Bavarian Castles 2022 (Final spots!)

Overview

Pictures

A picture says more than a thousand words. Well, what about many pictures? It should write an entire chapter or book! You will get a great idea about what you can expect simply by looking at the below pictures. More details about the trip are written below.

This trip is called the Bavarian Castles trip for the plain and simple reason that we are going to Bavaria to see castles, many castles, and it may be rather disappointing to know we can only see a fraction of all the castles in Bavaria. Fortunately we have made the best selection possible and definitely see the most beautiful ones.

Program

The program for this Bavaria trip, like any other Expat Club trip, is carefully designed. We value realistic departure, travel and arrival times, and put a lot of effort into allocating enough time to visit each destination. Having done the same program twice before (back in 2018 and 2019), we can assure you the below program is near to perfect in terms of what we see and what we can potentially see.

Wednesday 25 May
We depart at 17h00 from Place Schuman and drive towards Würzburg where we stay one night in a good hotel in the city centre. We leave at this time so you won’t have to take a full day off, while you can just relax in our comfortable 4* bus.

• Departure by bus from Brussels
• Highway dinner stop
• Arrival at AC Hotel by Marriott Würzburg****

Thursday 26 May
Today you will wake up in Würzburg in the Northwest corner of Bavaria. Maybe you’ve never heard of this city, but we are certain that you will find it totally worth a visit after our tours by professional guides through the Würzburg Residenz and the Festung Marienberg. In the early afternoon we depart for München where we visit one of the most impressive palaces of this South German state, before we check-in to our second hotel where we stay for 3 nights.

• Breakfast at AC Hotel by Marriott Würzburg****
• Visit to Würzburg Residenz (fees & tour included, time reserved entry)
• Visit Festung Marienberg in Würzburg (short tour included)
• Visit to Nymphenburg Palace in Munich (fees included)
• Arrival at Leonardo Royal Hotel Munich****
• Dinner in Munich city centre (included)

Friday 27 May
This day may as well be the best day of the program with a visit to city of München and the München Residenz in the morning and the “German Versailles” in the afternoon. The Munich Residenz is Europe’s largest city palace, with amazingly decorated corridors, rooms and halls, as well as an incredible art collection. We received positive feedback about this palace during our 2019 trip and therefore we put it again on the calendar for 2020. You will be able to go through it on your own with an audio guide. In the afternoon we drive off to the Chiemsee at the foothills of the German/Austrian Alps. We take a 15-minute boat ride to the Herren Island in the middle of the lake where we will visit the “German Versailles” Herrenchiemsee palace. In fact, it’s almost a carbon copy, even though great parts of this impressive palace are completely unfinished and the left wing has been completely removed. Situated on this island with snowcapped mountains as panoramic backdrop, a visit to Bavaria without the Herrenchiemsee Palace is incomplete. We have reserved a timed entry in the late afternoon with a guided tour, so we can optimally enjoy our time. Beforehand you can also visit the impressive Augustinian Monastery, and walk around the island.

• Breakfast at Leonardo Royal Hotel Munich****
• Visit to the München Residenz (fees included, audio guide included)
• Boat ride to the Herreninsel (fees included)
• Visit to Herreninsel Park (fees included)
• Visit to the Herrenchiemsee Palace (fees & tour included, timed-entry)
• Visit to the Augustinian Monastery (fees included)

Saturday 28 May
This is probably the day that most of us want to travel to Bavaria for due to its visit to the world-famous Cinderella-like castle Neuschwanstein (a true bucket-list item). But don’t underestimate the exceptionally ornate Linderhof with its splendid gardens, as well as the Schloss Hohenschwangau where King Ludwig grew up. Many of our 2018 and 2019 group loved these places even more than Neuschwanstein!

• Breakfast at Leonardo Royal Hotel Munich****
• Visit to Linderhof (fees & tour included with reserved entry)
• Visit to Neuschwanstein (fees & tour included with reserved entry)
• Visit to Hohenschwangau (fees & tour included with reserved entry)
• Visit to Museum der Bayerischen Könige (optional, pay on spot)

Sunday 29 May
Although we have to drive back a long way today, we are going to see another amazing place in Bavaria, namely the Nürnberg Kaiserburg, simply because we can’t get enough of it. And since we’re in the neighbourhood, why not just hop by? However, we begin with a visit to some very historic World War II places in Nürnberg, namely the Nazi rally grounds and the nazi stadium. We also drive by the historic building where the Nuremberg Trials were held after WWII ended. Surely these places don’t fit in the program, but we believe a quick visit is worth it.

