Detailed Itinerary

		Holiday Markets on the Rhine & Mainz Rivers 2004 Detailed Day by Day Itinerary

Dec 9		DAY 1 DEPART HOME Enjoy an overnight flight from the U.S. to Frankfurt

Dec 10		DAY 2 ARRIVE FRANKFURT / TRANSFER TO KÖLN (COLOGNE ) / EMBARK DELUXE VANTAGE RIVER CRUISE SHIP Arrive in Frankfurt, transfer to Cologne, and then board your deluxe Vantage river cruise ship. Settle into your well-appointed outside cabin, then enjoy dinner and meet your fellow travellers. This is just one of the many fabulous included meals that you'll enjoy during your cruise.

Dec 11		DAY 3 KÖLN (COLOGNE ) Tour the Gothic Cathedral, visit Christmas markets, Captain's Welcome dinner and more

Dec 12		DAY 4 RÜDESHEIM Scenic sailing, visit to the Musikkabinett, special dinner

Dec 13		DAY 5 MAINZ (HEIDELBERG) / FRANKFURT Full-day excursion to Heidelberg

Dec 14		DAY 6 WERTHEIM Walking tour of Wertheim

Dec 15		DAY 7 WÜRZBURG (ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER) Full-day excursion to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Romantic Tauber Valley, including lunch at a local restaurant!

Dec 16		DAY 8 WÜRZBURG Würzburg, "The Pearl of the Romantic Road" — Bavaria's celebrated region of beam-and-stucco and turreted castles.

Dec 17		DAY 9 BAMBERG Spend the morning cruising leisurely to enchanting Bamberg. On your included city tour, you'll see why the entire town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Here an ornate town hall straddles the river, an awe-inspiring cathedral points toward the heavens, and the city brims with Renaissance palaces and stunning Baroque houses. Once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, Bamberg today has a down-to-earth side, with more breweries within the city limits than any other city in Germany, even Munich. Your city tour includes the Old Town Hall, the Imperial Cathedral, and St. Michael's Abbey.

Dec 18		DAY 10 NUREMBERG As you cruise this morning, join in a discussion of Nuremberg's role during and after World War II. Nuremberg was considered the ideological center of the Third Reich, and it was here that many of its officers were brought to justice. Your city tour includes the storybook 900-year-old ramparts that surround the city; the history-rich Old Town; the Imperial Castle; Hitler's parade grounds and amphitheater; and the Justice Palace where the War Crimes Tribunal sat in 1946. (A tour of the Justice Palace interior will be included if possible; however, access is not guaranteed.) Enjoy a hearty German lunch at a local restaurant, then have free time to explore on your own.

Dec 19		DAY 11 DISEMBARK SHIP / TRANSFER TO MUNICH FOR THE 3 NIGHT MUNICH EXTENSION Disembark / Bus to Munich for the 3 night Optional Munich Extension . Afternoon and evening at leisure. We went to the Deutsche Technical Museum

Dec 20		DAY 12 MUNCHEN (MUNICH) Morning panoramic city tour of Munich. In the afternoon we went by train on our own to Garmish-Partenkirschen for a storybook-like visit at the base of the Alps. Evening farewell dinner and folklore show at the Hofbrauhaus.

Dec 21		DAY 13 MÜNCHEN (MUNICH) We took an optional all-day motorcoach tour back to the Alps to visit Linderhof, the summer palace of Ludwig II, and also Oberamergau, home of the Passion Play.

Dec 22		DAY 14 MÜNCHEN (MUNICH) Transfer to airport / Return to U.S.