Attend a very special private evening including a reception and dinner at a grand castle in the Italian Alps... ride via cable car among the towering peaks of the majestic Dolomites... and wander through the charming and historic mountain village of Ortisei. Cruise across Lago di Garda, the largest lake in Italy; explore the lovely villages along its shores, lined with tropical trees while surrounded by alpine peaks. End Tauck's German, Austrian and Italian Alps tour with a two-night stay at a former 14th-century palace right on the Grand Canal in romantic Venice. A Week In… Bavaria, Austria & Venice, Tauck Style, will be one that you will always remember!
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Day 1 Willkommen nach München!
Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Bayerischer Hof. Welcome to marvelous Munich, the capital of Bavaria and one of the most enchanting cities in Germany. A transfer from Munich’s airport to your historic hotel in the center of the city is included. Your Bavarian, Austrian and Italian Alps tour begins at 6:00 PM at the Bayerischer Hof hotel with a welcome cocktail reception where you’ll meet your Tauck Director and your fellow travelers. Then join us for dinner at a traditional Bavarian restaurant across the square from the State Opera House.
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Day 2 Behold Bavaria & Schloss Nymphenburg
A walking tour of Munich’s Old Town reveals a fascinating history as you stroll through the bustling Marienplatz, the heart of the city where the lively marketplace buzzed with buyers and sellers and where tournaments, festivals and the occasional execution took place during the Middle Ages. View the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall), first built in 1474 and reconstructed according to the original architect’s specifications in the 1970s. The same architect, Jörg von Halsbach, guided the construction of the huge Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady). Leaving the city center behind, travel to Schloss Nymphenburg, the palatial summer home built by Ferdinand Maria and Henriette Adelaide of Saxony, members of the ruling Wittelsbach family, in honor of the birth of their son Maximilian II Emanuel in 1664; tour the palace and continue on via the Autobahn to Baroque Salzburg, Austria, for a two-night stay in stylish accommodations at your landmark hotel in the city's heart.
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Day 3 A day well spent in Salzburg
Awaken in Salzburg to discover this beautiful city on the Salzach River with your local guide as well as on your own today; a symphony of Baroque palaces, church towers and steeples, it was the location for numerous scenes in the movie The Sound of Music, as well as composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's hometown. Join us for a walking tour of Salzburg's historic center – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – including a visit to Mozart's birthplace, then spend the rest of the day exploring on your own, perhaps taking in gorgeous Mirabell Gardens or Hohensalzburg, the hilltop fortress overlooking the city.
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Day 4 Alpine Innsbruck and the Italian Alps
Your Austrian and Italian Alps tour continues today from Salzburg to the iconic Tyrolean ski resort of Innsbruck, renowned as the host city for the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympic Games. But, there’s far more to Innsbruck than just winter sports; it was the Imperial capital of Habsburg Emperor Maximilian I during the 15th and 16th centuries, and its architecture from the period is a delight to behold. Visit the Hofkirche, the Court Church, and see the ornate black-marble tomb prepared for Maximilian – which he never occupied – and the two dozen or so larger-than-life statues of his ancestors, both legendary and real, surrounding it. After lunch on your own, continue on into the Italian Alps to lovely Bolzano for a two-night stay at the Parkhotel Laurin in the historic center of town. A special treat awaits you this evening at Castel Katzenzungen, first mentioned in the year 1244, with its splendid views of the Dolomites. You’ll be greeted with a trumpet fanfare, enjoy a regal reception, and partake in a four-course dinner in one of the castle’s richly historic rooms.
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Day 5 Dolomite Delights
The Dolomites are named for the French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, who was the first to describe dolomite, a type of rock that creates the characteristic color and shapes of the mountains in this part of the Alps. Everywhere you look today, you’ll see the alpine splendor that makes the Dolomites so astounding. Board a cable car at Passo Pordoi for a memorable ride through a wonderland of craggy, snow-capped peaks reaching toward the sky. Stop in the lovely, Ladin-speaking mountain village of Ortisei, with its lively historic pedestrian center, en route back to Balzano to enjoy the remainder of the day as you please.
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Day 6 Romance is everywhere in the Italian Lakes
Depart Balzano and wind your way out of the Italian Alps and into Italy's northern lakes region to Limone sul Garda on the shores of Lago di Garda in the Riviera Gardone. Having carefully preserved its small-town charm, Limone’s historic town center, ancient homes and narrow streets invite your exploration. Board a boat for a memorable cruise across the sparkling lake, Italy’s largest, surrounded by spectacular scenery and bordered by lemon orchards, charming villages and impressive villas, to Malcesine. Then it’s on to your final destination for today – magical Venice, where you’ll spend two nights at an opulent luxury hotel with some stories to tell. Set directly on the Grand Canal in the heart of the city, the Hotel Danieli began life more than six centuries ago as the palace of the Doge Dandolo, one of the rulers of Venice.
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Day 7 Venice awaits...
Venice, the world-famous "city of canals" where the streets are "paved" with water, beckons today. Accompanied by a local guide, begin your walking tour in Piazza San Marco, the huge "living room of Venice" so popular with locals, tourists… and pigeons. Resplendent St. Mark’s Basilica will inspire you with its architecture, amazing gold-touched mosaics depicting stories from the Bible, numerous sculptures, and the Treasure of St. Mark’s consisting of gold and silver, precious stones, ornamental glass and painting and its centerpiece, the Pala d’Oro. As you discover the Doges’ Palace, you may think that you hear a sigh as you cross the Bridge of Sighs, linking the Ducal Palace with the prison section; the sighs of prisoners seeing the light of day for the last time as they crossed it gave the bridge its name. The remainder of the day is yours to savor Venice as you choose. Please join us this evening to salute the end of your Bavarian, Austrian and Italian Alps tour at our farewell cocktail reception followed by dinner.
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Day 8 Homeward bound
Tauck's weeklong alpine travel experience ends in Venice. An included transfer will take you from the Hotel Danieli to Venice’s Marco Polo Airport for your flight home. Please allow 3 hours for airport check-in formalities. We wish you a safe and pleasant journey home