Best of GERMANY, lovely AUSTRIA, spectacular SWITZERLAND

Best of GERMANY, lovely AUSTRIA, spectacular
SWITZERLAND and highlights of ITALY
FRANKFURT in / ROME out
14 days
Your Itinerary:
Day 01 – Arrive at FRANKFURT Airport
orientation tour – transfer to your hotel
–
Sendlinger Gate and City Hall with its famous carillon.
You will have an inside view of the city´s most
celebrated beer hall “Hofbraeuhaus” before arriving
our hotel in time for freshen up and for dinner including
wine or beer. (B & D)
A warm welcome awaits you upon arrival by your Tour
Director who will be with you from now on throughout
land. – A brief orientation drive will show you first the
lively city centre of Frankfurt and its financial district. –
Of further interest will be the city´s old part “Roemer”, a
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complex of eight buildings dating back to the 15 and
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18 C including the City Hall, the Gothic church St
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Leonard of the 14 C and Frankfurt´s Historical
Museum. – Following a leisurely break, transfer to your
hotel for a welcome reception and some later for a
special dinner with wine at the hotel. (D)
Day 02 – Depart FRANKFURT via ROTHENBURG/
ROMANTIC ROAD to MUNICH
We leave Frankfurt this morning travelling south on
Germany´s Romantic Road to Rothenburg. Hardly any
other town casts such a spell on visitors as this
architectural gem. – An easy walking tour reveals half
timbered houses, medieval turrets, gates and towers,
almost untouched in its original architecture ever since
the Thirty Years War. Enjoy its beautiful painted old
Town Hall of both Gothic and Renaissance style and
admire the outstanding Baumeister-Haus, an ancient
restaurant building of 1596. – You won´t miss the
former Ratstrinkstube, an old tavern whose clock jacks
enact several times a day the famous bumper of a
wine legend representing a “master draught” that took
place here in 1631. – Time will be left before your tour
continues to Munich, capital of Bavaria to be first
invited for a sightseeing including its landmark Church
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Of Our Lady, built in Gothic style during the 15 C, the
Day 03 – Depart MUNICH - via the “CHURCH in the
MEADOW”, CASTLE NEUSCHWANSTEIN, the
Passion Play village of OBERAMMERGAU - for
INNSBRUCK in Austria
A most scenic excursion starts today when driving
south getting closer to the Bavarian Alps with our first
stop at the quaint village of Wies to visit here the
pilgrimage church to be called the “Church in the
Meadows”, a masterpiece of Rococo and Baroque
style, built 1746 by the brilliant architect D.
Zimmermann who created marvellous woodcarvings,
frescoes, stuccoes and most colourful wall and ceiling
paintings. Unwilling to leave the scene of his
masterpiece, he spent the last ten years of his life in a
little house right next to this church. – Then, our drive
takes us to the small town of Hohenschwangau to visit
the fairy-tale Castle Neuschwanstein of former King
Ludwig II, built 1869 by sketches of a theatrical
decorator which explains the dream-like atmosphere of
this white and towered fortress. The inside tour will
show you some of the great apartments of
Romanesque and Byzantine style, the bedroom of
King Ludwig, a masterpiece of woodcarving, frescoes
and an artificial grotto. Some other rooms show
magnificent wall paintings recall themes of Richard
Wagner´s famous operas like Lohengrin and
Tannhaeuser. – Following this impressive visit of
Castle Neuschwanstein we take a side trip to
Oberammergau with a stop. Every ten years this
quaint village hosts the Passion Play and owes its
existence to a vow made by the inhabitants of the town
after a plague epidemic around 1633 that was
miraculously past by. – Time is yours to enjoy this
attractive little place before we continue with our
journey, past a great mountain scenery with good
views to the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps and arriving
Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian district Tyrol and our
hotel for a welcome reception, dinner and
overnight. (B & D)
mountains resorts with an altitude of 6.000 ft.
Especially known as a winter playground for the rich
and famous, an orientation drive will show you the
world´s oldest Ski School, the Swiss Leaning Tower
and its spa quarter that has been used ever since the
Bronze Age. - Enjoy this beautiful health resort
surrounded by lakes and magnificent mountains and
join us this evening for a welcome reception and for
dinner at the hotel. (B & D)
Day 05 – Depart ST MORITZ by way of BELLAGIO
for LUGANO
During the morning we leave St Moritz and journey
along the majestic Alpine chain of the Upper Engadine
mountains, cross border for Italy and soon arrive at
Lago di Como. With its beautiful setting, pretty villages
and exotic gardens succeed one another along the
banks of the lake, the scenery is to be considered as
one of the most varied of all Italian lakes. Near
Cadenabbia we take a ferry for Bellagio which
occupies a magnificent site on a promontory dividing
Lake Lecco from the southern arm of Lake Como.
