Day 1 (Fri.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Frankfurt, Germany. (Sat.) Time to rest or to explore the bustling metropolis on the River Main. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 3 Frankfurt-Remagen-Cologne. (Sun.) A special treat at the very start of your journey through Germany is a RHINE CRUISE along the most scenic section of the Rhine River. Next drive to the ruins of the bridge in Remagen where American troops breached Hitler’s West Wall. Spend the afternoon in Cologne and visit the awesome GOTHIC CATHEDRAL with its twin 515-foot towers, five naves, splendid stained-glass windows, and the shrine of the Three Holy Kings. (BB,D)

Day 4 Cologne-Bremen-Hamburg. (Mon.) Glimpses of the "forge of Germany," the heavily industrialized Ruhr area. Lunchtime arrival in fascinating Bremen. Admire the grand Market Square with its giant statue of Roland, the Gothic Town Hall, and other fine medieval buildings and learn about the popular Grimm Brothers’ tale of The Animal Musicians of Bremen. Next continue to Hamburg. (BB,D)

Day 5 Hamburg. (Tue.) A Local Guide explains the sights of Germany’s gateway to the oceans of the world: the beautiful Hanseatic City, romantic Alster Lake, ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH, and elegant Jungfernstieg. A scenic HARBOR CRUISE is the final touch to your morning sightseeing. Afternoon at leisure. Tonight why not join an optional excursion to the nightlife district of St. Pauli with its brightly illuminated Reeperbahn? (BB)

Day 6 Hamburg-Celle-Berlin. (Wed.) Leisurely drive through the prettiest part of the Lüneburg to Celle to admire its beautifully preserved, half-timbered houses. Stop at the former East-West border, before continuing to Berlin, the capital of reunified Germany. You may wish to join an excursion to explore Berlin's "hidden past." (BB,D)

Day 7 Berlin. (Thu.) Sightseeing with a Local Guide in the once-divided metropolis includes the elegant Ku-Damm, the restored Reichstag, Charlottenburg Palace, monumental Brandenburg Gate, and the 210-foot Victory Column in the vast Tiergarten Park. Visit the KAISER WILHELM MEMORIAL CHURCH with its bomb-damaged tower, drive along Unter den Linden Boulevard, pass the State Opera House, and, of course, stop for pictures at Checkpoint Charlie. The afternoon is free, and an optional excursion to historic Potsdam is available. Tonight is your chance to sample Berlin’s fine restaurants and night life! (BB)

Day 8 Berlin-Leipzig-Dresden. (Fri.) South through what used to be the "other" Germany to Leipzig, an important center since the Middle Ages. See the THOMASKIRCHE, where J.S. Bach worked, and the Market Square with its fine Renaissance buildings. Then spend the afternoon in Dresden, the former capital of Saxony on the Elbe River. Badly damaged by Allied bombing in February 1945, the city has since been restored to its baroque splendor. Your Local Guide explains Dresden’s associations with Friedrich Schiller and Richard Wagner and the magnificent architecture of the Semper Opera. Visit ZWINGER PALACE and the GREEN VAULT, August the Strong’s famous treasury. (BB,D)

Day 9 Dresden-Weimar-Erfurt. (Sat.) Morning drive to Weimar for a walking tour with a Local Guide. Hear about the giants of German literature, Schiller and Goethe and take pictures of their residences. Next is HERDER CHURCH with its wonderful painted sermons. The afternoon is dedicated to Erfurt, where the fine Gothic and Renaissance buildings bring back the days of the Dominican Master Eckhart and Martin Luther, who spent his student days here before embarking on his journey to Wittenberg. Marvel at the medieval Krämer Bridge, on which 33 dwellings are built. (BB,D)

Day 10 Erfurt-Würzburg. (Sun.) Today’s highlight is a guided visit to the Duke of Saxony’s legendary 900-year-old WARTBURG CASTLE, where Luther translated the New Testament. In the afternoon continue to stately Würzburg, beautifully situated on the vine-clad shores of the River Main. Enjoy a pleasant stroll through the lavish GARDENS of the Residenz. (BB,D)

Day 11 Würzburg-Rothenburg-Nuremberg-Munich. (Mon.) Morning dedicated to the northernmost and most scenic section of the Romantic Road. Spend enough time in spectacular Rothenburg to appreciate its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes, and 16th century houses. On to Nuremberg, the town of children’s toys and gingerbread. It is also the birthplace of painter Albrecht Dürer and poet and meistersinger Hans Sachs. Walk through the pedestrian area of the lively Old Town and visit ST. SEBALD CHURCH, lovingly reconstructed from the rubble of wartime destruction as a monument to peace. Overnight in Munich. (BB,D)

Day 12 Munich. (Tue.) Sightseeing with a Local Guide of Germany’s "secret capital" includes the Olympic Stadium, 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, Nymphenburg Palace, MARIENPLATZ with the Old and New Town Hall, and the Gothic Frauenkirche. Afternoon at leisure. Tonight why not sample hearty Bavarian fare in one of Munich’s typical restaurants and tackle a stein of beer at the Hofbräuhaus? (BB)

Day 13 Munich-Lindau-Black Forest (Wed.) A scenic day! After a morning break beneath King Ludwig’s Castle at Neuschwanstein you drive along the panoramic German Alpine Road to the sunny northern shore of Lake Constance, Europe’s largest freshwater reservoir. Have lunch in charming Lindau, then continue north and visit the BAROQUE CHURCH in Birnau. Next, stop at an original WOODCARVER on your way through the pine-clad hills to your hotel in the Black Forest. (BB,D)

Day 14 Black Forest-Heidelberg-Frankfurt. (Thu.) A leisurely departure for Heidelberg, Germany’s oldest university town of Student Prince fame. Time to stroll around in the Old Town, followed by the highlight of today: visit the red-walled CASTLE where the GREAT VAT, a 49,000-gallon 18th-century wine cask, attracts particular attention. Then back to Frankfurt for a farewell dinner with your companions of a fascinating vacation. (BB,D)

Day 15 (Fri.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)

FRANKFURT Holiday Inn Frankfurt Airport-North (F), COLOGNE Renaissance (SF), HAMBURG Mövenpick (SF), BERLIN Mövenpick (SF), DRESDEN Mercure Newa (F), ERFURT Radisson SAS (F), WÜRZBURG Dorint Novotel (F), MUNICH Holiday Inn City Centre (F), BLACK FOREST Schwarzwald (F) at Gengenbach