11-Day Frankfurt to Rome Rail Tour (11R01)

By High-Speed train (ICE) you will be traveling from Frankfurt Int. Airport directly to Wurzburg, the gateway to the Romantic Road. Your hotel is located in walking distance from Wurzburg Central Station. Visit the Old Town in Wurzburg as well as the Residence admission included), where you can join a free English-speaking tour at 3 pm each day. From mid-March to October you may also want to visit Fortress Marienberg which is towering above the scenic Old Town of the “Historic Highlights of Germany” city of Wurzburg (closed on Mondays, admission included).

By regional rail, you will get from Wurzburg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The Bavarian medieval town is definitely a highlight along your tour. Your charming Hotel is located in the Old Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber (within the City Wall). Taking a walk thru this charming little town is truly a journey back in time. Rothenburg ob der Tauber was once a powerful free imperial town and its monuments, landmarks and buildings still bear witness to these days. Marvel at the half-timbered buildings and on top of the historic town walls which are withstanding time for hundreds of years. Visit the town’s most famous spot, the Ploenlein square, probably the most photographed place in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Also very interesting to see is the Spitalbastei Gate, created by Leonhard Weidmann, the Latin inscription on the gate reading: ” Peace to those who enter, health to those who leave”. The Gothic St. James Church is the town’s most prominent church, here you can take a minute and relax in quietness while you enjoy the beauty of the famous Altar of the Holy Blood and the Twelve Apostles Altar. Rothenburg ob der Tauber also offers museums which are cultural highlights, such as the Christmas Museum with an exhibition showing Christmas tradition in Germany, the Doll and Toy Museum where the history of playthings is shown, as well as the Crime Museum, where the visitor gets an insight into the law and especially its execution during the last 700 years. In the evening take an English-speaking tour with the Night-Watchman (included).

By rail, it takes less than 1,5 hours from Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Nuremberg. Your hotel is located in walking distance from Nuremberg Central Station (which is located just outside the Old City Wall surrounding Nuremberg Old Town and the Imperial Castle). Nuremberg’s history reaches back to the year 1050, its name “nourenberc” translates into “rocky hill”. Nuremberg’s famous landmark, the “Kaiserburg” (Imperial Castle), towers above the Old town, which is protected by the five kilometers long city wall, many towers and gates can still be visited. The medieval Castle is one of the most important imperial palaces dating from the middle ages from the 11th century (admission included).

When exploring the beauty of Nuremberg’s medieval Old Town you may want to start right at the Koenigstor (“Kingsgate”) which is the gate right across from Nuremberg Central Station. From where the timber framed buildings, the Gothic Church of St.Lawrence and the Church of St.Sebaldus can be easily reached by foot. Right next to the Koenigstor is the Handwerkerhof (craft center), here you will feel like you are back in the medieval times, there are craft workshops like they used to have a long time ago as well as a gingerbread bakery. Make sure to enjoy a Nuremberg Bratwurst along with a beer or a glass of “Frankenwein” (franconian wine).

In the Third Reich Adolf Hitlers´Nazi Party had chosen Nuremberg for their Nazi Rallies and if you are interested in that part of history you may want to visit the Documenation Center Nazi Rally Grounds which are located just south of the Old Town.

DAY 4 Munich

On board of the direct High-speed ICE-train  it takes a little more than an hour from Nuremberg to Munich. The price of your tour already includes a ticket for unlimited free use of public transportation within Munich (also to Munich Int. Airport) as well as admission to many sights in Munich (Munich Residence and Residence Museum, Treasury, Cuvilliés-Theatre, Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria,Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Marstallmuseum, Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain) and with your tour package you will also receive walking suggestions for a self-guided walking tour through Munich City Center. Along this walking tour you will visit the Marienplatz with the New Town Hall (with the “Glockenspiel”), the Konigsplatz (King´s Square), cultural center in the 19th century and later, during the “Third Reich”, site of Nazi Party mass rallies and location of the Nazi Party headquarters in Germany, the English Garden as well as the the State Opera House. You will be able to visit famous churches like Munich Frauenkirche, “Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady), with a height of 325 ft. a Munich landmark, St. Peters Church, built in the 14th century and the Asam Church, which was built as a private chapel and integrated into an apartment building. The tour will pass by the most famous Munich shopping streets (Kaufinger street and Neuhauser street) as well as by the “Viktualienmarkt”, a traditional farmers market (open every day except on Sundays). The tour will take you by the famous “Alois Dallmayr” luxury delicatessen and coffee store as well as to the Hofbrauhaus of course, probably the world’s most popular beer hall. This may be a great place to enjoy a hearty dinner and a fresh Mass of beer (one mug holds 33.8 US fl oz)! 

