Oberammergau Passion Play, Italian Gems and Enchanting Germany

Local departure by coach or Home Connect service, then to northern France for an overnight stay.

We travel south to the Cremona or Pama area in northern Italy for an overnight stay.

We drive through Italy, making a call into Pisa where you can view the famous leaning tower before continuing to the spa town of Chianciano Terme, located in the wine-producing area of Tuscany, where we stay for five nights.

Today we offer an included excursion around the Tuscan countryside, with stops in the wine towns of Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino.

An included full-day visit to Rome and Vatican City. We begin in the Vatican area, where you can discover the treasures of St Peter's Square, where some of the most important papal ceremonies take place. Perhaps take time to visit the impressive Basilica of Saint Peter at the heart of the Vatican.

Afterwards, enjoy free time in Rome, or why not join our optional guided sightseeing tour by coach and on foot to take in sights such as the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Piazza Venezia and much more.

After a leisurely morning, join our optional afternoon excursion to Siena. No visit to Italy is complete without seeing this beautiful city. Discover the Piazza del Campo, claimed to be perhaps the most attractive square in Europe, and wander the maze of narrow medieval streets.

Today we have an included visit to Assisi, known for the famous basilica, where St Francis is buried, and one of the greatest Christian shrines in the world.

We leave Chianciano and call into Florence, where you will have some free time to relax and explore this marvellous city with its culture, art and outstanding Renaissance architecture.

In the afternoon, we continue north to Lake Garda, our base for the next two nights.

A day to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life around this beautiful lake.

Alternatively, join our optional guided tour visiting some of the local villages which sit on the shores of the lake, with a backdrop of mountains rising from the shore side. Spend time exploring the narrow streets of the old villages or relax in one of the many cafés.

We also see the ancient fortified town of Sirmione, the gem of the peninsula, located on the south of the lake. During your time in Sirmione we will take to the water and sail along the Sirmione peninsula. Sit back, relax and enjoy the picturesque views of the surrounding area from the lake itself.

We leave Lake Garda and travel north over the spectacular Brenner Pass from Italy into Austria, then through the mountain pass into Bavaria, arriving late afternoon at our accommodation in the Oberammergau area for a two-night stay.

Enjoy a relaxing evening ahead of tomorrow’s spectacle.

This morning, enjoy free time in the environs of Oberammergau. Lunch will be at noon before the start of the Passion Play.

The play has a running time of approximately five hours in total, with a meal served during the interval. The performance begins at 2:30pm*, concluding around 10:30pm, with a three-hour break at 5:00pm when dinner is provided. After the performance, you will be transferred back to your accommodation.

The play is traditionally performed in German and a textbook with the complete play text is included on all tours.

*Subject to change.

We leave Oberammergau after breakfast and travel north through Germany along the Romantic Road, calling into Rothenburg ob der Tauber, one of Germany's best-preserved medieval towns.

Enjoy free time to relax before we continue to our hotel in the Frankfurt area for an overnight stay.

Our route takes us through the picturesque Rhine Valley. We call at Rüdesheim on the banks of the river. The heart of the old town is the Drosselgasse, a narrow cobbled street with restaurants and wine taverns.

As we venture north along the valley, you will have the chance to join an optional relaxing sightseeing cruise taking in the views from the river.

Continue to our overnight hotel in Belgium.

Return home.