Cold War Spy Tour

Today you will arrive from all over the world to London. You will be given detailed instructions on how to reach the hotel where you will meet your fellow travelers and your Geek Nation Tours Tour Leader. Your first interaction with the tour leader will also be the first time you'll receive a mission envelope. You will be informed as to which side of the Cold War you'll be on, the overall scope of your mission, and any relevant information for your first assignment. DO NOT divulge this information to ANYONE, not even your traveling companion if you have one. You never know who is a spook for the other side.

Once the entire group has arrived, your Tour Leader will head out to the nearby HMS Belfast. This visit to the WWII British Navy Light Cruiser may already see you actively playing your role as master spy. You are more than welcome (and encouraged) to tag along, but feel free to use the afternoon as you would like.

Hopefully you have shaken off the jet lag by the evening since we’ll be having a Welcome Dinner in the hotel. Here your Tour Leader will go through the program in more detail and give a rundown of what to expect regarding the espionage missions during the tour. You’ll also have a chance to interact with the other agents and possibly work out who are your allies and who are your enemies.

Overnight Location: The Dixon, Tower Bridge, Autograph Collection or similar

After receiving your morning information package, it’s off for a spy tour of London. We’ll be sure to hit up some real life spy locations in the city, but we won't tell you all of the destinations until that day! Rest assured you will need to see Buckingham Palace and Big Ben to name just two.

Mid-afternoon will see us gather as a group at the London Eye to have an exclusive Champagne Experience on Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, with views from Buckingham Palace to Big Ben, Houses of Parliament to the River Thames and more...

You'll be on your own for dinner tonight but we think we’ll sneak into the Dirty Martini for a post dinner drink because how could we not? It’s understandable if you don’t want a drink in order to keep your wits about you, but for others just remember to order yours “shaken, not stirred.”

As the night draws to a close we’ll head back to the hotel. With Luck you’ve completed your daily mission. If not, you may want to race back and visit Charles again!

Overnight Location: The Dixon, Tower Bridge, Autograph Collection or similar

This morning we’ve got a train to catch as we make or way through the Chunnel to Paris. Outside of your daily mission, we’ll be sure to have some espionage-themed games on hand to pass the time along the way.

Once we drop our bags off at one of the finest hotels in Paris we will be off again to explore - and to accomplish our respective missions - sites like the Louvre Museum and Eiffel Tower...

Tonight will see us gather for a formal Bateaux Parisiens dinner aboard their river cruise of Paris. The Chefs will offer us traditional French cuisine, elegant and refined, freshly prepared on board each day using seasonal produce. We will have a true once in a lifetime experience... even for a spy.

Overnight Location: Westin Paris Vendome or similar

Make sure to acquire your daily mission packet this morning before you head off to visit the French Army Museum or one of the other "off the beaten track" locations we have planned for you today.

You'll be on your own to complete missions all afternoon and into the evening so be sure to find a Paris restaurant that provides a suitable taste for dinner. But again, we will meet for dinks at the famous Harry's Bar. Hemingway and Chanel drank here In Paris' oldest cocktail bar, and Gershwin is said to have composed "American In Paris" on the upstairs piano. But most importantly, in a View to Kill - 007 mentioned that if you wanted a solid drink - Harry's was the bar...

Overnight Location: Westin Paris Vendome or similar

Another mission packet in hand and another breakfast in your belly, you’ll make your way to Gar de L’Est and board an express train to Frankfurt. Again we’ll have espionage gaming on board the train, but you’ll also want to use this time to work toward your mission goals.

Upon arrival in Frankfurt, we’ll drop our bags at the hotel and grab a quick bite for lunch. Then it’s off to check out the IG Farben building, home to the US occupational forces command during the Cold War (including the CIA headquarters). The building and grounds that are now part of the university have an eccentric history beyond the US forces including the Nazi-controlled IG Farben chemical company and Frankfurt’s mental asylum.

