To Europe

day 1

Day 1: Mainz

Arrive at Frankfurt International Airport (or at any City with an AVIS station in Central Germany) to pick up your rental car and start your tour. It takes about 30 minutes (30 kilometers, 20 miles) from Frankfurt Airport to your hotel in the Historic Highlights City of Mainz, located in the City Center.
"Live Mainz" - The state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate can probably best be understood under this motto. Because Mainz, the city at the confluence of the Rhine and Main and in the middle of the largest German wine-growing area, combines a way of life, a zest for life and a rich, age-old culture in an almost proverbial manner. Enjoy your arrival day in Mainz and explore the City which the Romans laid the foundations more than 2000 years ago.

day 2

Day 2: Freiburg

Take your car for a ride to the Historic Highlights City of Freiburg (270 kilometers, 170 miles - about 2.5 hours).
Today Freiburg is a cheerful "little big city" with southern flair and a charming mix of tradition and progress. It's a German city with an almost Mediterranean climate and certainly the attending ambiance and joie de vivre. France, after all, is just 25 kilometers (15 miles) away. The Austrians also left their cultural fingerprint here thanks to the city's 400 years as part of the Habsburg Empire. The site of this cosmopolitan university town is unmatched: right at the foot of the Black Forest and in the middle of the "three-country corner" where Germany, France and Switzerland meet. With the Vosges and the Alps nearby, a climate reminiscent of Lugano and a renowned thermal mineral bath and spa resort, its location is a natural attraction. In Freiburg, you encounter historic sights at every corner. The Cathedral Square is surrounded by impressive buildings, the tallest of which is the steep-roofed historical Kaufhaus (Old Merchants' House) with its colorfully adorned bartizans. Sights worth visiting include the Old and New Town Halls, the Haus zum Walfisch (House of the Whale) with its superb late Gothic portal, the Basler Hof (Basel Court) and the two medieval city gates (Martinstor and Schwabentor) still standing today. Picturesquely encircling the magnificent Gothic Cathedral begun in 1200, the medieval Old Quarter features architectural treasures including a colorful marketplace, twisting, narrow lanes and miniature streams flowing through the streets and alleyways. The cathedral's 381-foot tower ranks among the masterworks of Gothic architecture, distinguishing Freiburg's incomparable silhouette. If you attempt to climb the Cathedral tower, you'll be rewarded at the pinnacle of your climb with a breathtaking view. And even at such lofty heights, the enchanting ambiance of this old university town is palpable. The old city center's numerous historical monuments, museums, theaters, cozy restaurants and quaint bars all make this city so popular among students and visitors alike. You will quickly note a unique city feature, the so-called Bächle - or little streams - built nearly 600 years ago as a water supply and to fight fires. The water flows down to the Rhine, providing a way for tired backpackers to cool their feet and a race course for kids with rubber ducks. These babbling little streams offer a charming and often whimsical air to the Old Town. The city was an historically important center of commerce, and the historic Merchant's Hall (1520-30) is a symbol of the significance of trade in medieval Freiburg. The municipal market, customs and financial administration building is identified as a center of trade by its arcades hall, and its façade is decorated with coats of arms and statues indicating the city's links with the House of Habsburg. A popular day trip within the city limits is the Schauinsland, Freiburg's 4,213-foot "hometown" mountain. The scenery viewed from the cable car running to the summit spans far out over the Rhine plain, past vineyard hills toward the gray-silhouetted backdrop of the French Vosges mountain range. From the summit, the view extends deep into the Black Forest and south to the Alps. Tiny villages, with their red roofs and narrow steeples, and ivy-draped castle ruins perfect this idealistically quaint setting. In the evening take your car back to your hotel in Mainz.

