Best of Germany - With Oberammergau, Classic Group

On arrival at Berlin's Brandenburg Airport, transfers depart at 10.30, 13:00 & 16:00. In the afternoon, perhaps visit the KaDeWe department store - the shopping centre of West Berlin which during 40 years of division, became the shop window of the West. At 18:30, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience with your Travel Director and travel companions at the Kreuzberger Himmel restaurant. Discover how this establishment helps support refugees as they integrate into German society over a Welcome Dinner with wine.

Join a Local Expert to see some of Berlin's many highlights. Travel along the Ku'Damm past the Memorial Church. Drive through the Tiergarten to see Norman Foster’s glass dome that crowns the reconstructed Reichstag building. Continue with a visit to the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of the reunification, and down along the Unter den Linden, past the Humboldt University and State Opera. Stop on Museum Island before enjoying a day at leisure in this once divided city. Perhaps take the opportunity to visit the glorious palace of the Prussian Kings at Potsdam?

In Dresden, join your Local Expert to see the splendours of the city. From the Frauenkirche, which has risen again from the destruction of World War II, walk past ‘The Procession of the Princes', a mosaic of colossal proportions on the Royal Palace facade. See the enormous cathedral, Semper Opera House and Baroque Zwinger Palace. Although the town was heavily bombed during World War II, it still remains a treasure trove of early German history and medieval architecture.

In the morning, depart Dresden and travel south to Nuremberg. Although the town was heavily bombed in World War II, it still remains a treasure trove of early German history and medieval architecture. With a local historian, tour the Old Town to see the charming blend of stone and timbered dwellings and the massive ramparts with its 46 towers. There is time to shop for delicious Lebkuchen (gingerbread) before continuing to fun-loving Munich. Enjoy a city orientation that will show you the university, Victory Arch and the Marienplatz, where crowds gather at the Town Hall to watch the antics of the Glockenspiel. Then onto Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps, home of the Passion Play since 1634.

After a morning at leisure in charming Oberammergau, take your premium reserved seats to witness the world famous Passion Play, re-enacting the last days of Christ on earth. After a break for dinner in a local restaurant, the captivating performance continues into the evening.

Take a delightful drive into the Black Forest as you make your way to Freiburg. This evening, savour a Farm-to-Table Highlight Dinner, sourced from fresh local ingredients.

The Black Forest is the land of cherry cake and cuckoo clocks, where traditional farmhouses dip their thatched roofs almost to the ground. Stop to meet the locals who still make cuckoo clocks by hand, a tradition passed down over 300 years. Venture to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the best-preserved town on the Romantic Road. Plunge back into the 16th century during your orientation as you walk through narrow cobbled streets lined with high-gabled houses to the market square, dominated by its Renaissance town hall. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure for further exploration on your own. For your Dine-Around Evening, choose from a hand-picked selection of restaurants within the walls of the Old Town.

Head through the valleys, where villages and isolated farms nestle beside fast-flowing streams, before travelling north to Heidelberg. Visit Heidelberg Palace, or Heidelberger Schloss in German, one of the world's most impressive palace ruins, synonymous with the Romantic Movement. Venture inside to see the Heidelberg Tun, a gigantic wine vat built into the building's cellar in 1591 and able to hold 130,000 litres. Hear its associated tales of the dwarf court jester, Perkeo. Spend time in the vast and insightful Apothecary Museum, before marvelling at the panoramic vistas of the city and Neckar Valley from the castle fortress. Your hotel is in the nearby town of Mainz, a bustling and important town since the time of the Romans, see half-timbered houses and medieval market squares that the city is known for.

Begin the day with a relaxing cruise past steep-sided vineyards, half-timbered taverns, hilltop castles and the infamous Lorelei Rock. Arrive at Boppard and continue to Koblenz where a gigantic equestrian statue of Wilhelm I guards the junction of the Rhine and Moselle. Have your camera ready as you return along the eastern bank. Enjoy the scenic views from the mighty Niederwald Monument. In the evening, round off your German experience with a farewell Celebration Dinner overlooking the River Rhine, complete with local wine. Prost!

Your journey comes to an end after breakfast, with departure transfers arriving at Frankfurt airport at 08:00 and 10:00.