Day 1 - Travel via your preferred short sea crossing for your overnight stay in Genk / Liège.
Day 2 - Continue through Germany, stopping at your second overnight stay in the Nuremberg area.
Day 3 - Continue to Austria arriving at the Hotel Schusternazl in Gruberau this evening, located in the heart of the Vienna Woods.
Day 4 - Vienna Off to Vienna this morning where your guide will show you some of the highlights including the "Ringstrasse", the famous Opera House, "Burg Theatre" and Houses of Parliament, not to mention the elegant Belvedere Palace and the most famous Vienna landmark of all, the "Stephansdom" Cathedral. After a wealth of culture, light-hearted fun awaits at the Prater Funfair where the included “Prater” ferris wheel ride affords a spectacular bird’s eye view of the city you have just discovered. Continue on to the village of Grinzing and a bustling wine inn or "Heurige" for a traditional, evening of live music, wine and excellent home cooked food.
Day 5 - The Vienna Woods – Monastery,
Underground Lake and Wine
The Vienna Woods offer many sights, and today you
will visit some of the best, including the fascinating Heiligenkreuz Abbey
in existence for hundreds of years and still a working residence today for
Benedictine monks. Also visit the Mayerling Hunting Lodge, where you will learn
the tragic story of how Prince Rudolf, (son of the Emperor Ferdinand) and his
lover came to take their own lives. At Hinterbrühl,
you will discover by boat and guide, the incredible underground lake, which
is also the largest of its kind in Europe. Continue then to the beautiful spa
town of Baden in the southern Vienna Woods, which is famous for its curative
hot springs, dating back to Roman times. There will be some time to pick up
a few souvenirs or maybe do as the Viennese do, which is to stop for coffee
and a cake while you watch the people pass by. The day has not finished yet,
you will continue to a nearby local wine cellar for an interesting tour, and
a tasting of five wines. See if you share the same taste as our queen, who
has purchased some wine from this wine grower.
Day 6 - Burgenland - Castles, Gypsies
and Wine
Today your guide takes you on an enjoyable excursion to Burgenland,
the most easterly province in Austria where the scenery changes so much, you
could believe you were already in Hungary. You will drive through the romantic "Steppes" countryside
around Lake Neusiedl, dotted with castles and fortresses, which lend their
name to this province (Burgenland means "land of forts"). Arriving
in the exceptionally pretty town of Rust, you will visit a local wine cellar
and enjoy a lunch that is typical of this area, accompanied by Hungarian Gypsy
music. After lunch, take an included boat cruise on Lake Neusiedl followed
immediately by a horse-drawn carriage ride (12 people per carriage)
Day 7 - Danube Valley
The Wachau is the prettiest Danube
Valley as well as being linked to British history by Richard The Lionheart.
After the Third Crusade, Richard began his homeward journey to England but
was sent in a different direction by bad weather and so found himself in Austria.
He had angered the Emperor Leopold by his actions during the crusade and so
Leopold captured and imprisoned him in his castle at Dürnstein for three
years. You will visit the beautiful fortressed village of Dürnstein and
enjoy a cruise along the Danube from Spitz to Melk. There your guide will take
you round the Baroque Melk Abbey. Coffee and cake has then been reserved for
you in the Aggstein Fortress, where there are dramatic views across the whole
Wachau Valley
Day 8 - It’s time to leave the hotel and the beautiful Vienna Woods to travel to your overnight stay in the Nuremberg area
Day 9 - Continue through Germany and Belgium to your second return overnight stay, located in the Liège / Genk area
Day10 - Depart the hotel and continue the journey home.