The Ultimate Alps & Dolomites

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

A guided introductory tour of Munich reveals some of the must-see sights in the heart of the Bavarian capital this morning, including the celebrated Maximilianstrasse, the 17th-century Residenz, and the old town hall. Enjoy some time to explore more of this city as you please, before settling into your hotel for a two-night stay. Tonight, dinner is at your leisure at the hotel.

Today journey to the Bavarian town of Oberammergau, famously known as the decennial host of the Passionsspiele. Occurring as each new decade begins, some 2,000 local residents of Oberammergau join forces to perform the Passionsspiele (Passion Play), a dramatic re-creation of Jesus Christ's last days on Earth. Your visit to Oberammergau is highlighted by a guided visit of the Passion Play Theater followed by lunch. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you please. 

Late this morning, you're off to the city of Innsbruck. Green domes and red roofs welcome you to this Alpine city 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, you'll visit Schloss Tratzberg, on the slopes of the Karwendel Alps, where an entertaining private tour introduces the castle's five centuries 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, the beautiful Baroque hometown of composer W. A. Mozart, where you'll begin a three-night stay in the heart of the city. 

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 built in the 1930s. 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.

This morning, travel to St. Gilgen in the heart of the Salzkammergut, where the hills come alive amidst the scenery featured in Rodgers and Hammerstein's, The Sound of Music. Spend the afternoon and evening as you please in Salzburg, a city divided into two halves by the Salzach River. The older half (on the left bank) consists of narrow streets, many pedestrian-only, lined with historic architecture that dates as far back as the Middle Ages, splendid squares and elegant burghers' houses.  

Departing 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.

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 this morning for in-depth exploration of this starkly beautiful region, which a century ago 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. Your choices include a hike with a mountain guide around the Refuggio; a rock climbing session with an experienced climber; or time spent relaxing and taking in the spectacular views at the Refuggio. Lunch includes a Q&A session with a noted Italian mountain climber; return to your hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo for an afternoon and evening spent as you wish.

Drive through the Dolomites this morning and into the South Tyrol (also known as the Alto Adige) in the Italian Alps, to its capital, Bolzano – a small, well-preserved city of mountain landscapes, medieval architecture and a fusion of Italian and Austrian cultural influences. After time to check out the town and have lunch on your own, our Swiss Alps tour travels this afternoon across the Italo-Swiss border and by train through the Flüela Pass (conditions permitting) and on to Davos, Switzerland for a two-night stay. Tonight, join us for a quintessential Swiss dinner with fondue and wine at your hotel.

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 to spend the rest of the day and evening as you please.

Travel from Davos to the Alpine town of Einsiedeln, known both for its Benedictine abbey dating to the 10th century (featuring some of the finest 18th-century Baroque buildings in Switzerland), a centuries-old sanctuary for pilgrims. Your time here is highlighted with a guided tour of the town and its monastery. Later, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before continuing on to Lucerne for a two-night stay; upon arrival this afternoon, join us for a guided walking tour of this historic Swiss city on Lake Lucerne, and have dinner at a local restaurant tonight.

While a thoroughly modern, culturally rich city, lakeside Lucerne retains much of its old-world charm and a strong sense of its history, with its medieval covered wooden bridges and the many Renaissance and Baroque fountains that dot its landscape – along with many wonderful galleries, shops and cafés. After breakfast in Lucerne, drive to the vicinity of Mt. Titlis in the Uri Alps, site of the world's first rotating cable car in the 1960s. Today, your Mt. Titlis experience includes passage on the cable car system from Engelberg to Mt. Titlis, the Ice Flyer chairlift, and activities on the summit – including Glacier Park, the illuminated Glacier Cave, and the incredible Titlis Cliff Walk, Europe's highest suspension bridge, which opened in 2012. Tonight, join us for a festive cocktail cruise on Lake Luzern, where forested slopes, dramatic cliffs, and historic villages line the twisting shoreline. Framed by peaks like Pilatus and Rigi, the lake's shimmering waters have inspired legends and travelers for centuries. Return by funicular to Bürgenstock Resort, where a special farewell dinner brings your Swiss journey to a memorable close.

Tour ends in Lucerne. A transfer is included from Bürgenstock Resort in Lucerne to Zurich Airport (approximately 41 miles). Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check-in.