Join author and historian Gary Powers Jr. on this unforgettable 10-day tour of Cold War and Espionage related sites in Germany and the Czech Republic
Day 1: Departure from the USA
Day 2: Arrival Berlin
Welcome to Germany! Upon arrival in Berlin, your CHA Tour Director greets you at the airport where you board your private touring motorcoach. Later, enjoy an orientation drive through Berlin to get better acquainted with the German capital. See Brandenberg Gate, once the city’s triumphal arch, now a symbol of German reunification, and view remains of the Berlin Wall which once divided the city from 1961 to 1989 during a visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial. Check into your hotel and enjoy some free time to relax and unwind before enjoying a Welcome Dinner with Group Leader Gary Powers, Jr.
Day 3: Berlin - Potsdam - Berlin
Your morning sightseeing tour of Berlin includes visits to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, located at the most well-known border crossing point between East and West Berlin, and the German Spy Museum where you will gain insight into the intriguing world of Cold War espionage. This afternoon, learn more about Germany's military aviation history as you visit the Military History Museum Gatow located on a former airfield. Afterwards, proceed to nearby Potsdam where sightseeing includes a visit to Glienicke Bridge (the “Bridge of Spies”) where you will receive a personal overview by Gary Powers Jr. about the exchange of American pilot Francis Gary Powers and Soviet KGB Colonel William Fisher that took place there on February 10, 1962. Return to Berlin where dinner is included this evening.
Day 4: Berlin
Your morning sightseeing tour of Berlin includes visits to the Hohenschönhausen Memorial, formerly the Stasi’s main political prison, the Berlin Stasi Museum housed in the former headquarters of the Minister of State Security, and the Allied Museum on Clay Allee to learn more about the important role that the Western Allies played in Germany during the Cold War era. The balance of the day is yours to explore Berlin. On your free time, consider a visit to Mauerpark, located in what was once the militarized zone of the Berlin Wall, now a vibrant social, cultural and artistic center. Dinner is included in Berlin this evening.
Day 5: Berlin – Leipzig – Dresden
Depart Berlin for Leipzig where sightseeing upon arrival includes visits to the Museum in Der Runde Ecke, housed in the city’s former Stasi headquarters, and the Leipzig Forum of Contemporary History Museum which chronicles the history of the GDR from the beginning of the Cold War. Continue to Dresden where you’ll visit the Dresden’s Military History Museum, located in a former military arsenal, and the Bautzner Strasse Dresden Memorial, the site of a former Stasi prison. Overnight in Dresden where dinner is included this evening.
Day 6: Dresden – Prague – Pilsen
Cross the German border en route to Prague, the Czech Republic's historic capital. Learn more about Cold War politics and espionage during your sightseeing tour of Prague today with visits to the KGB Museum, the Prague Museum of Communism, and the Vitkov Hill Nuclear Bunker. Enjoy free time for lunch and to explore the city before continuing to Pilsen for dinner and your overnight stay.
Day 7: Pilsen – Míšov – Pilsen
Today’s sightseeing begins with a tour of the famous Pilsner Urquell Brewery. Enjoy an included lunch at the brewery before traveling to nearby Míšov to visit the Atom Museum, the world’s only nuclear weaponry that is open to the public. Return to Pilsen where you will be on your own for dinner this evening.
Day 8: Pilsen – Rozvadov – Nuremberg – Stuttgart
Depart Pilsen for Rozvadov where you will experience what life was like in the former Czechoslovakia during the days of Communism during visit to the Iron Curtain Museum. Then cross the Czech border as you re-enter Germany. Proceed to Nuremberg to visit the Nuremberg Trials Memorial where the ground-breaking post-World War II trials took place during which former Nazi leaders were tried and convicted as war criminals by the Allies’ International Tribunal. Continue to Stuttgart where dinner is included this evening.
Day 9: Stuttgart – Sinsheim – Speyer – Frankfurt
A full day of sightseeing begins with a visit to the fascinating Stuttgart Cold War Bunker. Later, marvel at the incredible collection of retired aircraft and vintage automobiles on display during your visits to the Technik Museum in Sinsheim and the Museum of Technology in Speyer. Proceed to your hotel on the outskirts of Frankfurt where you spend your final evening in Europe. Dinner is included this evening.
Day 10: Departure for the USA
Transfer to Frankfurt airport where you board your return flight.