We have finally booked and planned our last trip to Europe pre-marriage! Matt, myself, and Joel leave 2 weeks from today to enjoy 9 days in Germany and Austria. We decided against having engagement pictures done there, but Joel assures us that he will be an excellent photographer!
Wednesday, May 4- Fly out of DTW at 2:32pm. Layover in Washington DC, then off to Munich!
Thursday, May 5- Arrive in Munich at 7:50am. Drop off luggage at Hotel Deutsches Theater Downtown and head off to explore some sites until we can check into our hotel and nap
- Visit Residenz- castle built in 1385 that was transformed over centuries into a magnificent palace and residence for Bavarian dukes
- Nap for a couple hours
- Pick a café or beerhouse for dinner!
Friday, May 6- Munich City Walk Tour at 10:45 (2 hours and 15 minutes). Meet under the glockenspiel at Marienplatz and tour the major sites of Munich. After our City Walk tour and some lunch:
- Start by going inside St. Peters Church, the oldest church in Munich, right in Marienplatz. Said to have the most relics of any city outside of Rome and awesome views of the city from the top
- St. Michael’s Church is next, where “Mad” King Ludwig II is buried, along with about 40 other royal tombs. Very beautiful inside too
- Beers at the famous Hofbrauhaus
Saturday, May 7- Viator Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Castle day tour
Depart at 8:30am for our group tour of both of “Mad” King Ludwig II castles.
- Start at Linderhof Castle- his smaller, hunting lodge. We will be there for 2 hours to either join a tour, or tour it on our own.
- Next we will be stopping at the little shopping town of Oberammergau (world famous for its wood-carving and richly painted houses)
- End our day long tour at one of the most elaborate, well-known castles in the world- Neuschwanstein Castle (the structure that Disney’s Cinderella Castle was designed from). We will have four hours here to explore the grounds and tour the castle.
Sunday, May 8- Dachau Concentration Camp
- Take the train about 20 minutes, then bus to Dachau and tour on our own
- After touring Dachau on our own, return to Munich and go to Alte Pinakothek—Bavaria’s best art gallery with paintings from Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Rubens, etc.
- Explore the Nazi sites being as Munich was the birthplace of the Nazi party. Hitler’s apartments, restaurants, etc.
Monday, May 9- Train to Rothenburg, Germany for the day and evening.
Check into our Gasthof Goldener Greifen hotel (where Rothenburg’s mayor, Heinrich Toppler, once lived 600 years ago!).
- Explore the classic Bavarian timbered houses and cobblestone streets in the walled-city of Rothenburg. Rothenburg is to Germany what the Cotswolds are to England—a quaint little town that you always picture Germany to be. Lots of souvenir shopping and little cafes.
- Walk the wall of the city for some beautiful views
- Stop into the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum to learn about medieval law and see a collection of ancient torture devices and be thankful that they are not still used today
- Head off to our one hour Night Watchman tour of Rothenburg at 8:00pm. Meet at the market square in front of town hall for a very entertaining tour of the town and its history by a Night Watchman complete with the black robe and lanterns.
Tuesday, May 10- Train to Salzburg. About a 4.5 hour train ride. Relax and enjoy the views of the German and Austrian countryside, including the Austrian and Bavarian Alps. Arrive in Salzburg, Austria around 4pm
- Check into the Goldenes Theaterhotel. Chill at the hotel and get ready for our fancy Mozart concert/3-course dinner at Stiftskeller St. Peter (the oldest restaurant in Europe, first documented in the year 803)
- Mozart concert and dinner with “costumes and culinary delights so popular in the 18th century” at St. Peter’s Abbey at 8:00pm
Wednesday, May 11- Explore Salzburg
- Start the day with a Viator Sound of Music tour. Pick-up at our hotel at 9:30am for a 4-hour tour starting at Mirabell Gardens. Visit Leopoldskron Castle, Hellbrunn Castle, Nonnberg Abbey, St. Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang, and end at the Wedding Church Mondsee
- Visit Mozart Wohnhaus (Mozart’s residence with his family from 1773-1780 where he wrote a large number of his famous works)
- Next head to Mozart’s birthplace
- Finish the day by exploring the Salzburg Fortress
Thursday, May 12- Another Salzburg day
- Shop, shop, shop in the cute Salzburg cobblestone streets with the wrought iron signs
- Explore the Salzburg Dom (the cathedral in central Salzburg)
- Tour Residenz- a grand medieval bishops’ residence full of lush gold and velvet rooms. The Residenz Gallery includes fine art from Rembrandt and Rubens
Friday, May 13- Fly out of Salzburg airport at 9:40am, arriving back in Detroit at 7:30pm.
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