Fly from Atlanta to Prague, Czech Republic.

Depending on your departure city, you will arrive either this morning or afternoon. A Grand Circle representative will meet you at the airport and assist you to the hotel, where you'll get to know the lively surrounding neighborhood during a vicinity walk with your Program Director.

Once you've settled in, gather with your Program Director and fellow Grand Circle travelers for a Welcome Drink this evening.

Prague's regal beauty spreads on both sides of the winding Vltava River, connected by 16 picturesque bridges. Like Rome and San Francisco, the city is built over a series of hills and its varied architecture spans many centuries.

This morning, begin your exploration of Prague, "City of 100 Spires," with a visit to historic Prague Castle - perched regally over the Vltava River and offering stunning views of the city. More than 1,000 years old, the castle features residential quarters, chapels, galleries, and gardens. You'll also see the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral from the outside before transferring to Prague's historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the highlights of your guided walking tour is the Old Town Square, home to the city's famous, medieval Astronomical Clock - or Orloj - parts of which date back to the early 15th century. Every hour, crowds assemble below to watch Christ and the twelve Apostles appear at two little windows above the clock face, followed by the skeleton of Death tolling the bell.

Following lunch on your own, join this afternoon's optional Jewish Prague tour of the city's storied Jewish district, including visits to several local synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery. Or enjoy the remainder of the day relaxing or exploring independently. As you'll discover, Prague boasts many landmarks worth seeing. Perhaps you'll visit Stare Mesto, the Old Town, with its many wonderful Gothic and Baroque buildings. Or explore St. George's Basilica, with its tenth-century towers, or enjoy a stroll through the elegant Prague Castle Gardens - home to an impressive collection of marble monuments.

Tonight, dine on your own at one of Prague's many restaurants. Your Program Director can offer suggestions.

After breakfast, you'll check out of your hotel and transfer to Litomerice, set at the confluence of the Labe and Ohre rivers, and considered one of the oldest and most beautiful Czech towns. Here, you'll enjoy an informative stroll and an included lunch.

This afternoon, you'll head towards Dresden, where you'll board your private river ship. This evening, gather in your ship's lounge for a Captain's Welcome Drink and crew introduction, followed by the Captain's Welcome Dinner in the dining room.

This morning, relax and settle in as we sail through one of the Elbe River's most beautiful regions - Swiss Saxony - accompanied by commentary by your Program Director. For panoramic views of the region's dramatic peaks and valleys, find a seat on the ship's Sun Deck.

Discover the scenic view from atop the Bastei sandstone bridge After lunch aboard your river ship, you'll travel overland by motorcoach through the dramatic Elbe Sandstone Mountains to the highlight of this region: the Bastei. Millions of years ago, these rocks were at the bottom of the sea and the evident water erosion still evokes the memory of an undersea wonderland. The Elbe Sandstone Mountains attract rock climbers from far and wide with their enticing 1,100 free-standing peaks. The Bastei sandstone bridge high above the green valley connects the series of rock promontories and overlooks the Elbe - an incredible vista from this perspective. The impossibly smooth cliffs and castle-like detailing of the bridge are straight out of a medieval fairy tale.

Dinner will be aboard ship this evening.

Today, immerse yourself in the remarkable city of Dresden. A flourishing artistic center until the rise of the Nazis, it was completely destroyed during World War II. Writer Kurt Vonnegut, himself a survivor of the controversial air raids that leveled the Baroque city, chronicled the events in Slaughterhouse-Five. Dresden has since risen from the ashes and been rebuilt from the ground up - reclaiming its place as one of Germany's intellectual and cultural hubs. You'll begin with an included walking tour past the city's historic sights, including the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), Dresden Castle (Residenzschloss), the spectacular 18th-century Baroque Zwinger Palace, and the Semper Opera House - set in a large, public square along the banks of the Elbe.

After lunch onboard, discover some of the world's most renowned treasures during an included visit to the Royal Palace's Historic Green Vault (Historisches Grunes Gewolbe), which still houses one of the largest collections of treasures in Europe - including the crown jewels and other royal trophies of Augustus II, the German monarch who turned Dresden into a cultural center. Afterwards, spend the afternoon at leisure and explore Dresden. Perhaps you'll delve further into some of the sites from the morning's tour, taking in the impressive 17th-century art collection at Zwinger Palace; or touring the Semper Opera House, which was first destroyed by a fire in 1869 and then again during Allied bombing in 1945, and has been meticulously restored for the second time.

The ancient town of Meissen straddles both banks of the river, and today you'll explore its highlights and discover one of its most well-known products when you visit the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory - Europe's first and oldest continuously running porcelain maker - to learn about its five-stage production process. While it's often called the "cradle of Saxony," Meissen is internationally known for the high-end porcelain of the same name, which has been produced there for more than 300 years.

Johann Friedrich Bottger, a purported alchemist who had been unable to create gold for Augustus II, may have saved his own life when he presented the porcelain recipe in 1709. Though it's unlikely that Bottger devised the recipe himself, it was regarded as "white gold" by the monarch, who opened the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. Prior to this, all porcelain in Europe was imported from China. They began with simple tableware and quickly expanded into a range of exquisitely hand-painted products, ranging from figures to clocks.

