Day 1
Overnight flight to Dresden via Frankfurt, arriving the next day (flights operated by Lufthansa German Airline)

Day 2
The former "Florence on the Elbe", Dresden has emerged from its dreary recent past and is now evolving into a great city once again.

Restoration has achieved a satisfying blend of the old and new - Baroque, neoclassical, and modern buildings coexist harmoniously.
The Zwinger Palace astonishes; the opera house, Royal Palace, and the Moritzburg Landhaus are as impressive as ever.

Galleries and museums house art treasures of international repute. The river along the Elbe waterfront is almost Venetian in its splendor.
After arrival at the Hotel de Saxe for 2 nights, take a get-acquainted city tour. Afternoon at leisure. We recommend dinner at the Ratskeller.

Day 3
Visit the newly restored glorious baroque Frauenkirche and the Zwinger complex: a large quadrangle of pavilions and galleries, a series of beautiful Baroque buildings  We recommended  the galleries of old and new masters.

(The Dresden Stadtmuseum houses a rich display of the city's history. Visitors are fascinated by the powerful photograph collection
of Dresden following the Allied bombings in February, 1945, which details the effective destruction of this great city).

If time permits, take a short trip on one of the big paddle steamers that ply the River Elbe (about 2 hours).

Dinner: for a truly memorable meal, take the funicular railway up to the Luizenhof,  locally called "the balcony of Dresden", high above the city, where one views the re-emerging baroque skyline of the historic, carefully restored buildings and bridges.

Day 4
Motorcoach to Berlin and the welcome by your tour guide of the newly reunited German capital.

Day, evening at leisure. Berlin is a great metropolis blessed with lakes, woodlands, and parks covering a third of the city's area.

You can dine to midnight chimes, breakfast outdoors to a jazz band beat, or join the strolling crowd along the Kurfurstendamm.

Evening at leisure - perhaps the fabulous show at the Friedrichsstadt Palast or a little "Nachtmusik" at the Europa Center.

Day 5
Optional motorcoach trip to nearby Potsdam and Frederick the Great's Sansoucci Palace, a castle residence, where the language spoken was French.

Discover the boroughs of Berlin - Charlottenburg, Tiergarten, Spandau, and Kranzberg among others.

Must visits: the Ka-de-We department store, the Brandenburg Gate, Unter den Linden, site of Checkpoint Charlie, and the Charlottenburg Palace.  For Dinner, consider the Alt-Berliner Schneckenhaus near the K-Damm (old Prussian style dining).

Day 6
Motorcoach to Schwerin, the magical town of the Lake District with its fairy tale Palace on the lake in the town center.

Mecklenburg's oldest city, Schwerin, has one of the finest examples of German brick Gothic architecture - the massive cathedral.

Lunch at the Alt Schweriner Schankstuben. Tour the town, revel in the romantic ambience.

Overnight stay at the sparkling Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza.

Day 7
Motorcoach to Lubeck, the famous and wealthy Hanseatic city on the Baltic formerly known as the "Queen of the Hanseatic Cities".  Today it is a town of high gabled houses, massive gates, strong towers and a rich history. Our tour guide takes us through the old town.

Lunch: Haus der Schiffergesellschaft (with ship models hanging from the ceilings and decorating the walls).

Did you know that Lubeck is the capital of Marzipan?  Later we journey on to Hamburg, the second largest city of Germany, today a metropolis of modern architecture, historic structures, beautiful parks and lakes.
We tour the city and learn of the bountiful plenty that is Hamburg today. Time is alotted for the Jungfernstieg, one of Europe's best-known streets and Hamburg's most vital artery and shopping district.

Dinner: the Alsterpavilion beckons as it is right on the Binnenalster. Entertainment: a night at the theatre or other attractions in St. Pauli,
perhaps a performance at the renowned Hamburg State Opera. Hotel: Steigenberger.


Day 8
Conclude your Baltic journey by exploring the exciting city of Hamburg.
Visit the Hamburger Kunsthalle, then enjoy an afternoon at the Tierpark.
Enjoy your lunch at one of the lakeside pavilion restaurants.

Entertainment: a Captain's Dinner Cruise with entertainment on the Elbe to the Baltic Sea and back on Captain Prusse's "MS Solar".
A fond farewell to this "great lady by the sea".

Day 9
Connecting flight to Frankfurt for the transatlantic flight home, same day arrival.