ALPINE WONDERS – 11 Days – Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany

Lucerne – Innsbruck – Munich – Salzburg – Vienna

DAY 1 – ARRIVE ZURICH, DRIVE TO LUCERNE

Zurich airport provides a great arrival gateway from many international destinations. Your private driver awaits you after you collect your bags; depending on your arrival time take a brief tour of Zurich, then continue into the heart of the Swiss Alps, and Lucerne.

DAY 2 – LUCERNE

See the sights of Lucerne this morning with your guide, including the covered Chapel Bridge, and the much-photographed Lion Monument commemorating Swiss mercenaries fallen in the service of the French. In the afternoon, ascend Mt. Pilatus via cable car for magnificent panoramas of Switzerland. Take Europe’s steepest cogwheel train down to the shores of Lake Lucerne, where your paddle steamer awaits you to take you back to Lucerne proper.

DAY 3 – LIECHTENSTEIN – INNSBRUCK

Awake to splendid Alpine views, then travel through the valley known as Glarnerland, setting of Johanna Spyris’s immensely popular novel Heidi, to one of Europe’s smallest countries, Liechtenstein. Its capital Vaduz makes for a pleasant morning stop before heading into Austria. Motor past the town of Feldkirch across the Arlberg pass, and reach Innsbruck, host of the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976.

DAY 4 – INNSBRUCK

Your local guide will bring Innsbruck’s Habsburg heritage to life during this morning’s tour. Visit Austria’s oldest continuously operated business, a bell foundry, then board a funicular directly in the center of town transporting you up the mountain to panoramic Seegrube restaurant for lunch. The afternoon is yours to explore the mountain trails, or the city, depending on your preferences.

DAY 5 – BAVARIAN CASTLES – MUNICH

A panoramic drive through the Tyrolean Ausserfern region takes you across the German border, and to Neuschwanstein Castle, inspiration for the Disney’s Cinderella’s Castle. Tour the interior, and stop for a picture-postcard photo from Marienbrücke (Queen Mary’s Bridge). Then continue to the village of Oberammergau, backdrop to the world-famous passion play taking place every 10 years.

After a pleasant day in Southern Bavaria, the state’s capital Munich is your port of call for tonight.

DAY 6 – MUNICH

After breakfast enjoy a sightseeing tour of the Bavarian capital today that includes the famed Maximilianstrasse, the 17^th-century Residenz, and the Old Town hall. Join your local historian for a guided visit to the Baroque Nymphenburg Palace, built for the former rulers of Bavaria. Explore more of the Munich at your leisure this afternoon, or embark on a poignant visit to Dachau.

DAY 7 – BERCHTESGADEN – SALZBURG

First stop this morning, surrounded by towering cliffs, emerald green and silent Lake Königssee, set in one of the most impressive landscapes in Germany. Then take a scenic drive to Eagle’s Nest (closed in winter), or visit the impressive Adventure Mine on a Time Journey through the history of salt mining. A short drive across the border to Austria will have you arrive in Salzburg in time to sample the city’s culinary delights for supper.

DAY 8 – LAKE DISTRICT

Embark on a full-day excursion to one of Austria’s most picturesque and yet undiscovered region, the Salzkammergut (Lake District). Learn about prehistoric heritage in Hallstatt, a village perched onto the side of a mountain so limited in space that the deceased have been buried standing up for centuries, and the town’s train station can only be reached by boat. Then take a cruise, weather permitting, on Lake Wolfgangsee before continuing to the noble Emperor’s summer retreat of Bad Ischl, where you are invited to shake hands with a true Habsburg, descendent of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Sissy.

DAY 9 – WACHAU – VIENNA

Continue your journey to the breathtaking Melk Abbey, perched high above the River Danube, for an inside guided visit. Then onto the stunning Wachau Valley, famous for its ruined castles, world-class Grüner Veltliner wines, and apricots. Your day’s journey ends in Austria’s magnificent capital Vienna.

DAY 10 – VIENNA

Your local Custom Travel Network historian will invite you for a morning tour of the city’s historic center. Find out how Vienna became the center of the famed coffee house culture, lunch at Vienna’s oldest inn, and the extraordinarily beautiful Romanesque St. Rupert’s Church. Then conclude your tour at St. Stephens Square, perfect starting point for an afternoon shopping spree in Vienna’s cosmopolitan, yet utterly historic, First District.

DAY 11 – DEPART VIENNA

Your private airport or station transfer collects you from your hotel after breakfast in time for your onward journey.