Wallace State Community College in Hanceville is planning a trip to Germany and the Alps in late May 2011.

The educational and sight-seeing tour will depart May 19 and return May 28, with an optional extra day in Berlin returning May 29. The trip is open to anyone interested.

Travelers will visit sites in Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland while learning about history, politics, art, architecture, natural resources and other attributes of the region.

The itinerary will include a journey along Germany’s Romantic Road from Rothenburg to Munich, travel through the Black Forest and the Rhine Falls to Heidelberg, a visit to Dachau and a stop in Frankfurt. Travelers will also visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Lichtenstein and the Lucerne region of Switzerland with a chance to see Mt. Pilatus. An optional day trip to Salzburg, Austria is available in lieu of an included extra day in Munich.

Estimated trip costs begin at $2,464 for individuals under the age of 23 with rooms booked in triple- or quadruple-occupancy, and at $2,799 for individuals age 23 and over with rooms booked at double occupancy. All-inclusive insurance, optional excursions, and single rooms may be added. Payment plans are available.

The price includes roundtrip airfare from Birmingham, seven overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms (eight nights with the extension), breakfast and dinner each day, a full-time tour guide, ground transportation, guided tours, and admission costs for included attractions.

Tour arrangements will be made through educational tour provider EF Tours. Prices are subject to change. Registration information is available at eftours.com using tour number 431769.

Students who participate on this short-term study abroad tour may also enroll in an International Studies course offered for credit through Wallace State during the summer term.

For more information, contact Kristen Holmes at 256/352-8118 (email kristen.holmes@wallacestate.edu), or stop by the Communications and Marketing Office in the Burrow Center.

This is Wallace State’s sixth annual trip to Europe, pending approval by the Alabama State Board of Education.  Previous Wallace State tours visited Paris and Barcelona, England and Scotland, Italy, Ireland, and Greece.