Saxony and Thuringia as a group: Wartburg, Weimar, Erfurt, Leipzig and Dresden

Day 1: To Thuringia

• Morning departure from the place of your choice.
• Drive to central Germany, with regular breaks (3 hours’ driving maximum, then a 30-minute break).
• Arrival in the Erfurt area in the evening and check-in at the hotel for 3 nights.

Day 2: Eisenach and the Wartburg

• Breakfast, then drive to Eisenach.
• Guided tour of the UNESCO-listed Wartburg Castle and Luther’s room (on request).
• Free time in the centre of Eisenach, birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach.
• Visit of the Bach House (on request).
• Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 3: Weimar, city of Goethe and Schiller

• Breakfast, then drive to Weimar.
• Walk through the old town: the Goethe-Schiller monument in front of the National Theatre and the market square.
• Visit of Goethe’s house (on request).
• Visit of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library (on request).
• Visit of the Buchenwald memorial (on request).
• Return to the hotel.

Day 4: Erfurt and Leipzig

• Breakfast and discovery of Erfurt: cathedral hill and the Merchants’ Bridge (Krämerbrücke).
• Drive to Leipzig: St Thomas Church, St Nicholas Church and the Mädler Passage.
• Lunch in the historic Auerbachs Keller (on request).
• Drive to Dresden and check-in at the hotel for 3 nights.

Day 5: Dresden, Florence on the Elbe

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Guided tour of the old town: Frauenkirche, Zwinger, Semper Opera and the Procession of Princes (on request).
• Stroll along Brühl’s Terrace above the Elbe.
• Visit of the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe) in the Royal Palace (on request).
• Evening at the Semper Opera, depending on the programme (on request).

Day 6: Free day in Dresden

• Free day in Dresden, without the coach (driver’s rest day).
• Elbe cruise on a paddle steamer (on request).
• Visit of the Old Masters Picture Gallery in the Zwinger (on request).

Day 7: Meissen and westward

• Breakfast, then drive to Meissen, overlooked by the Albrechtsburg castle and its cathedral.
• Visit of the Meissen porcelain manufactory (on request).
• Drive west with regular breaks and overnight stop in the Kassel area.

Day 8: Return

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Return journey with regular breaks.
• Arrival back in your area in the late afternoon.