TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Superb Services
- Services of a professional Scenic Tours Tour Director
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with onboard toilet
- All gratuities and tips
- Expert locally guided sightseeing in major cities
- Complimentary arrival and departure transfer
- Special Scenic Tours travel kit including back pack, ticket wallet, touring information and luggage tags
Premium Highlights
- Walking tour of Zurich including the Bahnhofstrasse
- See Zurich’s cathedral with its stained glass windows by Chagall and Giacometti
- Orientation tour of Switzerland’s capital city of Bern
- Visit the famous the Barengraben – the Bear Pit in Bern
- Visit the village of Gruyères
- See Swiss cheese being made in the Maison du Gruyère
- Visit the exclusive ski resort of Gstaad
- Cruise Lake Geneva
- Private guided tour of the Chillon Castle
- Ride a cog-wheel train to Zermatt
- Cable car ride to the Klein Matterhorn for views over France & Switzerland
- Scenic drive over the Simplon Pass
- Scenic drive past the largest of the Italian Lakes – Maggiore and Como
- Visit exclusive holiday resort town of St Moritz
- Ride the Glacier Express
- See the impressive Landwasser viaduct
- Walking tour of Lucerne
- Visit the Lion Monument and the ornate Jesuit Church
- Private boat cruise on Lake Lucerne to the charming resort of Vitznau
- Ride the oldest cogwheel train in Switzerland to Mount Rigi
- Orientation tour of Principality of Liechtenstein
- Scenic drive through the Arlberg region of Austria
- Guided tour of Innsbruck including the Olympic ski-jump
- A horse and carriage ride through the Tyrolean countryside including an apple strudel afternoon tea
- Visit the Passion Play village of Oberammergau and see the famous theatre
- Visit the Pilatushaus house for a woodcarving demonstration
- Guided tour of Neuschwanstein Castle including a horse and carriage ride
- Walking tour of Munich including the famous Glockenspiel
- Guided tour of Dachau the former concentration camp
- Visit Berchtesgaden and Adolf Hilter’s Eagles Nest
- Walking tour of Salzburg
- See the house where Mozart was born
- See Mirabell Palace where “The Sound of Music” was filmed
- Visit one of the most beautiful lake regions of Europe, Salzkammergut
- See “The Sound of Music” church in Mondsee
- Guided tour of Vienna
- See the Parliament buildings, the Votive Church and the City Hall
- Visit the Stadtpark with its famous statue of Johann Strauss and see the Opera House
- Visit the Imperial Treasures in the Hofburg museum
- Visit the impressive Schönbrunn Palace and gardens
Quality Dining & Highlight Meals
- Fondue dinner and Swiss folklore show
- A traditional beer hall dinner at the famous Hofbrauhaus
- A spectacular dinner overlooking the illuminated city of Salzburg
- Dinner with wine and entertainment in one of the quaint “Heurige” in the Vienna woods
- Enjoy a concert of Classical music in a Viennese Palace, followed by dinner
FB - Full Buffet Breakfast, L - Lunch, HD - Highlight Dinner, D – Dinner
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$7,350 per person Twin Share
2008 departure dates
June 5, June 19, July 17, July 31, August 14, August 28
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Day 1
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Arrive Zurich
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Welcome to Switzerland. You are met at the airport and transferred to your centrally located hotel.
Overnight Stay: Intercontinental Hotel, Zurich |
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Day 2
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Zurich – Bern – Gruyères – Gstaad – Montreux (FB,D)
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A walking tour of the old part of Zurich highlights the luxury shops of the Bahnhofstrasse and the Cathedral with its stained glass windows by Chagall and Giacometti. On to the Swiss capital, Bern to admire the city’s fine architecture. We will also visit the famous the Barengraben – the Bear Pit. We continue into the heart of the Fribourg Alps to the picturesque fortified village of Gruyères to see how the delicious Swiss cheese is made in the Maison du Gruyère. Finally on to Gstaad, the exclusive ski resort which lies at the junction of four gently sloping valleys, before arriving at our hotel in Montreux.
Overnight Stay: Hotel Grand Suisse Majestic, Montreux |
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Day 3
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Montreux – Lake Cruise to Chateau Chillon – Zermatt (FB,D)
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A leisurely cruise on Lake Geneva starts the day. At Chillon we disembark for a private guided tour of the castle and its terrifying dungeon. Then it’s up into the mountains and along the Rhone valley passing the town of Sion and acres of vineyards. We ascend a winding road to the village of Tasch, where we board our cog-wheel train to traffic-free Zermatt.
Two Night Stay: Hotel Schweizerhof, Zermatt |
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Day 4
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Zermatt – Kleine Matterhorn Excursion (FB,D)
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| Today we walk to the cable car station to experience Zermatt’s highest mountain ride, which will take us to view a magnificent panorama of the highest Mountain peaks in Switzerland, France and Italy. The rest of the day is free to relax in this magnificent alpine village. |
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Day 5
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Zermatt – Italian Lakes – Bellinzona – St Moritz (FB,D)
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This morning we descend to Tasch and continue along the scenic Simplon Pass and into Italy. We reach Lake Maggiore in the late morning and stop in the pretty resort of Stresa lying opposite the Borromean Islands. We drive to Lake Como and wind our way along the shores of the lake to Chiavenna and into Switzerland. Here we enter the Engadine valley and climb the winding Maloja Pass to the international jet-set resort of St Moritz.
