Special Offer
Harz Mountains & Rhine Gorge
10 Days from£1,495
per personSave up to £75pp when booking on or before 31/10/2018
NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT*
NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT*
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You are viewing the 2019 itinerary
Itineraries and pricing may vary by departure year
Discover two of Germany's most picturesque regions on this fantastic two-centre holiday. We explore the halftimbered villages and stunning peaks of the Harz Mountains by heritage railway before visiting the stunning Rhine Gorge, where the legendary Lorelei Rock still casts its spell.
Our journey to Germany begins at our dedicated Departure Office in St Pancras, where we board the Eurostar to Brussels. Sit back in your comfortable Standard Premier Class seat and enjoy a light meal and drinks before our arrival in the Belgian capital. Our journey continues by high-speed rail in First Class to Cologne for an overnight stay.
Today we continue across Germany by high-speed rail, travelling in First Class to Hanover. Here, we meet our coach which takes us on a journey through the brooding Harz Mountains. The low-lying mountains surround a rivercarved landscape, where rushing streams wind through the rich green forests, and rugged rocky outcrops rise up towards the towering mountain peaks above.
We stop in the foothills of the mountains to visit the scenic town of Goslar, a UNESCO World Heritage destination where intricate carvings adorn the front of picturesque timbered houses. Leaving Goslar, we continue to Wernigerode, a similarly attractive town which sits nicely within the dark green scenery of the picturesque Harz region.
Wernigerode was formerly the capital of the medieval County of Wernigerode, following the Napoleonic Wars it became part of Saxony. We spend four nights at the HKK Hotel Wernigerode.
This morning we begin a full-day excursion on the narrow forests and crystal-clear lakes of the Harz Mountain region creating a terrain ideally suited to narrow-gauge railways. The terrific Brocken Railway connects the small towns and villages of the Harz region. Today's journey takes us through the vast pine forests in the foothills of the mountains, steam from the train evaporating into the tree tops. We climb steep inclines, the mighty engine straining to tackle the gradient, as we make our way to Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz region at over 3,700 feet (1,128 metres). After some free time for lunch and to enjoy the views, we return by train to Wernigerode.
Today we travel by coach to Alexisbad in order to board the excellent Selketal Railway to Gernrode. This charming train makes its way through the dense forests and past the gentle streams, granting special views of mysterious fairytale landscapes.
On arrival into Gernrode, we continue by coach to beautiful Quedlinburg, a gorgeous town with a delightful, peaceful Romanesque church and incredibly well preserved red-roofed houses that give the town the feel of a model village, as if it were created from children's toy bricks.
Burgberg - 'castle mountain' - is a 10th century stronghold that looms imposingly over the town. Quedlinburg's rambling, haphazard street plan leads you through charming streets lined with more than 1,600 timber-framed buildings. On one street, Wordgasse, there is a building reputed to be the oldest timber-framed house in Germany.
Explore Wernigerode at leisure. With elaborate halftimbered buildings, simply strolling through the steep narrow streets of the town provides a feast for the eyes, not to mention the impressive Wernigerode Castle and the charming medieval Town Hall.
Bidding farewell to the peaceful Harz mountains, we make a short coach transfer to Hildesheim where we join the train to Boppard, via Frankfurt (Standard Class), a romantic German village near the picturesque Rhine. We spend four nights at the Hotel Bellevue, situated in the centre of this typical Rhineland village.
Today we enjoy a short walk to the riverside and board a boat for the journey along the River Rhine, through the prettiest and most celebrated section of the Rhine Gorge. Ancient castles peer from the top of the green banks, as we pass the imposing Lorelei Rock, a legendary rocky outcrop that soars 492 feet above the water line. We arrive in the attractive riverside resort of St Goar We enjoy free time here and a chance to sample the fantastic local wines and enjoy a stroll through the charming town centre. We then rejoin the cruise back upstream to Boppard.
Day 8 is free for you to explore Boppard at your leisure. Situated on the beautifully scenic Rhine Gorge, the village is surrounded by a backdrop of terraced vineyards, in which some of Germany's most popular red wines are produced. The village boasts a remarkably well-preserved centre, crammed with timber-framed houses and crooked narrow streets - ensuring Boppard retains a reputation as a fantastic tourist attraction.
A coach excursion takes us to one of Germany's best loved cities, charming and historic Heidelberg. The town lies below its protective castle on the River Neckar and is home to the oldest university in Germany, founded in 1385. The backdrop to Sigmund Romberg's operetta, 'The Student Prince', Heidelberg was the capital of the Palatinate region for many centuries.
We enjoy a guided tour and some leisure time before returning to our hotel. Perhaps you'd like to discover Heidelberg's enchanting Altstadt or Old Town. Characterised by attractive squares where you can sit outside and people watch and a collection of different architecture, the Old Town is a joy to discover.
Alternatively you could visit Heidelberg Castle, sitting imposingly over the city the castle is an important landmark which dates back as far as 1214. Extraordinarily a lightning bolt destroyed the upper castle in 1537 and it has since been rebuilt. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner in Boppard.
