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   A detailed itinerary is listed below.   Click on the button to view the Slideshow.

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Overnight Flight 1 night

Day 1: Travel day

Board your overnight flight to Frankfurt today.

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Heidelberg Region 2 nights

Day 2: Arrival in Frankfurt & transfer to the Heidelberg Region

Included meal: Dinner

Welcome to Germany! Transfer to the Heidelberg region and settle into your hotel. Then, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.

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Day 3: Sightseeing tour of Heidelberg

Included meal: Breakfast

Immerse yourself in the romantic cityscapes and Baroque architecture of Heidelberg on a guided tour.

• Wander through Heidelberg’s elegant Market Square in the city’s Old Town

• Explore the grounds of Heidelberg University, the oldest university in Germany

• Take a funicular ride to the city’s rose-colored hilltop castle for panoramic views of the Old Bridge and the Rhine River below

Enjoy a free afternoon in Heidelberg or add an excursion.

Castle & Gardens of Schwetzingen

From $55 per person

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Swiss Alps 2 nights

Day 4: Swiss Alps via Rhine Falls & the Black Forest

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

On the way to Switzerland, journey to thundering Rhine Falls and through the Black Forest, the setting for many of the Grimm Brothers’ famous fairytales.

Then, continue on to the Swiss Alps and sit down for an included dinner with your group.

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Day 5: Sightseeing tour of Lucerne

Included meal: Breakfast

Get an up-close look at the lakeside city of Lucerne, Switzerland’s idyllic Alpine town, on a guided sightseeing tour.

• View the Lion Monument, a tribute to the Swiss Guards who sacrificed their lives in Paris during the French Revolution

• Pass hand-painted facades that line the cobbled streets of the Old Town

• Cross the medieval Kapellbrücke, a covered wooden footbridge spanning the Reuss River, and view the Water Tower

• See the Jesuit Church, the first large Baroque building of its kind to be built north of the Alps in Switzerland

Enjoy a free afternoon i

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Mount Pilatus OPTIONAL EXCURSION From $125 per person...RECOMMENDED

This scenic excursion begins with a cruise on Lake Lucerne. After docking, ascend 7,000-foot Mount Pilatus on the world’s steepest cogwheel railway. Legend holds that the mountain was named for Pontius Pilate, blown here by the devil after the Crucifixion. From the peak, the views of the Alps are stunning; on a clear day, you can see for 200 miles. Toward the end of your trip, you’ll return to the base of the mountain via gondola. Please note: The cruise and cogwheel railway only run from mid-May through October. During the winter months, this excursion includes the cable car ride only. If the cogwheel railway is unavailable, you’ll enjoy lunch on the mountain.

4.5 hours, departs in the afternoon

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Austrian Alps 1 night

Day 6: Austrian Alps via Liechtenstein & Innsbruck

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Cross into Liechtenstein, a tiny Alpine principality dating back to the Holy Roman Empire.

• Visit the capital of Vaduz

• Pass the royal family’s hilltop castle, still in use as a royal residence

Continue on to Innsbruck, site of two winter Olympic Games, where you’ll enjoy a guided walking tour.

• See the famed Golden Roof and the City Tower in Innsbruck’s historic Old Town

• Pass the Hofburg, a former Hapsburg Imperial Palace, and walk into its cobblestoned courtyard

• Enter the Baroque Cathedral of St. James

Then, travel to the Austrian Alps and sit down for an included dinner.

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Munich 3 nights

Day 7: Munich via Hohenschwangau Castle

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Head into the mountains of Bavaria making stops along the way to Munich.

• Make a photo stop at Neuschwanstein Castle, the fairy-tale retreat of “Mad” King Ludwig II

• Revel in scenic views of the Alps as you relax during free time for lunch in the town below Neuschwanstein

• Enter Hohenschwangau Castle, the former summer and hunting residence of the Bavarian royal family

Then, continue on to Munich and sit down for an included dinner.

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Day 8: Sightseeing tour of Munich

Included meal: Breakfast

Get to know the Bavarian capital on a guided tour.

• Travel past the Englischer Garten and fashionable Schwabing district

• Enter the Nymphenburg Palace, the Baroque home to past Bavarian royalty

• Walk from Odeonsplatz through the Hofgarten to view the Residenz, once home to the Wittelsbach dukes of Bavaria

• Explore Marienplatz, Munich’s medieval heart, and see the famed Glockenspiel

Enjoy a free afternoon in Munich or add an excursion.

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Bavarian Brewery & Beer Tasting

From $95 per person

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Day 9: Oktoberfest in Munich

Included meal: Breakfast

Join thousands of other beer lovers from around the world in celebrating Oktoberfest today. Enjoy special admission to an Oktoberfest tent, where you can sample Bavarian delicacies along with steins of Munich’s famous beer.

