Join renowned author, lecturer and historian Gary Powers Jr. on this exciting 12-day educational tour of fascinating World War II and Cold War and espionage related sites in England, France, Belgium and Germany from October 5 to 16, 2027
Day 1: Departure from the USA
Day 2: Arrival London
Welcome to London where your CHA Tour Director greets you at the airport. Begin your exploration of England's capital with an included visit to the Imperial War Museum to see its remarkable collection dedicated to British military history, from the trenches of the First World War to the Blitz in World War II, the Cold War, and the present day. Afterwards, check into your London hotel to relax and unpack from your journey. Tonight, get to know your fellow travelers at our Introductory Dinner.
Day 3: London
The morning begins with a spy-themed sightseeing tour of London highlighting Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Downing Street, New Scotland Yard, and the MI5 and MI6 buildings. Included is a visit to the Churchill War Rooms, the secret underground headquarters of Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II. Afterwards, enjoy an included lunch at St. Ermin's, the Westminster hotel steeped in British espionage history. The remainder of the day is yours to explore London at your own pace. You are on your own for dinner as lunch was included today.
Day 4: London-Bletchley Park-London
Today’s full-day excursion includes visits to Bletchley Park in Milton Keyes, the English country house and estate that served as the unlikely center of top-secret Allied code-breaking during World War II, and the Royal Air Force Museum, located in a northwest suburb of London on the former Hendon Aerodrome, where original fighter aircraft from World War II’s Battle of Britain are on display. Dinner in London is included this evening.
Day 5: London-Eurostar-Lille-Wizernes-Normandy
Drive to St. Pancras Station this morning to board your time-saving Eurostar train, whisking you from London to France in less than two hours. Upon arrival in Lille, drive to La Coupole History Center, located in Wizernes. Housed in a massive World War II bunker complex built by Nazi Germany that was later abandoned following Allied bombings, this interactive museum is dedicated to the German occupation, the Holocaust, and the Space Race during the Cold War. After your visit, proceed to your hotel in France's Normandy region. Dinner is included this evening.
Day 6: Normandy-D-Day Beaches-Caen-Normandy
The day begins with a scenic drive to the Normandy Coast to visit the historic D-Day Beaches where Allied Forces invaded occupied France during World War II. Visit the American Cemetery where more than 9,000 of our nation’s soldiers are buried, and the D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains containing a collection of models, photographs, and equipment used by the Allied Forces. After an included lunch, visit the Caen Memorial Museum which chronicles important periods in 20th-century history including Normandy’s D-Day landings, the Cold War and beyond. You are on your own for dinner tonight as lunch was provided today.
Day 7: Normandy-Reims-Bastogne
This morning, travel to Reims to visit the Museum of the Surrender, housed in General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s former headquarters, where Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied Forces in May 1945. Continue to the small town of Bastogne in Belgium where World War II's famous Battle of the Bulge took place, to visit the Bastogne War Museum. Dinner and overnight in the Bastogne area.
Day 8: Bastogne-Luxembourg-Stuttgart
Journey across the Belgian border to Luxembourg, the world's only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy, to visit the American Cemetery where General Patton is buried. Continue to Germany as you head to Stuttgart where you visit the Feuerbach Bunker, a civilian air-raid shelter built in 1940 that was later adapted as a bunker during the Cold War. Dinner and overnight in Stuttgart.
Day 9: Stuttgart-Nuremberg-Munich
Drive to Nuremberg to see Hitler’s Rally Grounds and to visit to the Nuremberg Trials Memorial, the location of the ground-breaking post-World War II trials where former Nazi leaders were tried and convicted as war criminals by the Allies International Tribunal. Afterwards, proceed to Munich, the capital of Germany’s Bavaria region, where you check into your hotel and have dinner.
Day 10: Munich-Dachau-Oberschleissheim-Munich
Experience a full day of sightseeing in and around Munich today. Begin with a drive to the nearby Dachau to visit the site of the first Nazi concentration camp opened in March 1933 which now serves as a moving memorial to the victims who perished there. Return to Munich for an orientation tour of the Bavarian capital featuring a stop in the historic Marienplatz. After an included lunch, proceed to Oberschleissheim to visit the Aviation Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim, a branch of Munich’s Deutsches Museum, located on the country’s oldest surviving airfield once used by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. You’re on your own for dinner tonight as lunch was included today.
Day 11: Munich-Berchtesgaden-Munich
Enjoy a full-day excursion high into the Bavarian Alps to visit Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest and Documentation Center located near Berchtesgaden close to the Austrian border. A light lunch will be included. (Please be advised that this visit is weather permitting.) Return to Munich. Tonight, celebrate your final evening in Europe at a special Farewell Dinner.
Day 12: Departure for the USA
This morning, transfer to Munich Airport to board your return flight arrangements.