We travel by coach through the Rhine Valley to Cologne. Here, we board the high speed train to Brussels, then connecting with the Eurostar service to St Pancras International.
We offer a Standard Class and First Class rail options for departures on this tour. You can find out which class each departure is by clicking on the information button in the pricing grid.
This tour also has Standard Class departures available. For more information about these options, please call us.
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.
An escorted experience and all travel arrangements
Comfortable accommodation in your destination
Delicious meals included
Exciting excursions and free time to explore
Enhancing your tour experience
This tour may be suitable for reduced mobility passengers, please call for further information.
The arrangements were brilliant, as usual! The hotel at Wernigerode was lovely, with super staff and plentiful delicious food. It was also incredibly quiet and peaceful despite being so close to the town centre - it was a lovely start to the holiday. We enjoyed the Harz Mountains very much, and Goslar, which made a nice stopping point on our journey to the Rhine, was beautiful indeed.
Our hotel at Assmanshausen was fantastic - so old, so well
preserved and lovely - as again was the food, with a huge array at
breakfast. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. I must confess we
looked at the river cruise ships and thought "mmmmm, nice!"
Our Tour Manager, Richard, was superb. Extremely well organised,
all information given succinctly, very professional, charming and a
great sense of humour - good man!
Finally our fellow travellers - as usual, fantastic. All very
friendly, swapping tables for various meals, and we all got on well
together with hugs all round as we left St Pancras on our return. I
recall our first GRJ holiday, to Austria four years ago. A
young couple were on honeymoon. On our first night she exclaimed "I
don't believe it - everyone's talking to everyone else!" - that
says it all, and it still happens.
We look forward to planning our next trip with you. Thank you to all at Great Rail Journeys.
It started well, with a courtesy call from out Tour Manager
several days prior to our holiday. We were very impressed by this,
it augured well for what was to come.
From the start everything went smoothly - from our first contact
at St Pancras International to our return.
Most seats were assigned and in First or Superior Class. Nothing
was too much trouble for our Tour Manager - he was tireless. All
hotels were extremely good, very well picked, and a bonus was that
we stayed for several days in each, so didn't have to live out of
our suitcases.
We were never rushed or harassed even though much ground was
covered. Handling luggage on and off trains is the traveller's
responsibility, so the lighter one can travel the better - we'll
certainly prune our luggage for our next journey.
This was an experiment in alternative travel and Great Rail
Journeys passed with flying colours.
Five great holidays with Great Rail Journeys over the last five
years means we have perfected the art of travelling light with the
recommended size and style of suitcase. Tour Managers, however,
turn up with ancient, capacious cases! I am sure the state of them
is to enable the cases to be temporarily abandoned on the platform
whilst the Tour Manager ensures that we are all safely aboard with
our neat cases.
Our last Tour Manager's case was an old-fashioned warped beast
with a handle that broke on the way to meet us. But we welcomed the
stuff that came out of it - not only the usual train tickets - but
most impressively: information sheets for our free days, notes on
the Flower Festival, historical guide to the Harz Mountain Railways
and even laminated maps!
So well done to the Tour Managers. Your cases might not comply
with guidelines but they are certainly worth their weight in
gold!
We are taking the opportunity to review our recent trip to the Harz Mountains.This was our first trip with Great Rail Journeys and we were not disappointed!
The organisation and arrangements were excellent, with the Tour Manager, Irene, being both very knowledgeable and helpful without being intrusive. The First Class train travel to and from Wernigerode was excellent, and the interim stay at Koln was both welcome and interesting, with a must-have visit to the Dom.
The accommodation throughout was very good. Wernigerode made a perfect base for the tour, the highlight of which was the train ride to the top of the Brocken Mountain; the air at the top was fresh and clean, and the views fantastic. The other travellers were great company and had a wealth of experience of Great Rail Journeys tours - one was on her 14th trip!
The Harz Mountains tour is both enjoyable and interesting.
It is based at Wernigerode, which is just over the old east-west border. The town is a delightful mix of many coloured timber-framed houses, tightly packed along cobbled streets.
The cobbles are set in arcs by a man working backwards on a one-legged stool! The town centre is a parade of shops and has a fine wooden town hall.
The hotel is large with exceptionally friendly staff. The buffet breakfast is enormous and even has a British breakfast bar. Two minutes' walk from the hotel is an excellent, Greek-run fish restaurant. But beware - the helpings are enormous!
The rail system runs across both open fields and wooded mountains and describes a circular layout, basically. The steam trains are well maintained and the carriages are clean and warm. The system is a working commuter route and is assisted by diesel locomotives.
The visits to Goslar and Quedlinburg are interesting, especially
when arriving by steam train.
All in all we can certainly recommend the holiday whether you are
a rail buff or not.
I should like to take the opportunity of expressing my satisfaction with the above tour.
This was my first Great Rail Journey and I have to say that I was very impressed with all the arrangements which led to a very enjoyable few days.
Of special note was the Tour Manager, Geoff, for whom nothing was too much trouble, and his organisational skills are to be highly commended.
Germany's Mountains and heritage railways
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