Tours Characteristics

Similarities, Differences, Features

The Bavarian Castles Tour  (King Ludwig II's Castles and the Bavarian Lakes) is the most popular tour, and usually the one which repeat participants took first.  It features inside visits at Germany's most famous tourist attractions, lots of castles and palaces, and a wide variety of other features in beautiful Bavaria ranging from medieval towns to a cable car ride to the top of Mount Zugspitze.  The castles are mostly much newer than on the other tours, are generally glitzier and in better shape, but less historically significant.  Efficient accommodation arrangements allow this to be the least expensive tour.   Characteristics detail below

The Christmas Markets Tour ( King Ludwig II's Castles and the Bavarian Christmas Markets) is an early-December Christmas version of the Bavarian Castles itinerary.  The same visits to Ludwig's castles are included, but a visit to Innsbruck in Austria and time to explore the Christmas markets there and in Munich, Oberammergau, Bad Tolz*, Fussen* and Kempten replace the excursions to Zugspitze and Lake Constance.   Characteristics detail below

*  If your are puzzled by our spellings, please see the insiders' note on Spelling below.

The River Castles Tour  (The German Rivers Rhine, Moselle, Neckar and Main and their Castles) is the most focused on castles, and features the oldest ones (and some very old ruins).  The vineyards of the Rhine and Moselle valleys are the scenic backdrop, and cruising on the Rhine is the unique transportation experience on this tour.  Most travelers on this tour developed an interest in castles and an appreciation for Astrid's approach to touring on the Bavarian tour.   Characteristics detail below

Kids and Castles Tour (The Best of German Castles and Towns) is the one tour designed specifically for families with children.  It combines the castle highlights of the Bavarian and Rivers Castles Tours and adds a few features specifically for kids.  The tour begins in the Rhine Gorge and includes four castle highlights from the Rivers Tour in that region.  As the tour moves south it stops at a zoo and at Legoland Germany before reaching Neuschwanstein, Germany's most famous castle.  The return to Frankfurt is via the medieval walled town of Rothenburg.   Characteristics detail below

The Imperial Castles Tour  (Castles of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic) focuses more on elegant palaces than on the types of fortified castles along the Rhine.  This somewhat longer tour visits more of the grand and internationally-famous sites in the capitals, and fewer of the out-of-the-way and local features of the other tours.  Both Prague Castle and Schonbrunn Palace are amazingly huge complexes incorporating a wide variety of features.   Characteristics detail below

The French Castles Tour (Paris and the Loire Valley) is one of only two tours not based in or including Germany.  French culture is the defining difference here.  There are some fortified castles on this tour, but they are far outnumbered by the elegant chateaux of the Loire Valley.  The tour begins in Paris and visits both palaces and other must-see Paris landmarks, but then moves to a home base in Amboise Valley for more leisurely daily excursions to the stunning array of royal residences and grand chateaux of the Loire Valley.   Characteristics detail below

The Italian Highlights Tour (Rome, Florence and Venice) is less oriented towards castles than the other tours, though it does visit its share of palaces.  This is a more conventional tour that takes in the major attractions in central and northern Italy from bases in Rome, Florence and Venice, and features excursions to famous locations such as Pisa, Siena, Assisi and Verona.  This tour was re-designed for 2010 to respond to client requests for an Astrid Baur approach to sightseeing in Italy.   Characteristics detail below

Bavarian Castles Tour

The centerpieces of this tour, Ludwig's castles Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee, are relatively new as castles go.  All were built in the period from 1869 to 1876, and used the most modern construction practices and technologies of the time to achieve fantastical effects.  Steam engines and electricity, modern venting, and heating pipes are all included in the structures.

Photography is not permitted inside Ludwig's castles, but photo books and media are available in the gift shops and at souvenir stands.

Travel to and from the castles and other highlights in remote locations takes visitors through the beautiful and relentlessly green Bavarian countryside.  It seems as though the cattle are all contented, everything was re-painted yesterday, and nothing remains in need of repair.