DAY 5 Escorted Coach tour to Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Palace

Your all-day, escorted coach tour will first take you to Oberammergau for a photo stop. The coach will then take you to Linderhof Palace, the “Royal Villa” of Ludwig II. Visit this beautiful furnished castle and the park. Admission to Linderhof Palace and Neuschwanstein Castle is included in the price of the tour. The picture of Neuschwanstein is probably present in everybody’s mind but certainly for those traveling along the Romantic Road. Be prepared that reality will surpass all pictures and imaginations. Neuschwanstein seems to be taken out of a fairy tale! Seeing the castle from the outside is unforgettable, a tour of the interior, which was originally built for  one famous inhabitant, will make the picture perfect! But make sure to take some time to explore the castle grounds. The view of Neuschwanstein from the bridge behind the Castle is like no other! PLEASE NOTE: if you have been on the escorted coach tour to the Royal Castles before it is also possible to change this to a different tour from Munich.

Speed rail will take you in a little less than two hours from Munich Central Station to Innsbruck in Austria – Capital of Tyrol. You will be able to enjoy a very scenic train ride since the train will take you right through the Alp Mountains – passing Rosenheim and Kufstein. Innsbruck is known as the “Capital of the Alps“. From Innsbruck Central Station it is just about a 10 minute walk to the Old Town where you find one of the highlights of Innsbruck: the “Goldenes Dachl“ (golden roof). Most of the sights are on the right bank of the River Inn, from which the town takes its name. Innsbruck’s boulevard and central pedestrian area is “Maria-Theresien-Strasse” which offers a nice street view with the mountains seen in the back. The oldest part of town, the Altstadt, is a small area between the river and the semi-circle of road known as the Graben (now a street, but once the route of the old moat that surrounded this part of town). Delivery vehicles are allowed down the cobbled streets at certain times of day, but otherwise pedestrians can wander around uninterrupted. A good orientation point is the Sprungstadion ski jump – built in 1964 for the winter Olympics – that sticks up rather incongruously on the southern side of town.

Day 7 Venice

Take the afternoon train from Innsbruck to Venice. Your hotel is in walking distance from the rail station. You have all afternoon and evening to see many of the highlights: the Rialto Bridge which is the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal in Venice, St. Mark´s Square the principal public square of Venice, the Doge´s Palace one of the main landmarks of Venice… and many more!

Day 8 Venice

One of the best ways to see the highly pedestrianized city of Venice is by foot, where most of the top attractions are easily within walking distance. On the two-hour English-speaking Venice walking tour, you’ll be escorted through the city’s most famous landmarks: St. Mark’s Square, Marco Polo’s House, the Cannareggio District and much more. Skip the line at St. Mark’s Basilica and uncover hidden Venice with your local, English-speaking tour guide. You’ll walk through history – from the city’s beginnings as a maritime power to the modern day sightseeing mecca Venice has become.

Day 9 Rome

Depending on your arrival time in Rome, you may have free time for sightseeing in Rome City Center, where your hotel is located. From there many of the major sights in the City are within walking distance. Visit the Spanish Steps at Piazza di Spagna, the Piazza Navona with its many baroque attractions by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, the Trevi Fountain and many more.

Day 10 Rome

Maybe you want to go on a free English-speaking walking tour today. The tour will give you an overall impression of the most significant sights of Ancient Rome.

After the tour, you may want to have lunch at the Piazza Navona, a beautiful piazza with three fountains. Here you will find many restaurants with outside tables – a very nice place for lunch. After lunch you may want to take a short walk towards the Tiber. On the other side, you find Saint Peter´s Square within the Vatican.

Day 11 Rome Int. Airport

By rail you will get to Rome Int. Airport, where your tour with us ends.