Hidden Gems of Germany

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2: Munich

Arrive in Munich, meet your ACIS Tour Manager and transfer to your hotel in the city center. Begin exploring right away with an orientation tour led by your tour manager. This Bavarian capital city boasts bustling plazas, fine museums and impressive art galleries.

Day 3: Munich

This morning enjoy a guided sightseeing tour by bike that provides a unique perspective on local life in this bustling city as you get off the beaten path. Pedal down historic old streets, peek into delightful courtyards, ride along the city's river and explore the popular 910-acre Englischer Garten, one of the world's largest urban public parks. Then travel to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, the first of the Nazi regime's concentration camps and a poignant reminder of man's potential for inhumanity.

Day 4: Fussen

Depart Munich this morning for the beautiful Bavarian town of Füssen. With over 700 years of history nestled next to a lake at the foot of the Alps and anchoring the end of the Romantic Road, you'll feel like you've stepped into a fairy tale. During a walking tour, see the Hohes Schloss, the former Benedictine Monastery of St Mang and the River Lech, which flows through the medieval town center.

Day 5: Fussen

Drive to the small village of Hohenschwangau today. The landscape of this pretty little town on the Alpsee is dominated by two grand castles, Schloss Hohenschwangau and the famed Schloss Neuschwanstein of King Ludwig II. Your private bus will bring you up to Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge, named for Ludwig's mother), an iron bridge suspended 90 meters above the Pöllat Gorge. This vantage point offers the best views of Neuschwanstein Castle's romantic turrets. Then take a steep but short hike down to enter through the Gatehouse and tour the castle's dreamy and poetic interior. Later return to Füssen.

Day 6: Oberammergau

Today you'll journey to Oberammergau. This small Bavarian gem is most famous for its Passion Play, performed by the villagers every ten years for the past four centuries. On a walking tour, begin to discover the town's highlights, especially the mural-like illustrations adorning the houses and other buildings. In the afternoon meet with a Passion Play committee member to see the theater and gain an understanding of what this world-famous production means to the local people.

Day 7: Munich

Return to Munich this morning and visit the high-tech BMW World, a showcase devoted to the history and cutting-edge engineering of these world-famous cars that boasts futuristic architecture, a display of current BMW models and interactive exhibits. Later explore the tent-like buildings of the Olympic Park, constructed for the 1972 Summer Games, and join top skaters and local residents of all abilities at the Olympic rink for ice skating.

Day 8: Munich

Take a day trip to Salzburg, where a walking tour shows you the spectacular Mirabell Gardens, Mozart's Birthplace Museum and the Dom, a magnificent Baroque 17th century cathedral. Then board the funicular for a ride up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which dominates the city skyline and provides outstanding views over the city. Inside you'll see the castle courtyard, the medieval regency rooms of the prince bishops, a torture chamber and more. Return to Munich for your final evening in Europe.

Day 9: Departure

Depart for the USA.