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Welcome to the Kaiserslautern USO web site. We hope that your visit will be fruitful and welcome you back any time—either to our web site or to any of our offices.
Please note that we post our tours and orientations on this web site for planning purposes only. To sign up for a tour, you must go to one of our offices. Tour sign-ups begin as soon as the tour appears in our monthly magazine, Kaiserslautern Kabel.
INCLEMENT WEATHER CANCELLATIONS: Inclement weather may cancel tours. If road conditions are red in Vogelweh, USO-conducted tours will be cancelled. The USO will try to call customers in advance, but we cannot predict the weather. If you awaken on the morning of your tour and the roads are condition red, please do not attempt to drive to the pick-up point. On the next workday, visit or call the nearest USO center for a credit memo or refund check. Tune in to AFN Radio or call 480-COLD or 06371-47-2653 for the latest road conditions. Remember that road conditions are reported by both the USAG Kaiserslautern and Ramstein AB. Ramstein AB lists the Vogelweh Military Complex separately and that is the report we use at the USO. The Ramstein AB website is http://newpreview.afnews.af.mil/ramstein/weatherinfo.asp. When road conditions are in question, we will post updates on our Kaiserslautern USO Facebook Page. |
Kaiserslautern Kabel Online
Click here to read the latest edition of the Kaiserslautern Kabel
Because of space limitations, we cannot post all of our tours at once. Follow the links below to find more information on USO tours. Click Back to return to this page.
June 2013 Tours, Orientations, and Classes
July 2013 Tours, Orientations, and Classes
You must visit one of our centers to sign up for tours. For center locations and hours, click on the Contact Us page link to the left.
Salzburg and Berchtesgaden
Two Overnights
Friday-Sunday, June 14-16
Experience the magic and beauty of Salzburg and Berchtesgaden and surrounding Bavarian Alps. This season, our popular “Sound of Music” tour has been extended to two overnights. Since it was released in 1965, “Sound of Music” has been one of America’s all-time favorite films. We’ll visit the grounds of Hellbrunn Palace where the gazebo scene was filmed, view the Von Trapp movie home, stand at the lake where the Von Trapp children fell into the water, skip (if you are so inclined) up the pathway as Maria did, march down the aisle of Maria and Captain Von Trapp’s wedding church at Mondsee, explore the grounds of Leopoldskron, and drive through the idyllic, beautiful Salzkammergut. After our “Sound of Music” tour, you can explore the sights, sounds, and culinary delights of Salzburg. In Mozart’s hometown, you can visit his birth house, the house where he lived (now a museum of his life), and roam the charming streets and alleyways where he once did. Even without Mozart and “Sound of Music,” Salzburg has much to offer in its beautiful plazas and churches, Baroque architecture, and Hohensalzburg Fortress—and, of course, shops, restaurants, and coffee houses. If you are interested, our guide can help you with evening concert tickets or dinner/Mozart music performance. After two overnights in a charming 4-star inn in the center of Salzburg, we’ll travel the spectacular Rossfeld Panoramastrasse (weather permitting) to the resort town of Berchtesgaden, where a local guide will provide a tour of this beautiful village and environs. After our guided tour, you’ll have a little time to wander the grounds around Königsee. Our swan song will be a tour in the famous Berchtesgaden salt mines, a unique experience indeed. Please bring your U.S. (blue) or EC passports. They are mandatory. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Tour price includes transportation, two overnights in a 4-star hotel, breakfast, “Sound of Music” tour, guided tour in Berchtesgaden, tour in the salt mines, and a USO tour guide.