The home base for this tour, the Landhaus in Hopfen am See, is warm and comfortable and conveniently located close to many tour sites.  But it is away from urban areas in a country setting with an unmistakable Bavarian flair.  This consistent home base also allows itinerary days to be re-sequenced if necessary to minimize the impact of bad weather.

Although the emphasis is on visiting castles and notable attractions, the periods of time on your own are sufficient for serious shoppers to bag lots of souvenirs and trophies.  On many tours the value of cuckoo clocks shipped home exceeds the value of all other purchases combined.  But many travelers are happy to return home with a few photos and their memories of a good time in a magical place.   Tour Page

Christmas Markets Tour

The visits to Ludwig's castles and most of the logistical arrangements for this tour are the same as for the Bavarian Castles Tour, but the Christmas season makes significant differences.

Christmas is a major festival in Germany, the land that originated the Yuletide tradition of the Christmas tree (Tannenbaum). Santa Claus also had his origins there.  When Germany was being Christianized in the early Middle Ages, St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop of Asia Minor, became popular there.  St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children and his feast day is December 6th.

We think of Germany's Christmas markets as offering special shopping opportunities, but their appeal is much broader than that, and they are fun even for those who are shopping-averse.  Food and drink play a major role in German Christmas celebrations, and in the Christmas markets one can enjoy all types of delicious Christmas edibles and beverages.  Christmas goodies, from Lebkuchen (gingerbread) to Weihnachts Stollen (fruit bread) are plentiful.  And the aroma of Glühwein ("glow wine"), a hot mulled wine that is drunk by adults and older children alike, fills the air.   Tour Page

River Castles Tour

The Rhine River stretches 1,320 km (820 miles) through Europe and has been used for centuries for commercial transportation.  A 65 km (40 mile) portion of the "upper middle" Rhine stretching from Rudesheim to Koblenz in Germany was declared a World Heritage Region by UNESCO in 2002.  20 towns and villages and 30 castles, toll houses, or their ruins line the banks of the river in this region. 

This tour is rich in history.  It finds remnants of the Roman occupation at the time of Christ in Cologne and Trier.  The castles along the Rhine date from the 11th century, with most of them (or the original castle where its replacements or the ruins of its replacements now stand) completed by the 14th century.  Travelers tour inside the Marksburg, the only medieval castle on the Middle Rhine that was never destroyed.  It dates from about 1117.  In the hills above above the Moselle, guests tour Burg Eltz, first mentioned in historical documents in 1157.  Much of the strife that involved the castles and fortresses of the region occurred between the 1600s and the 1800s.  Two sites of historical significance in the 20th century are the Fortress Ehrenbreitstein at Koblenz and the remnants of the bridge of Remagen.

The Romans brought wine to the region, cultivation of vineyards began in the 6th century, and the vineyards of the Rhine and Moselle enhance the already striking beauty of the region.  Cruising the Rhine on the deck of a modern river boat, counting the castles going by on the hilltops above gets this tour off to a great start.  Visits to the remarkably preserved medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and the grandeur of the Residenz at Wurzburg end the tour with beauty and grace.   Tour Page

Kids and Castles Tour

This tour was specifically designed for families with children, and follows successfully including children on the River Castles Tour.

Part of the credit for the addition of this tour goes to a reader of The Washington Post and Scott Vogel, a Post travel writer.  Linda Giammattei wrote to the Post asking which German castles would be most interesting for her 14-year-old grandson to visit. Scott Vogel sought out Astrid Baur's advice, and his resulting column is reproduced on a separate web page here, Washington Post: Germany, Castle by Castle.  The castles recommended by Astrid at that time make up the core of this new tour.

The Kids and Castles Tour borrows heavily from the first two Castles tours offered – the Bavarian Castles Tour in southern Bavaria, and the River Castles Tour along the Rhine and its tributaries west and south of Frankfurt. 

The castles selected for this tour are Germany's best: Neuschwanstein, Marksburg, Burg Eltz, Heidelberg, and Rheinfels.

