Day
| Activity |
Overnight |
|
1
USA
Paris |
Overnight flight to Paris |
|
2
Paris |
Our introduction to Paris is the little Musée de la Poupée. Three hundred exquisite French dolls are beautifully arranged in Paris scenes. Doll furniture, accessories, and toys, lovingly collected by Samy and Guido Odin, complete each vignette to perfection. |
Paris |
3
Paris |
It's all-day shopping at the Puces de St-Ouen! With a seemingly inexhaustible supply of venders – as many as 3,000 of them! – it is one of the largest collectibles markets in the world. The high quality of the items to be found here defies the term "flea market". We’ll show you the best places to shop for dolls and toys. |
Paris |
4
Paris |
Discover the immense beauty of Paris on our half-day guided coach tour of the city's major monuments, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, and more. |
Paris |
5
Paris |
After a day's sightseeing and shopping, relax over dinner with wine at a Paris bistro and then board a "bateaux-mouche" for an evening cruise on the Seine. The river offers a unique perspective on the extraordinary "City of Lights"! |
Paris |
6
Paris
Beaune
Colmar |
We stop in Beaune on our way to Colmar. Beaune, girdled by ramparts, is the capital of the Burgundy Wine Country and one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the district. The town is best known for the Hotel Dieu with its splendid roof of multi-colored geometric tiles. Colmar is the most beautiful city of Alsace. Calm canals and rows of rainbow-colored houses invite an evening stroll. |
Colmar |
7
Colmar
Haut-
Koenigs-
bourg
Riquewhir
Colmar |
Haut-Koenigsbourg is a magnificently restored 12th-century castle of pink sandstone high in the Vosges. Following our guided tour of the castle, we descend the mountain to Riquewhir, the prettiest village on the Route du Vin. Savor a sparkling glass of local Riesling with lunch while watching the storks nesting on the rooftops! Visit the petite Musée Animé du Jouet this afternoon. |
Colmar |
8
Colmar
Basel
Luzern |
Basel's four-story Puppenhausmuseum offers an especially unique exhibition of dolls, toys, and teddy bears. Thousands of objects are cleverly arranged in themed displays that captivate, charm, and amuse. Luzern's picturesque Old Town straddles the narrowed waters where the River Reuss flows out of Lake Luzern. There's plenty of sightseeing and shopping here! |
Luzern |
9
Luzern |
Midway through our tour, we have a completely free day to shop, sightsee, or relax on the shores of beautiful Lake Luzern. |
Luzern |
10
Luzern
Mt. Pilatus
Luzern
Zürich
Luzern
|
Ascend 7,000 feet on the steepest cog railway in the world to the summit of Mt. Pilatus for the best 360-degree panorama of the Alps in Switzerland. Enjoy a rich cheese fondue to the sounds of the Alpenhorn performed by the Pilatusbläser. We descend the mountain by aerial cableway in panoramic gondolas. Sasha lovers can visit the Sasha Morgenthaler Puppenmuseum this afternoon. |
Luzern |
11
Luzern
Giengen
Rothenburg |
Travel scenic roads to the medieval walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber by way of Giengen an der Brenz to shop for felt and plush toys in the Stieff factory outlet. Visit the Margarete Steiff Museum. |
Rothenburg |
12
Rothenburg |
More than 500 dolls produced by French and German makers over a span of 200 years reside in the enchanting Puppen- und Spielzeugmuseum. Browse the offerings in the museum's garden flea market and well-stocked gift shop. Spend the rest of the day exploring this walled city, a veritable shopper's paradise with two year-round Christmas markets. |
Rothenburg |
13
Rothenburg
Nürnberg
Coburg |
Nürnberg's Spielzeugmuseum Lydia Bayer contains the largest and most varied toy collection in the world and the Germanishces Nationalmuseum's Toy Exhibit includes a world-famous collection of 17th- and 18th-century dolls' houses. There's time for shopping before we continue to historic Coburg, birthplace of Queen Victoria's Prince Albert. |
Coburg |
14
Coburg
Neustadt
Coburg |
A flea market kicks off the Neustadt Puppenfestival with offerings that include dolls and doll-related items. This evening we visit the Coburger Puppenmuseum where several hundred dolls are beautifully exhibited with toys, miniature rooms, doll clothing, and doll accessories.
|
Coburg |
15
Coburg
Rauenstein
Sonneberg
Steinach
Coburg |
Our Schildkröt factory tour begins in the Puppenmuseum and ends in the factory salesroom. The Deutsches Spielzeugmuseum contains a treasure trove of dolls, salesmen's samples, toys, and dioramas of 19th and 20th century doll manufacture. Marolin has produced fine creche and other papier mâché figures for over 100 years – our factory tour ends in the salesroom. |
Coburg |
16
Coburg
Neustadt
Coburg |
The highlight of today's Puppenfestival events is the International Doll and Teddy Bear Show. Explore the processes of toy manufacture in the Museum der Deutschen Spielzeugindustrie; immerse yourself in over 100 years of Christmas nostalgia at the Historisches Weihnachtsmuseum; visit the inimitable Peter Packert, the "Puppendoktor"; and shop for holiday candy containers at the Ino Schaller factory. |
Coburg |
17
Coburg
Hanau-Wilhelmsbad
Rüdesheim
St. Goarshausen
Rüdesheim |
The Hessisches Puppenmuseum, in the lovely Wilhelmsbad park, possesses one of the most extensive and important collections of Roman, Greek, and Coptic toys in the world. This afternoon, we cruise down "Father Rhine" past no less than twelve medieval castles and the Loreley. Our "Auf Wiedersehen" Banquet this evening features Rhenish cuisine and wine. |
Rüdesheim |
18
Rüdesheim
Frankfurt
USA |
Transfer to Frankfurt am Main Airport for return flight to USA.Auf Wiedersehen! |
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