Across the Italian Alps
Highlights
Featuring: VENICE – BOLZANO – INNSBRUCK – OBERAMMERGAU – LINDERHOF – MUNICH – SALZBURG
- Tour of the hidden corners of Venice and Doge’s Palace apartment rooms and chambers
- Dolomites: spectacular views, century old wood carving tradition and disco music!
- Bavaria and its majestic castles: Neuschwanstein and Linderhof
- Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and set of The Sound of Music
- Fruehschoppen experience in Munich: Weisswurst, Pretzel and Weissbier
Included
- Small group suggested tour starting from 8 guests
- Featuring: Venice – Bolzano – Dolomites – Innsbruck – Neuschwanstein – Salzburg – Munich
- 14 meals and English speaking tour leader throughout the trip
* (according to the program – if mentioned)
from €
SUGGESTED ITINERARY
| Day 1: VENICE Arrival transfer from Venice airport to hotel. Welcome drink. Welcome dinner and overnight. Meals: B |
| Day 2: VENICE Breakfast at the hotel. Morning city tour of Venice to discover lesser-known Venice the so called ‘Minor Venice’ with a fascinating guided walk between St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge that will allow you to admire the outside of majestic architectural masterpieces generally not included in the main tourist itineraries and some unique structures that contribute to making Venice a unique city. View the Golden Basilica of San Marco, built over several centuries in a fusion of Byzantine, Roman and Venetian architecture and admire the exterior of the La Fenice Theatre in Venice – the most important opera house in Venice, destroyed and rebuilt several times, which hosted the premieres of the great Italian composers of the 19th century. Then continue to Doge’s Palace, official residence of the Venetian ruler to discover the environments that have shaped the history of the Republic of Venice: the precious rooms of the Doge’s apartment; the Institutional Chambers – where the political and administrative life of the Republic of Venice was decided. Lunch on your own. Free afternoon for own discovery or shopping. Overnight. Meals: B |
| Day 3: VERONA – BOLZANO – ÖTZI THE ICEMAN Buffet breakfast. This morning you will arrive to Verona, the city of Romeo of Juliet where a guided tour awaits. Sights you will enjoy are the famous Piazza Bra with the Arena (Roman Amphitheater) and of course the house of the two unlucky lovers. After lunch on your own, free time to stroll around the historical center. We will board our motor coach and travel north, direction Bolzano. The city of Bolzano has two lifestyles, one Northern European and the other more Mediterranean, combine to make the perfect union, which can be clearly seen in the historic and artistic treasures of this city. For centuries, Bolzano has been the privileged center of commercial exchanges between Italy and Germany. Today, the capital of Alto Adige/Suedtirol has become a cosmopolitan city that knows how to be lively, cheerful, modern and yet refined all at the same time. Visit to the Archeological Museum to view Ötzi, the Ice Man the famous mummified corpse pulled from a glacier in the Italian Alps about 20 years ago and to be estimated 5300 years old. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight. Meals: B |
| Day 4: THE MIGHTY DOLOMITES Buffet breakfast. Walking tour of the old town, passing by the inviting market square (Piazza delle Erbe) heart of the city center, with its famous permanent fruit and vegetable stalls (closed on Saturday afternoon, Sunday and public holidays). Continue the visit with the Medieval Arcade (Portici) and view of the Gothic Cathedral. You will enjoy getting lost among its beautiful streets. Drive to Lake Carezza, for a short photo stop. Tour over the Sella range and experience a true awe inspiring drive through the Pordoi and Gardena Pass. Canazei, Corvara and Ortisei are the most famous alpine villages we will cross. Lunch in a local restaurant. In Ortisei we stop at a wood carving workshop and witness a wood carver in action. Wood carvings from Val Gardena are world famous and testimony of a century old tradition. Return to the hotel. Overnight. Meals: B |
