HAMBURG & BERLIN WITH LISE DAVIDSEN AND CECILIA BARTOLI 2027

Friday, May 28. (D)*. DEPART FOR HAMBURG

Depart this evening, aboard any airline of your choice to Hamburg, Germany. Dinner and light breakfast served on the plane.

Saturday May 29. (B,D). HAMBURG

Independent arrival at Hamburg International Airport. Take a taxi to the luxury Fairmont Four Seasons Hotel on Alster Lake where we stay for three nights. This evening we will have our Briefing with cocktails followed by Gala Welcome dinner at the hotel's gourmet restaurant.

Sunday, May 30. (B). HAMBURG

This morning we take an orientation sightseeing tour of the city by bus, to see the Elbphilharmonie, the Port of Hamburg, the Warehouse district, Nikolai Memorial, Reeperbahn, the nightlife district of St. Pauli and other sights. Afternoon is free to visit any of the fine arts museums nearby; the Art Gallery, Gallery of Contemporary Arts, the Bucherius Kunst Forum, Museum of Art and Industry, as well as the Brahm’s Museum amongst others. This evening, we enjoy a performance by the celebrated Filarmonica della Scala under Riccardo Chailly, featuring pianist Kirill Gerstein at the Elbphilharmonie.

Hamburg - Germany's Second-Largest City and Historic Port Hub

Discover the allure of Hamburg, the dynamic Free and Hanseatic City, standing as Germany's second-largest urban hub. Hamburg boasts a rich maritime legacy positioned along the majestic Elbe River, serving as a pivotal port city for centuries. Unveil its financial prowess, hosting Germany's oldest stock exchange and the esteemed Berenberg Bank. The city resonates with cultural vibrancy, offering diverse theaters and captivating music spectacles. A legendary chapter in music history unfurled as the Beatles ignited their iconic journey from 1960 to 1962, igniting stages across local music clubs. Hamburg beckons, a fusion of history, finance, culture, and musical enchantment.

Monday, May 31. (B). HAMBURG

This morning we take a walking tour, of the second largest city in Germany. Among the sights are; the City Hall, churches of Saint Michaels and Saint Jacob, Counting House buildings, and the Old Town. Afternoon at leisure. This evening, we enjoy a performance by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, led by Omer Meir Wellber and featuring the internationally acclaimed violinist Midori at the Elbphilharmonie.

Tuesday, June 1. (B,D). HAMBURG – BERLIN

This morning we drive southeast to Berlin, where we stay six nights at the luxury, centrally located Adlon Kempinski. Afternoon at leisure. This evening we will have dinner the hotel’s gourmet restaurant.

Berlin became the capital of a newly founded Germany in 1871 and expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. It lost its position as a capital to Weimar, at the end of the First World War in 1918, until it was moved back in 1933. In 1945, at the Potsdam meeting, it was divided into two cities. The East, under the control of communists, The West, a de facto West German enclave surrounded by the Berlin Wall. Following German unification in 1990, Berlin once again becomes the capital of the whole of Germany.

Wednesday June 2. (B). BERLIN

Morning sightseeing tour by bus to include Alexanderplatz, the Town Hall, the Palace of the Republic and the Humboldt University. We drive through the Brandenburg Gate for a tour of former West Berlin to see Potzdamer Platz, the newly restored parliament, the Reichstag, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, Charlottenburg Palace, the shop-lined Kurfürstendamm and Emperor William Memorial Church. Afternoon at leisure. This evening we see the opera Don Carlos by Verdi at the Deutsche Oper.

Thursday June 3. (B). BERLIN

Today we will travel by bus to Museum Island, where you will be introduced to its world-famous museums. As it is impossible to visit them all in one day, you will receive a 3-Day Museum Pass, valid for admission to 56 museums across Berlin, allowing you to return and explore at your leisure. A list of participating museums will be provided. This evening we see the opera Don Carlos by Verdi at the Deutsche Oper.

Friday June 4. (B). BERLIN

Today we discover the beaten track of Jewish life in Berlin and it’s neighborhood. We will visit, by bus, the Jewish Quarter. Jews have lived everywhere in Berlin and sometimes Jewish life outside city center was fascinating. We will drive through the only synagogue that opened in former Communist East Berlin. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon exploring a museum of your choice on Berlin's renowned Museum Island. This evening we see the Anniversary concert with Cecilia Bartoli’s at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

Saturday June 5. (B,L). BERLIN

Morning visit of the Reichstag, the German Parliament, reopened in 1999, after set on fire by the Nazis in 1933 and restored after the reunification of East and West Germany, having gone through a reconstruction led by architect Norman Foster. We will have a light lunch. Afternoon is at leisure to visit any museum of your choice. This evening we see the opera La Traviata by Verdi at the Deutsche Oper.

Sunday June 6. (B,L). BERLIN - POTSDAM

This morning we drive northwest to Potsdam, to see Sansouci, an elegant baroque palace, where Federich the Great is buried along with his dog. We continue our visit with Cecilienhof, where Truman, Stalin, and Churchill, signed the Potsdam Agreement to divide Germany, after the Second World War. We will have lunch in Potsdam. This evening is at leisure.

Monday June 7. (B). BERLIN - BACK HOME

Depart from the hotel to the Berlin Airport for departure aboard your airline back home arriving the same afternoon. See you on another HAT Tour.

* B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner (including wine)