German & Czech WWII Route

Itinerary

1. Day 1 Arrival in Berlin

   A vibrant cosmopolitan city that’s rich in history and contemporary culture, Berlin is constantly evolving. From the ruins of World War II to the Cold War division of the Berlin wall, Berlin has always managed to rebuild. Germany's largest city, this sprawling (by European standards) metropolis has excellent public transportation, from subways to an official rowboat ferry. You’ll find a little of everything here, from history to high gastronomy, art museums to palaces, and plenty of lively bars and nightclubs. The nightlife here is world-class, but there’s more than enough to see during the day. Berlin is made up of distinctive neighborhoods, each with a different character. We recommend several ways of exploring the city, from a Cold War walking tour to a bike tour to see all the must-see sights in a simple and easy way. An exploration of the long and volatile history of Jewish culture in the city is eye-opening as Jewish life in Berlin has been meticulously documented. Many of the city’s art and culture museums offer unforgettable glimpses into history. Potsdam offers the perfect diversion for an afternoon, and Sanssouci Palace, with its well-tended gardens, is a beautiful reminder of the city’s impressive past. The past comes alive in Berlin, but the present is very much alive as well.

   Welcome to Berlin! You will be met at the Berlin Brandenburg airport and have transport arranged to your centrally located accommodation.

   

   See the City From Above at Alexanderplatz

   One of the liveliest places in Berlin, Alexanderplatz is East Berlin's unofficial main square, with cinemas, restaurants, shops and many other places of interest close by. The EU's second tallest structure, the Berlin TV Tower, has been Berlin's dominant landmark for decades. The express elevator will get you to the observation deck with panoramic views high above the city. You can see and plan your next move at some of the city’s well-known sights, from the Reichstag Parliament building and Brandenburg Gate to the Olympic Stadium or former Tempelhof airport, all while enjoying a meal in the revolving restaurant.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

2. Day 2 Your First Full Day in Berlin

   

   Third Reich Group Walking Tour

   Explore sites connected to Berlin's darkest period, learning about the rise and fall of the Third Reich. An expert local guide will point out reminders of the final Soviet attack on the city's core, including the fighting for the Reichstag. You will then visit the site where Hitler's bunker was once located, and many other places connected to the Nazi regime and its horrors, learning about the lives of the city's people, those who aided and resisted the regime, as you go.

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 3 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   Berlin's Underworlds

   Berlin's history stretches out far underground, as many escape tunnels, bunkers, and shelters snake below the city. "Berliner Unterwelten" researches and preserves these monuments, offering tours to help fund its efforts. While most of their tours are in German, they offer several excellent tours in English. Some of these tours are only available on certain days, so ask your JayWay representative for details.
   

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 1 hour 30 minutes

   Please ask your travel advisor for the cost to add this to your package

3. Day 3 Your Second Full Day in Berlin

   

   Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Site Group Tour

   After meeting your guide at the Friedrichstrasse train station, beside the "Palace of Tears," you'll take a train to the nearby town of Oranienburg, then walk to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, a mile away. You’ll learn about notable prisoners, such as Stalin’s son, British commandos executed as spies, and homosexuals forced to test military equipment and break in boots through endless marches. The tour will also cover what happened once the Red Army arrived and the camp was turned over to its new owner, the precursor to the KGB.

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 6 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   The Rooms Where it Happened

   Outside the heart of Berlin lie three pivotal sites where critical decisions shaped Europe's destiny. The House of the Wannsee Conference stands as a poignant tribute to the Holocaust. In 1942, key Nazis convened there to deliberate the "Final Solution" to the "Jewish Question." Berlin is also host to the German-Russian Museum, initially known as the "Museum of the Unconditional Capitulation of Fascist Germany in the Great Fatherland War." Additionally, just a brief stroll from Berlin's border, heading into Potsdam, Cecilienhof Palace awaits exploration. This exquisite palace witnessed the historic Potsdam Conference in July 1945, where Churchill, Truman, and Stalin convened to determine the postwar fate of Europe.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

4. Day 4 Traveling to Dresden by Train / Arrival in Dresden

   

   Discover a very different German city - Dresden. Regular train connections between Berlin and Dresden mean you can choose your departure time and the journey takes around two hours. Your hotel reception will be able to arrange a taxi for you to Berlin's Hauptbahnhof station, which is much cheaper than a transfer service, so we haven’t included that in your package. However, a transfer can be arranged upon request. Once on the train, all you need to do is unwind and watch the German countryside speeding by. Your package includes second class tickets with seat reservations, upgrades to first are available for an additional fee.

