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"Alpine Europe"
May 17-27, 2010
Your Day-to-Day Itinerary
| Meal Codes | |
|---|---|
| B | Breakfast |
| L | Lunch |
| D | Dinner |
Day 1 - Monday, May 17 - Washington, DC / Across the Atlantic. Depart Washington, D.C. today on your overnight transatlantic flight to Frankfurt, arriving the following day.
Day 2 - Tuesday, May 18 - Arrive Frankfurt/Heidelberg/Rhine Valley. Arrive Frankfurt. Drive to Heidelberg, the oldest University town in Germany and home of the "Student Prince." View the medieval Town Hall and the University, founded in 1386. Cross the Neckar River and see the ancient castle high above the city and river. Overnight in the Rhine Valley. (D)
Day 3 - Wednesday, May 19 - Rhine Valley/Rhine Falls/Lake Lucerne. View the magnificent Rhine Falls. Then drive to Lucerne. Its attractive waterfront, 14th and 15th century covered wood bridges and medieval walls make Lucerne one of Switzerland's prettiest cities. Walk along the quaint, winding streets of the Old Town and see the 14th century wooden Kapell Bridge and the Lion Monument. Free time to stroll along the bridges, relax on the lakeshore or visit the elegant shops. Overnight in the lake Lucerne area. (B,D)
Day 4 - Thursday, May 20 - Lake Lucerne. Tour Switzerland's breathtakingly beautiful Bernese Oberland. Follow the Bruenig Pass road to Interlaken, a popular summer resort dwarfed by the famous snow-covered Alpine peaks of the Eiger and the 13,642-ft. Jungfrau. Proceed to the picturesque villages of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and then return to your hotel for the night. (B,D)
Day 5 - Friday, May 21 - Lake Lucerne/Innsbruck. Drive to Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian province of Tyrol, set in the heart of the Alps. The 800-year-old city was named for the bridge across the Inn River, first built in the 12th century. On your orientation tour of Innsbruck, view the Boldenes Dachl (Golden roof), a late Gothic oriel with 2,657 gold-plated tiles. It was built under the rule of Emperor Maximilian I as a royal box for spectacles held in the square below. Also see Wilten Basilica, Hofburg Palace and Maria Theresia Avenue. (B,D)
Day 6 - Saturday, May 22 - Innsbruck/Salzburg. Admire the majestic mountain scenery as you travel east through the Kitzbuheler Alps to Salzburg, one of the world's most beautiful cities. Featured in the movie "The Sound of Music," Salzburg will always be remembered as Mozart's birthplace. On a city tour see the Mozarteurn (house where Mozart lived) and visit the Church of the Franciscans and the Altarmarkt in the heart of the Old City. (B)
Day 7 - Sunday, May 23 - Salzburg/Munich. Cross the border into Germany and continue to Munich, capital of Bavaria. Munich was ruled for over 650 years by the Wittelsbacher dukes and kings, who left their mark on the architecture and founded the world famous Munich art collection. On a city tour see Marienplatz, Munich's town square, and view Nymphenburg, the former Royal Residence, Odeon Square with the beautiful Theatiner Church, and the Hall of Generals. Overnight in the Munich area. (B)
Day 8 - Monday, May 24 - Munich/Neuschwanstein/Oberammergau. Ascend the Bavarian Alps and view Mad King Ludwig's fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most photographed palaces in the world and the model for the castles at the Walt Disney theme parks. Next visit the unusual, oval rococo Wies Church designed in the late 1740s. On to Oberammergau, site of the world famous Passion Play. (B,D)
Day 9 - Tuesday, May 25 - The Passion Play of Oberammergau. The highlight of your trip! In keeping with their 377-year old promise, the villagers of Oberammergau present their Passion Play depicting the last week of the life of Christ. The play's presentation can be traced to 1633 when the Black Plague swept Europe. The people of Oberammergau took a solemn oath: If God spared them, they would present a day-long play depicting the lat week in the life of Christ. To this day they have kept their promise, and every ten years the citizens of Oberammergau perform their passion play with the same love and devotion they have shown for over 370 years. Today the play takes place on an open-air stage with a covered auditorium seating 4,700, against a beautiful backdrop of towering Alpine mountains. (B,L,D)
Day 10 - Wednesday, May 26 - Oberammergau/Rothenburg/Frankfurt. Travel north on the Romantic Road through fairy-tale towns surrounded by moats, gates and towers. Admire the landscape dotted with lovely church spires standing since the Middle Ages. Arrive in Rothenburg, Germany's best preserved medieval town. Rothenburg's ramparts, cobbled roads, and high gabled houses invoke the romance of the Middle Ages. The battle-scarred walls that encircle the town still protect St. Jakobskirch, with its altar carving by Tilman Riemenschneider. After a visit, proceed to Frankfurt area for the night. (B,D)
Day 11 - Thursday, May 27 - Frankfurt/Washington, DC. Bid farewell to Europe as you transfer to the airport for your flight to Washington, D.C., arriving the same day. (B)