Bohemian landscapes & castles

There’s excellent value on this journey east into the famous kingdom of Bohemia, where, in a deep wooded valley, you’ll stay in the stunning fin de siècle spa town of Mariánské Láznê, complete with fountains, baroque castle and a rare, timeless elegance.

Itinerary

Day 1 early morning coach pick-ups and ferry crossings to Calais, continuing through Belgium and the German region of Thuringia, famous for the meetings between West German Chancellor Willy Brandt and East German Premier Willi Stoph, and arriving for one night in the pretty town of Arnstadt, idyllically situated on the Gera River and known as ‘the gateway to the Thuringian forest’.

Day 2 After breakfast, continue east for free time in Jena, a classic riverside city surrounded by red sandstone and white chalk hills. Jena’s charming market square boasts a wonderful old gothic church, behind which is the parish church of St. Michael, home to the original bronze tombstone of Martin Luther, the man behind the Reformation. We continue to the Czech border and on to the wonderful town of Mariánské Láznê for three nights.

Day 3 Awake to the subalpine freshness of Mariánské Láznê (German: Marienbad). Admire the colonnades, casino, old dance hall, the famous ‘Singing Fountain’, which performs to classical music several times daily, or head to pedestrianised Hlavní Trida for the town’s celebrated chocolate-filled wafers. This afternoon you’ll visit Castle Kynzvart, rebuilt into an Empire Château by the Austrian Chancellor Metternich. The hugely influential Metternich is responsible for ridding Austria of Napoleon and for the delicious layered chocolate cake known as Sachertorte.

Day 4 Included trip to Pilsen, located at the confluence of the rivers Radbuza, Mže, Úhlava and Úslava, and a town synonymous with beers, cars and American GIs. Each May, Pilsen holds a festival to commemorate its liberation from Nazi control by General Patton’s rd Army at the end of WW2, and its also the birthplace of Skoda, a marque once the target of bad car jokes but now a success story due to its involvement with the German car manufacturer Volkswagen.

There’s beer and then there’s the golden Pilsner Urquell, much imitated but never bettered, as you’ll discover with an included tour around the world’s oldest brewery museum, where you’ll learn about the brewing process, taste beer from the wooden barrels and experience the atmosphere of the 19 0s in the brewery’s own pub.

Day 5 A day free to explore Mariánské Láznê. The town’s Golden Era came between 1870 and 191 , after renowned architects transformed Mariánské Láznê into a park-like paradise, with colonnades, neoclassical buildings and pavilions around the springs. Famous visitors such as Goethe, Chopin, Edison, Twain, Freud and Wagner added to the influx of 20,000 visitors every year, and the town remained a desirable destination up until the communist coup-d’état in 19 8.

When democracy returned to Mariánské Láznê, after the country’s peaceful ‘Velvet Revolution’ in 1989, great effort was made to return the town to its original glory. These efforts have certainly paid off, as Mariánské Láznê is once again an elegant spa town nested amidst the green hills of Slavkovsky les (the Imperial Forest) and Cesky les (the Bohemian Forest), with many enthralling attractions.

Alternatively, join an optional excursion to the jewel in the crown of Bohemian spas, Karlovy Vary.

Day 6 Travel east through the gentle Bavarian countryside to the royal city of Nürnberg. Visit its historic inner city, still guarded by its medieval Stadtbefestigung (city walls) with 80 intact towers. Walk through one of four massive gateways to discover a medieval market, the glorious ‘Beautiful Fountain’, the charming ‘Lady Church’, and the Tiergärtner Tor, with its higgledy-piggledy half-timbered houses, fine taverns and restaurants serving the famous Nürnberger sausage. Also look out for the kind of fresh Nuremberg gingerbread which is sold with honey and packed in a container that looks like a half-timbered 18th century medieval building. In the afternoon, it’s on to Hemsbach in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district of Baden-Württemberg for one night.

Day 7 After breakfast, we continue north past Strasbourg through France in time to join the return Channel crossing to the UK, from where you’ll be returned to your original departure point.

Please note Passengers from the north of England or Scotland will take the overnight ferry crossing, departing the day before and returning to their original departure point a day later.

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Bohemian landscapes & castles

Tour Code CCB