Germany Uncovered: Oktoberfest, Breweries, and River Rhine

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will enjoy a half-day, guided tour of Munich, which will include transportation by coach and some walking. The tour will finish just before lunch, and the remainder of the day is free for them to continue exploring Munich as they wish. This city is home to some of Europe's very best museums, and guests may want to consider one or more of these. We recommend the Alte Pinakothek with its vast collection of paintings by the old masters, or the Deutsches Museum, the world's largest for science and technology with over 125,000 exhibits. Alternatively, car fans could also enjoy visiting Munich's impressive BMW World.

Accompanied by an expert guide, your group will discover Munich's rich history and traditions. Guests will visit some of the city's best attractions, including Peterskirche or St Peter's Church, which is the oldest church in Munich, and the Viktualienmarkt open-air food market that has operated since the early 1800s! The tour will take them to the medieval-era Isartor Gate and Munich's Marienplatz, which has served as the city's main square for almost 900 years and boasts the impressive New Town Hall. If time permits, guests will also have the chance to enjoy the iconic Glockenspiel's life-size figurines perform high atop the New Town Hall. The tour will end before lunchtime back at the hotel or in the city center. (Please note that guests must arrive at 11am to view the performance at Glockenspiel.)

After breakfast in the hotel, the world's largest beer festival awaits your group: Oktoberfest! Based on the hotel's location, your group might want to consider using public transportation to arrive and depart from their Oktoberfest tent, as getting around in Munich can be quite challenging during the festival. After lunch at the Oktoberfest tent, guests are free to check out some of the other tents or explore Munich as they wish.

What started in the early 1800s as a celebration of a royal wedding, has become an iconic festival with millions coming together every year to celebrate Bavarian culture through food, music and beer. Guests have day-time lunch reservations in one of the big tents at the Theresienwiese fairgrounds, where they can get into the spirit of things with fellow revelers! The lively festivities continue well into the evening, so guests can spend the remainder of the day as they wish, discovering the distinct ambience and entertainment at some of the other tents. Should they wish to escape the crowds, we recommend a visit to the Englischer Garten, Munich's vast public park, or one of the many excellent museums in Munich. (Please note that a visit to Alte Pinakothek, one of the most important art museums in Europe, will require a minimum of two hours for viewing the masterpieces.)

This hour-long guided tour is a fantastic way to discover the origins and brewing methods of the world-famous Pilsner beer. The city of Plzen/Pilsen is famed for its beer traditions, however, for centuries, its microbreweries had tried without success to create the perfect brew. In the late 1800s, they finally came together to collectively create a unique brewing method - the Pilsner method - which resulted in the world-famous Pilser beer of today. The brewery showcases this interesting history and the entire brewing process, and guests can also taste unfiltered Pilsner if they wish, to see the difference themselves! At the end of the hour, the tour concludes with a tasting of the iconic lager beer.

Bayreuth, on the Red Main river in Bavaria's Franconia region, offers a vast range of breweries and beers. At this town, 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, they will visit the Maisel Brewery and Cooperage Museum, the largest beer museum in the world. Guests will discover first-hand the traditional fine art of brewing in an interactive experience. They will also 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.

This morning, your group will enjoy a guided tour of Dusseldorf's Old Town with its old churches, quaint breweries, and historic pubs. With its beautiful architecture, numerous breweries, and lively pub culture, Dusseldorf's Old Town is ideal for delving further into Germany's food and beer traditions. After the tour, guests will have the remainder of the day to explore the city as they wish.

Accompanied by a local guide, your group will set out for an immersive tour of Dusseldorf's historic Old Town. This part of town is replete with winding, narrow alleyways, beautiful buildings and churches, and famous pubs. Guests will learn all about the city's rich history of brewing beer, with 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. Afterward, guests will be free to explore the city on their own.

On this tour, your group will discover the best loved sights in the art capital of Cologne. The tour begins at the stunning century Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with giant twin towers rising from its gothic facade. Guests will learn about the history of the cathedral, which took 600 years to build, and its architecture. After a break for lunch, the tour will continue into the afternoon with a visit to Museum Ludwig. This little gem is home to a marvelous collection of modern art, including works from Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and the largest Picasso collection in Europe. After having had their fill of modern art, guests will return to their hotel in the afternoon.

This morning, your group will arrive at Sankt Goarshausen on the eastern shore of the Rhine, and board their boat for a cruise down the river. 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 3 hrs down the Rhine to Rudesheim, one of the prettiest wine-making towns in all of Germany. As they cruise along, they will see dramatic landscapes dotted with medieval castles and charming wine towns. (Please note that most cruises don't operate in winter and the timetables can vary daily. Lunch can be organized before, during or after the cruise, based on the cruise time confirmed with your group.)

After checking out of the hotel this morning, your group will board the private coach and travel the short distance to Frankfurt Airport, for the return flight back home.