Suggested Itinerary for Castles and Countryside of Saxony

Day 1 - Travel via short sea crossing to your overnight stay in the Bonn / Cologne area.

Day 2 - Dresden
Continue through Northern Germany, arriving in Dresden late afternoon.

Day 3 - Dresden
This morning a guide will meet you and accompany the coach for a tour around Dresden. Your guide will explain about the city’s past and present; a perfect introduction to your holiday. The tour will finish in the historical centre so that you may discover the city on foot independently in the afternoon.

Day 4 - Saxony Switzerland (Mountains & Castles)
First stop is the riverside Pillnitz Palace, visiting the residence and its gardens, where you will admire the incredible view from the Bastei cliffs across the Elbe valley. Continue to Königstein, a little town within Germany’s largest fortress complex; the fortress itself is accessible via a lift, but there is still a fair amount of walking today, so bring some comfortable shoes!

Day 5 - Meissen and Moritzburg Palace
This morning travel to Saxony’s oldest town and home to the famous porcelain factory, Meissen. A guided walk will familiarise you with this lovely medieval town, followed by a visit to the porcelain factory itself. After lunch, drive to the Moritzburg Palace, a former hunting lodge rebuilt as a Baroque masterpiece. From the town, take a trip back in time on a steam train passing en-route vineyards to the town of Radebeul, where the coach will return everyone back to the hotel.

Day 6 - Leipzig and Colditz Castle
This morning you will meet a guide in Leipzig who will show you the city and tell you about its colourful past and lively present, stopping at many of its famous monuments. After lunch continue to Colditz for your guided visit of the castle, when you will learn about its notorious reputation as a World War II prisoner of war camp.

Day 7 - Depart Dresden and drive to Cologne / Bonn area this evening.

Day 8 - Continue home via your short sea crossing at Calais.