The Ultimate Alps & Dolomites
Feast on incredible views as you scale the heights of the Bavarian, Austrian, Italian and Swiss Alps by cable car and more… explore Munich, Salzburg and Lucerne...
Time to enjoy an interlude of Alpine magic... by definition, an interlude means a short play or dramatic entertainment, a musical composition inserted between the parts of a longer composition or an intermission or pause... all of which apply in some form to our delightful respite in the alpine countries of Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Austria... Journey through some of the most inspiring scenery on earth, and climb to mountain summits via aerial cable car for sweeping panoramas of alpine splendor. Explore the exciting cities of Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Lucerne, and colorful Alpine villages and towns like Bolzano, Cortina d'Ampezzo and Oberammergau. Savor a real taste of the Alps at a Swiss cheese-making demonstration, lunch with a tour and schnapps tasting at a 400-year-old farm, dinner in Berchtesgaden's salt mines, lunch in the Dolomites and meeting a noted Italian mountain climber, and an adventure at the summit of Mt. Titlis in the Swiss Alps. Your spirits will soar as high as the mountains as you discover the Alps...
Time to enjoy an interlude of Alpine magic... by definition, an interlude means a short play or dramatic entertainment, a musical composition inserted between the parts of a longer composition or an intermission or pause... all of which apply in some form to our delightful respite in the alpine countries of Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Austria... Journey through some of the most inspiring scenery on earth, and climb to mountain summits via aerial cable car for sweeping panoramas of alpine splendor. Explore the exciting cities of Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Lucerne, and colorful Alpine villages and towns like Bolzano, Cortina d'Ampezzo and Oberammergau. Savor a real taste of the Alps at a Swiss cheese-making demonstration, lunch with a tour and schnapps tasting at a 400-year-old farm, dinner in Berchtesgaden's salt mines, lunch in the Dolomites and meeting a noted Italian mountain climber, and an adventure at the summit of Mt. Titlis in the Swiss Alps. Your spirits will soar as high as the mountains as you discover the Alps...
Traveling Well Includes:
Call (828) 345-5000 for more information or to book today! Mention code 18852271
- Tour Operator
- Tauck Tours
- Offer
- Offer valid through 12/31/2024
- Duration
- 13 Days
Day | Destination | Description |
Day 1 | Munich | Arrive Munich Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski. A transfer is included from Munich International Airport to the city-center Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski. Please join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner this evening. Lodging: Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Meals: D |
Day 2 | Munich | Discover Munich A guided introductory tour of Munich reveals some of the must-see sights in the heart of the Bavarian capital this morning, including the celebrated Maximilianstrasse, the 17th-century Residenz, and the old town hall. Enjoy some time to explore more of this city as you please, before settling into your hotel for a two-night stay. Tonight, dinner is at your leisure at the hotel. Lodging: Althoff Seehotel Uberfahrt Meals: B, D |
Day 3 | Oberammergau | Oberammergau - Home of the Passion Play Wake up for an exclusive guided yoga experience or the opportunity to relax as you wish, before heading off to the Bavarian town of Oberammergau, famously known as the decennial host of the Passionsspiele. Occurring as each new decade begins, some 2,000 local residents of Oberammergau join forces to perform the Passionsspiele (Passion Play), a dramatic re-creation of Jesus Christ's last days on Earth. Your visit to Oberammergau is highlighted by a guided visit of the Passion Play Theater followed by lunch. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you please. Lodging: Althoff Seehotel Uberfahrt Meals: B, L |
Day 4 | Innsbruck | Innsbruck, a tour of Tratzberg & Salzburg Late this morning, you're off to the city of Innsbruck. Green domes and red roofs welcome you to this Alpine city along the Inn River twice the host city for the Winter Olympics; it's also home to one of the most beautiful medieval city centers in Austria (Gothic Old Town), and impressive imperial architecture that dates back to its days as the capital of late 15th-century Habsburg Emperor Maximilian I. After a walking tour with a local guide, you'll visit Schloss Tratzberg, on the slopes of the Karwendel Alps, where an entertaining private tour introduces the castle's five centuries of history, and medieval merriment reigns during a private wine reception featuring wines produced from the castle's own vineyards. Your final destination today is Salzburg, the beautiful Baroque hometown of composer W. A. Mozart, where you'll begin a three-night stay in the heart of the city. Lodging: Hotel Goldener Hirsch Meals: B, D |
Day 5 | Salzburg | Salzburg sightseeing, the Eagle's Nest & Berchtesgaden's Salt Mines A guided walking tour this morning introduces Salzburg, a city of intensive cultural traditions that took off with the career of its most famous resident, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. You'll see his birthplace and other local attractions, followed by lunch on your own and free time to explore the sights as you wish. This afternoon, depart for the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest), a 6,000-ft. mountaintop tea house built in the 1930s. A special mountain coach takes us high up the Kehlstein road; blasted out of solid rock in just 13 months, it is considered a feat of engineering. This evening brings fascinating travel into mountain depths on a memorable visit to the Berchtesgaden Salt Mines. You'll don protective overalls (and perhaps a sweater) for an optional slide* down into this centuries-old miners' world, including an illuminated lake and an interactive chamber where you'll learn about the long history of salt mining in the Alps. A private dinner with entertainment follows. Lodging: Hotel Goldener Hirsch Meals: B, D |
