The Hoher Goll mountain in the afternoon at Berchtesgaden
The Hoher Goll mountain in the afternoon at Berchtesgaden, just one of the sights you will see on your private tour
Enjoy this tour of some of Germany’s known and unknown places. The ‘unknown’ places are familiar to us, because we have been living and working in Germany and Europe for a quarter century.
Limited size of just your group of four adults. 
Tour guide: James Derheim, who has been living and working in Germany and Europe since 1989
You are met dockside in Cologne, Germany by 1030 on June 25, 2016
Days 1 and 2: Saturday June 25 and Sunday, June 26
Bacharach and the Rhein and Mosel River Valleys (2)
We’ll start your journey with two nights at a traditional, family-owned and operated hotel where we have stayed with guests of European Focus since 1998. Dennis, who just might be the one who brings your glass of beer or wine to your room, was just about two and a half feet tall when we first got to know him and his smiling face, serving coffee from a pot nearly as big as he was at breakfast time. Now he’s just over six feet, and we think, still growing. (But, still smiling)
You can watch the goings on in the center of town from your balcony.
All around, there are things to see and do including:

• Wine tasting at a private vineyard
• Hiking or walking in the vineyards
• Picnic high above the Rhein with a sweeping view. James knows a special place
• Germany’s best-preserved medieval castle
• The Mosel River Valley, with a different character than the Rhein, worth exploring with a highlight being a visit to Burg Eltz
A cruise on the Rhein River will be included. (Unless you have seen this section already)
Dinner included your first night at the hotel.

Visit your hotel here: http://www.altkoelnischer-hof.de/html/cs_1.html&lang=1

Having a glass of Riesling above the village of Bacharach
Having a glass of Riesling above the village of Bacharach
Day 3: Monday, June 27
Gleiszellen, Germany (1)

 We travel south along the German Wine Road to the hamlet of Gleiszellen for what I used to call "a great restaurant which just happens to have rooms." Now the owner has built on his success and has added an entire new wing of gorgeous rooms, and we stay here the night, giving you opportunity to enjoy some typical and very wonderful dishes and his own varieties of wine. 
Visit the Zum Lam here: 

http://www.zum-lam.de/haus-weinselig.html (Link to the page showing your rooms. The site is not available in English)
Days 4 and 5: Tuesday, June 28 and Wednesday, June 29
Meersburg and Lake Konstanz (2)
One of our favorite historic hotels, “The Bear” was built as a coaching inn back in 1605 but the foundations go back even further.
A long list of innkeepers dating back to the early 17th century is in the entryway. A set of stairs leads to the rooms (there is no elevator) and rooms are large and many have splendid views down into the heart of the town and to the castle beyond.
James doesn’t intend to drag you through castle after castle, but it’s worth noting that the oldest castle in Germany is in Meersburg. It was prominently featured on the old 20 Deutschmark bill, before Germany retired that currency to join the Euro. One of our guests’ favorites, the castle allows visitors to go through the many rooms at their own pace, without a guide.
Things to do in this area include wine tasting at a small vineyard, exploring nearby Friedrichshafen and its interesting Zeppelin Museum and an excursion to Mainau Island, Germany's best garden! 
Since Meersburg is so tiny, it is easy to get to know the layout of the town and to easily fit in as a local. A day tripper’s town, once the sun starts to go down, those day trippers get back on their buses or their boats and the town feels like a village again.

Visit the historic Zum Baeren here: http://www.baeren-meersburg.de/neu/
Click on "Zimmer," I have reserved rooms 13 and 23 for you. 
Day 6: Thursday, June 30
Austrian Alps, Southern Tyrol and Innsbruck (1)
We travel through the scenic Austrian Alps, heading for a stay in an historic hotel in the center of Innsbruck. (This represents a change from the prior plan posted to our web site. We have decided to stay from now on in this historic hotel in Innsbruck mainly because it has air-conditioning, and the summer of 2015 was beastly hot in this region for many weeks)
We split the drive with a stop to take in one of Austria’s most magnificent waterfalls. Located deep in a stunning alpine valley, this waterfall makes for an exhilarating way to burn off some calories before the next enjoyable meal. OR for the adventurous, we can send you on a white water rafting trip! This is not for the faint of heart. This is a category 4 set of rapids and you really need to be in top physical shape to handle the ride. And, the water is coooooolllllld. However, it is an option for you if you want to have this kind of thrill. 

Later, on to our inn. This has been a hotel for more than 700 years! You will love the charm of the rooms and the lovely old city center of Innsbruck, home to some pretty fantastic food and also, gelato!

