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Germany

Fairy Tales in the Black Forest: Germany With Your Grandchild

Program No. 23646RJ
Escape to a world of fairy tales, fantastic landscapes and a whole lot of fun with your grandchild as you explore the villages, wilderness and folklore surrounding the Black Forest.
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GrandparentOutdoor AdventuresSmall GroupAges 9 – 12
Length
9 days
Rating (5)
Activity Level
Starts at
3,999 / ADULT
3,749 / CHILD
Flights start at
1,350

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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
9 days
8 nights
What's Included
16 meals ( 7B, 2L, 7D )
12 expert-led field trips
3 hands-on experiences
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
7 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
If you arrive before rooms are available, you may leave your luggage with the concierge and go out for a walk or relax in the public areas of the hotel. The hotel is centrally located close to the famous shopping area “Zeil.” After getting your room, take some time to freshen up and relax before our Orientation session later this afternoon. Orientation: 4:30 p.m. The Group Leader will accompany you to the meeting room, greet everyone, and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Each day will begin with a brief overview of the schedule when the Group Leader will answer any questions. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
In the hotel restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 15 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time. Walking about 3 miles; city streets and sidewalks, some cobblestone areas.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We will gather with our Group Leader for an overview of the day’s schedule, then set out on an introductory walking field trip with a local expert. At the center of the city – crammed into a very small area – are the Römer (the city hall for over 600 years), the Goethe House museum, and more. We will explore the Frankfurt Cathedral – where Roman emperors were crowned – and the Paulskirche (St. Paul's Church). We will also walk along the modern part and between the skyscrapers of a city that calls itself the little New York of Germany.
Lunch:
On your own to enjoy local fare at the Kleinmarkthalle - a local market place in Frankfurt.
Afternoon:
We will hop on a motorcoach and ride to the nearby town of Hanau — birthplace of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm — for a field trip that will take us inside the Philippsruhe Castle. There, we will visit the GrimmsMärchenReich (Grimms Fairytale Realm) to see and experience interactive exhibits such as fairy tale play stations, a laser skill game to free a princess, costumes of the most famous fairy tale characters, a fairytale hedge, and digital books. Afterwards, we will return to Frankfurt for dinner.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
We’ll be joined by a storyteller in our hotel who will treat us to a session of Grimm's fairytales, learning once more “why the good guys always win.”
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 160 miles, approximately 3 hours riding time. Walking about 2 miles; streets and sidewalks, some cobblestone areas.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We will check out of the hotel, board a motorcoach, and begin our journey to the Black Forest, one of the most idyllic landscapes in Germany. On the way, we will stop in Heidelberg, an old city nestled on the banks of the River Neckar, famous for its university that was founded in 1386! A local expert will lead us on a walking field trip through the city and up to Schloss Heidelberg — Heidelberg Castle — the most famous ruin in Europe. The first structure was built more than 800 years ago but no one has lived here for centuries, partly because of changes in ruling dynasties and partly because the castle was hit by numerous natural disasters throughout its history.
Lunch:
At a restaurant near Heidelberg Castle.
Afternoon:
We will reboard the motorcoach and continue our ride to the Black Forest and to our hotel. To understand why it is called the Black Forest, we have to go back to the time when Roman armies were trying to conquer Germania. The deeply forested region was so thick and dark that the Romans called it Silva Nigra — black forest. In the German language, it’s "Der Schwarzwald", which means the same thing. But today, it is one of the most beautiful and popular places in the whole country. After checking in to the hotel and getting our rooms, the remainder of the afternoon will be free to explore independently to see and do what interests you most.
Dinner:
At the hotel restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 36 miles, approximately 1 hour riding time. Walking about 3 miles; city streets and sidewalks, some cobblestones. Elective hiking up to 4 miles; hiking trails, 251 steps to top of Schlossberg observation tower.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We will hop aboard a motorcoach and ride to the city of Freiburg. It has the most hours of sunshine a year in Germany, is the home of a leading university founded more than 500 years ago, and is notable for its cathedral and traditional market. During a walking field trip with a local expert, we will see an unusual feature: dozens of small streams that flow through and across the streets. We’ll also learn about the jobs of people who lived in Freiburg during medieval times, such as tower guards, glassblowers, and stonemasons. We will then ride up the Schlossberg (Castle Mountain) by cable car.