Later this afternoon you'll enjoy a walking tour of Meissen encompassing its historic market square, Renaissance architecture, and Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche). Then continue your discoveries on your own in Meissen.

This morning, enjoy scenic views as you cruise to Torgau.

After lunch, experience the town firsthand during an included tour. You'll visit the town center - restored since the German reunification - and see the town hall built in Renaissance style, and you'll also witness the monument along the Elbe that was built in honor of the meeting between U.S. and Soviet soldiers. Enjoy some free time to explore before boarding the ship this evening.

Later, while aboard your river ship, a local resident discusses the significance of the location along the Elbe River in Torgau, where U.S. Army and Soviet soldiers met during the German invasion on April 25, 1945 - coined "Elbe Day," in honor of the monumental event. The meeting of soldiers signified an important action towards the end of World War II, with the allied powers avowing to complete the dissolution of the Third Reich.

This morning, enjoy an included tour of the twelfth-century city of Wittenberg. Officially known as Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the cradle of the Protestant Reformation is best known as the town where Martin Luther lived, preached, and began his philosophical dispute with the Catholic Church. You'll see Wittenberg's oldest surviving structure - the twin-towered Stadtkirche (town church) and visit the most important landmarks in the history of Protestantism, including the Augustinian Monastery where Martin Luther first became a Catholic priest and later lived with his family following his excommunication.

Your tour will also take you to the All Saints' Schlosskirche (castle church) where the theologian first posted his 95 Theses criticizing the Catholic Church's practice of selling "indulgences" (Pope-sanctioned absolution for any sin). As an academic who taught theology at the University of Wittenberg, Luther used a typical means of challenging local Church authorities to a theological debate. However, the Bishop never responded and, by the time Luther's 95 Theses reached Rome, the document had been seen all over Europe. Due to his continuing theological criticism of the papacy, Luther was officially declared a heretic and effectively sentenced to death. He escaped arrest and returned to Wittenberg in secret, where he developed the tenets of Lutheranism. The Church never got its vengeance - 30 years after writing 95 Theses, Luther died of natural causes. He had successfully started a new denomination of Christianity and inspired others around Europe to do the same.

You'll have the remainder of the morning to follow your own agenda before returning to the ship for lunch. Early this afternoon, you'll join a local family in their home for a special Home-Hosted Kaffeeklatsch - featuring an enjoyable taste of German hospitality and culture over coffee and cake.

After breakfast, you'll set out for a morning of sailing. This afternoon, you'll dock in the Elbe River enclave of Tangermunde, where you'll set out for an included walking tour with your Program Director. Dating back to 1009, this 1,000-year-old town in the Stendhal district is located on a hill overlooking the river. And as you'll discover during your tour, it's dominated by a distinctive, red brick church - home to an early 17th-century organ designed by one of Germany's most famous organ makers. You'll also see its Gothic town hall, a collection of quaint half-timbered houses, and the remains of a fortified castle built by Charles IV (aka Kaiser Karl IV) in the 14th century as a second residence, after Prague.

Following your walking tour, you'll have a chance to seek out additional local history and sites during your free time here; your Program Director will be happy to make suggestions.

In the evening, your final night onboard, join your fellow travelers for a Captain's Farewell Drink and Dinner.

After breakfast this morning, you'll transfer to Potsdam, where you'll enjoy a guided tour of Cecilienhof Palace - which is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally the last palace built by the Hohenzollern dynasty, and constructed between 1914 and 1917 for Crown Prince Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie von Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Cecilienhof is now a museum as well as a hotel. It was here that Winston Churchill, Josif Stalin, and Harry Truman hammered out the details of the German surrender in World War II.

After lunch, you'll transfer to Berlin, where you'll check into your hotel, and enjoy an orientation walk with your Program Director to get better acquainted with the area. This afternoon and evening are at your leisure.

This morning, after an included breakfast at your hotel, it's time to set out on a full day of discovery with an included city tour of Berlin.

See Checkpoint Charlie while exploring Berlin The second-largest urban area in Europe, Berlin is an enormous city, but most of its most iconic sites are relatively close together. Divided at the end of World War II, blockaded by the Soviets during the Cold War, riven by a cruel grey wall, and finally delivered by the sledgehammers of freedom fighters, Berlin is once again a united city. The city's lakes and forests provide bucolic retreats in an urban setting, while the city's divided history has led to a truly unique collection of architectural styles. If you find yourself in the old Soviet sector of the city, keep your eyes open for extant Ampelmannchen, the "little traffic light man" who adorned East German traffic lights. The Reichstag, site of the final defense of the Third Reich, was rebuilt after World War II and now features an enormous glass sphere, emphasizing the transparency and openness of the new Germany. Like so much of Berlin, the future and past are inextricably mixed.

After lunch on your own, use your new-found knowledge of Berlin to explore the city at your leisure this afternoon.

Tonight, you'll enjoy dinner at a local restaurant with your fellow travelers.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.