Transportation: German bus
Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 0100 (FRI)
Return: Approximately 2300 (SUN)
Cost: $349 Adults, $339 Children (based on double occupancy)
Single Supplement: $120 (Must be paid at time of booking and will be refunded if share basis is possible)
Fourth of July Special—
Berlin and Potsdam Tour
Thursday-Sunday, July 4-7
Come with the USO on this special trip to Berlin during the Fourth of July weekend. Throughout the 20th century, Berlin continuously remained in the spotlight as history was being made. Visit many of the locations you know from the media or history books—whether it be the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the remnants of the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, or Tempelhof Airport. On this unique itinerary, we’ll depart Kaiserslautern Thursday morning (daytime travel) to arrive in Berlin late Thursday afternoon. We won’t waste any time on our sightseeing tour of the city. During our three days in Berlin and Potsdam, you’ll have guided tours to the most popular sights: the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Topography of Terror, the Potsdamer Platz, Unter den Linden, Alexanderplatz, the Olympic Stadium, and the Berlin Cathedral. On the former west side of town, you’ll have time to visit the bustling Kurfürstendamm, or “Ku’damm,” for short. Visit the Europa Center with its 70 stores and pubs, the Berlin Zoological Gardens, the Hard Rock Café, or the Ka- De-We, the largest department store on the European continent. After our morning sightseeing, you’ll have free time to visit some of the fascinating museums that are conveniently located on the Museum Island and Unter den Linden. You can shop in the famous old town quarter, the Nikolai Viertl, the trendy Haeckescher Markt, or Friedrich Strasse’s Galleries Lafayette. If you prefer the water, you can visit the Sea Life Museum, take a boat ride on the Spree, or just chill in a beach bar on the river. Transportation will be provided back to the hotel in the evenings, but for those who want to venture out on their own, the hotel is conveniently located on public transportation lines and within walking distance of many sites. On Sunday, we’ll visit the palace grounds of the Sanssouci in Potsdam, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great of Prussia. We’ll have a guided tour of the Cecilienhof, site of the Potsdam conference, the last great inter-Allied conference of World War II. An early afternoon departure on Sunday afternoon should get us home to Kaiserslautern around midnight. Tour price includes transportation, three overnights in a comfortable hotel, breakfast in hotel, city tour, Checkpoint Charlie museum entrance, Berlin Cathedral entrance, Olympic Stadium tower entrance, Cecilienhof tour, and a USO guide.
Transportation: German bus
Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 0600 (THU)
Return: Approximately midnight (SUN)
Cost: $469 Adults, $459 Children, based on double occupancy
Single Supplement: $180
Sailing Adventure
Saturday-Sunday, August 10-11
Set sail for a nautical adventure on Holland's inland coast between Amsterdam and Volendam. We arrive in Amsterdam early morning for breakfast (included). After breakfast, we'll drive to Amsterdam's harbor where we board our authentic Dutch clipper ship and set sail on the former Zuyder Zee. We’ll be welcomed on board with coffee and cake (included). During the approximately four-hour cruise, you can relax and enjoy the experience or volunteer to help the crew members as they chart our course toward Volendam. We’ll also have a typical Zuyder Zee lunch (included) on board. We'll arrive in Volendam in the mid-afternoon and have some free time to explore, shop, or just have a meal or drink. Volendam is an old fishing village with its charming houses, its lace curtains, and its local traditional costumes. You’ll have free time to shop for the world famous Delft ware, lace, and other Dutch specialties, or visit the harbor and check out the many seafood restaurants. In the late afternoon, we’ll board our bus and drive to our hotel in Purmerend, right outside of Volendam. Purmerend was once Holland’s biggest cattle market town and is located on a major rail route connecting Amsterdam with the north. It’s about 20 minutes from Amsterdam. The next morning after breakfast (included), we'll leave and head toward Amsterdam. Upon arrival in Amsterdam, we'll have a short orientation of the downtown area. From the Dam Square, you’ll be able to visit Anne Frank’s House, the famous Red Light District, the Royal Palace, or many other downtown sights and shops. In the afternoon, we'll make a final stop, visiting an original cheese farm and wooden-shoe makers in the area. Here, you can see how cheeses and shoes are made and can buy shoes as well as other last minute souvenirs. Dinner (not included) will be in Holland. We recommend U.S. (blue), EC, or Canadian passports. Travel documents are the responsibility of the customer. Please bring euro. Tour price includes transportation; one overnight; two breakfasts, ship cruise with coffee, cake, and lunch on board; Amsterdam city orientation; and USO tour guide.
