Photo courtesy of German National Tourist Board

This is the third and final tour in our series exploring Germany's rich garden heritage.  It focuses on the central and northern areas of the country, two regions not covered on our previous tours.  As before, the primary focus will be on the region's historic gardens, some of which, like Herrenhausen, Sanspareil, and Veitshochheim, are among the most celebrated designed landscapes in Europe.  Other highlights include the magnificent Baroque gardens at Eremitage, Weikersheim, and Wilhelmshohe, where we'll see the famous ornamental water display in operation.  More modern gardens showcasing the new German style of planting also feature, as do a number of wonderful rose collections, most notably at Sangerhausen Rosarium and Westfalenpark.  As an added bonus, we include a day in the Netherlands, where we travel to Het Loo, one of Europe's finest gardens, and to the private garden of acclaimed designer Piet Oudolf.  Accommodation will be in comfortable, well-located hotels and inns and, as usual, we'll get off the beaten track and take the occasional detour from the schedule.

This is an informal tour with a small group.  Transportation will be in a passenger van and numbers are limited to just to seven participants, so space on the tour is extremely limited.

Land Tour Price:
9 Nights -- $3275.00
Single supplement: $375.00
Meals included: all Breakfasts (B), 4 Dinners (D).
Limited to: 7 members    THIS TOUR HAS FILLED


ITINERARY

June 30 (Tuesday) -- Depart
Board the plane for the overnight flight to Amsterdam.

 July 1 (Wednesday) -- Arrive and Schloss Wasserburg-Anholt
On arrival at Amsterdam Schiphol airport we transfer to our hotel, Schloss Wasserburg-Anholt, a handsome moated castle with beautifully kept gardens, just across the border in Germany.   After checking in, enjoy free time exploring the castle's formal gardens and extensive landscaped grounds or simply relaxing.  We meet later for a welcome dinner at the hotel's restaurant. (D)

July 2 (Thursday) -- Het Loo Palace and Piet Oudolf's Garden
This morning we cross back into the Netherlands to visit the famous formal gardens at the Palace of Het Loo, with geometric parterres, colorful plantings, fountains, and statuary.  We then travel to the garden of the internationally known garden designer and author Piet Oudolf to see the naturalistic plant combinations for which he is renowned.  Return to the hotel. (B)

July 3 (Friday) -- Westfalenpark and Grugapark
Two of the best civic parks in Germany feature today, starting with Dortmund's Westfalenpark.  Developed since WWII and covering some 173 acres, these lovely gardens are packed full of horticultural interest, with wonderful herbaceous displays and superb rose gardens, comprising 35 themed areas and more than 3000 rose varieties.  Later we'll visit the beautifully laid out Grugapark, highlights of which include extensive rock and steppe gardens and naturalistic herbaceous plantings, before returning to the hotel. (B)

July 4 (Saturday) -- Royal Herrenhausen Gardens
Leaving the Munster region, we journey to the city of Hannover where we spend the bulk of the day exploring the Royal Herrenhausen Gardens, an ensemble of formal gardens and parks dating back to 1665.  At the heart of Herrenhausen is the magnificent Baroque Grosser Garten, a series of colorfully planted parterres with fountains, statuary, and vases.  We continue to the charming town of Norten Hardenberg, our base for the next two nights.  (B,D)

Photo courtesy German National Tourist Board

July 5 (Sunday) -- Historic Gardens of Kassel: Wilhemstal, Wilhelmshohe, and Insel Siebenbergen
Today we explore the historic gardens in and around Kassel, including Insel Siebenbergen, a richly planted and beautifully maintained island garden; the elegant Rococo park at Wilhemstal, with its long canal and grotto; and 18th century Wilhelmshohe Palace Park, famous for its monumental ornamental cascade, a breathtaking sight when in operation (as it will be on the day of our visit).  Return to the hotel.  (B)

July 6 (Monday) -- Sangerhausen Rosarium and Weimar
This morning we visit the Sangerhausen Rosarium, one of the world's largest and most important rose gardens.  Founded in 1903, the garden covers 37 acres and features more than 8,000 varieties, ranging from rare old roses, including many long-lost American-bred varieties, to modern cultivars. We then travel to Weimar where we'll see some of this charming city's renowned green spaces, including Goethe's Park an de Ilm and the Belvedere flower gardens.   We continue to Wirsberg and check into our hotel, which itself has lovely gardens. (B,D)

July 7 (Tuesday) -- Eremitage Palace Gardens, Garden Museum at Schloss Fantasie, and Sanspareil
After breakfast we make the short drive to the Eremitage, a fine late-Baroque hilltop garden with parterres, water gardens, artificial Roman ruins, and framed views of the surrounding countryside. Also near Bayreuth is Schloss Fantasie's small but impressive Garden Museum, which illustrates the history of garden design in Germany from the 17th to the 19th centuries.  Heading west, we visit another wonderful historic garden, 18th century Sanspareil Rock Garden.  This remarkable garden ingeniously integrates formal gardens and architectural follies with the natural woodland landscape featuring bizarre rock formations.  We then journey to Volkach, a pretty winemaking town close to Wurzburg.  (B)

 Included in the tour price:
-- 9 nights accommodation in comfortable hotels with private bathroom
-- transportation in passenger van with air-conditioning
-- entry to all gardens and sites as per the itinerary
-- all breakfasts and other meals as indicated in the tour itinerary
-- services of tour manager, usually Jeff Sainsbury, from Amsterdam airport until departure of return flight
-- tips for hotel porters, bellmen, doormen, waiters at tour meals, and sightseeing guides
-- arrival and departure transfers (certain restrictions apply; please ask for details)

Not included in the tour price:
-- airfare and airport taxes
-- excess baggage charges
-- personal expenditure such as room service, telephone calls, drinks, and optional activities
-- meals other than those specified in the itinerary
-- tour manager and driver gratuities
-- travel insurance
-- any other items not specifically included