day 3

Day 3: Day trip to Würzburg

In the morning take your car to the Historic Highlights City of Würzburg (160 kilometers, 100 miles - about 1.5 hours). This lively city is the northern gateway to the Romantic Road, a trade route from the Middle Ages still traveled by visitors seeking the best of medieval Germany. Today Würzburg is a surprisingly cosmopolitan Bavarian city filled with architectural and artistic treasures - and exquisite Franconian wine. Würzburg is dominated by its most prominent landmark, the Fortress Marienberg. The origins of this fortress date back to around 1000 B.C., when a Celtic fortified refuge existed on this site. Since the foundation of the Würzburg bishopric in 742, the city has been the region's religious centre. Würzburg experienced its most prosperous period during the rule of the art-loving prince-bishops of the Schönborn family, for whom Balthasar Neumann built the "palace of palaces" from 1719 to 1744. Known as the Würzburg Residenz (Residence), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is arguably the most ornate Baroque palace in Germany. The centre entryway is big enough for a stagecoach to turn around and leads to a massive grand staircase. Halfway up the stairs, eyes are drawn upward to "The Four Continents" (only Europe, America, Asia and Africa were known at the time), a fresco by the Venetian artist Tiepolo that is considered the world's largest painting. The brilliant colours fill an unsupported vaulted ceiling, which critics of the time said would surely collapse. Not only did it outlast the critics, but it was the only part of the Residenz left standing after a 1945 bombing. The prince-bishops hired some of Europe's finest architects, sculptors and painters, and their legacy can be seen on nearly every block. Sights worth exploring include St. Kilian's Cathedral for its exquisite architecture and the adjacent Neumünster Church, built where missionaries were killed in 689 and the destination for thousands of pilgrims every July 7. Behind this church is the Lusam Garden, where the tombstone of the medieval poet, Walther von der Vogelweide can be found. Mention should also be made of the Marienkapelle on the market square as one of the most interesting late-Gothic Bavarian churches. Würzburg (like its visitors) benefits from its prime location on the River Main. The promenade makes for delightful strolls, and riverfront cafés overflow in good weather. Sightseeing boats offer excursions to neighbouring villages, and passenger ships plying the Rhine, Main and Danube make the city a prime stop. And there are few better views from a hotel room than of a river, a castle rising above it, and vineyards stretching beyond sight. From the northernmost point of the Romantic Road, a pleasant day trip might include visiting medieval Rothenburg, Germany's "Christmas city." Another diversion of interest is Weikersheim Castle, the main residence of the princes of Hohenlohe. Situated at the heart of the Franconia wine region, the excellent white wines produced in the area are central to life in Würzburg. The people of this city have a great appreciation for the quality and variety of wine from their region, as evidenced by the fact that nearly 80% of the wine produced there is also consumed there. Visitors can gain their own appreciation at one of the many annual wine festivals, during wine cellar tours, at wine tastings, in wine bars and from extensive wine lists at almost every restaurant. Your hotel is located in Würzburg City Centre.

day 4

Day 4: Erfurt

Take your car to the Historic Highlights City of Erfurt (290 kilometers, 180 miles - a little less than 3 hours). Erfurt became a pilgrimage destination of sorts with the reunification of Germany. Thousands of Americans poured into this former East German city to see where Martin Luther studied, to bow heads where he prayed, to walk the same medieval streets and even to sleep where he slept. Luther came to the University of Erfurt as a student in 1501, served as a monk in the Augustinian Monastery starting in 1505 and was ordained as a priest in the St. Mary's Cathedral in 1511. At almost every turn, there's a reminder of the man who launched the Reformation. But there is far more to this city than Luther. The compact Altstadt makes for easy exploration of its many neighboring historic sights. The Domberg (Cathedral Hill) thrusts impressive twin cathedrals above the city's rooftops. The hike up the 70 steps from the Domplatz is worth it to see the treasures of the 14th-century St. Mary's Cathedral and the 13th-century St. Severus. The Fischmarkt (Fish Market) is the center of the historical city. Next to the neo-Gothic City Hall (1870-75), with its numerous of lovely mural paintings depicting the history and legends of Thuringia and Erfurt, you will find a number of town houses once owned by rich woad merchants. A few steps further there is the notable renovated classical facade of the Kaisersaal (1715), the former old university ballroom. It was here, that Napoleon I. met Tsar Alexander I. at the Erfurt Congress in 1808. The Krämerbrücke (Merchant's Bridge), built in 1325, is completely covered by houses on both sides. The original 62 narrow houses on the bridge have over time been amalgamated to form the present 32 houses, and it is recognized as the longest bridge of its kind in Europe. The Augustinerkloster (Augustinian Monastery), dating back to 1277, houses an exhibition that shows the life and work of its resident of six years, Martin Luther. Also not to be missed is the Petersberg Citadel, one of the few of nearly completely preserved Baroque Citadels in Europe. Today it stands as impressive proof of the art of European fortification construction from the 17th to the 19th centuries. This beautiful city has bloomed into the reputation of Europe's "Flower City." A city of parks and gardens, it boasts Germany's largest flower bed (6,000 square meters) in the ega-Park. The "ega" is a gardening exhibition center built around the 500- year-old Cyriaksburg fortress and is a testament to man's ability to find harmony with nature in landscape gardening. Just behind the train station, City Park rises with a series of stone terraces. The old Brühl Park, built as a refuge for nobility in the 18th century and now gone quite literally to seed, is being tamed and manicured. Your hotel is located in Erfurt City Centre.

day 5

Day 5: Mainz/ Frankfurt Airport for departure

Return your car at Frankfurt Airport, any other AVIS station in Germany or extent the rental of your car (needs to be confirmed at the time of your booking).