Later, you'll all be off again to destinations unknown...

In the evening we’ll dine together on Frankfurt schnitzel and we think that a beer or two might be in order.

Overnight Location: JW Marriott Frankfurt or similar

Hopefully you didn’t over indulge the night before, because you’ll be up early this morning in order to collect your daily mission packet before boarding the express train to Berlin. The prospect of napping to catch up on lost sleep may be enticing, but you may need the time to get your espionage affairs in order.

After dropping your gear at our Berlin hotel, we’ll experience the unofficial German national food, Currywurst. This cultural cuisine mashup was founded in the city during its reconstruction after World War II.

After our lunch we will be off on a hour long guided tour of the Mauer Museum which features all things Checkpoint Charlie. Post tour you'll have time to browse the museum at your leisure, but don't dottle, as we will be off again for one of the most spectacular views in all of Germany - a look at Berlin from the Berliner Fernsehturm..  From this icon of the Cold War we will not only observe Berlin but dine in the rotating Sphere Restaurant.

You'll have to make your own way back to the hotel, and we encourage you to be wary of any suspicious-looking blondes you encounter, they may likely be atomic!

Overnight Location: Berlin Marriott Hotel or similar

Today we will see a part of Berlin many do not...

Our friends at Berliner Unterwelten will take us into the bowels of the city itself. Our first tour will see us journey Under the Berlin Wall to better understand the repeated attempts at securing freedom via desperate tunneling from East to West.

After lunch we will return with BU to explore the Bunkers, Subways and the Cold War... This tour traces how the underground was used throughout the Cold War to construct bunkers and other structures to guard against nuclear war.

After a full day of touring we will indeed be "down a pint" and in need of a bit of a celebration after coming out from the depths... German food and beer will be on order...

Overnight Location: Berlin Marriott Hotel or similar

Grab your daily mission packet and expect some fun a we venture out into Berlin this morning via a Trabi Safari. You’ll drive an authentic East German Trabant car with a fleet of other drivers around the city to see the remnants of a Western island in a Soviet sea and feel the echoes of a city torn apart by the Cold War. During the drive you’ll see sights like the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the East Side Gallery, Café Moskau, and, of course, Checkpoint Charlie.

We’ll also make our way to the German Spy Museum for an afternoon visit. You’ll learn more about actual spy craft and see authentic gadgets that would make any spy's mouth water. We're hoping you feel particularly stealthy today though, as you will be challenged to complete the Museum's "Laser Maze" as part of your daily missions.

That will not be the end of the missions though... Tonight you will dine on your own, but Berlin has many secret and unmarked bars that you will need to hunt down in order to complete this day's missions.

Overnight Location: Berlin Marriott Hotel or similar

One last brush pass your handler this morning then it’s out the door to explore the Berlin Hohenschonhausen Memorial. Here we will see the darker side of the German Democratic Republic's past. Opponents, people who hoped to flee and political prisoners were housed in this former East German secret police, or "Stasi", prison. We will have a 90 minute guided tour by an eyewitness to immerse you in 44 years of political persecution.

After returning to the hotel we will send you off again in a dash to see some more of Berlin's Cold War sites like the Berlin Wall Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, and The Reichstag.

In the evening we’ll gather for our farewell dinner for one last German meal, and then we will be off to the famous Bösebrücke Bridge - one of the few boarder crossings between East and West Berlin. Many a spy crossed here, but in 1989 thousands of jubilant East German citizens poured across the bridge signaling the end of the Cold War. Here your Tour Leader will finally reveal which agents were working for which side and tally each group’s overall scores. The winning side will go home, those exposed as spies may have to cross the Bösebrücke never to be seen again.

Overnight Location: Berlin Marriott Hotel or similar

This day we will all disband and go our separate ways. With any luck, the friendships made with your fellow agents will warm an otherwise Cold War and you’ll head home with some amazing memories and newfound comrades.