The location, the back patio for gathering was such a pleasure. So much natural beauty.". Sleep on Lake Hallstatt. One noticeable difference between this and our first tour (2015) was the caliber of local guides, which in this instance really added to the overall quality and content of the tour. Covered in enchanting forests, Cinderella-inspired castles, quaint villages and emerging cities, a trip to Germany will leave you with memories to cherish for years to come. The beautiful mountains and wildflowers and of course the cows! Bus: 5 hours. Not having to worry about where we were going next, or how we were going to get there. I feel like we fit so much into two weeks that I dont even know how we did it. Also the view from the breakfast room in our Vienna hotel, St. Stephens Cathedral, I believe? Our two guides made a point to make sure the kids were engaged and interested and the rest of the group was wonderful as well. Definitely a couple questionable hotel and restaurant choices. Its nice having a guide & driver make our vacation run smoothly! Starting in Cologne, along Germany's mighty Rhine River, your Rick Steves gui. It was great to get back to traveling after two years off. A close second was the boat ride on Lake Hallstatt. 90%. I think you should add that to the information you send tour groups.". There was a solid balance between tour time and on our own time. I loved every minute it. "Overall speaking for my husband and me Switzerland. I can't explain how wonderful it felt and believe it or not it was very relaxing!". The views and weather were breathtaking. The best surprise was Murren. Salzburg held lots of special memories - the cemetery was a unique experience! Light walking: 24 miles throughout the day on mostly level terrain. It goes by fast, then you look back and wonder how did we do all those things! Beautiful countries all three! It was so interesting learning what a small farm has to deal with to remain in business. Listen to fascinating tales of Salzburgs celebrated residents as you pass iconic landmarks such as the vibrant Mirabell Gardens and Salzburg Cathedral. No bus. By Trafalgar. "There were several, but we attended a choir performance at a church in Hallstatt that was one of those spur-of-the moment, little nuggets you can't plan for. "Perhaps the luge ride and the over all scenery in Murren". Sleep in Mrren. preferred. Ate new foods. We enjoyed every moment, though there were a couple of locations we would have liked more time in. 10 Best 10 Day Austria And Germany Tours & Trips - TourRadar By Trafalgar. This tour was a wonderful taste of GAS. I loved my Best of Germany, Austria & Switzerland tour! Our guide, Hans was great, the fellow tourists were great. Bus: 6 hours. If you have a little more than a week our most popular rail tour is a great way to explore many Highlights of Southern Germany (Bavaria and Heidelberg . Before leaving the valley behind, we'll stop in the ber-quaint village of Beilstein for lunch together along the riverbank. Nothing better than a glass of wine and enjoying a view that you only get when staying in out-of-way places like Murren (two gondola rides to get up to the town). Beyond breath-taking!". The experiences were wonderful, the surprises from our guide were so special, like the private music concerts in Mrren, the boat all to ourselves in Hallstatt, and the city Heuringer in Vienna. Austria The Hapsburg's art collection.". Germany, Austria & Switzerland Tour Packages 2023 & 2024 - Jayway Travel Last, but not least our wonderful guide, Andrea and our fellow tour members!". "Probably waking up from our hotel at Murren and seeing the view of breathtaking mountains from our window. (I might have liked it especially because, although Baroque in style, it is slightly subdued and in better taste than the over-the-top examples we saw elsewhere.)". "Even though it was very foggy most of the time were at the Schilthorn I will still say the time spent in the Alps. I didn't care for Munich.". 362 reviews Best of Germany and Austria Last Minute Deal Was $4,850 Save up to $727 From $4,123 Find this price Available Dates Easy Quote Your itinerary Dates & prices Reviews Last Minute Deal Was $4,850 From $4,123 Available Dates Chat Now Your itinerary Dates & prices Reviews Trip Year 2023 2024 Enjoy the scents of freshly baked Christmas goodies and revel in the gaiety that surrounds Innsbrucks festive Christmas markets. 358 reviews. the sites were fantastic. Of course, the Alps themselves are quite amazing!!! Our primary guide Matty had to leave our tour and take over another tour, the apprentice guide Thomas took over and was fantastic. All joking aside, it's hard to choose between The Schilthorn, Neuschwanstein, or Lake Hallstatt. First RSTour and would definitely do it again, "My wow moment was the town of Gimmelwald in the Swiss Alps along with the surprise bonus tour of Marias dairy farm where her family made cheese on our way to Lake Hallstatt.". We had a wonderful tour. It was wonderful! From there you'll daydream through fairy-tale forests, meander the mighty Rhine . Even watching her breathing techniques was fascinating. I think more needs to be done to keep everyone safe. Your adventure continues in Austria, where you'll take in the sights and sounds of Salzburg before being . It's far too cute for our bus, so after settling in to our lakeside lodging we'll enjoy a boat cruise past breathtaking villages and craggy mountain vistas. "Waking up to the Alps on our first morning in Switzerlandthen seeing them from our gondola later that day". Germany & Austria Self-Drive Tour | Self-Guided Luxury Tour The scenery in every direction (including downward) was amazing, hiking the North Trail was amazing, the constant ringing of cow bells was magical, and the hang gliders were fun to watch. We are usually very casual in our travel plans so this was completely out of the ordinary, "Murren, Switzerland was by far our favorite stop. They sounded like wind chimes!". Eris (our tour guide) was organized, personable, knowledgeable, helpful and humorous (even though she said Germans have no sense of humor!). Hiking in the village of Gimmelwald and taking the tram up to the Schilthorn were my favorite wow moments.". My mood going into the tour was not great: I was apprehensive about traveling far from home, about COVID, about how much the world might have changed in the last two years plus - but I had a wonderful time. The concentration camp visit at the Mauthausen Memorial was beyond sobering.". I described the Lauterbrunnen Valley as Yosemite on steroids during our 2019 trip. Not a fan of Trier, would not go back. "This is a hard one as there were many 'wow" moments for me. We thought the tour was perfect in every way! I think overall too far and too many short overnight stops. tara & ruby were fantastic directors, but i have never had a bad director on a rs tour. Another great tour! We believe that we received fair value for what we paid. Travel to Europe your way | Germany and Austria Rail Circle Tour Our main tour guide as well as the local tour guides were knowledgeable, flexible, and true pros at handling any unexpected hiccups. It is customary to shake hands when you meet someone (even children) in Germany. It was a delicious meal. Once tour started, it was very good. WOW! Love this vacation! Although I know we were warned about it the bus ride to Munich seemed long. Our tour guide was outstanding, really a lot of fun, we had excellent hotels and the various siteseeing tours were excellent. "There were many but if I had to pick one it would be Murren, Switzerland waking up each morning looking out our hotel window at the beautiful and majestic snow capped Alps overlooking the village.". Bravo Iris and Francis! Strenuous walking: 28 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain. Such a cool and unexpected surprise! Our guide Andrea was amazing and so was her assistant Ruby. Today we'll drive toward Vienna, stopping en route to visit the thought-provoking Mauthausen concentration camp memorial, where we'll learn about the Holocaust and lessons of 19331945. No bus. The second experience was going to a chamber music concert one evening in Salzburg at the Mirabell Palace. Loved the Switzerland portion enough that I think well return for that tour. Everything about the tour contributed to the overall educational experience: the cities & towns visited, the in-between stops, the narratives of both the tour and local guides and the clever little surprises sprinkled throughout. Despite that we enjoyed this tour very much. "My favorite wow moments were many. $4,295 to $4,595 + Air. We're already planning our next Rick Steves tour! All of the planning/timing, etc. The time with the group/guides was very informative and rushed. "We loved hearing the cow bells while hiking in Murren, Switzerland. "The view of the Swiss Alps from our Hotel room was unbeatable. It wouldnt seem right to travel to this area and not acknowledge the atrocities that are part of the history. The trip itself has a guest rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, and is priced affordably at $134 per day. This was a repeat tour for me, with my 'first time on a tour' husband. Just saying.". I have never left a tour before and immediately wanted to return to a country, however, Switzerland did have this impression on me. Facinating history. another great Rick Steves tour! The Itinerary, amount of free time, and the expertise of our guide Andrea made this a trip to cherish. Like all tours, there was at least one town we visited that we loved and never even through about visiting. Would have preferred staying in Hallstatt not other side of lake. Also the visit to the Third Man Museum in Vienna was way too long and the local guide there was very eccentric to say the least. See our FAQ | Email tour@ricksteves.com. "Each destination was very different and special. Two weeks was a long time for me to be gone from my job, but it was an awesome two weeks. Going up in the gondolas and seeing how green was the grass. We loved Baden Baden, Salzburg and Lake Hallstatt. Several of us did not like Cologne - would rather spend that time somewhere else on the tour route. USTOA. The most popular month to go is September, which has the highest number of tour departures. "It has to be the Alps because it is hard to imagine that it really could be as beautiful as it is. Staying in Murren was even more amazing. I prefer the smaller towns to the big cities. We were also blessed to be traveling with a good group of folks. Your guide will give you a run-down of local concerts you could enjoy this evening. We had a very good travel group - one of the best things is that Rick Steve's attracts like-minded people who can quickly gel and get along and have a great time together, even during 'free' time. We covered a lot of territory within GAS so spent a lot of hours on the bus. "My favorite moments was the time spent in Mrren, Lake Hallstatt and the Open air museum in the Black Forrest. It allowed us to learn our preferences. And the thrill walk was really fun!". By Gray Line Mnchener