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Romantic Road and Bavarian Alps

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3.9 stars(16 reviews)
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Small Group

Relax in the wonderful Bavarian countryside

9 days From £2,295 £2,195 per person
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2023 Tour code: BAS23

About the tour

Whimsical palaces and castles set the theme for this holiday. We stay in the wonderful Bavarian countryside - perfect for excursions along the Romantic Road - visit the mysterious Church of Wies and enjoy a rail journey up the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain.

Highlights

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - London and Würzburg

We meet at London St Pancras and take the Eurostar to Brussels, continuing to Würzburg for two nights.

Includes
  • Dinner
  • Eurostar Meal
Day 2 – The Romantic Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Today we journey along the famous Romantic Road, a picturesque route of fairytale scenery - half-timbered villages, soaring forests and enchanting castles. We travel to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a guided tour immerses us in local culture, heritage and medieval music. This is followed by a private visit to the town's magical Christmas Museum. Celebrating all things festive, a guide explains the history of the different decorations, as well as giving us time to look around the gift shop.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 3 – Würzburg and Füssen

We discover Würzburg on a walking tour, exploring the beauty the city in its cobbled streets and grand Baroque architecture. We see the ostentatious Residence Palace, the Cathedral of St Kilian and enjoy riverside views of Fortress Marienberg. Later, we travel by rail to charming Füssen for five nights, set amongst the rugged Bavarian Alps. Perched on the banks of the Lech River, Füssen offers a snapshot of traditional German life, with pretty squares and cobbled streets.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 - Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau

We visit two of Europe's most stunning castles, beginning at King Ludwig's childhood home, Hohenschwangau. Set on a verdant hill, this honey-coloured fortress is covered in towers and turrets. We continue to Neuschwanstein for a guided tour. This castle is known worldwide for its fantasy appearance and extravagant design, and was the inspiration behind the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland. We have time to wander the different state rooms and galleries, taking in the opulence of the wood carvings, chandeliers and paintings. On the way back to Füssen, we stop off at a local brauhaus for a guided tour and a tasting of the excellent beer. Staying on site for dinner, we're treated to a spread of Bavarian specialties, served with locally-brewed beer and overlooking the gorgeous scenery of the Bavarian Alps.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 – Füssen

Your day is free in Füssen to explore this picture-book town of colourful houses, medieval walls and historic churches. It's also home to an impressive Gothic castle, Hohes Schloss, which houses a wonderful regional art museum, or you could make a visit to the Museum of St Mang's Abbey, which details the town's violin and lute-making heritage. You could also unwind at one of the popular pavement cafés for a slice of authentic Bavarian Prinzregententorte, a luxurious multi-layered sponge cake covered in chocolate.

Includes
  • Breakfast
Day 6 – Zugspitze Mountain Railway

We journey on the Zugspitze Mountain Railway to the breathtaking summit of Zugspitze - the highest mountain peak in Germany. Running through gentle countryside of flat, fertile farmland and glorious meadows, we pass a scattering of small villages before the line begins its ascent, using a rack-and-pinion system to negotiate the steep gradient. Once we reach the base of the mountain, the scenery becomes ever-more dramatic, with snow-covered crags towering over the dense patches of woodland below. After pausing at Eibsee, our journey continues into the mountains and we pass Eibsee Lake and 'Hell Valley'. We arrive at Zugspitzplatt and continue by cable car to the mountain's summit for wonderful panoramic views over Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 – The Church of Wies and Linderhof

The mysterious Church of Wies is our destination this morning. Nestled among the deep forests of Bavaria, its magnificent halls are classic examples of Bavarian Rococo architecture and feature ornate stonework and golden furnishings. Later, we visit Linderhof, the smallest palace commissioned by Ludwig II. Adorned with gold, the king's bed chamber is a masterpiece itself, draped with luxurious cloth and extravagant carvings. We also see the striking Hall of Mirrors, the 'Moorish Kiosk' - with its peacock throne - and the castle's extensive parkland.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 – Cologne

We return to Cologne on the train for an overnight stay.

Please Note: For departure 01/09/2023 you will overnight at the Radisson Blu Mannheim in Mannheim.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 – London

Checking out of our hotel, we transfer to the station for our journey to Brussels. Here, we connect with the Eurostar to London St Pancras.

Includes
  • Breakfast
  • Eurostar Meal

Additional information

Please Note

Please note: One of the excursions on this tour is at high altitude. If you have any medical conditions or concerns that could impact this part of the tour, we recommend you seek medical advice and talk to us. We want to make sure that any holiday you book is right for you.

Departure times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotels

Hotel Sonne, Füssen

Hotel Sonne, Füssen

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Hotel Schlosskrone

Hotel Schlosskrone, Füssen

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Maritim Hotel, Würzburg

Maritim Hotel, Würzburg

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Melchior Park Hotel, Würzburg

Melchior Park Hotel, Würzburg

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Trains

Eurostar
ICE Train
InterCity
Thalys
Zugspitze Railway

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London Hotels
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Reviews

3.9 stars3.9 / 5 · 16 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (6)
  2. 4 stars
    (4)
  3. 3 stars
    (5)
  4. 2 stars
    (1)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

S Graham

5 stars

Submitted 22 Sep 2022

A really enjoyable tour with a very friendly group and an excellent tour manager

Collected by Trustpilot

S Courquin

5 stars

Submitted 17 Sep 2022

Brilliant holiday, well organised and great not having too big a group

Collected by Trustpilot

HFC

2 stars

Submitted 09 Jun 2022

The details of the tour were not well planned, trains seem to have been selected to minimise cost rather than for convenience - starting a 9 hour journey at 11:16??. Several featured items failed to materialise. There were two promised luggage transfers between hotels, the first happened, the second did not, apparently cancelled by admin. I have already completed the survey and wonder why the review is also necessary. Overall, disappointed that my favourite travel company has lost my trust. I was planning to go to Japan, but would not now trust GRJ with an out of Europe trip.

Collected by Trustpilot

Michael Brander

3 stars

Submitted 06 Jun 2022

A good itinerary with a friendly group but the trip was spoilt by what appeared to be administrative failures. Departure details were provided until less than a week before leaving. A guided tour of Wurzburg did not happen. Some promised luggage transfers were missing. Included drinks were not provided.

Collected by Trustpilot

G May

3 stars

Submitted 05 Jun 2022

Beautiful scenery, good trips, timings too ambitious on one day and on one day a walking tour guide did not turn up. Coach journeys excellent, none very long and with safe driver. Some rail journeys very difficult due to last minute platform changes made worse by insufficient lift space on many platforms. If you call yourself ‘Great’ Railway Journeys please consider providing a luggage service. Changing trains became a stressful experience and we asked ourselves just what added value GRJ were providing in such instances.

Collected by Trustpilot

Mr Maclean

4 stars

Submitted 05 Jun 2022

DB was plagued by bad weather causing trains to be cancelled or delayed. This made the tour manager Christine’s work harder but all ended up with an excellent tour. Great Rail failed on two points. The tour guide at Wurzburg failed to arrive and the luggage transport from Fussen to Cologne was cancelled which with the DB alterations made changing trains very difficult.

Collected by Trustpilot

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