16 Days Alpine Countries Tour Package
Duration: 16 Days / 15 Nights
Priced From: $2,299 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: May - Oct
Be prepared for breathtaking views. This 16-day journey starts in Frankfurt and travels via medieval Rothenburg and Munich, where you will visit the Marienplatz, to Austria, where you have sightseeing tours with Local Guides in Salzburg and Vienna. Then drive over Semmering Pass into the popular mountain resorts of Carinthia and enjoy an overnight stay in pretty St. Veit. The Dolomites, Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, and the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck in the Austrian Tyrol are scenic highlights. St. Moritz, Lake Como, and Lake Lugano are next. Proceed to Lake Maggiore, Stresa, and over the Simplon Pass back to Switzerland, where you board a mountain train to Zermatt, at the foot of the world-famous Matterhorn for your two-night stay. Via the Rhône Valley, Lake Geneva, Berne, Interlaken, and Brunig Pass to Lucerne, for a relaxing two-night stay in this picturesque town. Your vacation is topped off by visits to the Rhine Falls, the Black Forest, and Heidelberg, Germany.
Itinerary
Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Frankfurt, Germany
Time to rest or to explore the bustling metropolis on the River Main. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)
Day 3 Frankfurt–Rothenburg–Munich
The day is dedicated to Germany’s Romantic Road Watch Tower along the Romantic Road leading from the flat country towards the Alps. Spend time in spectacular Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes, and 16th-century houses. From here it’s an easy ride towards the Danube Valley and Munich. Tonight you may want to tackle a stein of beer at the Hofbräuhaus. (BB,D)
Day 4 Munich
Sightseeing with a Local Guide in Germany’s “secret capital” includes the Olympic Stadium, 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, Nymphenburg Palace, MARIENPLATZ with the Old and New Town Hall, and the gothic Frauenkirche. Afternoon at leisure. An optional excursion to Linderhof Castle and Passion Play town of Oberammergau is available. (BB)
Day 5 Munich–Salzburg, Austria–Vienna
Through southern Bavaria to the Austrian border and on to Salzburg. Your walking tour with a Local Guide features the historic center of Mozart’s hometown, exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, ST. PETER’S CHURCHYARD, and the monumental Domplatz. Evening arrival in Vienna, once the center of the mighty Habsburg Empire. Tonight you may wish to try out local specialties and a typically Viennese form of entertainment. (BB)
Day 6 Vienna
Meet your Local Guide and start your sightseeing with vistas of Prater Park with its giant Ferris wheel, and the United Nations City on the banks of the Danube River. Then drive along Ring Boulevard, pass the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, and stop at the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Austrian Imperial family. Marvel at the impressive courtyards and famous Heldenplatz and visit awesome ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL. Afternoon at leisure. Optional excursions to Schönbrunn Palace and to Grinzing for a taste of Heurigen wine are available. (BB)
Day 7 Vienna–St. Veit
Scenic Semmering Pass, peaceful baroque crossroad towns in Styria, and then the mountains, lakes, and popular resorts of Carinthia are on today’s agenda. Overnight in St. Veit. (BB,D)
Day 8 St. Veit–Italian Dolomites–Innsbruck
An unforgettable drive via the Iselsberg Pass to the Italian border and to Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Olympic skiing resort in the Dolomites. Then via Tre Croci Pass and Lake Misurina to Brunico and the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck in the Tyrolean Alps. Stroll through its medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Why not join an optional Tyrolean song-anddance show? (BB,D)
Day 9 Innsbruck–St. Moritz, Switzerland
From the Inn Valley into beautiful Swiss Engadine, see deep-blue lakes, airy larch forests, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, and quaint villages with massive white stone houses in the characteristic Grisons style. Afternoon free in ritzy St. Moritz. (BB,D)
Day 10 St. Moritz–Lugano
Descend towards the Italian Lake Como and continue on to the southern tip of Switzerland to the popular subtropical resort town of Lugano, with plenty of time for an espresso on the flower-festooned Piazza Riforma and a refreshing walk in the shade of Parco Ciani’s magnificent old trees. (BB,D)
Day 11 Lugano–Stresa, Italy–Zermatt
The Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland From Lake Lugano to the Italian shore of Lake Maggiore for a break in elegant Stresa. An optional boat ride to the enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged. On over the lofty Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its great mountain resorts. To reach the most famous of them, leave the coach behind in Täsch and board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn. (BB,D)
Day 12 At Leisure in Zermatt
Full day at leisure to ride Europe’s highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat to explore the town on your own or to just simply relax. (BB)
Day 13 Zermatt–Berne–Interlaken–Lucerne
Through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley towards the terraced vineyards on Lake Geneva and the verdant dairy country of Gruyère, to the Swiss capital, Berne. See the monumental Federal Palace and the BEAR PIT before continuing via Interlaken, a Bernese Oberland resort beneath the towering Jungfrau, and across Brünig Pass to Lucerne. (BB,D)
Day 14 Lucerne
On your walking tour, admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit church. Afterwards, shop for Swiss watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car, take a cruise on the fjord-like lake, or sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking. (BB)
Day 15 Lucerne–Heidelberg, Germany–Frankfurt
On the way back to Germany visit the thundering RHINE FALLS at Schaffhausen, a 70-foot cataract of the River Rhine. From here head north into the pine-clad hills of the Black Forestand enjoy a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION on your way to Heidelberg, well-known for its red-walled castle. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner with the friends gained during your exciting two-week vacation. (BB,D)
Day 16
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)
Save time, money and stress!
For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by our Europe vacation specialist.
Contact: Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
10/08
|
