelberg greets us with open arms and a guided city tour upon arrival, including a visit to the Heidelberg Castle. Dinner at the hotel

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DAY 11 – RHINE CRUISE • ERFURT
This morning we depart for Rudesheim where we board a Rhine cruiser and enjoy a leisurely cruise to St. Goarshausen, passing the legendary Rock of the Lorelei. We proceed into former East Germany for our dinner and overnight in the town of Erfurt. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 12 – ERFURT • LEIPZIG • BERLIN
Start with a guided city tour of Erfurt including the Augustinian Church and Monastery where Martin Luther lived as a monk from 1505-07, the Franciscan Church where Luther preached in 1529 and the St. Mary’s Cathedral where he was ordained as a priest. We continue to Leipzig to see the famous St. Thomas Church, where Luther introduced the Reformation, and where J.S. Bach was cantor 1723-1750, St. Nicholas church and the Town Hall. Dinner and overnight in Berlin.

DAY 13 – BERLIN
Welcome to controversial Berlin! This morning we take a panoramic city tour visiting Brandenburger Gate, Charlotenburg Palace, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Kurfurstendamm and the Reichstag Building, Uniter den Linden, and Alexanderplatz with its impressive T.V. tower. Afternoon is free for optional excursion to Potsdam to visit the Sanssouci and Cecilienhof Palaces. This evening attend a Farewell dinner at the hotel.

DAY 14 – BERLIN • NEW YORK
Transfer to the airport and board our hometown flight and arrive home the same day.

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