Transportation: German bus
Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 0130 (SAT)
Return: Approximately midnight (SUN)
Cost: $349 based on double occupancy
Single Supplement: $60
Poland Shopping and Sightseeing
One Overnight
Polish Pottery Festival
Boleslawiec, Poland
Friday-Monday, August 23-26
Satisfy both your urge to shop for pottery and see some of the sights on this exciting trip to Boleslawiec, Poland, with the USO. We’ll arrive in Boleslawiec very early Saturday morning for breakfast, then shopping. On Saturday, the town will be celebrating its annual Polish Pottery Festival with activities going on throughout town. You’ll have plenty of time for enjoying the fest as well as shopping before we head to our hotel in Dresden in late afternoon. Following breakfast on Sunday, we’ll visit Seiffen where all the wood ornaments, bows, nutcrackers, that you find at Kathy Wolfahrt’s are made. The shops are open on Sunday and you can get fantastic deals here. Bring dollars and euro for your purchases and meals. Most ceramic stores also accept credit cards. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a pillow, blanket, snacks, and water. Note: Rooms are on a first come/availability basis. No single rooms are available. Unless you sign up to specifically share with another customer, roommates will be assigned by the tours office. Storage space is limited, so keep luggage small enough to fit with you on the bus. Most stores have cardboard boxes available on request or you can bring a larger suitcase or a moving box for your purchases. Passport required plus SOFA card and other border crossing documents, as applicable. Cost includes two seats per person on the bus, shared hotel room, two breakfasts, one dinner, one lunch and a USO tour guide.
Transportation: German bus
Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 1945 (FRI). Pickups will also be made in Wiesbaden
Return: Approximately 0130 (MON)
Cost: $359; quad room, $339 per person (guaranteed two seats)
Auschwitz Concentration Camp
Thursday-Monday, August 29-September 2
Krakow, Poland’s former capital and a city many herald as “The New Prague,” continues to be one of our most popular overnight tours. Krakow is Poland’s second largest city and a major year-round tourist destination. In 1978, UNESCO distinguished Krakow by placing the town on its list of the 12 most precious cultural heritage centers in the world. We’ll leave Thursday evening and drive through the night with a breakfast stop (not included) en route. Friday morning, we’ll meet our local guide at our downtown hotel for a city tour of Krakow’s old town and tour of St. Mary’s Cathedral. After checking into the hotel, you’ll have free time to explore the city on your own, visit the castle, shop, or relax at one of the many cafés and restaurants. On Saturday, we’ll visit Auschwitz-Birkenau for a tour of the complex. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest German Nazi concentration and extermination camp complex, consisting of three main camps: Auschwitz I, the administrative center; Auschwitz II (Birkenau), an extermination camp; and Auschwitz III (Monowitz), a work camp. The first two have been on the World Heritage List since 1979. There were also around 40 satellite camps, with prisoner populations ranging from several dozen to several thousand. After a day at the camps, we will drive back to our hotel where you can prepare for an evening with a traditional Polish dinner and entertainment. Sunday, you’ll have free time to visit the castle, tour the Kazimierz area (Jewish section of town), or drive to the Salt Mines at Wieliczka and take the tour there. Your tour guide can give suggestions on things of interest in the area. We’ll leave Krakow in the afternoon and make a dinner stop en route to Kaiserslautern. Passports are required for US citizens and military members. It is the responsibility of non-US citizens to take care of visa requirements. Tour price includes transportation, two overnights with breakfast in a downtown hotel, Krakow city tour with local guide, entrance to St. Mary’s Cathedral, traditional Polish dinner with local entertainment, entrance and tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and a USO tour guide.
Transportation: German bus
Depart: Vogelweh Bowling Center 2200 (THU)
Return: Approximately 0330 (MON)
Cost: $479 (based on double occupancy)
Single Supplement: $120
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