Full-day excursion to Dresden, a fantastic city known as the “Florence of the Elbe.” A relatively recent city with Slavic origin, Dresden became the capital of the Margravate of Meissen in the 13th century and the seat of the Dukes of Saxony in the 15th century. Dresden offers a wide variety of attractions, including magnificent promenades on the bank of the Elbe, fascinating museums, monuments, and charming details. We’ll have lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, join us for a guided tour of the Royal Palace, the former residence of the Saxon Dukes and Electors and the Kings of Saxony. Today, we can revel in the splendor of its architecture and its collections, including the historic Green Vault, which contains the largest collection of treasures in Europe.
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We’ll enjoy a tour of the Speicherstadt warehouse district and the Hamburg International Maritime Museum. The district, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a part of the HafenCity quarter and has conserved its traditional architectural style featuring rows of red-brick, gabled buildings. The area contains the largest warehouse complex in the world, is over a century old, and is the symbol of the maritime history of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. Afterwards, we’ll visit a maritime museum housed in one of the oldest warehouses of the Speicherstadt. The museum has ten different levels, each exhibiting a different aspect of the close relationship between humankind and the sea through the ages and across civilizations. Exhibitions with numerous documents and objects—historical globes, maps, compasses, model ships, and so on—retrace three-thousand years of maritime history. The museum also contains a model of one of the cabins of the ocean liner SS France and a Lego model of the RMS Queen Mary 2.
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Join us for an excursion to Konopiste Castle. Located in an idyllic setting, this 13th-century fortress—entirely renovated in the 18th century—was the Habsburg's hunting lodge. In addition to its sumptuously decorated apartments, the castle is home to an impressive collection of medieval weapons and armor that once belonged to Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. The castle was his last abode prior to his assassination in Sarajevo in 1914.
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Guided tour of Lübeck. Known as the “Queen of the Hanseatic League,” Lübeck was founded in 1143 by Adolf II, Count of Schauenburg and Holstein. UNESCO lists the city as a World Heritage Site because of its aristocratic homes and numerous red-brick Gothic monuments. Founded on the banks of the Trave River, the historic center is home to a unique collection of monuments from different eras—namely the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods. We’ll discover the Holsten Gate leading to the old city center, Lübeck’s most well-known landmark and a symbol of the power once possessed by this former Hanseatic city; St. Mary’s Church, an absolute Gothic gem; and the castle monastery. We’ll wrap up our excursion by visiting a tea room where we’ll enjoy some delicious marzipan, a local specialty.
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