Itinerary
Tuesday, May 9: Arrive in Berlin
- Meet at Berlin Airport
- Take the train from Berlin airport to Dresden, which will take between 2 – 3 hours.
- Get settled in your hotel, rest, and get your first impression of Dresden by walking on Brühl Terrace along the Elbe River.
- Enjoy dinner together.
Wednesday, May 10: Dresden
- In the morning, get oriented by taking our walking tour of Dresden and enjoy a leisurely lunch afterward.
- After lunch, tour the Zwinger (palatial complex with gardens) and visit two of its museums (Collection of Old Master Paintings & The Porcelain Gallery).
- If you still have energy, visit the Zwinger’s Sculpture Collection & Mathematical Instrument Exhibit on your own.
Thursday, May 11: Dresden
- In the morning, take a short boat ride to visit Pillnitz Castle, a beautifully restored Baroque palace.
- Upon your return, take a lunch break in Dresden.
- In the afternoon, visit the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) and then tour the famous Opera House (Semper Opera).
- Enjoy some time off with options to visit the New Masters Picture Gallery in the Albertinum Museum or enjoy the many shops or cafés.
Friday, May 12: Dresden
- Reserve the morning to visit the Dresden Castle, including the New Green Vault and the Old Green Vault (the historic treasure chamber as it existed in 1733).
- After lunch, take a taxi to the Kunsthofpassage, a unique artistic neighborhood with many shops and artifacts.
- Explore the “Innere Neustadt” (Baroque quarter) and enjoy dinner there.
Saturday, May 13: Dresden with an outing to Meissen
- Take the train to the charming historic town of Meissen (40 minutes).
- Visit the porcelain factory.
- Explore the old town, the cathedral on the castle hill, and possibly take a carriage ride.
- Back in Dresden, have dinner on your own.
Sunday, May 14: Dresden to Berlin
- In the morning, take the 2-hour train ride from Dresden to Berlin.After settling in your hotel, take our orientation tour “Unter den Linden.”
- Take a rest and enjoy the German tradition of “Kaffee and Kuchen” (coffee and cake) in the Bode Museum.
- Discover some famous Berlin sights on board one of the Spree River Cruises.
Monday, May 15: Berlin
- Take a tour of the German Reichstag (Parliament) first thing in the morning.
- Enjoy the historic Brandenburg Gate and its nearby sights on the avenue Unter den Linden.
- Take the subway to Alexander Plaza (Alexanderplatz), explore this former East German area, and enjoy lunch there.
- Relax after lunch by exploring the Hackesche Höfe, a complex of interlinked courtyards in the art nouveau style (Jugendstil in German), which sport many fun boutiques and miscellaneous shops.
- Rest at our hotel.
- In the late afternoon, take the elevator up to the Humboldt Forum rooftop to enjoy a view of Berlin.
- For dinner, enjoy a change of pace in the idyllic and historic Nikolai Quarter nearby where restaurants abound.
Tuesday, May 16: Berlin
- In the morning, visit the famous Pergamon Museum & Panorama
- In the afternoon, choose between two options:
- Visit West Berlin’s famous shopping boulevard, Kurfürstendamm (known as the “Ku’damm”), the Berlin equivalent of Paris’ Champs-Élysées. Along the way, step inside the famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
- Stay on Museum Island and visit some of the other museums.
Wednesday, May 17: Berlin with an outing to Potsdam
- Take the train to the nearby city of Potsdam where the Prussian King Frederick the Great built his famous summer residence Sanssouci.
- Visit the palace and stroll through the lavish Baroque gardens.
- Explore the old town, and have lunch in the charming “Dutch Quarter” filled with red-brick cafés and shops and known as “Little Amsterdam”.
- Stay in the city for shopping or take a tour of Cecilienhof, the last palace built by Emperor William II during WWI and site of the Potsdam Conference of 1945.
- Return to Berlin and have a relaxed evening on your own.
Thursday, May 18: Berlin (Ascension Day, a holiday)
- Become acquainted with a modern part of Berlin, the cultural forum (Kulturforum).
- Choose between several options: the Old Masters Gallery, the Collection of Prints and Drawings (Kupferstichkabinett), the Musical Instruments Museum, the New National Gallery (post WW I art), or a possible tour of the beautiful, modern Berlin Philharmonic.
- Walk to Potsdam Plaza, have lunch and take our short tour of this modern square.
- In the afternoon, choose between a tour of the Berlin Wall Memorial or visit the German Technical Museum (Deutsches Technikmuseum).
Note: A concert at the Philharmonic or the Konzerthaus will be part of the trip whenever the 2023 season schedule with tickets is available.
Friday, May 19: Depart for Boston