13 Day Austria, Germany and Italy
OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY 2022
DAY 01: USA / ENROUTE. Depart USA for Europe. Breakfast and dinner will be served aloft.
DAY 02: VIENNA. Upon arrival at Vienna Airport we are met by our tour escort and European motor coach and transferred to our hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure for independent activities, dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 03: VIENNA. Our morning sightseeing tour will include monuments to the great musicians of this Imperial City. We will also see intricately carved St. Stephen's Spire, the Imperial Hofburgh Palace, Opera House and the National Museums; a highlight will be a visit to impressive enormous Schoenbrunn Palace and it's treasures. The afternoon is at leisure for independent activities, dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 04: VIENNA / SALSBURG. We drive today along the Danubian Plain past imposing elk Abbey on our way to the "Sound of Music" city of Salzburg. Our afternoon sightseeing tour will include the Cathedral, Getreidegasse pedestrian shopping street, Hohensalzburg Fortress and the Mirabell Palace. A visit will also be made to the birthplace of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 05: SALZBURG / OBERAMMERGAU. Breathtaking scenery awaits us today as we drive across Austria and through charming resort villages. Then it's into the Bavarian Alps via the winter sports resorts of Seefeld and Garmisch Partenkirchen, and on to our destination of the charming small village of Oberammergau.
DAY 06: PASSION PLAY. The entire day is spent attending a performance of the world famous Passion Play, performed once every ten years in this beautiful village. Dinner and overnight.
DAY 07: OBERAMMERGAU / MUNICH / INNSBRUCK. Our morning sightseeing tour of Munich, Bavaria's lively capital city , will show us the Residenz Palace. We then drive to Innsbruck, the rococo capital of the Austrian Tyrol, where we will see the Emperor Maximillian's "Golden Roof", famed Maria Theresiastrasse and other points of interest. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 08: INNSBRUCK / CORTINA / VENICE (MESTRE). Some time at leisure in Innsbruck before driving south via the Europa Bridge and over the imposing Brenner Pass to Cortina, jewel of the jagged Dolomites. Then on to the Piave Valley and the Venice area for dinner and overnight.
DAY 09: VENICE. In the morning, a guide shows you around this unique city, over small bridges, past winding waterways, to the Doge's Palace, inside the San Marco Basilica, decorated with marble plundered from conquered cities by the once-powerful Venetians, and then on to the Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto. The afternoon is free for shopping or more sightseeing. After lunch, an optional excursion to the islands is available: Take a motor boat ride across the lagoon to Murano to visit one of the world-famous glass factories. Then, continue to Burano, center of needle lacework. Finally, see the island of Torcello, where you will visit two historical masterpieces of Romanesque architecture. Dinner with wine at your hotel.
DAY 10: VENICE / FLORENCE. Our morning walking tour of Venice will include the bronze horses and Byzantine mosaics on St. Mark's cathedral, the pink and white Doges Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. Then we drive through the green mountains and along quiet rivers to Florence, Dante's city, jewel of the Renaissance, center of art, architecture, and learning, for dinner and overnight.
DAY 11: FLORENCE. From the Baptistery's golden doors to Michelangelo's "David" in the Accademia, Renaissance riches dominate our morning sightseeing. We will also see the Medici Chapel and the Uffizi Gallery of Pitti Palace as well as the famous Ponte Vecchio. The afternoon is at leisure for independent activities - you may care to shop or perhaps sip a refreshing drink in a sidewalk cafe. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 12: FLORENCE / MILAN. We join the motorway system this morning and drive swiftly via Bologna, the principal town of Emilia Province famous for its medieval arcades and university, and Parma to Milan, the exciting Northern Italian city. We will see it's Cathedral which is a large marble gothic edifice with splendid turrets and many statues, La Scala Theatre which is one of the leading Opera House's in the world, and other points of interest. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 13: MILAN / USA. Transfer this morning to Milan Airport at the end of our enjoyable tour.