The Ultimate Alps & Dolomites

Day 1 Arrive Munich

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich. A transfer is included from Munich International Airport to the city-center Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich. Please join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner this evening.

MEALS : D

LODGING : Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski Munich

PORTOFCALL : Munich

Day 2 Munich & Oberammergau in Bavaria, then an Alpine night in Seefeld

Get a panoramic overview of city sights in Munich before exploring on your own. En route to Austria this afternoon, visit the quaint town of Oberammergau, famed for its once-a-decade performances of the Passion Play (the next occurs in 2020), its woodcarvings and frescoed homes. Your final destination is your mountain resort in Seefeld, Austria; tonight, a festive Tyrolean evening welcomes with traditional food, music and warmth.

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : Astoria Relax & Spa Hotel

PORTOFCALL : Oberammergau, Germany

Day 3 High adventure from Zugspitze to Linderhof Castle in the Bavarian Alps

Head up Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze, this morning, traveling first by cogwheel railroad to the Zugspitzplatt (the glacier plateau), then by aerial cable car to the summit ridge. Be rewarded by spectacular views of the Alps while enjoying lunch on your own. Ride back down by cable car, descending some 6,500 feet in about 10 minutes, to picture-perfect Eibsee Lake below. From Eibsee, you're off to Linderhof Castle in the Bavarian Alps. In 1869, King Ludwig began transforming his father's royal hunting lodge into a mini-Versailles, complete with a Hall of Mirrors, an extravagant bedchamber for the king, fountains and gardens; see them on a private tour.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Astoria Relax & Spa Hotel

PORTOFCALL : Linderhof, Germany

Day 4 Imperial treasures in Innsbruck, Tratzberg & Salzburg

Green domes and red roofs welcome you to the Alpine city of Innsbruck 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, enjoy some free time and lunch on your own. Travel by rail to Schloss Tratzberg, on the slopes of the Karwendel Alps, where an entertaining private tour introduces the castle's half-century 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, where you'll begin a three-night stay at an authentic Austrian country inn - in the very heart of the city.

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : Hotel Goldener Hirsch

PORTOFCALL : Tratzberg, Austria

Day 5 Salzburg sightseeing, the Eagle's Nest & a private evening at Berchtesgaden 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. 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 in the salt mine, today converted into a gasthaus - for Tauck guests only!

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : Hotel Goldener Hirsch

PORTOFCALL : Salzburg, Austria

Day 6 Salzburg at leisure, then a trip to the beautiful Salzkammergut

Enjoy a morning at leisure in Salzburg, a city divided into two halves by the Salzach River. This afternoon, travel to Salzkammergut, a region of peaceful lakes and craggy peaks that you might well recognize from film locations used in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music." Dinner is is on your own back in Salzburg this evening.

MEALS : B

LODGING : Hotel Goldener Hirsch

PORTOFCALL : Salzburg, Austria

Day 7 Through Grossglockner Pass to the Dolomites with lunch & a schnapps tasting

Leaving 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.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf

PORTOFCALL : Grossglockner, Austria

Day 8 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 in-depth exploration of this starkly beautiful region, which 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. Enjoy a Q&A with a noted Italian mountain climber during lunch today; return to your hotel for an evening spent as you wish, and dinner on your own.

MEALS : B, L

LODGING : Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf

PORTOFCALL : Dolomites, Italy

Day 9 From Bolzano in the South Tyrol to Davos in the Swiss Alps

Enjoy time at leisure in the well-preserved city of Bolzano this morning amidst stunning mountain landscapes, medieval architecture and a fusion of Italian and Austrian cultural influences. Your journey across the border to Davos, Switzerland, this afternoon takes a twist you may not expect when your entire coach boards a train to go through the Flüeli Pass (conditions permitting). Tonight, join us for a quintessential Swiss dinner of fondue and wine at your hotel.

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : InterContinental Davos Resort & Spa

PORTOFCALL : Bolzano, Italy

Day 10 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 gruyère, 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 after a pretty perfect day in the Swiss Alps.

MEALS : B, L

LODGING : InterContinental Davos Resort & Spa

PORTOFCALL : Davos, Switzerland

Day 11 Vaduz in little Liechtenstein & back to Germany

Make your way out of the Swiss Alps and head for little Liechtenstein this morning. Although the principality is diminutive in size, its capital, Vaduz, is known today as an international center of finance and banking. After a guided introduction to the town's historic center, you'll be treated to an exclusive visit to the modern Parliament building; a wine tasting at the Hofkellerei, the Prince's private cellars; and lunch at a local restaurant. Spend some time exploring Vaduz on your own before continuing from Liechtenstein and crossing back into Germany; arrive in the Bavarian spa town of Bad Wörishofen, where an à la carte dinner awaits at your hotel this evening.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Steigenberger Hotel Der Sonnenhof Bad Wörishofen

PORTOFCALL : Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Day 12 The Wieskirche & Kneipp water therapy in Bavaria

Today, enjoy a visit to The Pilgrimage Church of Wies, also known as the Wieskirche. Dating back to the 18th century, the church was erected on the site of a purported miracle - the appearance of tears on a wooden figure of Jesus Christ - that drew large numbers of religious pilgrims to the area. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its rococo design and cultural significance, the Wieskirche continues to house the original wooden figure of Christ from the 1700s, and remains a popular pilgrimage site for many seeking cures for various ailments. After some free time to explore and lunch at the Hotel Mueller, you'll return to your hotel for a presentation on the history and concepts behind the Kneipp approach to wellness. Tour the spa facilities and herb garden and then enjoy your very own relaxing, individual water treatment. Join us this evening for a Bavarian farewell reception and dinner... a perfect ending to your German, Austrian, Italian and Swiss Alps tour.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Steigenberger Hotel Der Sonnenhof Bad Wörishofen

PORTOFCALL : Schwangau, Germany

Day 13 Journey home

Tour ends: Munich. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Steigenberger Hotel der Sonnenhof, Bad Wörishofen to Munich International Airport (approximately 71 miles). Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check-in.

MEALS : B