Lunch:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Afternoon:
Leisure time to explore the Schlossberg and the city of Freiburg. Elective: for those willing, there are 251 steps to the top of the Schlossberg observation tower. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions for leisure time.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
We will board the motor coach and return to our hotel.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; walking about 3 miles; city streets and sidewalks. Elective: hiking up to 4 miles; hiking trails.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We will ride by motorcoach to Triberg, the epitome of a picturesque Black Forest village with one of Germany´s highest waterfalls. We´ll visit the Baroque Pilgrimage Church and see the magnificent wooden carved Town Hall, masterpieces of construction and craftsmanship. Elective: The Group Leader will accompany those who would like to hike to the top of the Triberg waterfalls. From the main entrance, we walk past a viewing platform uphill to the mountain pier. There, we will follow the comfortable cascade path and reach the mountain lake. On the way back, we will pass by the pilgrimage church “Maria in der Tanne” and return to our starting point. The distance is about 1.3 miles and should take about an hour. Later, we will walk to the Schwarzwaldmuseum — Black Forest Museum — and see more than 1,000 cuckoo clocks. A local expert will lead us through the museum. It traces local history, culture, and life back through many centuries. We will learn more about historic Black Forest clocks, mechanical orchestras, and other specialized crafts.
Lunch:
On your own to enjoy local fare.
Afternoon:
We will go back to our motorcoach and drive to the Black Forest Open Air Museum. We will take a journey back to the “good old times” with an expert from the museum where we will immerse ourselves in Black Forest cultural history. Along the way to the museum, we’ll stop to see the largest cuckoo clock in the world, 50 feet tall and large enough to walk in. The cuckoo, which chirps every hour and half-hour, weighs more than 300 pounds!
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
We will return to the hotel by motorcoach. The evening is free to relax and enjoy the amenities of the hotel.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 44 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking about 3 miles, some trails are in the woods, cobblestones.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
We’ll board a motorcoach for a full-day field trip to the picturesque Münstertal Valley, sometimes called the valley of 100 valleys. It was named for a 13th-century village called Münster that was destroyed during one of the many wars between rival rulers. Today, there are about 65 villages and farms scattered throughout the valley’s forests and meadows. The center of the Münster Valley, the monastery of St. Trudpert, has been around for a millennium. It is not open to visitors but we will see the impressive exterior. We will meet our local expert in front of the monastery of St. Trudpert, where we will start a scavenger hunt around the village and through the forest. We will solve riddles and learn about local legends and fairytales along the way. Next we will board the motorcoach and ride to a local Cheese farm.
Lunch:
At the Cheese Farm.
Afternoon:
We will have an expert-led walk through the cheese farm, including a tasting of different types of cheese, of course. Afterwards we will return to the hotel to visit a glass manufacturer.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant near the hotel we will learn how to make our own tarte flambée.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer tomorrow.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 45 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking about 3 miles; streets and sidewalks. Elective activities such as riding roller coasters and carousels according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
After checking out of the hotel, we will board a motorcoach and ride about 50 miles to Europa-Park in Rust, Germany's largest theme park, for a full-day field trip. Admission to the park is included. The park covers more than 230 acres (95 hectares). There are about 15 countries represented in themed areas, high energy rides including the second highest rollercoaster in Europe (and a dozen others), shows for kids of all ages, water activities, and many interactive exhibits. We will have an introduction to the park by the Group Leader — with maps provided — then take our time to see and do what interests us most.
Lunch:
On your own to have what you like at Europa-Park.
Afternoon:
Would you like to visit Grimm’s Enchanted Forest? There, you can step into fairytales such as Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, Rapunzel, The Golden Goose, Little Red Riding Hood, the Frog King, and more. You could also visit Adventureland, or experience everything from London's double-decker buses to the spinning “koffiekopjes” ride in the Dutch area. After an exciting day in the park, our motorcoach will take us back to Frankfurt and we’ll check in to our hotel where the journey started, with our luggage waiting.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach. Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon. See your program’s “Transportation Information” regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
In the hotel dining room.
Morning:
Individual transfers to the airport will be organized by your Group Leader. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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