The Rhine, Moselle, and Main Rivers
- The Rhine River
- The Rhine, at 1,320 km (820 miles) long, is one of the longest rivers in Europe, and has been important as a commercial waterway for at least 2,000 years. The many castles along its banks established control over portions of the river primarily for the purpose of collecting tolls.
- Rüdesheim am Rhein
- Rüdesheim (or Ruedesheim)is located on the east bank of the Rhine at the southern entrance to the Loreley valley.
- Rüdesheim Site
- Rüdesheim's own web pages providing information for visitors
- The Moselle River
- The Moselle River originates in France and flows through Luxembourg and western Germany on its way to merging with the Rhine at Koblenz. Like the Rhine, it has become famous for its natural beauty and its productive vineyards.
- Burg Eltz (Wiki)
- Burg Eltz is a medieval castle dating back over 850 years on a uniquely picturesque site in the hills above a tributary to the Moselle.
- Burg Eltz Site
- Website of Burg Eltz, still owned by a branch of the same family that lived there in the 12th century.
- Cochem
- Picturesque town on the Moselle, dominated by Cochem Castle (optional visit during lunch break).
- Heidelberg
- The city of Heidelberg is located on the Neckar River just up stream from where it joins the Rhine. Heidelberg is famous for its distinguished university, its high quality printing presses, and the mammoth Heidelberg Castle complex.
- Heidelberg Castle
- Heidelberger Schloss dominates the city, dates back to 1225, and has had an eventful history of repeated destruction and rebuilding.
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a small and remarkably well-preserved medieval town, complete with town walls and gates and its historic town center, overlooking the Tauber River, a tributary of the Main.
Bavaria
- Munich
- Munich (München) is the capital of the German state of Bavaria, Germany's third largest city (1.3 million), the home of world famous beer gardens and the annual Oktoberfest, and the origin and termination city for this tour.
- Nymphenburg Palace
- Immense Baroque palace on 200 acre estate in Munich where Ludwig was born
- King Ludwig II of Bavaria
- Biographical note on Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Bavaria from 1864 to 1886
- Neuschwanstein Castle
- Schloss Neuschwanstein – Ludwig's first and most famous castle, a dramatic Romanesque fortress build on a commanding hilltop high above the village of Hohenschwangau
- Village of Hohenschwangau
- Hohenschwangau is the small village located between the Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles.
- Herrenchiemsee
- Ludwig's third extravagance, a replica of the central section of the palace at Versailles, meant to outdo its predecessor in scale and opulence, built on an island in the middle of Lake Chiemsee
Austria
- Innsbruck
- Capital of the western Austria federal state of Tyrol, renowned winter sports center
- Salzburg
- Capital of the Austrian state of Salzburg, famous for its baroque architecture
- Fortress Hohensalzburg
- One of the largest medieval castles in Europe, atop Festungberg Hill
- Vienna
- Capital of Austria, its largest city (1.7 million), and the country's cultural, economic and political center
- Hofburg Imperial Palace
- Former residence of the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire, now the official residence of the President of Austria
- St. Stephen's Cathedral
- The seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vienna, the main religious edifice in Vienna, and one of the city's defining symbols
- Schönbrunn Palace
- Schönbrunn is one of the most beautiful and important cultural monuments in Austria, illustrating the tastes and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. Massive and elegant palace and gardens complex.