Day 1

You should arrive at the airport to take your flight to Berlin. On arrival a coach takes us to the four-star Hotel Excelsior, centrally situated, a few minutes walk from the Kurfurstendamm, one of the city’s best avenues for shopping and restaurants, and near an underground railway station, enabling you to explore the city with ease. We feel it is worth mentioning our hotel is in the former Western part of the city, where the infrastructure is still superior to that of the East.

Day 2

Much is changing in Berlin, and much has yet to change, which makes today such an interesting time to visit. There has been a settlement here since the Middle Ages, but as Germany has only existed as a great power since 1871, the city was only the capital from then until 1948 before recapturing its status in 1991. It is its recent history for which Berlin is best known today, so after breakfast we will have a guided tour of this fantastically interesting place. We will see the old heart of the city, Unter den Linden, the beautiful green area of the Tiergarten, the cathedral, the University once numbering Albert Einstein amongst its professors. You will also see the new seat of Government, the Reichstag, covered by an immense glass dome designed by Sir Norman Foster, and of course, the very symbols of Berlin, the Brandenberg Gate and what remains of the Berlin Wall, now ironically protected as an historic monument! Checkpoint Charlie, so very nearly the flashpoint of an unthinkable Third World War, has been reinstated near the very moving museum dedicated to the history of the wall itself. After the tour you are free to explore Berlin’s attractions as you wish.

It would be very wrong to think the city is all about war and politics, as it is one of the most vibrant cities you will ever visit, with an atmosphere and optimism to match. You can visit one of the parks to see Berliners at play: indeed over one third of the city is green. Or perhaps, go for a drink in one of Berlin’s famous bars. Whilst the food is also excellent, Germany is still a beer drinkers paradise, possessing over five hundred breweries, and Berlin has its fair share so you should be able to find one to suit you.

Day 3

Just outside the city lies Potsdam and the palaces of the most famous Prussian monarch, Frederick the Great, including the famous Palace of Sanssouci. Trapped in a loveless marriage, and with little liking for Berlin, he wanted somewhere to live ‘without care’, hence the name ‘sans souci’ in French - the international language of the day. Frederick was also greatly inspired by the splendour of Versailles. This wonderful palace now rises from the park and crowns a series of ascending terraces affording a panoramic view of the spectacular 740 acre park below. It’s an amazing 18th century creation marrying together landscape and architecture in a remarkable manner, and is the finest such example in Germany. The rooms, some created from coloured marble and decorated with exotic woods, are sumptuously furnished with fine art, sculptures, exquisite furniture and porcelain. Throughout the grounds there are a series of pavilions, some wonderful creations fashioned from glass and wrought iron, interspaced by numerous fountains. We have a guided tour of one of the palaces and time to explore the park before returning to Berlin during the afternoon to sightsee as you wish.  

Day 4

Today at the appropriate time a coach will return us to the airport for our return flight.