Friday-Tuesday, May 23-26

Kaiserslautern USO invites you to come with us on this special tour to northern Italy. This tour will have something for everyone. We’ll visit the spectacular cities of Venice, Verona, and Vicenza, and the charming town of Marostica. Bathe in the ambiance of northern Italy; enjoy the sites, the scenery, the food, and the wine. We'll depart from Vogelweh Friday night and arrive in Italy for an early breakfast at our hotel. After breakfast, we'll continue to Nové for shopping and visiting the medieval town of Marostica. After our early afternoon check-in at the hotel, you will have time to rest before we go into the city of Vicenza where we’ll have a guided tour and free time for dinner before returning to our hotel. On Sunday morning, we’ll head off to the exciting city of Venice with its canals, bridges, and gondolas. Here, ou can buy one of the imaginative, elaborate masks produced for Carnevale or buy some of the glass and lace produced on the surrounding islands of Murano and Buarno. Venice is totally without cars—they have never been permitted inside the city—so we'll take a boat ride to St. Mark's Square. There, we’ll meet our local guides who will show us the impressive and historic sights of Venice: St. Mark's Cathedral, the Ducal Palace, the Bell Tower, St. Mark's Square, the Bridge of Sighs, and much more. There will be ample time for touring on your own, souvenir shopping, and dinner in Venice before returning to our hotel. Maybe you’ll even opt for a gondola ride. On Monday morning, we'll proceed to the romantic city of Verona, city of Romeo and Juliet. You can reflect upon the joys and sorrows of young love immortalized under the famed balcony of Juliet’s house. We will visit the remarkable Roman arena and see the medieval town fortifications and have free time for shopping and sightseeing in Verona before we head to the surrounding vineyards of Pedemonte for our Italian wine tasting. We’ll try the wines from a family-owned winery located in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico region, northwest of Verona. Bring euro for food, shopping, and wine purchases. Many shops accept major credit cards. Passports are required for US citizens and military members. It is the responsibility of non-US citizens to take care of visa requirements. Tour price includes transportation, one breakfast en route, two overnights in a medium category, comfortable hotel, boat transportation in Venice, local city guides in Venice and Verona, entrance to the Ducal Palace in Venice, the Arena in Verona, and wine tasting, and a USO tour guide. (NOTE: This tour will include a stop in Nové for ceramics shopping.)

Transportation: German bus

Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 2100 (FRI)

Return: Approximately 0230 (TUE)

Cost: $439 per person (based on double occupancy)

Single Supplement: $120

Saturday-Monday, May 24-26

Spring is in the air and your USO has a new special tour for you. Paris is calling you to come for an overnight visit. Enjoy this leisurely weekend in the City of Lights and romance. An early morning departure brings us into Paris before noon, and we will hit the ground running with a windshield tour and photo opportunities at the Eiffel Tower and the Invalides Church. Our mid-day break will take us to the magnificent Louvre Museum where you can visit the museum (not included),  have lunch,  shop, or just relax in the Tuilleries Gardens or the courtyard gardens of the Palais Royal. In the afternoon, we’ll check into our hotel and have the opportunity to freshen up before we go out on the town. You can spend the evening strolling or shopping on the bustling Champs-Élysées. After our evening boat ride on the Seine River (included), we’ll return to our hotel for the night. Day two will take us to more intriguing locations in Paris. We’ll have a morning visit to the cemetery of Père Lachaise  where you can pay homage to some of the luminaries who are interred there—Chopin, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde,  Edith Piaf, Abelard and Heloise, Sarah Bernardt, to name a few. Our mid-day will take us to the Montmartre, with its breathtaking view of Paris. We’ll visit the imposing church of the Sacré Coeur and the heart of Bohemian Paris—the Painters’ Square. We’ll round off our day in the Latin Quarter (the university district), where we will visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and have a delightful French dining experience (included). Our USO guide can make suggestions for your free time. We recommend U.S. (blue), EC, or Canadian passports.  Travel documents are the responsibility of the customer. Tour price includes transportation, city tour, 5-course dinner, Seine River cruise, one overnight in hotel with one breakfast, and USO tour guide.

