Alpine Countries and Oberammergau 2010

Day 1
(Mon.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrive in Frankfurt, Germany
(Tue.) Time to rest or to explore the bustling metropolis on the River Main. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 3 Frankfurt–Rothenburg–Munich–Oberammergau
(Wed.) Focus on Germany’s Romantic Road leading to the Alps. Walk through medieval Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, and continue to Munich. In Munich, enjoy an orientation drive, then, continue to Oberammergau. (B,D)

Day 4 Oberammergau
(Thu.) Afternoon and evening devoted to the PASSION PLAY. (B,L,D)

Day 5 Munich–Salzburg, Austria–Vienna
(Fri.) 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 Viennese entertainment. (B)

Day 6 Vienna
(Sat.) 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. 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 Grinzing for a taste of Heurigen wine, and to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, are available. (B)

Day 7 Vienna–Villach
(Sun.) An optional excursion to Schönbrunn Palace is possible before continuing south, across scenic Semmering Pass and through peaceful crossroad towns in Styria to the popular resorts of Carinthia. Overnight in Villach. (B,D)

Day 8 Villach–Italian Dolomites–Innsbruck
(Mon.) 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 across 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-and-dance show? (B,D)

Day 9 Innsbruck–St. Moritz, Switzerland
(Tue.) Into the 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. (B,D)

Day 10 St. Moritz–Lugano
(Wed.) Descend towards the Italian Lake Como Story aboutLake Como in Lombardy is the third largest lake in Italy and continue on to the southern tip of Switzerland to the resort town of Lugano, with time for an espresso on Piazza Riforma and a refreshing walk in the shade of Parco Ciani’s magnificent old trees. (B)

Day 11 Lugano–Stresa, Italy–Zermatt
(Thu.) From Lake Lugano to 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. In Täsch, board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn. (B,D)

Day 12 At Leisure in Zermatt
(Fri.) A day to relax or you may wish to ride Europe’s highest rack-railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat. (B)

Day 13 Zermatt–Berne–Interlaken–Lucerne
(Sat.) Through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley to Lake Geneva and via the dairy country of Gruyère to the Swiss capital, Berne. See the monumental Federal Palace during your orientation before continuing via Interlaken, a Bernese Oberland resort beneath the towering Jungfrau, and across Brünig Pass to Lucerne. (B)

Day 14 Lucerne
(Sun.) On your walking tour, admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous 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. (B,D)

Day 15 Lucerne–Heidelberg, Germany–Frankfurt
(Mon.) On the way back to Germany, visit the thundering RHINE FALLS at Schaffhausen. Enter the pine-clad hills of the Black Forest, and enjoy a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION on your way to Heidelberg, well known for its red-walled castle. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate the success of your vacation. (B,D)

Day 16
(Tue.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)

• Oberammergau: Passion Play

The quaint European village of Oberammergau is world famous for the spectacular Passion Play performed by its residents just once every decade. Keeping a pledge made nearly 400 years ago, this reenactment of the crucifixion of Christ preserves the health and well-being of its residents to this day.

• Professional Tour Director while touring and Local Host to assist you at airports and hotels

Frankfurt: Sheraton Congress (F)
Oberammergau: Böld (F)
Vienna: Mercure Grand Hotel Biedermeier (F) or Am Konzerthaus (F)
Villach: Holiday Inn (F)
Innsbruck: Sporthotel Penz (F) or Maximilian (F)
St. Moritz: Crystal (F) or Laudinella (F)
Lugano: De La Paix (F)
Zermatt: Walliserhof (F) or Pollux (F)
Lucerne: Astoria (F) or Grand Hotel Europe (F)
Frankfurt: Sheraton Congress (F) or Holiday Inn Frankfurt North (F)

* The prices shown are U.S. dollars per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability. Prices quoted for land arrangements are subject to increase without notice. Once we have received your deposit, land prices are guaranteed. Whenever air-inclusive tour prices are displayed, these prices do not include government taxes and fees, which are additional. Air prices are subject to increase and are guaranteed only from the time that full payment is received. Air-inclusive prices include air from a major U.S. gateway; air from other U.S. airports is available at an additional cost. Sorry, we are unable to offer air from countries other than the U.S. However, for those international customers who are able to arrange their own transportation to the tour origination city, we are able to offer the land portion of the package or tour, at the price quoted.