| Day 5: INNSBRUCK – MITTELWAND Buffet breakfast. Morning departure to Innsbruck by train. We will travel on a scenic journey that will take us over the Brenner Pass and over the Europe Bridge, the tallest road bridge in Europe. We will reach Innsbruck where we will have a walking tour of the old town. Highlights are the magnificent City Tower, built in 1442 and later crowned by a Baroque bulbous cupola, the Golden Roof Palace, erected by Archduke Friedrich IV in the early 15th century as the residence of the Tyrolean sovereigns. Lunch on your own and some free time. Continue to Mittenwald, a charming Bavarian village famous of its fine violins, violas, and other string instruments that are manufactured by skilled craftsmen. The Geigenbaumuseum (Violin Museum) of Mittenwald is home to a permanent exhibition of locally made classical stringed instruments, which have been produced in the town for more than 300 years. Dinner and overnight in Oberammergau area. Meals: B |
| Day 6: OBERAMMERGAU – LINDERHOF – NEUSCHWANSTEIN – MUNICH Buffet breakfast. Visit Oberammergau, the village famous for the Passion of the Christ play also known for its Lueftl – fresco paintings are the characteristic decorations on houses in Alpine regions – woodcarvers, and Christmas shops. Lunch and some free time to explore on your own, and to shop for great souvenirs. Our next stop is Linderhof, built between 1870 and 1879, in an elaborate rococo style recalling the Bourbon Kings and where Ludwig actually lived for several years. We tour inside the palace with a local castle guide, and your have time to go for a stroll in the formal gardens. Continue to the village of Hohenschwangau. Visit King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein Castle for an inside guided tour with a local castle guide. Following the tour continue to Munich. Bavarian dinner at a local restaurant and overnight. Meals: B |
| Day 7: SALZBURG Buffet breakfast. This morning we will drive east along the Bavarian Alps to the baroque city of Salzburg, this world famous city of Mozart and Sound of Music. Upon arrival join your guide for a walk through the old town, since 1996 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. See the Mirabell Gardens – one of the settings for The Sound of Music, Getreidegasse with Mozart’s Birthplace, and the Cathedral. Enjoy plenty of free time afterward for shopping, sightseeing, maybe take the funicular up to Fortress Hohensalzburg for fabulous views, or spend time in one of the traditional Kaffeehaus and try the famous Salzburger Nockerln or the original Mozart Kuegeln (Mozart Balls by Furst). Return to Munich. Overnight. Meals: B |
| Day 8: MUNICH Breakfast in the hotel. This morning join your guide for a 2 hours walking tour of the historical center of Munich where you will have the chance to see historic landmarks like the Old Town Hall, Frauenkirche and St Peter’s Church and Munich Residenz (outside visit). Peek inside the famous Hofbräuhaus beer hall, Munich oldest beer hall founded in 1589 by Willhelm V, Duke of Bavaria. Visit the lively Viktualienmarkt food market, Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz. During the tour you can experience the German breakfast or “Fruehschoppen”, Beer and Weisswurst. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight. Meals: B |
| Day 9: MUNICH Breakfast in the hotel and transfer to the MUC airport. Meals: B |
* The itinerary is on request and rates are subject to the availability of the hotels at the time of booking.
Prices are subject to change if travel occur during trade shows, bank holidays or special events and supplements may be applied.
Included Features
- Welcome drink
- 8 nights in 4* centrally located hotels
- 14 meals (8 Breakfast, 2 3-course lunch with drinks included. 3 3-course dinner in a local restaurant with drinks included, and 1 3-course dinner at hotel drinks included)
- Wood carving workshop in Val Gardena followed by coffe and cake
- Bavarian Fruehschoppen experience in Munich (Weisswurst, Pretzel and Weissbier)
- English speaking guide during guided tours (Venice, Bolzano, Salzburg, Munich, Neuschwanstein and Linderhof)
- Skip the line entrance ticket to Doge’s Palace
- Entrance fees to the Archeological Museum (Bolzano), Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Castles
- Deluxe AC motor-coach as per itinerary
- Airport transfers
- Porterage in/out at all hotels
- Ignas Tour English speaking tour director throughout the trip
- Headsets throughout the trip
Not Included
- Tips, City Taxes and everything not listed under “Included features”
Ignas Tour Hotel Collection
Venice: Hotel Bonvecchiati 4* or similar
Bolzano: Hotel Scala 4* or similar
Oberammergau: Hotel Boeld 4* or similar
Munich: Hotel Munich Arabella Park 4* or similar