Day 04 – Depart INNSBRUCK in AUSTRIA for ST
MORITZ in SWITZERLAND
Before we leave Innsbruck this morning you will enjoy
from one of the main streets an imposing view of the
northern Alpine chain rising up to about 8.000 ft. - An
easy walk will take you then to the city´s pedestrian
zone and to its landmark “Golden Dachl”, a most
charming mansion with a gilded copper roof and built
around 1500 for emperor Maximilian I to celebrate his
wedding. – Not to be missed will be a visit at the
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Hofkirche, a 16
C church which houses the
magnificent Mausoleum of Maximilian I surrounded by
28 huge bronze and copper statues of famous rulers
including the one of King Arthur. Ample time is yours now for a lunch break or to do as
you please before we leave Innsbruck today for
Switzerland. - By way of Landeck the route leads
further south into the popular Swiss district of The
Grisons which is the largest Swiss canton spreads its
charm of clear skies right amid a large Alpine terrain of
high summits and glaciers. - Arriving St Moritz you will
experience one of Switzerland´s highest spa and
You will enjoy the splendid lakeside gardens especially
of Villa Serbelloni with a fragrant and luxurious
vegetation. – Time is yours to explore this beautiful
Italian village on your own and return same way by
ferry to continue with our today´s motor coach route to
the resort city of Lugano on its lake and back on Swiss
territory, framed between the wooded mountains Bré
and San Salvatore. – Upon arrival hotel you be invited
for a welcome cocktail followed by dinner this evening.
- Afterwards you may join your Tour Director for an
easy orientation walk on Lugano´s waterfront
promenade and why not have a rest at one of the
inviting outdoor cafes ….. (B & D)
Day 06 – Excursion to LAGO MAGGIORE,
LOCARNO and a visit to ISOLA BELLA
Your scenic day excursion starts with a short drive and
a stop at Locarno, known for its annual Film Festival,
to see the historic Castello Visconti and its monastery
Madonna del Sasso, a place of pilgrimage which
affords great views of the city, the colourful fishing
village of Ascona, the legendary beauty of Lago
Maggiore and its mountains. – We follow the shores of
the lake some further south to Stresa which still
attracts artists and writers and board a boat that takes
us over to the beautiful island of Isola Bella, the most
famous of its Borromean islands. You will be visiting
the palace of the former princely family, built in
Baroque style representing several state rooms
including Napoleon´s Apartment, a Ball Room and a
Hall of Mirrors. – Outside, you will enjoy the lovely
gardens filled with a variety of exotic plants which form
an amazing baroque composition, a truncated pyramid
of ten terraces ornamented with statues, basins and
fountains. At the top of the garden experience a shellshaped “amphitheatre” providing an unusual scenic
effect. – Time will be yours now to enjoy this beautiful
site right in the brilliant gem of Lago Maggiore and
then return by boat to Stresa. – Our route back to
Lugano leads around the southern part of the lake by
way of Varese, dominated by an important pilgrimage
church dedicated to the Virgin. The road up to this
basilica is lined with a number of chapels decorated
with frescoes and groups of life-size terracotta figures.
From the summit finally enjoy another magnificent view
of the surrounding mountains and its lake district
before we shall return to Lugano in time for dinner. (B
& D)
Day 07 – Depart LUGANO and SWITZERLAND by
way of MILAN and VERONA for ABANO TERME
near VENICE in ITALY
Leaving Lugano this morning and its beautiful slopes
of the Alps travelling south to Milan which is the
second largest city in Italy. An orientation drive will
show its lively city and the Cathedral, built in Gothic
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style with its beginnings of the 14 C. This marvel of a
colossal construction of white marble, bristling with
belfries, gables, pinnacles and statues comes in
contrast with an imposing interior. – You will view the
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brick castle Castello Sforzesco of the 15 C which
houses one of Italy’s most important art collections and
visit the museum of the world-famous opera house La
Scala showing estates relating to Toscanini and Verdi
including busts, portraits, stage costumes and from
one of the boxes you will enjoy seeing the auditorium.
