Arrive in Munich, Bavaria’s political and cultural capital. After exiting customs, meet your local assistant in the terminal’s arrivals hall. Your group will then travel by private coach to the hotel. (Even though your group will most likely arrive before the hotel’s check-in time, feel free to store your luggage with the reception staff). There will be free time until this evening to begin exploring Munich, a city famed for its beer culture. Consider checking out one of Munich’s 400 biergartens, or pay a visit to the Paulaner Brewery, which was established in the early 1600s by the Minim Friars; the brewery tour lasts approximately 90 minutes, features a film that explains how Paulaner beers are brewed, and finishes up with a traditional snack paired with one of their local brews.

Note: If you and your fellow group members arrive at the Munich Airport in the morning and decide to go ahead and immediately begin sightseeing before heading to the hotel, en-route from Munich’s Airport to the city center we recommend that your group stop and tour the Schloss Nymphenburg; this former summer residence of Munich’s ruling Wittelsbach family is one of the most beautiful palaces in all of Europe. Alternatively, en-route from the airport a tour could be made of the Dachau Concentration Camp and Memorial.

Tonight join your fellow group members for a welcome dinner of Bavarian specialties in the hotel’s restaurant.

Day 2:

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will enjoy a half-day, guided tour of Munich (combination coach & walking). You will see this city’s best attractions including Peterskirche (St Peter’s Church), which is the oldest church in Munich, as well as the open-air market, Viktualienmarkt, and the medieval Isartor Gate. You will also visit Munich’s Marienplatz, which has served as the city’s main square for almost 900 years. If your group arrives at 11:00 am, you’ll get to enjoy the iconic Glockenspiel’s life-size figurines perform high atop the New Town Hall (Rathaus). Your group’s tour will finish just before lunch, and the balance of the day is free for you to continue exploring Munich on your own. Keep in mind that Munich is home to some of Europe’s very best museums, so consider visiting the Alte Pinakothek or the Deutsches Museum this afternoon. Alternatively, car fans could visit Munich’s impressive BMW World.

Day 3:

After breakfast in the hotel, the world’s largest beer festival awaits your group. Your group has day-time lunch reservations in one of the big tents at the Theresienwiese fairgrounds, and based on your hotel’s exact location, your group might want to consider using public transportation as driving in Munich can be quite difficult during Oktoberfest. The lively festivities go late into the evening, so feel free to spend the remainder of the day as you wish, hopping around from tent to tent. Should you decide that you’d like to escape the crowds, head to the Englischer Garten, Munich’s vast public park, or visit one of the museums you weren’t able to make it to yesterday. (If you choose to visit Alte Pinakothek, one of the most important art museums in Europe, you’ll want to allow at least two hours to view its masterpieces or four hours if you are a serious art enthusiast).

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will travel northeast by private coach to the “birthplace of beer,” Plzen, Czech Republic. During the drive you can enjoy the countryside views and rest up from yesterday’s festivities. Founded in 1295, this largely industrial city is the administrative center of western Bohemia. After centuries of microbreweries trying to create the perfect beer, they decided to work together and collectively came up with a superior brew through what is known as the “Pilsner brewing method”. This afternoon your group will have a one-hour tour of the Pilsner Breweries, which produce two of the Czech Republic’s best exports: Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus. After the tour, which does include a tasting, your group can continue to the nearby Beer Museum to continue its education on Bohemian brews.

Tonight your group will feast on traditional Czech dishes in the hotel’s restaurant.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will travel west by private coach back into Germany. Your first stop will be in the lovely Bavarian town of Bayreuth, which is situated in the heart of the beer Franconia region. Few other towns offer such a wide range of breweries and beers. While here your group will take a walking tour to see the house where the great German composer Richard Wagner lived, the hexagonal castle tower, and much more. After some free time for lunch you will visit the Maisel Brewery and Cooperage Museum, the largest beer museum in the world. Discover first-hand the traditional fine art of brewing in an interactive experience. Visit the machine room, the brewing rooms and the museum’s collection of more than 3,300 beer glasses and jugs. The tour will finish in the old bottling plant with a complimentary glass of Maisel’s.

Afterwards your group will re-board its private coach and travel a short distance west to the city of Bamberg. Located on the River Regnitz and renowned for its rachbier (smoked beer), Bamberg is a true Bavarian gem. As one of the few cities that survived the bombings of World War II, Bamberg is rife with historical and cultural heritage, which led to its historic city center being named an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. After checking into the hotel, enjoy an evening at leisure to explore Bamberg’s wonderful taverns, breweries and pubs.

After an early breakfast in the hotel, this morning your group will leave the Franconia region and continue traveling west by private coach to the 2,000 year-old town of Koblenz. Situated on the banks of both the Rhine and the Mosel rivers, this charming town has an abundance of cultural monuments and historical buildings. Enjoy free time for lunch, where you can dine in a traditional weinstube (a wine tavern) or seek out a strausswirtschaft(a winery or wine grower’s cottage, where you can sample homemade wines). After lunch your group will have a bit of free time to explore Koblenz on its own before re-boarding the coach and traveling north to the hotel in Dusseldorf, your home for the next two nights.

Day 7:

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will enjoy a guided tour of Dusseldorf’s Old Town with its narrow lanes, old churches, quaint breweries and historic pubs. You will also learn all about the city’s rich history of brewing beer, with a particular emphasis on Altbier, a dark, semisweet lager that originated in Dusseldorf. As part of the guided tour, your group will also go inside the local Alt Breweries to learn about the brewing process and to sample the local brews. Spend the evening exploring Dusseldorf on your own.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will check out and travel south by private coach to splendidly historic Cologne, Germany’s fourth-largest city. Upon arrival to this fantastic art capital on the Rhine River, your group will drop its bags off at the hotel and begin an exciting sightseeing tour during which you’ll see impressive attractions including Cologne’s gothic Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After a break for lunch, the touring will continue into the afternoon with a visit to the topnotch Museum Ludwig, home to a marvelous collection of modern art, including works from Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and the largest Picasso collection in Europe. The tour will finish at the hotel in the afternoon. After check-in, the evening is free for you and your group members to explore Cologne. Be sure to try kolsch, a local brew favorite in Cologne.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will embark on a very memorable last day in Germany. Today’s cruise down the Rhine River will likely be the highlight of your trip. You’ll travel by private coach along the Rhine to the picturesque town of St. Goarshausen for embarkation. This amazing stretch of the Rhine is prime wine country, home to some of Germany’s best Riesling wines. Known as the Rhine Gorge, it was made an official UNESCO World Heritage Site for its remarkable natural beauty and cultural heritage. Your group will cruise for three hours down the Rhine to Rudesheim, one of the prettiest winemaking towns in all of Germany. During your leisurely sightseeing cruise, you will see dramatic landscapes dotted with medieval castles and charming wine towns.

(Note that most cruises don’t operate in winter. The timetables also vary daily. Depending on the cruise time specifically confirmed for your group, you may decide to eat an early lunch in St. Goarshausen before the cruise, to organize a group lunch on the boat itself, or to eat a late lunch after the cruise has finished in Rudesheim).

Day 10:

After breakfast and check-out, your group will board its private coach and drive a short distance to Frankfurt Airport for its return flight to the USA or Canada