Stadtrundfahrten. ", "Swiss Alps. We rode a train up from the Lauterbrunnen valley to Wengen. My wife and I had a great time and really enjoyed the whole experience. Amazing how they built those on sheer cliffs -- what a challenge! Our guide, Iris, was very knowledgeable and this was the most punctual group weve ever traveled with. After doing a multi city Europe trip in the past that was all self-organized, it was nice to have all the logistics from city to city handled as part of the tour. Spectacular sights, interesting commentary and fun companions on the tour. 2 reviews "Lovely, the best way to travel. Together, we'll marvel at the scale of Northern Europe's most massive Gothic church, Cologne Cathedral, and appreciate how it survived the city bombings during WWII. The trip opened my eyes and ears and mind once again to exploring, as well as to just being still, being alive in the here and now. It provided an excellent variety of cities, landscape, history and nature. Best of Germany & Austria Tour 2023 | Trafalgar The views everywhere we looked were just breathtaking. All our stops were equally well worth it, with a nice mix of fun, beautiful scenery, fascinating history, and great food and friends. His knowledge and enthusiasm made the trip. I learned so much on this tour about history and geography. Eliminate Trier, Baden-Baden. Journey through beautiful Austria and Germany.Drive at your own leisure through Frankfurt (a central German city on the river Main and a global hub for culture, education, tourism and transportation), Rothenburg (well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world) and Nuremburg (famous for its historical landmarks like the imperial castle and . Hans/Trier, Michael/Munich, and Bridgette/Salzburg really brought those venues to life with their knowledge and stories. The trip details were perfectly executed. Just stunning. We really enjoyed the Gutach open air museum in the Black Forest.". Right up there though is the view of the quaint market square in Hallstatt from our hotel balcony and of course the boat ride on Lake Hallstatt.". Nice mix of group activities and time on your own. Both Iris' and Francis' knowledge of European history was such an added bonus and made every day enjoyable! We loved it! 10 Best Austria and Germany Tours & Trips 2023/2024 - TourRadar It took my breath away. This was our first tour and first time to Europe. It was great to learn the back stories and a lot of the history of the places we visited. It lived up to all that was promised! Switzerland was a favorite for me. But most unusual experience would have been up in the Swiss Alps.". This was my 1st RS tour. Sleep in Salzburg. So many opportunities for hiking.". "When I opened the drapes in Murren and it was snowing! . We suggest arriving a day or two before your tour begins to allow ample time to get over jet lag and be well-rested for the first few days of your tour. Save up to 347. Guides: awesome. Any time between May and October is a good time to take a Best of Germany, Austria & Switzerland tour. Tour guide was great, a lot of COVID rust but great enjoyable group! Magnificent Europe Budapest to Amsterdam (2023), The Legendary Danube with 2 Nights in Prague 2023, European Gems Amsterdam to Budapest (2023), Authentic Danube & Prague (2023) (Vienna to Prague, 2023), Authentic Danube & Prague (2023) (Prague to Vienna, 2023), Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, 8-Day Private Tour from Tangier to Marrakech, Lastminute.com Takes A Ride With TourRadar, Best 7 Day Iceland Itineraries (with Reviews). "So hard to choose but I've narrowed it down to two! The GAS tour was an interesting mix of castles, beautiful mountains, interesting history and great food. Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to discuss that more in the review. The tour was very well organized, and our tour guide, Iris, was a true professional. This morning we'll make our way to postcard-pretty Lake Hallstatt. The new starting location, Cologne, was a slow start but the remaining of the tour were all sites where we wished for "one more day. 29 people were too many for a RS tour. The sweetest thing was seeing how happy all the vendors and other RS tour guides were to see us since we were the first GAS tour since COVID. "Every day there was a wow moment! 10 Best Germany and Poland Tours & Trips 2023/2024 - TourRadar Neuschwanstein castle with the fall colors shrouded in fog. The whole valley was spectacular.". Another biggie had to be the beauty of Murren and the Swiss Alps. "Each day had wow moments, and too many highlights to pick a best. "Murren, Switzerland was our biggest wow moment. "The town of Murren in Switzerlands Alps was a wow moment of our tour which was jaw dropping and beautiful. The exception being Vienna. We went to bed late and got up early and I never slept on the bus! Every time we looked at our hotel window we saw the Jungfrau, monk, and Eiger mountains displayed across the eastern side of the valley.". We had a great first time tour group experience. No bus. "The Alps of course! "Standing on top of the world in Switzerland. There was a few things I didn't care for but it was all part of the experience. Looking out at the mountain vistas every morning was a real treat.". The afternoon is yours to discover more of Cologne's history, including its famous Eau de Cologne, at one of its charming museums. Enjoyed our group. This operator allows you to rebook your dates or tours with them for free, waiving change fees.
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