Castles & Wine Small Group Tour. An 8-Day tour through the romantic wine regions in Germany 2018 Tour Dates: July; October

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1 Castles & Wine Small Group Tour An 8-Day tour through the romantic wine regions in Germany 2018 Tour Dates: July; October

2 Day 1 Welcome to Germany Sun, July 8th Sun, Oct 21st First wine tasting at monastery founded in 1136 Cruise on the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO site Our Castles & Wine Tour starts in Frankfurt where we pick you up from or meet you at the airport. We first go for lunch and wine tasting to the Eberbach Monastery, which had 740 acres of vineyards in the middle ages. Then we head to quaint Ruedesheim to catch the boat for our cruise up the scenic Rhine river. On this winding section of the river we will see 20 castles and castle ruins by the time we get to Boppard, our home for the next two nights. Day 2 Upper Middle Rhine Valley Mon, July 9th Mon, Oct 22nd The fantastic Marksburg castle Villages of the Rhine Welcome Dinner with Wine Pairing The Marksburg, the only castle on the Mittelrhein never to have been captured or destroyed, is our first stop. We have a guided tour of the inside of the castle. We then visit the Ehrenburg, a picture perfect castle seemingly tucked away in a lovely valley. After lunch we head back to the Rhine and the pretty town of Bacharach, where you can stroll or have coffee. The last castle of the day is the Rheinfels, where we tour the ruins and enjoy the views over the river. Welcome Dinner tonight with wine pairing. Included: Hotel, all entrance fees and wine tastings, Welcome Dinner, all transportation

3 Day 3 Moselle River Valley Tue, July 10th Tue, Oct 23rd Burg Eltz, anno 1157, still owned by the family that built it. Lovely Moselle river valley and town of Cochem Wine cellar visit with tasting We head to the Moselle river, maybe the most famous and likely the most scenic wine region in Germany. First stop is a guided inside tour of the stunning Eltz Castle, which has been in the same family for 33 generations. We then go down to the river for an extended visit to the city of Cochem. Here you can have lunch, shop, take pictures or visit the imposing Reichsburg castle. After Cochem we drive along the winding river to Traben-Trarbach, where we visit a medieval wine cellar for a fantastic tasting experience. Day 4 Moselle River Valley in Depth Wed, July 11th Wed, Oct 24th Bernkastel-Kues, a living postcard Extended visit to local wine estate Moselle wine dinner Time in the morning to enjoy our home on the Moselle, the photogenic town of Bernkastel- Kues. Shop, stroll, photograph the town; whatever suits your fancy. In the late morning we head to the vineyards of a local wine producer, where we learn a lot about viticulture and the special Moselle slate. Lunch at a local vintner's seasonal inn. In the late afternoon we have a special excursion to the castle ruins high above the river. There are spectacular views and a small inn with a wine garden up top. Wine Dinner in the evening. Included: Hotel, all entrance fees and wine tastings, Wine Dinner, all transportation

4 Day 5 Trier and the German Wine Road Thu, July 12th Thu, Oct 25th Trier, oldest city in Germany and a UNESCO site Villa Ludwigshöhe, retirement estate of Bavarian king Ludwig I St. Martin, on the German Wine Road We drive along the Moselle to Trier, the oldest city in Germany. We start with a guided tour, beginning with the iconic Porta Negra, an impressive Roman city gate. Trier has a wealth of Roman monuments and many architectural treasures from later ages, including St. Peter's Cathedral and the Gothic Church of Our Lady. After lunch we head to the German Wine Road, with its vine-covered hillsides, castle ruins, forests and wine estates. We visit the retirement villa of one of the Bavarian kings before arriving in St. Martin, our home for the next three nights. Day 6 Alsace Wine Region Fri, July 13th Fri, Oct 26th Spectacular Haut-Koenigsbourg castle Picture-perfect wine villages of the Alsace Bring your camera today as we visit one of the prettiest places on the planet, the picturesque villages along the Alsace Wine Route. Our first stop is the imposing Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, perched high above the vineyards. It was reconstructed by Kaiser Wilhelm in the early 1900's. We then casually visit several quaint wine villages, each one seemingly more charming than the previous one. We can have lunch in one, do a wine tasting in another, and shop in yet another village.

5 Day 7 Heidelberg and the German Wine Road Sat, July 14th Sat, Oct 27th Schwetzingen Palace, renaissance marvel Lovely Heidelberg and its impressive castle Farewell dinner with wine First up today is Schwetzingen Palace, which over the centuries went from a moated castle to a Baroque summer residence of the Prince Elector, Karl Theodore. We then head to wonderful Heidelberg for a short city tour and a trip up the funicular to Heidelberg Castle, maybe the most spectacular medieval castle in Germany. We have an inside tour and stroll the ruins. You will see a giant wine barrel, the largest in the world at the time it was built. And speaking of large barrels, on the way back home we'll stop in for a glass at the truly largest wooden barrel - the Duerckheimer Fass - a monument to viticulture. Farewell Dinner tonight. Included: Hotel, all entrance fees and wine tastings, Farewell Dinner, all transportation Day 8 Farewells Sun, July 15th Sun, Oct 28th Safe Transport to the Airport Sad farewells today as we bring you safely back to the Frankfurt airport. Unless, of course, you are joining us on our Rothenburg and Romantic Road Extension. Included: buffet breakfast, transfer to the airport