Transportation: German bus

Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 0400 (SAT)

Return: Approximately 0100 (MON)

Cost: $299

Single Supplement: $60

Sailing Adventure

Saturday-Sunday, June 21-22

Saturday-Sunday, August 23-24

Set sail for a nautical adventure on Holland's inland coast between Amsterdam and Volendam. We arrive in Amsterdam early morning for breakfast (included). After breakfast, we'll drive to Amsterdam's harbor where we board our authentic Dutch clipper ship and set sail on the former Zuyder Zee. We’ll be welcomed on board with coffee and cake (included). During the approximately four-hour cruise, you can relax and enjoy the experience or volunteer to help the crew members as they chart our course toward Volendam. We’ll also have a typical Zuyder Zee lunch (included) on board. We'll arrive in Volendam in the mid-afternoon and have some free time to explore, shop, or just have a meal or drink. Volendam is an old fishing village with its charming houses, its lace curtains, and its local traditional costumes. You’ll have free time to shop for the world famous Delft ware, lace, and other Dutch specialties, or visit the harbor and check out the many seafood restaurants. In the late afternoon, we’ll board our bus and drive to our hotel in Purmerend, right outside of Volendam. Purmerend was once Holland’s biggest cattle market town and is located on a major rail route connecting Amsterdam witht the north. It’s about 20 minutes from Amsterdam. The next morning after breakfast (included), we'll leave and head toward Amsterdam. Upon arrival in Amsterdam, we'll have a short orientation of the downtown area. From the Dam Square, you’ll be able to visit Anne Frank’s House, the famous Red Light District, the Royal Palace, or many other downtown sights and shops. In the afternoon, we'll make a final stop, visiting one of the oldest wooden-shoe makers in the area. Here, you can see how shoes are made and can buy shoes as well as other last minute souvenirs. Dinner (not included) will be in Holland. We recommend U.S. (blue), EC, or Canadian passports. Travel documents are the responsibility of the customer. Please bring euro. Tour price includes transportation; one overnight; two breakfasts, ship cruise with coffee, cake, and lunch on board; Amsterdam city orientation; and USO tour guide.

Transportation: German bus

Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 0130 (SAT)

Return: Approximately midnight (SUN)

Cost: $319 based on double occupancy

Single Supplement: $60

Thursday-Sunday, July 3-6

Come with the USO on this special trip to Berlin during the Fourth of July week. Throughout the 20th century, Berlin continuously remained in the spotlight as history was being made. Visit many of the locations you know from the media or history books—whether it be the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the remnants of the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, or Tempelhof Airport. We’ll depart Kaiserslautern late Thursday evening and arrive in Berlin early Friday morning. We won’t waste any time as we start our sightseeing tour of the city. During your two days in Berlin, you’ll have guided tours to the most popular sights: the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Topography of Terror, the Potsdamer Platz, Unter den Linden, Alexanderplatz, the Olympic Stadium, and the Berlin Cathedral. We’ll take you to the west side of town on Friday afternoon and evening where you will have time to visit the bustling Kurfürstendamm, or “Ku’damm”, for short. Visit the Europa Center with its 70 stores and pubs, the Berlin Zoological Gardens, the Hard Rock Café, or the Ka- De-We, the largest department store on the European continent. On Saturday afternoon, after our morning sightseeing, you’ll have free time to visit some of the fascinating museums that are conveniently located on the Museum Island and Unter den Linden. You can shop in the famous old town quarter, the Nikolai Viertl, the trendy Haeckescher Markt, or Friedrich Strasse’s Galleries Lafayette. If you prefer the water, you can visit the Sea Life Museum, take a boat ride on the Spree, or just chill in a beach bar on the Spree. Transportation will be provided back to the hotel on Saturday evening, but for those who want to venture out on their own, the hotel is located on public transportation lines. On Sunday, we’ll visit the palace grounds of the Sans Saussouci in Potsdam, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great of Prussia. We’ll have a guided tour of the Cecilienhof, site of the Potsdam conference, the last great inter-Allied conference of World War II. An early afternoon departure on Sunday afternoon should get us home around midnight. Tour price includes transportation, two overnights in a comfortable hotel, breakfast en route and in hotel, city tour, Checkpoint Charlie museum entrance, Berlin Cathedral entrance, Olympic Stadium tower entrance, Cecilienhof tour and a USO guide.

