European Cultural Tour – The Art and History of Dresden
8 – 12 October 2018
For 2018 our European Cultural Tour will be a five-day Tailored Travel visit to Dresden, departing 8 October 2018.
What we will see:
- Dresden – guided city walking tour
- Albertinum – guided tour
- Pillnitz Castle & Gardens
- Paddle steamer cruise from Pillnitz to Dresden
- Zwinger Palace & Old Masters Picture Gallery – guided tour
- Royal Palace – Historic Green Vault & New Green Vault – audio tour
- Meißen Porcelain Museum – guided tour
Accommodation:
We will stay four nights at the centrally located 4* Westin Bellevue Hotel in Dresden. Located by the River Elbe, facilities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, gymnasium and a sauna (a €5 per person per day fee applies to use the leisure facilities, which would need to be paid locally at the hotel).
Itinerary:
Day 1 We meet at our designated pick-up point and travel by coach to Manchester Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight to Berlin. On arrival in Berlin we are met by our local guide who will accompany us on all transfers and daily excursions. We continue by coach to Dresden and on arrival we check in at the 4* Westin Bellevue Hotel. A set three course welcome dinner without drinks is included at our hotel this evening, and the remaining three nights are on bed and breakfast basis.
Day 2 Our morning guided walking tour of Dresden takes in sights such as the Semper Opera House and the Frauenkirche. This afternoon we visit the Albertinum, where we have a guided tour. Originally a royal arsenal, the Albertinum was rebuilt as a museum. The building is home to a number of fine collections, including works by Caspar David Friedrich, a collection of French Impressionist paintings, as well as 21st century art and sculpture.
Day 3 This morning we travel by coach to Pillnitz Castle and Gardens. One of the area’s finest summer palaces, the Castle lies picturesquely on the banks of the River Elbe. With its flying buttresses and chimneys ornamented with crowns, this is the only Chinese style castle of its size in Europe. We return by paddle steamer back to Dresden this afternoon where we spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Day 4 This morning we walk to the Zwinger Palace, the Rococo jewel of Dresden. A guided tour of the Old Masters Picture Gallery in the Palace introduces us to works by Rubens, Canaletto, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and Vermeer, as well as a short visit to the wonderful Meiβen porcelain gallery. This afternoon we visit the nearby Royal Palace and have an audio tour of the Historic Green Vault with its collection of fine silver and jewellery followed by the New Green Vault highlighting some of the central pieces from the collection in their original setting including the celebrated Dresden Green Diamond.
Day 5 After checking out of our hotel this morning our guided tour of the Meißen Porcelain Museum gives us an insight into the production process at this world renowned manufacturer. We continue by coach to Berlin Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight back to Manchester and onwards coach travel back to our original pick up point.
Costs:
The tour costs £789 per person. Extra costs include: single room supplement £89; insurance £38; entrance fees to places visited as part of this itinerary; gratuities
Booking:
The brochure and booking forms are available here. Alternatively, you may also pick up a booking form in the reception room at any of the lectures – please see Nigel Bramley-Haworth.
For further information on this tour contact our group organiser Nigel Bramley-Haworth. Tel: 01254 888423. Email: Bramleyhaworth@aol.com
Below are some photos of this tour.
