SWISS SUMMER & SALZBURG 12 DAY ITINERARY:
Day 1 We will meet you at Hotel Baur au Lac in
Zurich for 10:00 a.m. transfer to Hotel Bellevue Palace in Bern,
our home during our Swiss Summer adventures. Arrive in time for
a grand luncheon on the hotel’s roof-top terrace. Early
afternoon we’ll embark on a walking tour of Old Town, with its
15th century architecture, patrician houses, arcades, bell
towers and gardens. We have arranged a visit to the tower room
of Bern’s elaborate medieval clock as it chimes the hour. It’s
amazing to see the wheels and gears of this ancient machinery
start to spin and clatter as it comes time to chime. We’ll also
visit the loveable bears of Bern and return to our hotel by
horse-drawn carriage. Late afternoon balloon adventure through
the picturesque rural countryside with quaint chalets and rich
green hills. Evening dinner party at our hotel.
Day 2 After breakfast we’ll board an old fashioned lake
steamer for a two hour cruise on the Thunsee. Enjoy a
wonderful luncheon onboard as the steamer stops at all of the
lovely lakeside villages. The scenery is stunning! We’ll take
the cog railway from Lauterbrunnen up through spectacular Alpine
scenery to Kleine Scheidegg, at the base of the North face of
the Eiger. We‘ve passed several majestic glaciers and are half
way to the top of the Jungfrau, the tallest mountain in
Switzerland. The valleys, the surrounding mountains! Everything
is so big! And so beautiful! It will be a fun afternoon, yet to
be filled with our late afternoon balloon adventure in the Swiss
meadowlands, followed by dinner in Bern.
Day 3 Morning excursion by chartered helicopter, flying from
the base of the Jungfrau through some of the most staggering
mountain scenery anywhere in the world. Our helicopters will
take us behind the Jungfrau to the ice-world of the Aletsch
glacier, the longest in Europe, exploring ice falls that create
blocks of ice the size of houses. We’ll pass Kleide Scheidegg,
our train stop from yesterday, and proceed up the North face of
the Eiger. Be sure to bring your cameras! After a thrilling
morning we’ll descend for an elegant lunch at Interlaken’s
luxurious Royal Victoria-Jungfrau Hotel. Late afternoon balloon
adventure through the charming summer pastures and farmlands of
the Emmental, followed by an excellent dinner at our 5 star
hotel.
Day 4 Morning drive to the base of the Jungfrau Massif, for a
visually thrilling tour of raging Trummelbach Falls. The
melt water from glaciers on the west sides of the Jungfrau, the
Monk and the Eiger flows into the Trummelbach River, raging
wildly to the valley floor and churning in 10 consecutive
cascades inside the mountain. We are able to visit this
phenomenon via an in-the-mountain elevator and walkway system.
For lunch we’ll take the cable car through four stations up to
Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant on top of the Shilthorn
made famous in the James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret
Service. Across the valley the snow-capped peaks of the Jungfrau,
the Monk and the Eiger are spectacular. Late afternoon balloon
adventure through the picture-postcard Switzerland of dairy
farms and chalets, with farewell dinner in Bern.
Day 5 After breakfast depart with Buddy Bombard for our three
day transfer driving through the pretty Bavarian countryside and
the foothills of the German Alps. Enroute we’ll visit three
of the most famous fairytale castles built by the eccentric
Bavarian King Ludwig. Today we’ll reach romantic Neuschwanstein
Castle in Schwengau ( Fussen), Germany, which was the model for
Cinderella’s castle at Disney World. Together with the
Acropolis, the Colosseum and the Great Wall of China,
world-famous Neuschwanstein is among 21 finalists and the only
candidate from Germany to be considered for the "New 7 Wonders
of the World" by the New7Wonders Foundation. The town of Fussen
and the castle are set in the most beautiful corner of East
Allgäu, surrounded by the Bavarian, Lechtal and Allgäu Alps.
Dinner and overnight in this breathtaking setting at charming
Jagerhaus Hotel.
