German Language Immersion Tour – Berlin, Germany

Your 24-hour Tour Director will meet you at the airport and will be available to your group until your final airport departure.

Your home for the next seven evenings will be with your homestay family in Berlin, where breakfast and dinner will be provided daily.

From 1961 to 1989, while the 69-mile-long Berlin Wall was in place, Berlin existed as two separate cities (East Berlin and West Berlin). On October 3, 1990, it became a single city again. Berlin is the national capital of Germany, the largest city in Germany, and home to more than 170 museums and galleries. Throughout its now vibrant and fashionable atmosphere, there are poignant reminders of World War II and the city's division.

Enjoy a walking tour down the famous Unter den Linden, one of Berlin’s most fashionable and important boulevards. During the walk, view the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, the Equestrian Statue of Frederick the Great, Humboldt- Universität, and the Deutsche Staatsoper.

"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." - John Dewey On every evening of the program, we’ll set time aside to update your Reflection Journal and share thoughts and impressions that have come up during the day.

You’ll participate in language classes that will enhance your cultural understanding and linguistic skills.

Reflect at the Berlin Wall Memorial and explore the Visitor Center. The memorial contains the last piece of Berlin Wall with the preserved grounds behind it and is thus able to convey an impression of how the border fortifications developed until the end of the 1980s.

Participate in language classes that will enhance your cultural understanding and linguistic skills.

Explore the East Side Gallery, a unique memorial to freedom. Located on the east side of the Berlin Wall, the gallery features 100 paintings from artists all over the world that express hope for a better future.

You’ll have some free time to explore the area.

Participate in language classes that will enhance your cultural understanding and linguistic skills.

Enjoy an inner-city cruise on the river Spree and take in the historical sights of Berlin.

Participate in language classes that will enhance your cultural understanding and linguistic skills.

Visit the Topographie des Terrors, a shocking exhibition detailing Nazi crimes. Between 1933 and 1945, this land was the location of the headquarters of the Reich Security Main Office and the Secret State Police (more commonly known as the Gestapo) the site was leveled after the war and only developed into its current form in the past 10 years.

Reflect at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, located near the Brandenburg Gate. This recent and somewhat controversial memorial consists of 2,711 stelae of various heights on a 4.7-acre field and is designed to produce an uneasy and confusing atmosphere. The underground information area contains the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims.

Participate in language classes that will enhance your cultural understanding and linguistic skills.

Deutsches Technikmuseum is a museum of science and technology exhibiting a large collection of historical technical artifacts. The museum's main emphasis originally was on rail transport, but today it also features various industrial-technology exhibits. You’ll learn all about the history of German technology as you spend time here.

A private coach and driver will accompany your group today on a trip outside the city. Potsdam was named the capital city of the newly founded State of Brandenburg in 1990 and is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. Additionally, the city played an important role after the Second World War during the Potsdam Conference in July 1945. Its most popular site is the Schloss Sanssouci palace, located in the park of the same name. Other places of historic interest include the Cecilienhof Palace, Alexandrowka (the Russian Colony in the north of Potsdam), the Holländisches Viertel (the Dutch Quarter), and the Weavers' Quarter. Potsdam was the home of Prussian kings and the German Emperor until the end of the First World War. Most visitors admire the stunning palaces and marvelous gardens.

Cecilienhof Palace was the last palace built by the House of Hohenzollern dynasty, erected between 1914 and 1917. From July 17 to August 2, 1945, the Potsdam Conference negotiations between the victorious Allies of World War II were held here.

This evening, you’ll make the final entries in your Reflection Journal and share some of the most significant observations and perspectives that have taken shape during your German language immersion trip. We’ll also discuss how these experiences may be most relevant for us all as we return home.

Your rewarding and enjoyable Language Immersion in Berlin tour comes to an end as your Tour Director accompanies your group to the airport on your final day.