Other tour features of equal interest to young and old include visits to the towns of Rudesheim and Koblenz on the Rhine and to the amazingly well-preserved medieval town of Rothenburg on the Tauber.

Features unique to this tour are visits to the Wilhelma Zoo (or the Mercedes Museum) in Stuttgart, the Legoland Germany fun park at Gunzburg, and a cable car ride up to the top of Mount Tegelberg near Fussen.   Tour Page

Imperial Castles Tour

The Imperial Castles Tour responds to the interest in touring castles and palaces developed by the Bavarian and Rivers Tours in Germany.  This tour strikes out to see what competing regimes constructed in nearby countries, and finds both cultural and architectural diversity.

This tour features a mix of castles, palaces, medieval towns, and state buildings, mostly from the second millennium A.D., many of them listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Fortress Hohensalzburg began life, as did many European castles, as a Bishop's stronghold.  Cesky Krumlov dates from the 13th century and is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the world.  Its neighbour, the Chateau Hluboka nad Vlatavou, was reconstructed in the 19th century to become perhaps the most perfect jewel on the tour.

Prague "Castle" is really a massive urban complex of castles, churches, and legislative and cultural buildings – a city within a city, with enough features to become a tour all by itself. 

Schonbrunn in Vienna is perhaps the most obvious example on this tour of the many responses across Europe to Louis XIV's creation of the Palace of Versailles.  The Palace, the Gloriette on a hilltop, and the various buildings and 320 acres of gardens and fountains were all of exquisite design and have been carefully maintained.   Tour Page

French Castles Tour

This tour is designed to appeal to both first-time visitors to France and to those with a more focused interest in the grandeur and elegance of the Renaissance palaces, chateaux, and castles erected along the Loire River and its tributaries.

Sightseeing in and near Paris features the most important palaces, Versailles and Fontainebleau, but also includes Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and a cruise on the Seine.

After two nights in Paris to visit the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and Fontainebleau the tour moves south to Château de Razay at Céré la Ronde in the heart of the Loire Valley.  The most elegant chateaux are all clustered nearby, so daily excursions can be leisurely and relaxing.

Versailles is the largest palace on this tour (or any other), but opinions vary on which is the most beautiful.  Some prefer Chenonceau. You can decide for yourself.  The major contenders for Most Elegant Palace or Chateau visited on this tour are (in alphabetical order): Amboise, Blois, Chambord, Chenonceau, Cheverny, Fontainebleau, Versailles, and Villandry.

On the last full day the tour returns to Paris for a cruise on the Seine, a visit to Notre Dame, and a farewell dinner.   Tour Page

Italian Highlights Tour

There are palaces and monumental landmarks on this tour, but much of the emphasis is on the ambience and colours of the Italian cities and of the tiny medieval hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria.  The tour begins in Rome to visit the compelling marvels of St. Peter's Square and Basilica and the Colosseum, Rome's "colossal" landmark from 1,920 years ago.

A country excursion from Rome goes to Tivoli to visit Villa d'Este and its gardens, to Frascati with its splendid villas, and to the lovely lake town of Castel Gandolfo.

The tour then moves north through the Umbrian hill towns of Perugia and Assisi and then on to Florence, in the heart of Tuscany.  A full day is devoted to exploring Florence itself, with a guided tour and visits to its most famous features – Michelangelo's David, Brunelleschi's Duomo, Giotto's bell tower, the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Piazza della Signoria.  There's time on your own here for relaxing or shopping.

The day-trip excursion from Florence is to Pisa (predictably), and to the Tuscan hill towns of Siena and San Gimignano.  The hill town visits are relaxed and informal.  There's time to walk the narrow streets, wonder at the ancient walls and fortifications, take in the stunning views of the surrounding countryside, relax, and sample the local cuisine and wines.

The final phase of this features Venice highlights – St. Mark's Square, the Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Bell Tower, and a gondola ride on the Grand Canal.  But there is also a side trip to Murano, famous for its glassmaking, and there's a separate day trip to Verona.    Tour Page