   

   You can upgrade your transfer

   Dresden by Private Transfer with a Moritzburg Palace Stop

   Upgrade for an additional cost

   Dresden has had one of the most volatile histories of any city in Europe, being almost totally reduced to rubble in World War II. The city today is a unique combination of remembered and honored history and a vibrant, entertaining present. There are several historical buildings throughout the city that attest to the destruction here, but Dresden has rejuvenated itself since World War II, and today is one of Germany’s most tourist-friendly cities, with an enchanting energy and entertainment all year round. Famous for its Christmas markets, Dresden also has plenty to offer in the warmer months, from museums and memorials, to intriguing new architecture, pleasant parks, and nearby destinations for day trips. History comes alive everywhere you look in Dresden, and we highly recommend taking a closer look at the city’s museums and the traces of the past in the architecture. The city also has a rich cultural program, with numerous galleries and concert taking place quite regularly. You can certainly sample hearty German cuisine here, as well as more modern Continental flavours. You’ll love exploring this lovely city and the surrounding region.

   When you arrive at Dresden Hauptbahnhof you will easily find the station’s taxi rank signposted. We haven’t included a transfer here because in our experience meet & greet transfer services in Dresden are very overpriced, unreliable and the driver can be hard to locate in the station. Dresden's taxis are honest, reasonably priced and you’ll have no problem finding one at the station’s taxi rank, so you’ll save both time and money by taking one to your centrally located accommodation.

   Dresden 1945

   Dresden's 1945 firebombing remains an infamous act, thanks in part to Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse 5." While the city center has been largely rebuilt over the past few decades, the city's appearance during its 1765 zenith, and 1945 nadir, are both clear at the Panometer, a former gasometer transformed into two stunning panoramas. The Bundeswehr Military History Museum is another place worth visiting if you're interested in military history. This museum covers the history of German armed forces beginning with the late medieval period.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

5. Day 5 Traveling to Prague by Train / Arrival in Prague

   

   The Third Reich in Dresden Private Walking Tour

   This tour will take you on a memorable journey into Dresden's nadir, and the propaganda and promises that helped people accept and take part in the Nazi regime. Explore the myth and human motivations that shaped this dark period of world history while taking a guided walk through Dresden's historic center, which was destroyed during World War II but has since largely risen from the ashes.

   • Activity Level : Moderate
   • Duration : 2 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   You're headed south to the capital of the Czech Republic, magical Prague. Your hotel reception will be able to arrange a taxi for you, much more economically than a transfer service, so we haven’t included that in your package but can do should you wish. From there you will take a train to Prague. Your package includes 2nd class tickets with seat reservations. 1st class tickets can be arranged for an additional fee. The journey takes around 2 hours 15 minutes.

   

   You can upgrade your transfer

   Prague by Private Transfer with a Stop in the Bohemian Switzerland

   Upgrade for an additional cost

   “The Golden City,” “The City of 100 Spires,” “The Mother of Cities,” Prague has no shortage of nicknames paying homage to its charm and beauty. Prague’s winding cobblestone streets, gorgeous architecture and atmospheric bridges are fabled. Get up early and stroll across the statue-lined Charles Bridge. Soak it from the magnificent Old Town Square with its 600-year old astronomical clock. From exploring history and modern culture on foot, to traveling farther afield to take in the picturesque countryside and fairytale villages, you’ll have an itinerary full of adventure and relaxation. Besides the city’s history, evident on every street, especially in the beautifully preserved former Jewish Quarter, you can delve into the city’s gastronomy. You can literally dive into some of Europe’s best beers by visiting a beer spa, or explore its beloved breweries with walking tours, or enjoy a dinner cruise. Day-trip destinations include scenic castles, the perfect spa town, and Kutna Hora with its “bone church” and gothic cathedral. Prague is a city of history that comes to life for every visitor, no matter their interests.

   When you arrive at Prague's train station, we will have a driver there to meet you and take you to your accommodation.

   

   Jewish Prague Private Walking Tour

   Explore Prague's Jewish heritage on a walking tour with a private guide. During the tour you'll wander the streets of Prague's former Jewish ghetto, hear about the prominent members of Prague's Jewish community and see all synagogues that are part of the unique Prague Jewish Museum complex. The tour includes entry to most of the sites of the museum, such as the Old New Synagogue, the Moorish-styled Spanish Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery. If you are interested in Jewish culture that shaped Czech history, this private tour is your best choice.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 3 hours

   Please ask your travel advisor for the cost to add this to your package

6. Day 6 Your First Full Day in Prague

   