• Breakfast at Leonardo Royal Hotel Munich****
• Departure from Munich to Brussels
• Quick visit to the Nazi Congress Hall
• Quick visit to the Zeppelin Grandstand
• Imperial Castle of Nürnberg (fees included with short introduction)

Transportation

We will be travelling with a comfortable 4* bus in Princess Class configuration. This means more space for your legs than in a regular Belgian bus. Of course, the seats also recline nicely so you can relax and get some extra sleep. The bus has an on-board toilet, and several flatscreen TVs with a DVD system.

Accommodation

We’ve chosen modern and highly-rated 4* hotels Würzburg (1 night, confirmed) and Munich (3 nights, confirmed), namely the AC Hotel by Marriott Würzburg**** and the Leonardo Royal Hotel Munich****. Both have an excellent location that will be perfect for our trip. A sumptuous breakfast buffet every morning and free wifi are included. The choice for these hotels means a serious upgrade compared to our 2018 and 2019 trips, whereas the trip fee only increase marginally. In each hotel you can choose between the following room options, all include a private bathroom:

• Single room (normally with 1 large bed, with surcharge)
• Double room (1 large bed, for couples, no surcharge)
• Twin room (2 single beds, for 2 friends travelling together)
• Twin room (2 single beds, for 2 solo travelers to avoid the surcharge)
• Triple / family rooms (double bed + single bed / sofa, upon request only)

AC Hotel by Marriott Würzburg**** – NEW HOTEL
The AC Hotel belongs to the famous Marriott group and is brand new. Located at just a few minutes from the city center this 4-star hotel offers nice, spacious and clean rooms. A great breakfast is already included in the rate, so you can start the day well before we start our program in the city. We stay here only for one night because we drive towards the Southern Germany. But not before having seen Würzburg’s old city centre, the amazing Würzburg Residenz, and enjoying a beautiful panoramic view of the city at the Marienburg.

Munich – Leonardo Royal Hotel Munich**** – NEW HOTEL
We stay 3 nights in this highly rated 4* superior hotel in Munich. It is located next to the Olympiapark and has a direct U-Bahn connection to the Odeonplatz and Marienplatz, just perfect. The rooms are very spacious and offer everything what you may expect from a 4* superior hotel. You can make free use of the elegant saunas, relaxation room, and fitness area. On our last evening we would like to offer you a nice dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.

Expat Club room sharing for single travellers
If you are joining this trip on your own, you can of course take a single room, but then you pay a surcharge (start the booking process). However, you can also opt for the Expat Club room sharing service. This means you do not pay the single surcharge. During the outbound journey we will introduce you to the other travellers who also want to share a room. We do not assign a room partner, but you can mutually agree to share the room. We only offer female/female and male/male rooms. This is a great way to save some money while you get to know another nice person on this trip.

Families

Please contact us if you would like to bring your family. The trip is certainly very nice for children, but we want to make sure the trip is right for your child and that you get the right room. Needless to say that children get a substantial discount (see above). Please contact us for more information at info@expatclub.org and let us know the number of persons in your family and the age of your children.

Comments

• The trip will be carried out by Lauwers Reizen, one of our trusted coach partners.
• The trip is carefully planned. Still, all timings are indicative and may change if required by circumstances.
• The trip is sold as a package. You cannot go with your own transportation or arrange your own accommodation. If there are specific things that you do not want in the package, please let us know.
• You are personally responsible for getting good cancellation and/or travel insurance that covers you for unforeseen emergencies and medical expenses before or during the trip. 
• You are personally responsible for using the hotel room in an appropriate way. Any missing or broken items will be billed after the trip.
• Expat Club cannot be held liable for unforeseen delays that influence the program (e.g. missed guided tours), neither can Expat Club be held liable for weather-related cancellations or any other unforeseen events that influence the course of the trip, including, but not limited to technical problems with the coach, strikes, weather etc.
• Expat Club cannot be held liable for personal injuries during the trip, such as, but not limited to, things that happen during the guided tours. Joining this trip is safe but still at your own risk.
• If you do not find a room partner on your own, we will find one for you (male/male, female/female). During the outbound trip we will connect you with others in the same position. If you decide to take a single room during the trip, then you will have to fully pay for it yourself.
• If you book a double / twin room and your travel partner cancels, you will have to pay the single room supplement or share a room with another person (if available).
• The cancellation with a refund, as described in the terms & conditions, is 6 weeks. Within this period you cannot cancel the trip and get a refund. You can always find a friend or colleague who will join instead of you without a surcharge.