 

Salzburg 2 nights

Day 10: Transfer to Salzburg & sightseeing tour

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Head to Salzburg, Austria, a city famed for its churches and musical history. There, a local guide leads you on a walking tour of the Old Town.

• View the University of Salzburg and the churchyard of St. Peter

• See the Kapitelplatz, Residenzplatz, and Alter Markt in the city’s Old Town

• Pass through scenery from the beloved film The Sound of Music

• Ride the Mönchsberg Lift and enjoy panoramic views of the city and it’s fortress

Sit down for an included dinner.

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Day 11: Free day in Salzburg

Included meal: Breakfast

Enjoy a free day in Salzburg or add excursions.

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Mozart Concert & Dinner

From $145 per person

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Eagle's Nest & Salt Mines  OPTIONAL EXCURSION From $119 per person....RECOMMENDED
Drive through the Bavarian Alps to the mountain village of Berchtesgaden, where you’ll tour the 450-year-old salt mines that brought wealth to Bavaria and Salzburg. Explore the mines during an underground boat ride on Mirror Lake before enjoying free time for lunch. Continue to Obersalzberg, where a scenic bus ride along steep gorges offers gorgeous views of the snow-capped Alps. Then, take an elevator ride up to the Eagle’s Nest, an Alpine retreat built for Adolf Hitler. Please note: This excursion is seasonal and runs from mid-May through September.

8 hours, departs in the morning

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Vienna 3 nights

Day 12: Vienna via Melk Abbey

Included meal: Breakfast

Travel east through the Danube basin en route to Vienna.

• Stop in Melk Abbey for a guided tour of the town’s Baroque abbey, which is situated on rock overlooking the Danube River

• Explore its Baroque pavilion, library, and chapel

• Continue on to Vienna and make a photo stop at Schönbrunn Palace, the Rococo Hapsburg home

Please note: On some departures the photo stop at Schönbrunn Palace will be replaced with entrance to Schönbrunn Palace on day 13 depending on the day of the week.

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Day 13: Sightseeing tour of Vienna

Included meal: Breakfast

Get transported back to the Age of Empires on a guided tour of Vienna.

• Step inside Belvedere Palace, home to the world's largest collection of paintings by artist Gustav Klimt, and admire the palace's impressive gardens

• Travel down the Ringstrasse, passing the Parliament building, Vienna State Opera, and Kunsthistorisches Museum

• See the grand Hofburg Palace, the Hapsburg’s preferred winter residence

Enjoy a free evening in Vienna or add an excursion.

Please note: Belvedere Palace will be replaced with Schönbrunn Palace if the guided sightseeing falls on a Monday.

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Traditional Viennese Heurigen Evening

From $105 per person

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Day 14: Free day in Vienna

Included meals: Breakfast, Farewell dinner

Spend a free day in Vienna or add an excursion.

Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner as you celebrate your trip with your fellow group members.

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Danube River Cruise & Bratislava, Slovakia From $119 per person...RECOMMENDED

Cruise down the Danube from Vienna, Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia, in a high-speed boat, passing through scenic Donau-Auen National Park along the way. In Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, follow a local guide through the charming Old Town to see the well-preserved city center and pass by the regal castle. Stop at the neoclassical Primate’s Palace, the seat of the mayor of Bratislava, to enter the historic Hall of Mirrors. Then, enjoy free time in the city for lunch and exploration before driving back to Vienna. Please note: This excursion is seasonal and runs from April to October. From November to March, a lunch will be included in place of the cruise. If the excursion falls on a Monday, when Primate's Palace is closed, you will visit St. Martin's Cathedral.

7 hours, departs in the morning

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Flight Home

Day 15: Departure

Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

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Transfer to the airport for your flight home or continue on to Budapest, Hungary.

Extension to Budapest

Continue along the Danube to the Hungarian capital, a merger of two towns called Buda and Pest. Follow your local guide on a sightseeing tour through this peaceful and progressive metropolis.

 

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Budapest Extension....extra cost 2 nights

Day 15: Transfer to Budapest & sightseeing tour

Included meal: Breakfast

Travel to Budapest today, then discover the major landmarks of both sides of the city—Buda and Pest—with a local guide.

• Trace this nation’s stormy history at Heroes' Square

• Tour the lavishly decorated interior of the Hungarian Parliament Building

• Cross the Danube and ascend Castle Hill

• Take in the breathtaking views from Fisherman’s Bastion

• Visit the medieval Matthias Church, once the site of Hapsburg coronations

Enjoy a free evening in Budapest or add an excursion.

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Budapest Home-Hosted Dinner

From $75 per person

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Day 16: Free day in Budapest

Included meal: Breakfast

Spend a free day in Budapest or add an excursion.

This evening, enjoy a farewell drink as you celebrate your trip with your fellow group members.

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Budapest: A Walk Behind the Iron Curtain

From $79 per person

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Day 17 Flight Home

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