ABD Germany (2025) still worth it? If not, which ABD alternative?

[jstock8]

Hello all,

My wife and I were going to try an ABD trip for the Spring/Summer of 2025 for our 1 year anniversary. We have never done ABD before and we have only been to France together.

We were planning on doing the Germany trip but we saw the new itinerary for 2025 and I am disappointed by the changes. The trip is 1 day shorter, the Dachau visit is gone and the Berlin Wall bike tour is also gone. I was really interested in both of those activities. The price is… the same. I suppose I can arrange those on my own, but then I have to wonder what I’m actually paying $15,000 for. I'm not sure if this trip is still worth it. What do you all think?

With the changes to the Germany trip, I was considering one of these trips instead: Central Europe (Prague, Salzburg, Vienna), Greece, Italy or Norway. For those of you who are experienced with ABD, would you kindly rank these or make a recommendation for me and my wife?

We are in our 30s, love history, architecture, the outdoors and we are pretty active.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[abdgeek]

Hello all,

My wife and I were going to try an ABD trip for the Spring/Summer of 2025 for our 1 year anniversary. We have never done ABD before and we have only been to France together.

We were planning on doing the Germany trip but we saw the new itinerary for 2025 and I am disappointed by the changes. The trip is 1 day shorter, the Dachau visit is gone and the Berlin Wall bike tour is also gone. I was really interested in both of those activities. The price is… the same. I suppose I can arrange those on my own, but then I have to wonder what I’m actually paying $15,000 for. I'm not sure if this trip is still worth it. What do you all think?

With the changes to the Germany trip, I was considering one of these trips instead: Central Europe (Prague, Salzburg, Vienna), Greece, Italy or Norway. For those of you who are experienced with ABD, would you kindly rank these or make a recommendation for me and my wife?

We are in our 30s, love history, architecture, the outdoors and we are pretty active.

Thanks for the advice!

Sorry to hear you’re disappointed in the changes to the Germany ABD. Each year, ABD solicits feedback from customers after they travel on an ABD and then sometimes makes changes to the itineraries. Sometimes the changes are based on the feedback, sometimes it’s based on logistics and other things.

I stayed in Munich and did my own sightseeing after the Danube River Cruise last year. I think I stayed about 4 days, but I really could have spent a week or more to see the sites I wanted. Two of the things on my must do list were Dachau and Neuschwanstein Castle. I did a lot of research on visiting Dachau and decided it was easier to pay for a tour that took me there and gave me a tour while there. We took public transit and then the public bus to Dachau. Tour buses are not allowed near the site. There is also a recommended age of I think 14+ to visit and the site was very crowded with school kids when I went. So was the public transportation. While there is a free English tour that is given on a FCFS basis once a day, only Dachau certified tour guides can actually give tours there. The site is massive and it is A LOT of walking. I wonder if customer feedback or the logistics of visiting the site are the reason it’s no longer included on the itinerary.

I also took a tour to Neuschwanstein Castle and really enjoyed the site. It was also a lot of walking up and down hills, but ABD should be able to add some pixie dust to lessen the amount needed. A word of caution, you do have to walk up about 5 flights of stairs once you’re inside the castle to begin the tour. To my knowledge, there aren’t any elevators in the castle.

If you decide you don’t want to do ABD Germany, I would probably recommend ABD Greece, Italy, or the Danube River Cruise. I’ve done each and the Danube River Cruise excursions were definitely the most active ones I’ve done due to the hilly terrain. The cruise also had opportunities to bike between some of the cities. Good luck with your decision.

 

[jimmymc]

Italy has a few things that give it some value. The pre-opening tour of the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel, skipping the line to see the David, and a private tour of the Doges palace all have value over doing the trip on your own.

I truthfully don't think the European ABD trips are worth it if you're comfortable traveling in general and don't have special needs. For an alternative, you can look at river cruises, Tauck, National Geographic, or Intrepid/

 

[Donalyn]

I was disappointed by these changes too. Although, this trip was not on my ABD list - both me and my oldest DD speak/read German, so traveling in Germany would not be difficult for us.

What I do like about this trip is that it both starts and ends in a city you could easily add additional days to to be able to visit other things that are not covered by the ABD.

And I agree - you could easily spend 5 days in Munich and still have more to do. We are planning the Danube river cruise for summer 2026 and we are going to add 5 nights in Munich on one end of the trip.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I work for a German company and have spent a lot of time there. My German is somewhere between atrocious and nonexistent. It’s incredibly easy to navigate Munich in particular, but Germany in general. Public transportation is very easy, and my husband had no issues renting a car and driving there. It is a very orderly and rules-following society.

Unless there is a reason why you feel like you want the camaraderie/assistance of the group there really is no reason to pay the AbD premium rather than just doing it yourself or hiring a private guide on occasion.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Having said that, I totally understand removing Dachau. It’s such an intensely personal decision to go, or not. I have tried a couple of times and am just not ready. Heck, even seeing the anti-memorial flame in Munich was intense enough for me. I definitely wouldn’t want to feel pressured to go as part of a group holiday tour.

 

[chuff88]

I did the Germany ABD in 2023 and I was also very disappointed by the itinerary changes because despite being a heavy experience, the Dachau visit was easily one of the highlights of the trip. The hop-on guide in Munich, Michael, was absolutely fantastic, and while it's easy to do Dachau on your own you would lose the benefit of his exceptional commentary for that part of the trip. That said, Germany was a wonderful country that I would definitely recommend visiting, and everything else on the tour is great as well.

I have also done the Norway ABD and it is likewise exceptional.

ETA: While Dachau was optional and an alternative activity option was provided, every single member of our relatively large group elected to go on the Dachau visit and, at least publicly, all agreed that it was a highlight.

 

[MarleneP]

My husband and I did the Germany ABD June of 2024, it was our first. I understand the disappointment with the changes however I can honestly say those things were not the highlights of the tour. Our ABD guides Zuza and Adri along with Michael and his sister Bridget were simply amazing. We loved Munich so much we are on the Amalfi ABD in 2025 and will be going to Munich so my son can experience it.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

We are going to Germany with ABD this summer. We are arriving a day early and will visit Dachau before the tour begins. I have heard wonderful things about the Germany tour! We went on the Italy ABD two summers ago and it was hands down the best vacation we have ever been on. There was another family on our Italy trip and this was their second ABD trip, Germany being their first. At the end of the trip, I asked them which trip they preferred and they said Germany (although they loved both). I think perhaps a person's first ABD trip may be their favorite! I really think you can't go wrong!