We are staying here: 
http://www.goldeneradler.com/en/
Days 7 and 8: Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2Berchtesgaden (2)
Alpine Stop
Hopefully you’re not tired of amazing mountain vistas, deep valleys and quaint villages, because today our drive to the far southeastern corner of Germany will be full of such sights. We’re heading for a vacation within your vacation, with two nights in one of the prettiest corners of Germany that we know. 
Berchtesgaden and area staying here: http://www.alpenhotel-bergzauber.de
So much to see and do in this area. Depending on your activity level, there is:
• Hiking both challenging and easy
• Walks in the woods or in the meadows surrounding the hotel
• Poking around charming Berchtesgaden
• Nearby Salzburg, Austria – one of the prettiest small cities in Austria and birthplace of Mozart. (Worth nearly and entire day) 
European Focus founder and guide James Derheim at the Eagle's Nest, Berchtesgaden, Germany
European Focus founder and guide James Derheim at the Eagle’s Nest, Berchtesgaden, Germany
Day 9: Sunday, July 3
Regensburg (1)
We take the rural highways up through Bavaria, zigzagging our way to the former Roman military camp of “Castra Regina,” founded during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. A huge gate from the former Roman town has been integrated into our favorite hotel, another 4* Superior property with a lovely beer garden in a courtyard where the Bishop of Regensburg once held court. The massive Gothic cathedral, one of Germany’s finest, is right next door.
Regensburg is a wonderful example of what a large town would have looked like in the medieval period. Since the city was spared in WWII, it has retained its ancient character. Those narrow lanes are now filled with interesting shops. Best of all, down by the river there is a tiny kitchen which has been making sausages since (no kidding) the 1300s. The place was built to feed the workers constructing a stone bridge over the Donau (Danube) River. We can go there and munch of those delicious sausages and sample some of Germany’s best, sweetest sauerkraut while gazing at this 700-year-old bridge.

We are staying here: www.hotel-bischofshof.de
Also right around the corner from our hotel, possibly the best gelato north of the Italian border. (Can you tell your guide likes ice cream?)
Regensburg is a wonderful place to wander, and plenty of time for that has been built into the plan.
Yum and Prosit! Sausages, kraut and beer riverside in Regensburg
                                                            Yum and Prosit! Sausages, kraut and beer riverside
                                                                                               in Regensburg
Day 10: Monday, July 4
Rothenburg ob der Tauber (1)
With a stop in Nurnberg , James shows you where the Nazis under Hitler had their huge rallies in the 1930s to drum up support for their takeover of the government. It can be a powerful experience to see these places now, crumbling and overgrown.
We then continue on for Germany’s best-preserved medieval town, Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
A trip to Germany doesn’t seem complete without a visit to Rothenburg. This has been our European home base since 2000 and we have an apartment in the old town center.
James knows Rothenburg like a local, because he has been one for so long. 
Highlights are a walk on the ramparts, a visit to Rothenburg’s amazing museum of torture and enjoying the atmosphere of this town dropped right out of the middle ages. 

Here is where you will stay - a favorite of our guests for many years

 Days 11 and 12: Tuesday, July 5 and Wednesday, July 6
Hirschhorn, Germany and area (2 nights)
You stay your final two nights of your private tour in Europe in a castle. This 16th century residence, with battlements and towers much older, was restored and turned into a hotel and restaurant decades ago. It was recently fully modernized and is now under new ownership. The castle has been a favorite of our guests since 2000.
The castle is not overly fancy, just comfortable, with large rooms looking down on the Neckar River and a lock, where you can watch barges pass through.
You may choose to have dinner tonight  in the hotel’s excellent restaurant or weather permitting, out on the terrace with the terrific view. (See photo below)
The next night, James recommends a little hole in the wall typical pub and Gasthaus down in the village. 

 Here is the hotel web site: http://www.schlosshotel-hirschhorn.de/english/default.html
The view from our castle hotel over the Neckar River
The view from our castle hotel over the Neckar River
A Crazy Count’s Castle
Definitely not on the American tourist’s agenda, this castle (now a museum owned by the state) was the collection point for an eccentric count’s collections of Roman and Green antiquities. The armory is one of the largest in private hands in Germany. And, you have to see the antlers collection to believe it. All in all, a very unique experience and the town where the castle stands, Erbach, is one of the prettiest off the beaten track places in the heart of Germany that we know.
Awesome views and the time to enjoy them. Not a rushed bus tour!
Awesome views and the time to enjoy them. Not a rushed bus tour with crazy get up times and a “If it’s Tuesday this must be Belgium’ itinerary!

Day 13: Thursday, July 7
Day of Departure 
Departure from Frankfurt International Airport.
Your Private Tour in Germany and Austria
Includes:
• • Breakfast (at hotel) lunches and two of your dinners. (First night and then another night during your trip, guide's discretion) We find that most people – after a buffet breakfast and a satisfying lunch, are really not that hungry for another “full meal” in the evening. Therefore, we don’t list “all dinners included” because then people feel compelled to eat those three squares per day. You will be fed well enough, guaranteed. When dinner tab is being picked up as part of your tour, you are welcome to have two alcoholic drinks per person. Beer or wine included up to two glasses per person per meal lunch or dinner. Bottles of wine are not included unless your guide purchases them.
Also included: Sight seeing entry fees to include the castle of Burg Eltz, a Rhein Cruise, at Erbach, the castle at Meersburg, the botanical gardens at Meersburg, the famous Hitler hideaway "Eagles Nest" at Berchtesgaden plus a WWII era bunker complex, Salzburg, Austria sight seeing, the church in Rothenburg ob der Tauber with tour by James. Many other sites are free. 
• Spacious double occupancy rooms, all with private bath/shower.
• Transportation by full-sized van

 incidentals, tolls, fuel, sightseeing entry fees for those attractions listed on your itinerary, tips or payments to local guides, etc.
Not included: Airfare