Cars, Breweries, and Beer Halls!
A Tour Across Germany
June 12-23, 2022
A Tour Across Germany
June 12-23, 2022
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Join us as we travel from Berlin to Munich to Stuttgart, where we'll explore Germany through two lenses: cars and beer! We'll go on factory and museum tours of world-famous German automakers, explore and drink in centuries-old Bavarian beer halls, and lots more!
Not sure cars and beer are your things? How about Cold War history, a fairytale castle, and a mind-blowingly cool technology museum? We've got those, too!
Not sure cars and beer are your things? How about Cold War history, a fairytale castle, and a mind-blowingly cool technology museum? We've got those, too!
Germany 2022 ItineraryClick below to see our plans for each day!
(subject to change or rearrangement based on site availability) Day 0: Depart from your home airport and fly to Germany
June 11: NEW: If you are part of a Leaping Hound group trip, Leaping Hound Travel will book your airfare for you with NO BOOKING FEE! Just fill out this form or email us. If you prefer to book your own airfare, that’s fine, of course -- in that case, we’ll see you when you arrive in Berlin! Day 1: Arrival in Berlin and Welcome Reception
June 12: Guests arrive in Berlin and check in at our centrally located, four-star hotel. Fight the jetlag -- resist the temptation to take a nap as soon as you’ve checked in! Instead, come to our casual welcome reception in the hotel, where we can begin getting to know one another. Will Liz have cute gift bags waiting for you? Ja wohl! Day 2: Getting to Know Berlin
June 13: Today we’ll explore some of the German capital’s most famous sites, including the iconic Brandenburg Gate, remnants of the Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie. Plus, we’ll let you know of a very important cultural figure to watch for as you are crossing the streets of Berlin! Later in the day, we’ll head to the center of Berlin’s Tiergarten (think of it as Berlin’s version of Central Park), with an optional climb to the top of the 19th-century Victory Column (the Siegessäule) for a bird’s-eye view of the city. The day will finish with a group dinner. Day 3: Trabant Tour and DDR Museum
June 14: Take a trip through the streets of eastern Berlin in a Trabant, the state-produced car of Communist East Germany during the Cold War; nostalgia surrounding the cars has become all the rage. Then, we’ll walk along the River Spree to the fascinating DDR Museum, which documents life and culture in East Germany. Powerful displays and interactive elements allow you to have experiences such as walking through a mock-up of a Communist-era East Berlin apartment and learning to dance the Lipsi, East Germany’s alternative to Western rock-and-roll dancing. Day 4: German Museum of Technology
June 15: Our tour of this massive museum, with holdings ranging from historic airplanes and computers to a historical brewing exhibit and a Nazi Enigma machine (and much else in between!), won’t be complete without a visit to the “Road Transport” exhibits, lined with historic automobiles … a car lover’s dream! After our museum tour, you’ll have free time on your final afternoon in Berlin. Maybe you’d like to tour the Charlottenburg Palace, shop at the KaDeWe (continental Europe’s largest department store), or visit Berlin’s “Museum Island”--whatever your preferences, we can help you plan it! Day 5: Munich!
June 16: We will travel by train across the country from Berlin to Munich, located in the southern German region of Bavaria. After checking in at our hotel, we will start getting oriented in our new city, visiting the historic Marienplatz before our group dinner at a Bavarian beer hall! Day 6: BMW
June 17: At BMW’s worldwide headquarters, we will take a tour of the BMW plant, learning (and seeing!) how the world-famous brand makes its vehicles. After a group lunch, we will proceed to a tour of BMW’s museum, with information on the company’s history and a chance to see some of its past (and future!) designs and cars. Day 7: Bavarian Brewery Tour
June 18: Bavaria (the region of Germany in which Munich is located) has been famous for centuries for producing world-class beer, and today we’ll enjoy a tour of an authentic Bavarian brewery … complete with tasting opportunities, of course! Day 8: Explore Munich
June 19: Today, Munich is yours to explore! Want to spend the day sampling the array of tasty offerings at the city’s massive (200,000 square feet!) Food Market? Maybe take a tour of the Residenz or Nymphenburg palaces? Or perhaps a more somber day of reflection and remembrance at bucolic Olympic Park (with its memorial for the victims of the 1972 terrorist attack at those Games) or Nazi concentration camp Dachau? Whatever your plans, we can help you make the needed arrangements and acquire necessary tickets -- just let us know what you’d like to do. In the evening, feel free to join us for a social hour on our final night in Munich at another of the city’s beer halls. Day 9: To Stuttgart!
June 20: We’ll check out of our Munich hotel today, and make our way by train to Stuttgart, where we’ll spend the final days of our trip. The city is sometimes referred to as the “cradle of the automobile,” and upon our arrival, we’ll kick off our time there with a tour of the Mercedes-Benz museum! Day 10: Mountaintops, Monarchs, and... George Washington?!
June 21: In addition to automobiles and alcohol, what else is needed to make our trip complete? A visit to a mountaintop castle, of course! We’ll travel outside Stuttgart to reach Hohenzollern Castle, built for what would later become the imperial family of Germany. As an added bonus, included in the castle’s collections is a letter from George Washington to a Hohenzollern official who served in the American Revolutionary War! Upon our return to Stuttgart in the afternoon, enjoy free time to explore the city’s sites on your own. Day 11: Porsche and Farewell Dinner
June 22: Its name virtually synonymous with luxury sports cars, Porsche was founded, and continues to have its headquarters, in Stuttgart. We’ll take a plant tour to see the company’s production practices in action, as well as a tour of its on-site museum illustrating the company’s history and displaying some of its historic cars. At the end of the day, for our final night together in Europe, enjoy one last beer on us at a farewell group dinner. Day 12: Heading Home (or Elsewhere!)
June 23: All good things must come to an end, and our group trip concludes today. Liz and Adam will be on hand to help you as you check out of our Stuttgart hotel and get ready for your flight or train to your next destination! |
Trip Price: $3685 Registration and Payment Info Below |
Germany 2022 Trip Package
Registration Deadline: March 1, 2022
(note that registration may close earlier if all spots on the trip fill prior to the deadline)
Total package: $3,685 USD
(note that registration may close earlier if all spots on the trip fill prior to the deadline)
Total package: $3,685 USD
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Includes:
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Not Included:
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Standard Payment Schedule:
$495 deposit due at time of registration to hold your spot
$1495 due by March 1, 2022
Remaining balance due by April 15, 2022
Questions about payment? Interested in setting up monthly payments?
$495 deposit due at time of registration to hold your spot
$1495 due by March 1, 2022
Remaining balance due by April 15, 2022
Questions about payment? Interested in setting up monthly payments?
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Vegan? Gluten free? Kosher? If you have any special dietary needs, just let us know--we will make sure the group meals accommodate your needs, and we'll be happy to help you research your options for your independent, individual meals, too.
Questions about accessibility? Though our group trips are designed for the moderately active, with a fair amount of walking, we are happy to work with you in advance and discuss the possibility of alternate arrangements if you need them. (And of course, we are also happy to work with you to create custom individual vacations for any level of mobility.) Need more time in Europe? Want to extend your stay? If you are interested in adding days to your trip on either end, we would be happy to arrange and book things for you, for no additional service fee. |
