DAY 1

Depart USA on your overnight flight to Frankfurt.

Upon your arrival at the airport, you are met and driven by private car to your hotel in nearby Wiesbaden, the Nassauer Hof – a most distinguished combination of Baroque and contemporary styles and considered one of the best hotels in all of Germany. The afternoon is yours to relax on the terrace of the hotel’s orangerie or to stroll through the Kurpark, which is adjacent to the hotel. Your tour manager will be in the lobby to answer your questions. This evening, join your travel companions for cocktails and à la carte dining in the elaborate bi-level restaurant in our hotel. (D)

This morning, you leave Wiesbaden, traveling southward to Heidelberg – site of Gemany’s most prestigious university and a famed castle – set along the banks of the Nekar River. You have lunch at a colorful inn that brings to mind images of the movie classic, "The Student Prince." In the afternoon, you drive along the Romantic Road, to the ancient walled town of Rothenburg overlooking the Tauber River. This is the best-preserved medieval town in Germany – everything here is just as it was in the mid-16th century. You can imagine the guards standing watch on the ramparts as we pass through the main gate. In the 12th century, an imperial castle and another castle owned by a count once stood guard on the rocks overlooking the valley below.

Your hotel is the beautifully maintained Eisenhut – which occupies four 15^th- and 16^th- century houses accented by charming gardens and balconies. Located a few steps from the central square, its interior reveals beautifully carved wood, winding staircases, and beamed ceilings. This evening, you dine here in a galleried three-story room with ornate paneling. You choose from an à la carte menu featuring the best of Franconian cookery. (B,L,D)

Rothenburg grew from its humble beginnings - the outline of its original fortification is still visible - to become a successful town in the 13th century. The lovely mansions along the Herrngasse attest to this fact - be sure to notice #15 and take a street-side peek into the courtyard for a glimpse of the embossed wooden pillars. The narrow lanes take you by ancient fountains and street signs and, through your mind’s eye, you imagine what it might have been like to live here in the mid-1200s. You see Tilman Riemenschneider’s infamous carved "Holy Blood" altar piece, depicting the Last Supper, in St. James’ Church. You continue on your walking tour along the cobbled streets to the Marktplatz for a view of the animated clock which depicts the famous legend of the "long drink", when the city was saved from destruction by the Imperial army during the Thirty Years War. This evening, gather for dinner at a local restaurant. (B,L,D)

This morning you journey southward toward the Black Forest. The wonderful smell of pine invigorates you as you drive through dense woods, past tiny villages where clever woodcarvers create their magic. The forest stretches for more than 100 miles from north to south, along the Rhine River; and its timber was transported along that waterway to places as far away as Holland to fill orders from ship builders.

You drive to Baden-Baden to your hotel – Brenner’s Park-Hotel - which is considered Germany’s finest Old World resort. The landscaped gardens look like a Renoir painting. Inside, the stately public rooms include an inner lobby, lounge, piano bar, and movie lounge that open to the terraces facing the park. You have the afternoon to enjoy the amenities of the spa here as well as the glassed-in pool, tennis courts, mini-golf, yoga and aerobics classes. The deluxe accommodations are decorated with fine period furniture, chandeliers, and lithographs and overlook the Oos River. Your gourmet à la carte dinner is served in the elegant dining room facing the park. (B,L,D)

Day 6 Baden-Baden - Lucerne

You journey southward this morning, with a stop at the Rhine Falls, on your way to Lake Lucerne and the famed resort town that sits atop the hills at its northwestern shore. Once a simple fishing village, the opening of the St. Gotthard route in the 13th century (linking Flanders and Italy) made Lucerne a significant stopover point. It established commercial contacts in both countries that proved to be very lucrative. With its 15th- and 16th-century houses – many of them with painted façades - and picturesque wooden bridges, Lucerne is a most pleasant place in which to walk about. You see the Spreuerbrücke bridge, spanning the Reuss River, which has a little chapel built in the middle; further down where the river meets the lake is the Kapelbrücke – the 14th-century covered bridge which has become a symbol of Lucerne with its large, octagonal tile-roofed water tower.

You check into the Palace Hotel, right at the lake’s edge – undeniably the best hotel in the area. Paintings, tapestries, chandeliers, and splendid fabrics all blend together beautifully. You dine this evening at your hotel, pampered by impeccable service, overlooking the lake and gardens. (B,L,D)