Day 6 | Salzburg | Salzburg at leisure, then a trip to the beautiful Salzkammergut Spend the morning as you please in Salzburg, a city divided into two halves by the Salzach River. The older half (on the left bank) consists of narrow streets, many pedestrian-only, lined with historic architecture that dates as far back as the Middle Ages, splendid squares and elegant burghers' houses. This afternoon, travel to St. Gilgen in the Salzkammergut, a region of peaceful lakes and craggy peaks that you might well recognize from film locations used in the movie version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music. Back in Salzburg, your evening is free. Lodging: Hotel Goldener Hirsch Meals: B |
Day 7 | Cortina d'Ampezzo | Through Grossglockner Pass to the Dolomites & a schnapps tasting Departing Salzburg, and weather and visibility permitting, find yourself on one of the most scenic roads in the world today as you travel through famed Grossglockner Pass. This is what you've come to the Alps to experience a seemingly endless panorama of towering alpine peaks and mighty glaciers. Opened in 1935, Austria's Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse (High Alpine Road) paved the way to one of the most impressive and incomparable natural experiences on Earth. The road takes you up into the most spectacular Alpine scenery you could possibly imagine; from the highest point, you'll be able to see more than 30 mountains higher than 8,000 feet! Enjoy a lunch of East Tyrolean fare along with a memorable schnapps tasting at a 400-year-old family farm in Kuenz. Continue on to Cortina d'Ampezzo, a Dolomites resort town in northern Italy, famed in winter for skiing and in summer for mountain climbing, for a two-night stay; the town is both chic and considered chic to be seen in. Lodging: Grand Hotel Savoia Meals: B, L, D |
Day 8 | Cortina d'Ampezzo | A day in the Dolomites From Cortina d'Ampezzo, head out with experienced mountain guides to spend a full day in the Dolomites, their sheer rock walls standing like silent stone sentinels against the sky. You'll have an opportunity this morning for in-depth exploration of this starkly beautiful region, which a century ago was the scene of harsh, bitter fighting between Italian and Austrian troops during World War I; the frontline passed through the area you'll visit today. Your choices include a hike with a mountain guide around the Refuggio; a rock climbing session with an experienced climber; or time spent relaxing and taking in the spectacular views at the Refuggio. Lunch includes a Q&A session with a noted Italian mountain climber; return to your hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo for an afternoon and evening spent as you wish. Lodging: Grand Hotel Savoia Meals: B, L |
Day 9 | Davos Platz | Via the South Tyrol to the Swiss Alps Drive through the Dolomites this morning and into the South Tyrol (also known as the Alto Adige) in the Italian Alps, to its capital, Bolzano a small, well-preserved city of mountain landscapes, medieval architecture and a fusion of Italian and Austrian cultural influences. After time to check out the town and have lunch on your own, our Swiss Alps tour travels this afternoon across the Italo-Swiss border and by train through the Flüela Pass (conditions permitting) and on to Davos, Switzerland for a two-night stay. Tonight, join us for a quintessential Swiss dinner with fondue and wine at your hotel. Lodging: Steigenberger Grandhotel Belevedere Davos Meals: B, D |
Day 10 | Davos | Alpine cheese, Monstein brews & more on your Swiss Alps tour Like the Swiss farmers who bring their cows from the valleys up to Alpine pastures each summer, you'll find yourself in the mountains surrounding Davos this morning on the Clavadeler Alp for a cheese-making demonstration. From the locals, learn why Swiss cheeses, like gruyere, raclette and emmanthaler, are enriched when cows graze on summer's high grasslands, hear the resonating tones of an alphorn, once used by lone herdsmen to gather and calm their charges. In the village of Monstein, visit the highest brewery in Europe where beers are crafted with water sourced from mountain streams; enjoy a demonstration and tasting at the brewery, and a guided visit to the village. Return to your hotel in Davos to spend the rest of the day and evening as you please. Lodging: Steigenberger Grandhotel Belevedere Davos Meals: B, L |
Day 11 | Lucerne | Einsiedeln and on to Lucerne Travel from Davos to the Alpine town of Einsiedeln, known both for its Benedictine abbey dating to the 10th century (featuring some of the finest 18th-century Baroque buildings in Switzerland) and its state-of-the-art ski jumping complex, Schanzen Einsiedeln, whose first facilities were built in 2001. Your time here is highlighted with a guided tour of the town and its monastery. Later, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Brunnen before continuing on to Lucerne for a two-night stay; upon arrival this afternoon, join us for a guided walking tour of this historic Swiss city on Lake Lucerne, and have dinner at your leisure at the hotel tonight. Lodging: Burgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne Meals: B, L, D |
Day 12 | Lucerne | Up to Mt. Titlis & a dinner cruise on Lake Lucerne While a thoroughly modern, culturally rich city, lakeside Lucerne retains much of its old-world charm and a strong sense of its history, with its medieval covered wooden bridges and the many Renaissance and Baroque fountains that dot its landscape along with many wonderful galleries, shops and cafes. After breakfast in Lucerne, drive to the vicinity of Mt. Titlis in the Uri Alps, site of the world's first rotating cable car in the 1960s. Today, your Mt. Titlis experience includes passage on the cable car system from Engelberg to Mt. Titlis, the Ice Flyer chairlift, and activities on the summit including Glacier Park, the illuminated Glacier Cave, and the incredible Titlis Cliff Walk, Europe's highest suspension bridge, which opened in 2012. After lunch at Mt. Titlis, return to Lucerne for time on your own and this evening's farewell reception at your hotel, followed by a private farewell dinner cruise on Lake Lucerne the perfect ending to your memorable Alpine adventure. Lodging: Burgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne Meals: B, L, D |
Day 13 | Lucerne | Journey home Tour ends in Lucerne. A transfer is included from Bürgenstock Resort in Lucerne to Zurich Airport (approximately 41 miles). Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check-in. Lodging: Meals: B |
- Dates/Pricing
- Disclaimer
- * All prices are per person in U.S. dollars, based on double occupancy.
Itinerary Changes - Although not expected, Tauck reserves the right to alter the sequence of ports or omit or substitute scheduled ports or attractions at any time without prior notice.