   World War II Group Tour

   Revisit the battlegrounds of the Old Town, and witness the power of Nazi propaganda. You'll explore the last hideout of Prague's resistance, within the Old Town's underground tunnels, and see previously hidden documentary evidence of the resistance's courageous actions. You'll meet the few brave men flown in from Britain to assassinate the Nazi "Butcher of Prague," Reinhard Heydrich. The governor of the former Czechoslovakia, Heydrich was the Holocaust's main architect, and led both the Gestapo and the SS' intelligence service.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 2 hours 30 minutes

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   The Dreadful Fate of Lidice Village

   Fourteen miles northwest of Prague lies the remains of the village of Lidice, which was annihilated in revenge for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the principal planner of the Holocaust. Killed by a squad of Czechoslovak commandos, the death triggered a wave of SS reprisals. On May 27, 1942, Nazis murdered 173 men, sent the women and children to concentration camps, then destroyed the village. The village's memorial and foundations can still be visited on private transfers to Terezin, Dresden, or Nuremberg or by a 17-min bus drive from Veleslavin Subway Station.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

7. Day 7 Your Second Full Day in Prague

   

   Terezin Private Day Trip

   Terezin's 18th century walls and citadel are connected to a very different war than the ones they were meant to fight, as they were transformed into a model concentration camp, toured by neutral foreign inspectors. You'll explore this unique place, and its long, often tragic history, with a private tour guide.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 6 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   The Heroes of Operation Anthropoid

   The Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague’s New Town pays homage to the seven Czech and Slovak commandoes who were killed there during a gun battle with Nazi troops, at the end of "Operation Anthropoid." Trained in the UK, these commandoes assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, the Holocaust's chief architect, and one of Hitler's closest henchmen. The church has a memorial to the paratroopers who hid in the church crypt and prayer loft. An exhibition about Heydrich’s reign of terror is located in the underground vaults, and open Tuesday through Sunday.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

8. Day 8 Traveling to Nuremberg by Private Transfer / Arrival in Nuremberg

   

   Your private driver will pick you up at your accommodations in Prague and bring you directly to your centrally located Nuremberg accommodations. The direct transfer takes around 3,5 hours. If you'd like to make a day of this journey, and get acquainted with the King of Czech Beers, Pilsner Urquell, then we can arrange for a stop in Pilsen on the way for an extra fee. Please note that this is a non-guided transfer.

   Nuremberg in northern Bavaria is famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture and delicious local food. Head to the Old Town to see its houses, stone towers, and fortifications, and to marvel at the Schöner Brunnen ("Beautiful Fountain") located in the "Hauptmarkt" main square. Kaiserburg castle is the most famous place to visit here, with its impressive insight into the city's history. But, there is so much more to Nuremberg; this is a lively modern city with lots of interesting museums, different festivals and events and a great variety of international cuisine. Even among Germans, the city is known for its beer, sausages, and gingerbread, so come hungry!

   Upon arriving in Nuremberg, your driver will bring you directly to your accommodation.

   

   The Nuremberg Trials

   In the aftermath of World War II, the pages of history were turned, and a measure of justice meted out in the Nuremberg Palace of Justice courtroom. The leaders of the Nazi regime who hadn't eluded capture had to face accountability for their crimes during the International Military Tribunal held here in 1945 and 1946. These trials established crucial precedents in international criminal law and popularized the notion of "crimes against humanity." Formerly an operational courtroom, Courtroom 600 is now accessible to the public. The courthouse's top floor houses a documentation center, offering insights into the defendants, their crimes, the subsequent Nuremberg Trials of 1946-49, and their enduring impact. Just so you know, the courthouse is closed on Tuesdays.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

9. Day 9 Your First Full Day in Nuremberg

   

   Old Town and Nazi Rally Grounds Group Walking Tour

   Join a group walking tour and discover this amazing medieval town with a professional guide. You'll dive deep into the city's sometimes dark history, including its ties to Nazism.

   • Activity Level : Light
   • Duration : 4 hours

   Included in your vacation package price

   

   Documenting Nazi Misdeeds

   Nuremberg is home to the "Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds," which offers a permanent exhibition called Fascination and Terror, documenting the numerous terrors, causes, and events of the Nazi regime in Germany. The museum is located in the north wing of the Nazi Congress Hall and spreads out over 1,300 square meters (13,993 square feet). Many of the displayed objects have a particular connection to Nuremberg and have been organized in chronological order, from the Nuremberg Racial Laws of 1935 to the trials in 1945/46 and the difficulty of coming to terms with the National Socialists’ legacy in the postwar era. Next to the exhibition, this place also features an Education Forum for youngsters and students.