Transportation: German bus

Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 2300 (THU)

Return: Approximately midnight (SUN)

Cost: $349 Adults, $339 Children, based on double occupancy

Single Supplement: $120

Thursday-Tuesday, July 31-August 5

What could be better than two nights in London? How about three nights in London. That’s what you’ll have on this special summer trip to England’s capital—one of the world’s most interesting and versatile cities. If you’re a shopper, a theater goer, a museum enthusiast, history buff, or even a lover of all types of cuisine, London is for you. Included in this tour are three nights in a centrally-located, 5-star hotel featuring spacious rooms, swimming pool, spa, and a complete gym. It’s located within walking distance of the British Museum and the Covent Garden shopping and pub area, and is also convenient to an Underground “Tube” Station which means that all of the city is at your beck and call. The hotel offers an extensive continental breakfast buffet which is included in the price of the tour (other meals are not included). During our four days in the London area, we’ll see such picture postcard sights as Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace and changing of the Guard, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, the new London Eye, and all those places you learned about in history class. Our tour also includes admission to the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Windsor Castle. The great thing about having three full days and three nights in the city is the free time you’ll have to pursue your own interests. You can take a boat ride along the Thames to Greenwich; visit Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived or Henry VIII’s Hampton Court; take in the British Museum, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and London Planetarium, or the Royal Botanic Gardens; if you’re into walking, take the Jack the Ripper Walk or the Dickens’ London Walk, or many other guided walks offered by several London companies; visit Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms, the London Zoo, or the original Hard Rock Café, or see plays at London’s West End theaters (the equivalent of New York’s Broadway) where you can often get half-price tickets at the TKTS “half-price” ticket booth the day of show. For those of you who love shopping, our hotel is located within walking distance of the famed Oxford Street shopping district. There’s also the world famous Harrods Department Store and lots of weekend markets throughout the city featuring all kinds of antiques, jewelry, leather goods, china, and anything else you might be looking for. If great cuisine is your passion, you won’t be disappointed in London. There’s just about any type of food you can think of including England’s famous “fish and chips,” gourmet British cuisine (yes, there really is), Indian, French, you name it, they’ve got it. Really, this is a city with something for everyone. Please bring passport or travel papers, euro for meals en route and British pounds. U.S. (Blue), EC, or Canadian passports are required. Travel documents are the responsibility of the customer. Tour price includes bus transportation, three overnights in a 5-star hotel, three breakfasts, London city tour, admission to St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle, and two USO tour guides.

Transportation: German bus (we’ll cross the English Channel on the Ferry)

Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 2100 (THU)

Return: Approximately 0400 (TUE)

Cost: $629 Adults, $599 Children when sharing room with parent, per person (based on double occupancy). No optional tour expenses.

Single Supplement: $200

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Thursday-Monday, September 11-15

Krakow, Poland’s former capital and a city many herald as “The New Prague,” is a tour many of our customers have requested. And now we have it. Krakow is Poland’s fourth largest city and a major year-round tourist destination. In 1978, UNESCO distinguished Krakow by placing the town on its list of the 12 most precious cultural heritage centers in the world. We’ll leave Thursday evening and drive through the night with a breakfast stop (not included) en route. Friday morning, we’ll meet our local guide at our downtown hotel for a city tour of Krakow’s old town and tour of St. Mary’s Cathedral. After checking into the hotel, you’ll have free time to explore the city on your own, visit the castle, shop, or relax at one of the many cafés and restaurants. On Saturday, we’ll visit Auschwitz-Birkenau for a tour of the complex. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest German Nazi concentration and extermination camp complex, consisting of three main camps: Auschwitz I, the administrative center; Auschwitz II (Birkenau), an extermination camp; and Auschwitz III (Monowitz), a work camp. The first two have been on the World Heritage List since 1979. There were also around 40 satellite camps, with prisoner populations ranging from several dozen to several thousand. After a day at the camps, we will drive back to our hotel where you can prepare for an evening with a traditional Polish dinner and entertainment. Sunday, you’ll have free time to visit the castle, tour the Kazimierz area (Jewish section of town), or drive to the Salt Mines at Wieliczka and take the tour there. Your tour guide can give suggestions on things of interest in the area. We’ll leave Krakow in the afternoon and make a dinner stop en route to Kaiserslautern. Passports are required for US citizens and military members. It is the responsibility of non-US citizens to take care of visa requirements. Tour price includes transportation, two overnights with breakfast in a downtown hotel, Krakow city tour with local guide, entrance to St. Mary’s Cathedral, traditional Polish dinner with local entertainment, entrance and tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and a USO tour guide.

Transportation: German bus

Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 2200 (THU)

Return: Approximately 0330 (MON)

Cost: $399 (based on double occupancy)

Single Supplement: $120