Following this stop we shall continue with our drive
proceeding further east by way of Bergamo, the site of
an old Roman settlement long time before Christ. Then
we pass the beautiful lake Lago di Garda framed in the
west by steep slopes, a mountain chain by the west
and the Dolomites to the north shelter the lake from
the cold winds giving rise to a very mild climate. –
Short after arriving Verona, former home of Romeo
and Juliet immortalized by Shakespeare´s drama. - An
orientation drive will show delightful buildings of
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Roman and Venetian architecture like the splendid 14
C and fortified castle Castelvecchio and its landmark
“Arena”, largest amphitheatre in the Roman world
which can hold up to 25.000 visitors during the annual
opera season. – Then it´s on to Abano Terme, wellshaded by pines, one of Italy´s most famous spa
resorts near Padova and about 20 miles west of
Venice to spend the following two nights. – Join us this
evening for another welcome reception and for a
special Italian dinner with wine at the hotel. (B & D)
Abano Terme, this evening you will be treated to a
special dinner again. (B & D)
Day 08 – Excursion to VENICE
Your morning begins with a short transfer to Piazzale
Roma, starting point in Venice for a boat trip on
picturesque Grand Canal that leads us to St Markus
Square. You will glide along magnificent palazzos and
through numerous footbridges like the famous one of
Ponte di Rialto. Founded over a thousand years ago,
the legendary city of Venice was built on over a
hundred small islands and posts with a link to the sea
and still reflects an incomparable architecture of
Byzantine domes, palaces of Venetian-Gothic style,
charming squares, dozens of silent canals and a vast
amount of traditional gondolas. Arriving at St Markus
Square you are scheduled to visit the Doges´ Palace,
former residence of the rulers features an immense
collection of art treasures, truly a symbol of Venetian
power and glory which was built about 800 years ago
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but transformed between the 13 and 16 C. Your tour
will start at the top of the Golden Staircase and will
pass through a suite of rooms and halls like the fine
decorated College Hall where the Doge and his
councillors used to meet. You will enjoy the Council
Chamber of about 14.000 sq. ft. with paintings and
portraits of over 70 doges which includes Tintoretto’s
famous painting “Paradise”. Also of much interest the
small “Bridge of Sighs” connects the Doges´ Palace to
the prison where Casanova was once incarcerated
and owes its name to the sights of the prisoners being
led away from their cells to be executed. – Following
this visit time is yours now in Venice to explore its
quaint alleys, shop around for Venetian glass or
discover the romance of this intriguing city of canals
perhaps by a gondola ride to experience the unrivalled
atmosphere that makes Venice one of the most
attractive cities in Europe. – Back at your hotel in
Day 09 – Depart the area of VENICE by way of
BOLOGNA to MONTECATINI TERME near
FLORENCE
Leaving the elegant thermal spa Abano Terme this
morning, our route takes us through the province of
Emilia-Romagna which goes for Italy´s best soil
fertility, by way of Ferrara in the heart of the Po river
plain dominated by its Castello Estense, a massive
castle guarded by moats and four gateways. - Some
further south we shall arrive at the old university city of
Bologna for a stop to view its remarkable adjoining
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squares of the old town with the 14 C Basilica di San
Petronio that forms a harmonious ensemble with the
Fontana del Nettuno, a beautiful fountain with a bronze
statue of “Neptune” surrounded by four sirens spouting
water from their breasts. - Of further interest to you will
be the Torri Pendenti, two tall leaning towers and
symbols of former conflicts between noble families in
the Middle Ages. – Explore further sights on your own
before we continue with our drive to Montecatini
Terme, another most fashionable thermal spa near
Florence to join a welcome reception at the hotel,
having dinner and staying on for two nights. (B & D)
Day 10 – Excursion to FLORENCE
Just a short transfer will take us this morning to
Florence, birthplace of Renaissance with an exquisite
architecture, without doubt the city where Italian genius
has flourished with the greatest display of brilliance
and purity. Your city tour includes the monastery Santa
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Croce which shows fine 15 C stained glass windows,
an outstanding pulpit, various tombstones along the
walls and tombs like the one of famous Michelangelo
and composer Rossini. – A short walk from here leads
you over the city’s oldest bridge Ponte Vecchio, lined
with a number of shops overlooking the Arno river and
to Piazza della Signoria, an open-air museum of
ancient statues including the famous one of
Michelangelo´s David. - Admire its surrounding and be
invited to visit the Uffizi Galleries, one of the finest art
museums in the world, assembled by several
generations of the Medici family and follow the
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evolution of Italian art from the 13 to the 18 C.
