Authentic Germany

Welcome to your tour with Rayna Tours!

We’ll travel to Lower Saxony and visit Wolfsburg, a city founded in 1938 as a planned settlement for the workers of the Volkswagen factory during the Nazi era. The entire city revolves around the German automobile giant. We’ll include admission to Autostadt, the city of automobiles, featuring gardens and exhibitions. You’ll have time for a walk and lunch. We’ll then continue to Celle, where you can stroll through its old town, known for its half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as its imposing Renaissance castle. We’ll arrive in Hannover in the mid-afternoon, where you can explore the capital of Lower Saxony, an important economic, cultural, and scientific hub in the country. Its architecture blends historic and modern buildings, along with extensive parks. Accommodation will be here. 

After breakfast, we travel to the RAMMELSBERG MINES, a historic silver mining center near Goslar that was exploited since the Middle Ages and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Entrance to the museum, which tells the story of this mine, is included. We then continue on to GOSLAR, with its magnificent medieval old town, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and the majestic Church of St. Peter.

Our journey continues to GÖTTINGEN, an important university and scientific center where the Brothers Grimm once lived. We will have time for lunch and a stroll through its historic old town. In the afternoon, we head toward Thuringia, stopping in BAD SOODEN, a small and picturesque spa town nestled among mountains and beautifully preserved. Afterwards, we continue to EISENACH, a city with a splendid Baroque and Renaissance old town, home to the Bach House and Luther House. Dinner included. 

We’ll start the day with a visit to the impressive Wartburg Castle (tickets included), a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German. Perched high above the town of Eisenach, this fortress offers not only a journey through German history, but also breathtaking views of the surrounding landscapes.

After the visit, we’ll return to Eisenach, where you’ll have free time for lunch and to explore at your own pace. If you’re passionate about music, you might want to visit the Bach House, the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. Alternatively, you can explore the Automobile Museum, located in the former main factory of East Germany’s car industry, home to an impressive collection of vintage vehicles.

Our journey will continue to Gotha, where we’ll admire its majestic Baroque palace (exterior visit) and stroll through its charming historic center.

We’ll then travel to Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia, a lively city known for its grand cathedral and beautifully preserved medieval old town. One of its highlights is a picturesque bridge lined with houses, continuously inhabited for more than 500 years.

By late afternoon, we’ll arrive in Leipzig, one of Germany’s most culturally and historically rich cities. This vibrant metropolis was home to renowned composers such as Bach and Wagner, played a major industrial role during the era of the GDR, and today thrives with a population of over half a million. 

Today’s journey will be full of surprises. From Kelheim, we’ll board a boat for a short cruise along the Danube valley, passing through the Danube Gorge. Our first stop will be Kloster Weltenburg, a beautiful Benedictine monastery founded in 1040. Next, we’ll visit Dachau, where we’ll tour the Nazi concentration camp museum. After having lunch, we’ll continue to Munich, where we’ll visit the impressive BMW Welt, a modern multifunctional exhibition facility of the prestigious German vehicle brand BMW Group. We’ll also see the park that houses the Olympiastadion, an architectural marvel where the 1972 Olympic Games were held. After this, you’ll have free time in the historic center. You can stroll through Marienplatz, the heart of Munich, visit the picturesque Viktualienmarkt open-air market, relax in the Englischer Garten, or enjoy the traditional beer houses.

Note: In winter or when Danube’s water level is too low, the cruise will not operate. In this case, this section of the circuit will be adapted so we can stop to visit Landshut. Kloster Wetelbug will also be closed in winter, but you will still be able to see it from the outside.