2022 DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL BAND EUROPE CONCERT TOUR
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY
This information is tentative, based on initial planning ideas, and subject to change. Please note that the following information describes the Student Bus Itinerary. Although the Adult Bus Itinerary will be similar, hotel locations may differ. An itinerary specific to the Adult Bus will be sent with the Adult Bus Trip Documents. Transportation will always be provided for those on the Adult Bus who wish to attend the concert performances.
Day 1 – THURSDAY, JUNE 30 – USA/EUROPE…OVERNIGHT FLIGHT TO EUROPE. Meet at DeWitt High School to board the buses for the transfer to your U.S. departure airport. Check-in and go through security prior to your flight departure.
Day 2 – FRIDAY, JULY 01 – HOLLAND…ARRIVAL AT AMSTERDAM AIRPORT AND TRANSFER TO YOUR HOTEL. Morning arrival at Amsterdam Airport. After instruments and luggage are loaded, board your motor coach to transfer through the Dutch Lowlands, much of which are below sea level. The canals, dikes, bridges and windmills seen along the way, create your first impressions of the Netherlands (often referred to as Holland). A two-night stay will introduce you to Dutch “gezelligheid,” a friendly, cozy feeling. After check-in, make a leisurely visit to a windmill village. Return to your hotel for dinner.
Day 3 – SATURDAY, JULY 02 – HOLLAND… AMSTERDAM AND DELFT. Amsterdam, Holland’s colorful and lively capital city, awaits you this morning. The 17th-century canal houses with their gabled roofs are a photographer’s delight and you will be amazed by the number of bicycles while you tour the city in a glass top boat. As you transfer to Delft, prepare to be captivated by the picturesque streets lined with medieval architecture, characteristic canals, friendly cafés, and inviting shops selling the famous Delft Blue earthenware. The DeWitt High School Band will perform their first concert of the tour on Delft’s Market Square. After the concert, you will have time for an independent dinner, allowing you the opportunity to try Dutch pancakes before returning to your Holland hotel.
Day 4 – SUNDAY, JULY 03 – BELGIUM/FRANCE…VISIT ANTWERP AND TRAVEL THROUGH FRANCE TO PARIS. Traveling south, leave Holland and cross the border into Belgium. Make an early lunch stop in Antwerp to view its impressive Cathedral of Our Lady and beautiful guild houses. Take a walk through the Old Town where friendly sidewalk cafés will tempt you to order a Belgian waffle for lunch. Candy stores will also entice you with an endless selection of irresistible chocolates. In the late afternoon you enter France and by dinner time you have reached Paris, “The City of Light.” A characteristic French bistro will host dinner before you transfer to your hotel for check-in.
Day 5 – MONDAY, JULY 04 – FRANCE…PARIS. Start your exploration of Paris with a photo stop at the impressive Sacré-Cœur Basilica, in the Montmartre District. Next, a leisurely Seine River boat ride provides views of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. During the free time in Paris, students will be required to stay together in groups with the choice of exploring the area surrounding either the Notre Dame Cathedral or the Louvre Museum (in the past the museum has offered free entrance for students 18 and under). In the afternoon, travel to your hotel in Troyes, France for dinner and overnight.
Day 6 – TUESDAY, JULY 05 – FRANCE/SWITZERLAND…
BURGUNDY TO THE SWISS ALPS. You may wish to rise early and walk into Troyes’ picturesque medieval village square. This will be a full day of travel through the vineyards of the Champagne, Burgundy and Alsace regions. Make a brief lunch stop near the university town of Besançon. Cross the border into Switzerland and continue past Basel, strategically situated at the point where Switzerland, Germany and France meet. You will spend the next two nights in the majestic Swiss Alps.
Day 7 – WEDNESDAY, JULY 06 – SWITZERLAND…
MOUNT STANSERHORN AND LUCERNE. The day focuses on an unforgettable excursion to the top of Mount Stanserhorn, located on the edge of gorgeous Lake Lucerne. From the village of Stans take a cogwheel train and then a cable car up the 6000-foot mountain for incredible views. Take in the panoramas from the ideally situated viewing platforms, while relaxing at the mountaintop restaurant, or during an exhilarating hike. In the afternoon, visit the lovely town of Lucerne to walk the covered bridge and shop for delicious Swiss chocolate. The DeWitt High School Band will perform in the village of Stans this evening.
