The tour is from May 22 to June 5 and will include transportation to and from the airport. On May 22, a bus leaving New Ulm for the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Airport. From there, the tour group will take a nonstop Condor flight to Frankfurt, Germany to begin the 13-day tour.

Steve Balza with New Ulm Sister Cities said the key element of the tour is to introduce New Ulm residents to their sister cities.

“We’re really fortunate to be part of a Sister Cities organization and to have Ulm and Neu Ulm as our partners in Europe,” Balza said. “I think it will be an eye-opener for those who attend to understand that better.”

The goal was to help educate New Ulm residents about these cities with which New Ulm is linked. Joe Meyer with Germania Tours organized the itinerary for the trip. The visit include key sister cities’ locations, but Meyer was able to incorporate other stops off the beaten path on the tour.

the brochure cover for the New Ulm Sister Cities sponsored tour shows a few of the places the tour will visit dozens of historic sites in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

“There are many beautiful locations over there and Joe put together a wonderful itinerary,” Balza said.

The first stop on the tour will be Ulm, Germany with a brief stopover in Rothenburg along the way. The first hotel is in Ulm, where the group will stay for three nights. The group will be able to tour the city and learn its history. The group has also been invited to a welcoming reception on May 25 with Ulm’s mayor and other dignitaries at the Rathaus. The “Blaskapelle Neu Ulm” will perform. “Blaskapelle” means brass band. The group will be visiting New Ulm for Oktoberfest this year, but those on tour will get to meet the band early.

“This is a great way for the people of New Ulm to see this partnership in action,” Meyer said. “This is face-to-face.”

Other stops in the area include the “Blautopf” (blue pot) at Blaubeuren, and the Ulmer Muenster, which is one of the highest steepled Gothic churches.

In addition to the items on the itinerary, there will be time for the tour group to explore the cities on their own.

After Ulm, the tour will head to Salzburg, Austria. Here the tour will be able to see some of the filming sites for “The Sound of Music.” There will also be a visit to the “Silent Night” museum. This is the chapel where the famous Christmas song was written.

On May 29, the tour will leave Salzburg to visit the BMW and Zeppelin museums in Munich.

On May 30, the group will take a ferry across Lake Konstanz to Flower Island. From there the tour will travel into the Swiss Alps for a three-night stay in Lucerne. The tour of the Alps includes visits to the Lion Monument, Chapel Bridge and the Bourbaki Panorama. On June 1, the tour will visit Mt. Pilatus, which includes a gondola tour of Pilatus for a fabulous view of the Alps.

The final three nights of the tour will be spent in Rudesheim. En route to Rudesheim, the tour will stop in Hohenzollern and see the former home of August Schell in Durbach, Germany.

On June 4, the tou

r will board a ship for a two-hour cruise of the Rhine River, passing some famous castles.

The group will return to the United States and New Ulm on June 5.

Meyer said the trip will be half structured, but each day those on the tour will be able to explore on their own. He hopes the tour will educate and entertain. It is also an important step in maintaining relationships with New Ulm’s sister cities. Meyer said it was a tour with a purpose.

There are five open seats on the tour. Anyone interested in joining the tour can contact Meyer at 507-779-2862 or email at germania@newulmtel.net.