Overnight Stay: Hotel Schweizerhof, St Moritz |
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Day 6
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St Moritz – Glacier Express – Lucerne (FB)
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After breakfast, we board our train – the Glacier Express – for one of the most amazing mountain rail journeys in the world. We travel through the Albula Pass and over the impressive Landwasser viaduct to the Uberalp valley and Andermatt. Then it’s only a short drive along the banks of the Lake of the Four Cantons, to picturesque Lucerne.
Two Night Stay: Hotel Palace, Lucerne |
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Day 7
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Lucerne – Lake Cruise – Excursion to Mount Rigi (FB,HD)
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| First we walk to the Lion Monument to hear the moving story of the defeat of the Swiss Guard during the French Revolution in 1792. Then we enjoy a walking tour of the old town and cross the covered Chapel Bridge to the ornate Jesuit Church. Next we board our private boat for a guided cruise on the lake to the charming resort of Vitznau. It is here that we find the station for the oldest cogwheel train in Switzerland and climb the slopes of Mark Twain’s favourite mountain – Rigi – known as the Queen of the Mountains. The best view of the Alpine chain awaits you at Rigi Kulm. Time to appreciate the breathtaking scenery before descending to Weggis by cogwheel train and cable car. We return to Lucerne by way of Meggen and its marble church. Tonight you’ll enjoy a delicious fondue dinner and have a chance to yodel at a Swiss folklore show. |
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Day 8
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Lucerne – Liechtenstein – Innsbruck (FB)
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We travel east along the shores of the Lake of Walensee to the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein, overlooked by the 700 year-old castle. Time to shop for unusual stamps and sample delicious local pastries before a short trip to the Austrian border at the pretty town of Feldkirch. We drive through the home of alpine skiing as we pass through the Arlberg region to the Tyrolean capital, Innsbruck. This delightful town is completely surrounded by the Alps. We see the impressive baroque Wilten Basilica, the recently built ski-jump and the old town with its Golden Roof. A true appreciation of the Austrian countryside can only be experienced on a horse and carriage ride, which we have arranged for you this afternoon. You will also delight in a delicious teatime snack of Apfelstrudel and coffee in a countryside inn.
Overnight Stay: Hotel Europa-Tyrol, Innsbruck |
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Day 9
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Innsbruck – Oberammergau – Neuschwanstein – Munich (FB)
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An exhilarating day of astonishing scenery awaits us as we drive up towards the Karwendel mountains into Bavarian Germany to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, nestled beneath Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze. We pass beautifully painted chalets and alpine pastures en route to the Passion Play village of Oberammergau. We will see the Passion Play theatre and have time to admire the local woodcarving before we drive to Neuschwanstein Castle – the folly of ‘Mad’ King Ludwig of Bavaria. A horse and carriage takes us to the castle entrance where we enjoy a guided tour of the apartments. The famous Romantic road takes us to Augsburg and the Bavarian capital – Munich.
Two Night Stay: Dorint Sofitel Bayerpost Munich Hotel |
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Day 10
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Munich (FB,HD)
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| Munich is a city of elegant shops and hearty beer-halls and is considered to be the cultural centre of Germany with its many museums and cinema industry. We visit the Marienplatz to see the Glockenspiel play on our walking tour, which also includes the local market and the Hofbrauhaus. Later in the afternoon we drive to nearby Dachau for chilling reminders of the events of World War 2. Tonight we clink steins at the famous Hofbrauhaus for a traditional beer hall dinner. |
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Day 11
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Munich – Berchtesgaden – Salzburg (FB,HD)
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Into the heart of the Bavarian Alps to the National Park of Berchtesgaden where Adolf Hitler built his holiday home, more commonly known today as the Eagle’s Nest. A fascinating excursion reveals many historical facts about this building, perched above spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. Back into Austria and the icing sugar town of Salzburg with its onion shaped domes and charming courtyards. A large percentage of the city is closed to traffic so we explore its cobbled streets on foot. Our local guide will not only show us the enormous cathedral, the house where Mozart was born and the picturesque Getreidegasse but also the places where ‘The Sound of Music’ was filmed, such as the Mirabell Palace and gardens. This evening we will enjoy a spectacular dinner overlooking the illuminated city when we ascend to the restaurant at Hohensalzburg Castle by funicular.
Overnight Stay: Sheraton Salzburg Hotel |
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Day 12
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Salzburg – Mondsee – Salzkammergut – Vienna (FB,HD)
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A short drive out of Salzburg brings us to the beginning of the Salzkammergut - one of the most beautiful lake regions in Europe and to the town of Mondsee on the similarly named lake. Time for a photo stop at the church where Maria married Captain Von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music’ before passing the baroque Abbey of Milk and following the Danube valley back to Vienna. We celebrate tonight with a dinner with wine and entertainment in one of the quaint ‘Heurige’ (wine taverns).
Two Night Stay: Radisson SAS Palais |
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Day 13
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Vienna sightseeing (FB,HD)
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| With a local guide we visit the most important sights of this Imperial City. First we drive along the Ringstrasse seeing the Parliament buildings, the Votive Church, the City Hall. We then continue to the Stadtpark with its famous statue of Johann Strauss, the Opera House and the elegant baroque church of St Charles Borromeo. Then we visit the Imperial Treasures in the Hofburg museum – which include the holy lance with which Christ is said to have been pierced on the Cross. Later we visit one of the world’s most beautiful Palaces – the impressive Schonbrunn Palace. Tonight, a fantastic conclusion to our tour – a concert of Classical music in a Viennese Palace, followed by dinner. |
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Day 14
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Vienna (FB)
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| This morning after breakfast you are transferred to the airport for your flight home. |
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