Among numerous masterpieces you will see several
works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and
Michelangelo. – Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at your
own and don´t miss its nearby Gothic Cathedral of the
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13 C at Piazza del Duomo, one of the largest in the
world representing an incomparable example of
Florentine architecture. – Toward evening we join for
dinner with wine at a fine restaurant in Florence before
we return some later to our hotel in Montecatini for one
more night. (B & D)
the surrounding countryside, mostly bathed in golden
light. – Then and some further south we follow the river
Tevere by way of Todi, perched on an attractive site
with old walls dating back to the Roman and medieval
periods. – Following another good hour drive we arrive
at Italy´s timeless capital of Rome and at our hotel for
a welcome cocktail and dinner, staying on for the next
three nights. (B & D)
Day 11 – Depart the area of FLORENCE by way of
ASSISI to ROME
We leave Montecatini Terme this morning and journey
through Italy´s Tuscany, a landscape highlighted by
olive groves. Travelling along vineyards of the Chianti
hills and farmland by way of Perugia, capital of the
Umbria district and to the medieval walled city of
Assisi, closely associated with the work and life of St
Francis, founder of the Franciscan Order of Minors.
You will tour the Basilica, a group of buildings consist
of two imposing churches resting on a series of
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immense arches and founded in the 13 C with
frescoes like one of the Passion, a graceful
composition with bright colours. The remarkable choir
vaulting is painted with scenes symbolizing the
Triumph of St Francis. In the south transept, a majestic
work shows a Madonna with Four Angels and St
Francis - and in the north an intensive and dramatic
Crucifixion. The tomb of St Francis can be seen at the
bottom of the steps for the treasury beneath the centre
of the transept crossing. – Before leaving Assisi we
drive up the hill to Rocca Maggiore, a medieval castle
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of the 14 C to enjoy a splendid view of the town and
Day 12 – The highlights of ROME
Your sightseeing tour of Rome starts with the Baths of
Caracalla, built about 1.800 years ago over an area of
nearly 30 acres and which could hold about 1.600
visitors at a time. The buildings, decorated with
marble, mosaics and statues were heated by a
complex system of underground steam. –
A few minutes drive from here will take you to its
ancient almost 2.000 years old Coliseum with a
seating of up to 50.000 spectators who came to watch
wrestling gladiators, put up a fight against lions, chariot
races and even naval battles. – Close by the Arch of
Constantine to commemorate his victory and the
Palatine where Emperor Domitian has built his official
palace. Here, from the Farnese Gardens you will enjoy
best views of the Roman Forum, once the religious
and political centre of Rome. – Some later, we stop at
Piazza del Campidoglio to see its Capitol, which has
been the seat of the Roman government since the
antiquity. The square, designed by Michelangelo is
framed by an exceptional ensemble of three palaces
and a balustrade, dominated by statues of ancient
heroes. - Some further north we will stop again to see
the well-preserved Pantheon, a temple dedicated to
planetary divinities, built around 27 BC and during the
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7 C converted into a church dominated by an antique
dome. – Across the river Tiber the Castel Sant´Angelo
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comes in sight, a fortress that was built in the 2 C as
a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian. – A few blocks of
east we will stop at the best known of all Roman
Baroque monuments, the Fontana di Trevi, designed
in 1762 at the request of Pope Clement. The
allegorical figure of the ocean springs out of the central
niche riding a chariot drawn by two sea horses and
tritons. - Before you leave don´t forget to throw two
coins over your shoulder into the basin to make sure to
return to Rome and to have one wish come true. – The
rest of the afternoon is at your complete disposal
before we join this evening again for dinner at the
hotel. (B & D)
Day 13 – One more day in ROME to visit ST
PETERS´s BASILICA, the VATICAN MUSEUM and
its SISTINE CHAPEL
Your morning tour starts with a drive to St Peter´s
Square, embraced by two semicircular colonnades and
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to the Basilica di San Pietro, built in the early 4 C on
the site where Peter the Apostle was buried after being
martyred in Nero´s circus. – Entering the dome you will
see first a chapel that contains the Pieta, a powerful
masterpiece of spiritual feeling by Michelangelo.