Day 8 – THURSDAY, JULY 7 – LIECHTENSTEIN/ AUSTRIA…VADUZ AND INNSBRUCK. Travel through the Swiss Lake District and into the small country of Liechtenstein for a short visit to its capital of Vaduz. Liechtenstein is nestled between Switzerland and Austria and is a center for stamp collecting. Then, enter into the Austrian Alps on the way to imperial Innsbruck, located on the River Inn to which it owes its name (Brücke = bridge). Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol, one of Austria’s nine provinces. One of the city’s most iconic sights is the Golden Roof Balcony, built during the rule of Emperor Maximilian I so he could watch entertainment in the square below. In the late afternoon, the DeWitt High School Band will perform in Innsbruck. After the concert, transfer to your hotel for a two-night stay in one of the neighboring mountain villages.
Day 9 – FRIDAY, JULY 8 – GERMANY/AUSTRIA… ALPINE COASTER AND NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE. You are in for a thrilling day, starting with an Alpine Coaster ride. Take a chair lift up to where individual toboggans equipped with manual brake controls follow a winding rail through breathtaking scenery as you coast down the mountain. Another highlight is the visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. You will recognize this as the model for the castle at Walt Disney World. Neuschwanstein was the creation of ‘Mad’ King Ludwig II of Bavaria who made it a habit to build elaborate castles with the state’s money. Walk up the mountain where a tour of the castle interior is included. To top off this exciting day, attend a Tyrolean Folklore Show this evening, presenting traditional dancing, yodeling, and unique musical instruments.
Day 10 – SATURDAY, JULY 9 – AUSTRIA/GERMANY/AUSTRIA… BERCHTESGADEN SALT MINES. The Tyrolean Alps provide stunning scenery on the way to Berchtesgaden, Germany. After a scenic lunch stop, another memorable experience follows at the Berchtesgaden Salt Mines. Donned in mine workers’ garb – cap and all – descend deep into the mountain interior by way of a small train. After an explanation of how the salt is extracted, take a thrilling ride down the giant slides. Return to Austria, this time in the breathtaking province of Salzburg. Spend the next two nights among the natural beauty of mountain-fed rivers and flower-laden meadows.
Day 11 – SUNDAY, JULY 10 – GERMANY/AUSTRIA…EAGLE’S NEST AND SALZBURG. What a way to wake up, surrounded by the splendid scenery of the Austrian Alps! Take a short ride to the Eagle’s Nest, Adolf Hitler’s hideaway during WWII. The views into both Germany and Austria from the 6000-foot-high Eagle’s Nest is said to be the most outstanding in the Alps. You can also see Salzburg, your afternoon destination. Dominated by the imposing hilltop fortress and bisected by the Salzach River, this beautiful, baroque city abounds with elegant buildings, fountains, squares, and gardens. During free time here, you may enjoy strolling through Salzburg’s famous shopping streets with the highly ornate, wrought iron signs on their storefronts. The DeWitt High School Band will perform an afternoon concert in the Mirabell Garden. Scenes from The Sound of Music were filmed on these beautifully manicured grounds.
Day 12 – MONDAY, JULY 11 – GERMANY/AUSTRIA…DACHAU.
After breakfast, cross the border into Germany once again, and travel north by way of the Autobahn. After a short lunch stop, arrive in Dachau for a somber afternoon visit to the former concentration camp. Those who prefer may remain in the Visitors Center at the entrance. Your accommodations for tonight will be at one of the medieval walled cities along the Romantic Road.
Day 13 – TUESDAY, JULY 12 – GERMANY…ROTHENBURG AND RÜDESHEIM. This morning, transfer to Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. As you walk into the center of this storybook village, you are sure to be enchanted by the intact city walls, cobblestone streets, historic inns, and quaint shop fronts. You may wish to climb up to the ‘Rathaus’ Bell Tower for a birds-eye view of the city. Perhaps one of the many bakeries will tempt you to try a local treat. Visit one of the unique museums, stroll through the peaceful Castle Gardens near the River Tauber, or browse the magical displays in the year-round Christmas shop. The DeWitt High School Band will perform their final concert of the tour on the Rothenburg Market Square. In the afternoon, continue north to your hotel in Rüdesheim, arriving just before dinner.
Day 14 – WEDNESDAY, JULY 13 – GERMANY…CRUISE ON THE RHINE RIVER AND RÜDESHEIM. A Rhine River Steamer awaits to take you on a scenic boat ride past medieval fortresses, quaint villages, hillside vineyards and the legendary Lorelei Rock. Spend the rest of the day in Rüdesheim. Walk along the attractive Rhine River promenade and the pretty Drosselgasse, the main shopping street; visit the unique Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum; or take a cable car ride up to the Neiderwald Monument for a scenic hike with amazing views of the Rhine River Valley. Before dinner, it is time to pack up all the instruments and get ready for your return flight home tomorrow.
Day 15 – THURSDAY, JULY 14 – GERMANY/USA…TRANSFER TO FRANKFURT AIRPORT. Early this morning, transfer to Frankfurt Airport to check in for your flight. Return home a richer person, having gained special life-long memories.