BERLIN MUSIC & ART 21-25 March 2026

THE MUSIC & ART OF BERLIN

with Peter Medhurst & Tom Abbott

21-25 March 2026  |  5 days from £2,489

This exclusive tour to Berlin explores the music and culture of one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities in the world.  Private organ recitals, private tours, especially planned walks, inclusive lunches, and dinners with wine will all add to the experience.

Download booking form HERE or talk to Sandy Cornish at Tailored Travel on 01227 830624

(Monday to Wednesday 0800-1600, and mornings on Thursday to Friday 0800-1145)

or Telephone Tailored Travel on 020 7064 4970. Email: info@tailored-travel.co.uk

Peter Medhurst plays JS Bach’s Prelude in F BWV 928

The instrument played here is a chamber organ built by John Snetzler in 1750

I N T R O D U C T I O N

This exclusive tour to Berlin explores the music and culture of one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities in the world. The tour is enhanced by a four night stay at the
4* Hotel NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie, placed in the heart of the city.

Private organ recitals, private tours, especially planned walks, inclusive lunches, and welcome and farewell dinners with wine will all add to the experience.

I T I N E R A R Y

Day 1

We make our own way to London Heathrow Airport for our direct scheduled BA flight to Berlin. On arrival, we are met by Peter and Tom and transfer by coach to the centre of Berlin. En route, Peter and Tom will begin to tell the story of Berlin and its remarkable history. Once in the centre of the city, we have an included lunch, after which Peter will give the first of his organ recitals at our carefully selected church. After the performance, we make our way to our central 4* Hotel NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie for a four night stay. After check-in, and with time for some relaxation, a lecture by Peter introduces us to some of the fine music associated with Germany’s capital. This is followed by dinner, which includes wine, water and coffee.

Day 2

Our morning lecture discusses Carl Maria von Weber’s seminal opera ‘Der Freischütz’, which was premiered in Berlin’s Schauspielhaus, in 1821. Written in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, the opera was seen as a watershed of German national expression, and symbolised the re-kindling of the German patriotic spirit. We then make our way to the Boulevard Unter den Linden on which are sited all the buildings and locations that we wish to explore today. On the agenda are the Neue Wache, Bebelplatz, as well as the opera house built for Frederick the Great in 1742. We will also view the Singakademie,

Day 3

Today we visit Potsdam, a city located 20 miles to the southwest of Berlin, and on arrival we enjoy a private tour of Frederick the Great’s summer palace, Sanssouci. The building is one of the finest in the German Rococo style, and it was in its sumptuous music room that CPE Bach directed orchestral concerts starring Frederick the Great as flute soloist. We then make our way to one of the local churches for the second of our organ recitals by Peter. The music performed will draw on the repertoire associated with the period of Frederick the Great. Included lunch is at the Flying Dutchman in Potsdam, a local hostelry that specialises in East German cuisine. The afternoon is spent exploring the nearby New Palace, begun in 1763, under the direction of Frederick the Great. The Palace came to symbolise Prussia’s undiminished power and wealth, following the hardship of the Seven Years’ War (1756–63). On our return to the hotel – and to wrap up today’s theme – we enjoy a lecture with some music written especially for Sanssouci, including samples of concertos written by Frederick himself. This evening there will be another optional opera or concert in Berlin (subject to availability).

Day 4

Our post-breakfast lecture today focuses on master paintings in the Gemäldergalerie, a gallery that displays the cream of the paintings of the Berlin State Museums. We follow this with a visit to the gallery itself. Paintings discussed will be Dirck van Baburen’s ‘Flute Player’ of 1624, Gerard ter Borch’s ‘Concert’ of 1675, as well as Vermeer’s ‘Lady Drinking and a Gentleman’ of 1658, and Tischbein’s ‘Self Portrait with his First Wife at the Clavichord’ of 1756-7. After an included light lunch, we make our way to the musical instrument collection at the Philharmonie and – subject to permission – Peter will demonstrate some of the keyboard instruments, as well as guide us through the collection. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure. This evening we enjoy a drinks reception, followed by a farewell dinner which includes wine, water and coffee.

Day 5

After we have checked out of the Maritim Hotel Berlin (www.maritim.com), we will make our way to the Brandenburg Gate, without doubt the most iconic edifice in Berlin, and for many, the architectural nerve centre of the city. From there we walk around the corner to the Holocaust Memorial to spend some time among its extraordinary and thought provoking structures. We continue by coach to the 17th century palace of Charlottenburg for a tour of the state apartments, after which we make our way to the Reichstag to enjoy an included three-course lunch at the Käfer restaurant situated at the top of the German Parliament building. The restaurant will allow us to enjoy some of the most spectacular views over the city. We then transfer by coach to the airport for our British Airways flight back to Heathrow.

Features

Tour limited to 24 passengers
Lectures by Peter Medhurst on Days 1 to 4
Two private organ recitals by Peter Medhurst
Tom Abbott – professional tour manager & art historian
Centrally located Berlin hotel
All excursions, entrance fees, guided tours &
gratuities for hotel & waiting staff included
Return scheduled flights from London Heathrow to Berlin
Included welcome & farewell dinners (with drinks reception last night)
Included light lunches each day
Included lunch at The Reichstag on Day 5
(with half a bottle of wine, water & coffee)
Audio headsets included on Days 2 to 4
Private executive coach for all day trips & transfers

What we will see

Neue Wache
Bebelplatz
Berlin State Opera House
Singakademie
Old National Gallery
Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam
New Palace, Potsdam
Gemäldergalerie
Musical instrument collection at The Philharmonie
Brandenburg Gate
Holocaust Memorial
Charlottenburg Palace – tour of the State Apartments
The Reichstag including lunch at the Käfer restaurant

Optional

Opera or concert in Berlin

The Accommodation

We stay four nights in Superior Rooms at the centrally located 4* Hotel NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie (www.nh-hotels.com). The hotel has a restaurant and a bar and all rooms are en suite. Welcome and farewell dinners are included at the hotel’s restaurant on the first and last evenings and the remaining two nights are on bed and breakfast basis.

Extras to the tour

Insurance £88
Double room for sole use supplement £199
Optional concert or opera

For further information contact

Tailored Travel

Tel: 020 7064 4970

Email: info@tailored-travel.co.uk

Download booking form HERE

Any air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Tailored Travel’s ATOL number is 5605