Day 6 After breakfast we drive through scenic Alpine
foothills to Aschau and Linderhof Palace. While
Neuschwanstein was inspired by fantasy, fabulous Linderhof
evolved from its original plan as the King’s hunting castle to
become reminiscent of Versailles—a golden confection with
flamboyant yet graceful French influence in its ornate
architecture, extravagant furnishings, and expansive gardens and
courtyard with their mythological statues and cascading
fountains. Constructed between 1874-1878, Linderhof was the only
one of Ludwig’s three castles to be completed and was favored
for its elegance and secluded setting in a woodland valley of
the Ammergau Alps. King Ludwig was greatly influenced by
composer Richard Wagner and his music, and the troubled King’s
musings and imaginings inspired much of the opulence of the
Palace with it’s exotic Hall of Mirrors, resplendent bedchamber,
and carpets of ostrich plumes. Our day closes with dinner and
overnight at Residenz Heinz Winkler in Aschau, an intimate and
elegant Relais & Chateaux property.
Day 7 Majestic Herrenchiemsee is King Ludwig’s largest and
most lavish castle complex, a series of buildings on an island
in the middle of Bavaria’s Lake Chiemsee and accessible only by
ferry. The King’s obsession with Versailles and the
trappings of French royalty were a result of his belief that he
was one of the great Kings of Europe, and not to be outdone.
This time he would build an exact replica of Versailles but
better, with 70 rooms, grand halls and staircases, indoor
plumbing, priceless fabrics, art, chandeliers and expensive
furnishings. Constructed between 1878 and 1885, only the central
portion was completed before the King, who died mysteriously in
1886, ran out of funds and construction stopped. He lived in the
castle a total of only 16 days. Considered by many to be insane
and suffering from delusions and hallucinations throughout his
life and reign, King Ludwig’s legacy is not of his service but
of the extraordinary architectural fantasies he left for the
world to marvel. The complex of Herrenchiemsee is a grand
masterpiece on par with the magnificence of Versailles, and the
thirty women who worked for 7 years on the embroidery for the
bedspread of the royal bed chamber, in which no one ever slept.
After our visit we proceed to Austria and 5 star Hotel Schloss
Fuschl, the beautifully restored 14 th century former hunting
castle of the Archbishops of Salzburg and our home for the next
five nights.
Day 8 Morning at leisure with lunch, and meet your fellow
Austria guests for a welcome reception at 3:00 p.m. We'll
depart immediately for our first late afternoon balloon
adventure through Austria's lovely Lakes District with the
stunning Alps as a backdrop. Festive evening dinner party at our
historic hotel.
Day 9 After breakfast explore the romantic “old city” of
Salzurg, birthplace of Mozart and filled with Baroque and Gothic
architectural treasures. A highlight will be the
colorful and lively Getreidegasse, Austria’s most beautiful
shopping area. A quaint old lane of high, narrow houses with
medieval wrought iron guild signs, it is full of fashionable
shops and romantic passageways. Our wonderful city guide, Heidi,
with her interesting stories, makes this morning’s walking tour
a real pleasure. Our elaborate lunch will be on the terrace of 5
star Sacher Hotel, followed by our late afternoon balloon
adventure through the Austrian countryside. Dinner in the
country at our lovely hotel.
Day 10 Morning drive to colorful St. Gilgen, gaily painted in
the many soft pastel colors of the Austrian style. Board a
lake steamer and sail to the picturesque old market town of St.
Wolfgang, with its decorated 15th century houses and world
famous Baroque style church filled with magnificent furnishings.
For luncheon we’ll be the guests of one of Salzburg’s most
celebrated personalities and our very good friend, Princess
Manni Wittgenstein, in her lovely Alpine home. She is a
brilliant hostess, sharing with us wonderful tales of her
fascinating life. She also frequently flies with our guests in
our balloons, and thoroughly enjoys helping us make their
Austrian visit a memorable one. Late afternoon balloon adventure
through the beautiful Austrian landscape, landing at twilight
and returning to Schloss Fuschl for dinner.
Day 11 Today we’ll explore the ancient village of Hallstaat,
easily the most striking lakeside village in the region.
This tiny, picturesque hamlet clings to a ledge at the foot of a
steep cliff, surrounded by the towering Dachstein mountains.
Best enjoyed from the water, we will use a small fleet of
electric boats to slowly cruise along the shoreline, with its
ancient boathouses and quaint wooden homes. A major Celtic
archaeological landmark and UNESCO protected site, the treasures
unearthed here are so extensive that one era in Celtic studies
(800 - 400 BC) is called “the Hallstatt period.” A pre-luncheon
rafting party with champagne will be held on the lake before
dining in a charming restaurant. Late afternoon balloon
adventure through the summer meadowlands of the Alpine
foothills, with farewell dinner party at Schloss Fuschl.
Day 12 Our trip ends after breakfast at our hotel.
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