Highlights of Germany – Harz Mountains, Saxony and Baltic Coast

Tuesday 9th January to Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Journey through a genuine Winter Wonderland on our ever-popular tour to Eastern Germany. Timber-framed houses, fairy-tale castles and romantic steam trains all add to the enchantment of this seasonal holiday.

• Discover first-hand the charm and culture of Central, Eastern and Northern Germany, staying in such fine cities as Erfurt, Dresden, Görlitz, Stralsund and Rostock.

• Ride on the famed ‘little trains’ that circulate on the renowned narrow-gauge networks of the Harz Mountains, Saxony and along the Baltic Coast.

• Visit iconic locations such as Drei Annen Hohne and Mount Brocken.

• Experience legendary German ‘Plandampf’ on eight different narrow-gauge steam railways, all with their own • unique character.

• Enjoy private charters on wonderful heritage tramways in the historic cathedral cities of Erfurt and Görlitz, and a trip on the 1901 ‘dingle-dangle’ mountain monorail in Dresden.

Tuesday 9th January

London to Erfurt

Travel by Eurostar, Thalys and ICE high speed services from London St Pancras via Brussels and Frankfurt to Erfurt. On arrival check into your quality, centrally located hotel in the heart of Erfurt’s Old Town, where a welcome dinner will be served. (D)

Wednesday 10th January

Sightseeing and Heritage Tramways in historic Erfurt

Located in the heart of Germany, Erfurt has countless spacious squares, proud Burgher Houses, old bridges and pedestrianised alleys. This morning you explore its sights before an early afternoon private charter trip on a heritage tramway replete with photo stops. You’ll have an opportunity to see the landmark cathedral and beautiful main market square with its characteristic spires before some more leisure time in the late afternoon and a free evening. (B)

Thursday 11th January

Steam in the Harz Mountains from Norhausen to Mount Brocken

This morning you take a DB service train from Erfurt to Nordhausen before departing Nordhausen steam-hauled north to the junction station of Drei Annen Hohne. You travel steam-hauled over the long trunk line of the Harz narrow gauge network before a different steam locomotive takes over for the ascent up Mount Brocken. Following refreshments and photo opportunities at the summit, you descend back to Drei Annen Hohne and then return to Nordhausen, completing over 130 km of steam travel for the day. Once back in Erfurt, dinner will be served at your hotel. (B D)

Friday 12th January

On to Dresden; Sightseeing by Vintage Tram, Historic Funicular and Mountain Monorail

This morning you take a DB Intercity Express (ICE) service from Erfurt to Dresden, where you check in to your 4-star hotel. Here you’ll receive a complimentary public transport rover ticket, valid for the duration of your stay. You embark on a sightseeing tour of the city by privately chartered vintage tram, concluding at the ‘Blue

Wonder’ Loschwitz Bridge. You then ride the ‘dingle-dangle’ mountain monorail from 1901 before taking the adjacent 1895 funicular to the Weisser Hirsch summit terminus. From there a direct tram line takes you back to the city centre. The rest of the afternoon is for leisure in Dresden, before dinner is served at your hotel.

(B D)

Saturday 13th January

Steam to Radeburg with a Saxon VII K locomotive and Leisure in Dresden

After breakfast, you visit the local narrow-gauge railway at Radebeul, where a 2-10-2 Saxon VII K tank locomotive takes you down the 16.5 km long line to Radeburg, pausing at Moritzburg Castle. The train returns to Radebeul by midday, from where you return to Dresden Hbf on a DB service train. You can then explore Dresden at your own pace and make good use of your complimentary public transport rover ticket to ‘bash’ the extensive tram network. (B)

Sunday 14th January

Steam at the at the Weisseritz Valley Railway to Kurort Kipsdorf

Today you have a morning excursion to the recently re-opened narrow-gauge Weisseritz Valley Railway. You’ll be steam-hauled through Saxony’s ‘canyon landscape’ from FreitalHainsberg via Dippoldiswalde to Kurort Kipsdorf, along the river Weisseritz. Enjoy the panoramic views from the open balconies of your vintage carriage. You return to Dresden in the early afternoon, with time to further explore its many attractions. (B)

Monday 15th January

Steam in the Ore Mountains from Cranzahl to Oberwiesenthal

You travel on DB service trains from Dresden to Cranzahl, and board a steam train to travel over the iconic Fichtelbergbahn for the journey to Oberwiesenthal, the ‘St Moritz of Saxony’. After free time in this resort town and photo opportunities with steam trains passing over the railway viaduct by the station, you return from Oberwiesenthal to Cranzahl by steam train in the afternoon and from there continue to Dresden on DB service trains. (B)