Above St Peter´s tomb admire a gigantic Baldaquin
made of bronze by Bernini standing on spiralling
columns. Of the same architect will be the huge
Cathedral Petri, the symbolic Throne of St Peter
encasing the alleged chair of the apostle, supported by
gilded stucco statues of the dome fathers. – Then, you
are scheduled for an about 2-3 hours guided tour to
visit its Vatican Museum displaying a collection of
magnificent Greek and Roman antiquities including
entrance to the Sistine Chapel, built for conclave
meetings and as a chapel for the popes shows a
splendid vault and paintings by Michelangelo of the
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early 16 C, illustrates themes from the Old and New
Testaments. Above the altar a masterpiece of the last
Judgement, finally completed in 1541. – The afternoon
is yours now to do as you please. On request, will take
you to Via Veneto which is lined with shops and café
terraces, a favourable starting point for a stroll or for
shopping and will meet you later this day for our return
to the hotel. – This evening join us for a special
farewell reception and dinner with wine. Another
highlight this evening will be a surprise-drawing with
everyone is winning a valuable gift that will end this
day as a most memorized one of your great four
country tour. (B & D)
Day 14 – Last day of tour – depart from ROME
Following breakfast bid farewell to the Eternal City of
Rome as your motor coach transfer launches out from
the hotel to the principal Airport of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Say good bye now to your driver and Tour Director
before your flight takes off ….. (Ending tour with
breakfast)
What your land tour cost all includes:
3 accommodations according to AAA 3 to 4
Diamond lodging ratings throughout the tour.
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Hotel examples:
FRANKFURT Sheraton Congress
MUNICH Holiday Inn Munich City
Centre
INNSBRUCK Hilton Innsbruck
ST. MORITZ Schweizerhof
LUGANO Holiday Inn Lugano Centre
ABANO TERME Savoia Therme
MONTECATINI TERME Astoria
ROME Crowne Plaza St. Peter’s
13 full buffet-style breakfasts.
13 four-courses dinners with choice of maincourse including one evening out of hotel at a
fine restaurant in Florence and 5 meals with a
glass of wine or beer.
Total 26 meals.
Bag service in/ out at all hotels.
8 welcome receptions.
Touring by a private and late-model motor
coach with all modern facilities, like kitchen/
bar, air-conditioned, washroom with toilet,
reclining seats, etc. – All airport transfers,
excursions and side trips, sightseeing and
entrance fees as per itinerary.
A valuable gift to each member of tour with last
eve´s farewell dinner.
An experienced English speaking motor coach
driver and a professional English speaking
Tour Director throughout land.
Features:
Orientation tour of Frankfurt…..
Stop over at Rothenburg on the Romantic
Road…..
City tour of Bavaria´s capital Munich…..
Visit the “Church in the Meadow” in Bavaria,
Castle Neuschwanstein and the Passion Play
Town of Oberammergau…..
City tour of Innsbruck, Austria with sightseeing
including entrance to the Mausoleum of
Maximilian I…..
Orientation
drive
of
St
Moritz
in
Switzerland…...
Roundtrip ferry cruise to Bellagio on Lake
Como in Italy…..
An orientation drive and walk of Lugano in
Switzerland…..
Excursion to Locarno in Switzerland, Lago
Maggiore including roundtrip boat cruise to the
island of Isola Bella in Italy with entrance to its
palace and gardens…..
Orientation drive of Milan including entrance to
the museum of the opera house La Scala…..
An orientation drive of Verona, former home of
Romeo and Juliet…..
Sightseeing of Venice including roundtrip boat
transfer to St Mark´s Square and entrance to
the Doges´ Palace…..
Orientation drive of Bologna…..
Sightseeing of Florence including entrance to
its Uffizi Galleries…..
An orientation drive of Assisi including St
Francis Basilica…..
City sightseeing of Rome with all highlights
including St Peter´s Basilica, its Vatican
Museum and Sistine Chapel…..
Land tour cost per person sharing dbl/ twin-bedded room
25-30 paying persons =
31-35 paying persons =
36-40 paying persons =
Single supplement
=
Euro 2465,- p.p.
Euro 2325,- p.p.
Euro 2235,- p.p.
Euro 455,-
* All rates net in Euro and not commissionable; valid 2012 and 2013.
* With 25 paying persons – plus one person free of charge on land.
* Please select your own departure/ arrival dates in accordance with us.
(Copyright by H. Ackermann & Bottenschein Reisen GmbH & Co. KG - except using our services)