   Suggestion to explore on your own

10. Day 10 Traveling to Munich by Train / Arrival in Munich

    You're off to the Bavarian capital today. We'll include standard class train tickets in your package for one of the regular high-speed (just over an hour) services from Nuremberg to Munich. If you'd like an upgrade for the 1st class, we can arrange that for an additional fee. We haven’t included a transfer here because in our experience transfer services in Nuremberg are very overpriced. Nuremberg's taxis are honest, reasonably priced and you’ll have no problem arranging for one with your hotel reception.

    

    You can upgrade your transfer

    Munich by Private Transfer with Stops along the Romantic Road

    Upgrade for an additional cost

    With its traditional beer halls, designer shops, trendy restaurants and international business, Munich is a mix of old and new, German and cosmopolitan. Largely rebuilt after World War II, the city still retains its old world charm, even in the midst of expansion and modernization. You’ve probably heard of the city’s world famous Oktobertfest, a once-in-a-lifetime party dedicated to that incredible Bavarian beer along with some of the local delicacies, including tasty schnitzel. But there’s much more to Munich than drinking, and on your holiday you’ll have the chance to discover the best this charming city has to offer. Don’t miss out on the beer halls and the breweries, but be sure to get off the beaten path to discover a Munich of your own. Much of the city’s past centers around World War II, and there are several ways you can explore this chapter of Munich’s history, including a day trip to the Dachau concentration camp and a special tour focusing on Hitler and the local activities of the Third Reich. Munich is also a center of industry and there is nowhere better to experience this than BMW World. Moving slightly farther afield, Neuschwanstein Castle makes the perfect day trip, perched high in the hills over a verdant valley. Munich’s variety means there’s more than enough to satisfy even the most diverse groups of travelers. Let your curiosity guide you as you explore this unique German city.

    When you arrive at Munich Hauptbahnhof you will easily find the station’s taxi rank signposted. We haven’t included a transfer here because in our experience meet & greet transfer services in Munich are overpriced, unreliable and the driver can be hard to locate in the vast station. Munich’s taxis are honest, reasonably priced and you’ll have no problem finding one at the station’s taxi rank, so you’ll save both time and money by taking one to your centrally located accommodation.

    

    First Night, First Beers

    When in Munich, drink as the locals do. Munich has certainly earned its title as “Beer Capital of the World,” so what could be a better activity for your first night than going to one of its famed beer halls, meeting locals, and hearing their stories? If you’re the teetotalling type or raucous beer halls aren’t your thing, you can take a nice walk down Neuhauser Strasse, followed by the Kaufingerstrasse, leading to the city’s most famous square, the Marienplatz, with its magnificent city hall, the Neues Rathaus.

    Suggestion to explore on your own

11. Day 11 Your First Full Day in Munich

    

    Third Reich Private Walking Tour

    For all its beauty, Munich was once regarded as the “Hauptstadt der Bewegung” – the "Capital of the (Nazi) Movement." Join a professional private guide and learn more about the early years of Adolf Hitler and how the Nazi Party came to power, and of the stories of those who resisted.

    • Activity Level : Moderate
    • Duration : 3 hours

    Included in your vacation package price

    

    Munich's Jewish Heritage

    Munich is home to Germany's second-largest Jewish community, surpassed only by Berlin. Interestingly, a considerable number of homeless Jews sought refuge in Munich after World War II, deeming it a safer haven under the protection of American soldiers compared to certain eastern regions. Additionally, a significant influx occurred post the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with a subsequent wave of well-educated Israelis joining the community. This vibrant and cosmopolitan Jewish community is rich in history, from its predecessors to the era of Nazism. Exploring the city's Jewish landmarks and enjoying the finest kosher cuisine at a notable restaurant is highly recommended.

    Suggestion to explore on your own

12. Day 12 Your Second Full Day in Munich

    

    Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site Group Tour

    The Dachau Concentration Camp was the very first permanent camp, and operated until the very last days of WWII, when it was liberated by Japanese-American troops. After the war, it was used to house Nazi prisoners, refugees, and even American soldiers. Your guide will give you a comprehensive tour of the entire area, including the surviving buildings, the museum exhibition center, and a cinema, where you'll watch an English-language documentary.
    

    • Activity Level : Moderate
    • Duration : 5 hours

    Included in your vacation package price

    

    Eagle's Nest Private Tour

    Drive from Munich, along a scenic alpine road into the marvelous valley of Berchtesgaden and to your destination - the Eagle's Nest, where a special bus will bring you to the entrance area. You'll then take an elevator through the mountain into the Eagle's Nest itself. Spend some time at the NS (National Socialism) Documentation Center, and walk through bunkers before heading back to Munich on this guided private tour.

    • Activity Level : Light
    • Duration : 9 hours

    Please ask your travel advisor for the cost to add this to your package

13. Day 13 Departure Day

    Based on your departure time, a driver will pick you up from your accommodation and take you to Munich's airport.