Tuesday 16th January

Vintage Tramways in Görlitz

After morning leisure in Dresden, a service train takes you over the scenic line via Bautzen to Görlitz, Germany’s easternmost city, a popular location for major film productions. Görlitz also boasts a pocket-sized tram network and you’ll explore the city on a privately chartered 1920s heritage tram. In the evening, a buffet dinner will be served at your comfortable hotel, located in an historic building near the station. (B D)

Wednesday 17th January

Steam in Zittau

Today you travel from the city of Zittau on the 12.2 km narrow-gauge branch line to the resort town of Kurort Oybin. You’ll receive a day-long rover ticket to explore both lines and film the exciting double departure from Bertsdorf. Impressive 2-10-2 tank engines run every day on the Zittau network and the historic town centre of Zittau is also worth a visit. In late afternoon you return by service train to Görlitz, crossing twice into Poland along the way. Another buffet dinner is served at your hotel tonight. (B D)

Thursday 18th January

Steam at the Muskau Forest Railway and Pückler Park Visit

Today you have an exciting private steam charter on the 600mm gauge Muskau Forest Railway near the Polish frontier. You’ll cover the two different branch lines to Bad Muskau and Kromlau, with run-pasts along the way. At lunch time, there’s time for refreshments in the namesake town of Bad Muskau with its charming local chateau and the famous UNESCO World Heritage Pückler Park. In late afternoon you return from Weisswasser by train to Görlitz (B L D).

Continued overleaf.

Tour Summary

Tour price £2395

Single supplement £325

Ground only £2195

(Erfurt – Rostock)

Price includes:

• First Class High speed train travel from London to Erfurt and from Rostock to London

• 9 dinners and 2 lunches

• 14 nights accommodation with breakfast

• All seat reservations and transfers

• Public rover rail ticket

• 15 Day First Class Global Interrail Pass

• The services of a tour manager

Please note that ground only does not include rail or flight services from the UK and return or any transfers to or from your hotel(s) on the first and last day of your holiday. You will be responsible for arranging these yourself.

All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing.

Meals included each day are shown as:

B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner January 2024

Friday 19th January

Via Berlin to Stralsund on the Baltic Coast

This morning you transfer cross-country to north-eastern Germany on secondary railway lines. From Görlitz you take a regional train to Cottbus, changing onto an electric double-decker for the fast run into Berlin. At Berlin’s main station you can use your validated Interrail ticket travel day on the city’s elevated Stadtbahn or Ring Railway on DB S-Bahn services. Alternately you can sightsee the nearby Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate. In mid-afternoon you continue on a DB Regional Express service to Stralsund, arriving by late afternoon. On arrival at your centrally located hotel a buffet dinner will be served. (B D)

Saturday 20th January

At leisure in historic Stralsund; or individual discovery of the Baltic Coast with a Rail Rover

You relax today in Stralsund, with the option of visiting the nearby university city of Greifswald or using your complimentary rail rover today to travel over the entire standard gauge network on the island of Rügen. Alternately, you can travel to the island of Usedom and cover the branch lines to Peenemünde and Swinoujscie, Poland. Your tour manager will be happy to advise on options. In the evening, a buffet dinner is served at the hotel (B D).

Sunday 21st January

Steam on the Island of Rügen

German Plandampf is centre stage today as you travel by service train to Putbus and then experience the island’s famous narrow-gauge ‘Racing Roland’ railway. The 24 km long line runs via Binz to the seaside terminus Göhren. After lunch you return to Putbus behind a different steam locomotive and continue by regular service train to Stralsund. Dinner is once again served at your hotel. (B L D)

Monday 22nd January

Steam at the Molli Railway along the Baltic Coast

Today you visit the 15.4-kilometre-long resort railway ‘Molli’. Famous for its street running section in Bad Doberan, this 900 mm gauge railway boasts lots of rugged German tank engines. You’ll have reserved seats for the northbound journey to Kühlingsborn on the

Baltic Coast, before returning to Bad Doberan to film the street running there. In the afternoon you continue to nearby Rostock for a final night at a centrally located hotel. (B)

Tuesday 23rd January

Return to London

From the convenient, more westerly location of Rostock, you catch a mid-morning DB Intercity train directly to Cologne. From there it’s high speed rail onward to London St Pancras via Brussels. (B)

Tour Summary

Tour price £2395

Single supplement £325

Ground only £2195

(Erfurt – Rostock)

Price includes:

• First Class High speed train travel from London to Erfurt and from Rostock to London

• 9 dinners and 2 lunches

• 14 nights accommodation with breakfast

• All seat reservations and transfers

• Public rover rail ticket

• 15 Day First Class Global Interrail Pass

• The services of a tour manager

Please note that ground only does not include rail or flight services from the UK and return or any transfers to or from your hotel(s) on the first and last day of your holiday. You will be responsible for arranging these yourself.

All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing.

Meals included each day are shown as:

B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner January 2024