France and Switzerland with Alsace and fairy tale route end Vienna (2024)

Dag 1

Welcome to Europamundo! Upon arriving at the airport, we will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel. Check the information boards in the hotel reception area for details of the welcome meeting with your guide and fellow travelers.

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Viajamos hacia el centro de Francia. La región de Borgoña, zona conocida por sus vinos. Una parada en NOYERS, una pequeña población medieval clasificada entre los pueblos más bonitos de Francia. Tras ello conocemos BEAUNE en el centro de la región de los vinos de Borgoña, sus calles llenas de flores, su hospicio o su museo del vino pueden ser recuerdos de su viaje. Tiempo para almorzar y pasear. LYON, llegada a media tarde; la capital de la Galia Romana, a la orilla del Ródano, su centro histórico ha sido declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad. Tiempo libre y alojamiento.

Dag 5

We travel to Switzerland. GENEVA, arrival. With our guide, we will go to the Palace of Nations (the headquarters of the United Nations in Europe) to the pretty English Garden with its clock made of flowers and we can admire the “Jet d´Eau”, the tallest fountain in Europe. Through vignards landscapes we go on to CHILLON CASTLE, built in the waters of the lake. Admission included to this fantastic medieval castle. After this, we will continue to the picturesque walled village of GRUYERES, known worldwide for its cheese. Nearby this area there are several of the main chocolate factories in Switzerland located (NESTLE amongst them), and we visit the Cailler chocolate factory, with a tasting included!We will continue travelling through smaller roads amidst bucolic mountain landscapes and very picturesque wooden villages.- Arrival in LEYSIN, a beautiful little holiday village with spectacular views of the Rhône plain and Mont Blanc, known for its winter sports resort or its hiking possibilities. Dinner included.Note: sometimes accommodation will be in a nearby alternative city (usually Matigny).

Dag 6

Today´s stage has beautiful high mountain scenery. Don´t forget your winter clothes, we climb to one of the most spectacular spots in Switzerland where you can see ice and snow all year round. We include the cable car ride up to GLACIER 3000, where you can walk on the suspended bridge in the gap between two mountain peaks, enter the Ice Cathedral or "play" in the Fun Park. Stop in INTERLAKEN and time for lunch. Afterwards we travel to the AARESLUCHT GORGES. We then take the Sutenpass, one of the most beautiful roads in Switzerland that runs between glaciers and takes us to Italian-speaking Switzerland. Overnight stay in CHIASSO, a Swiss town on the border with Italy. Note: Occasionally, due to weather conditions such as rain or strong winds, the cable car to Glacier 3000 may not operate.Note: The Sustenpass road is normally closed until the end of May and since mid-October. In this case the journey will be made by alternative roads.

Dag 7

We will visit LUGANO, the cosmopolitan capital of the Italian Switzerland with its beautiful lake. Time to stroll. We continue on the highway, we crossed St. Gotthard Pass. We stop in BURGLEN, the tiny village where William Tell was born, we shall see the chapel of the XVI century with paintings illustrating his life. If you want, you can also visit the museum of William Tell. In the neighboring city of ALTDORF we can also find traces of his history. Continue to LUCERNE, free time to explore this beautiful city by the lake that bears its name. Departure to ZURICH. Arrival at the end of the day.

Dag 8

We will leave Zurich to BASEL, an important city on the banks of the Rhine, border with Germany and France. You can walk through its old town, where the town hall square stands out and contemplate its cathedral that dominates the Rhine River. We continue our route to Alsace, a French region contested over the centuries between France and Germany, which maintains a dialect of its own German, "the Alsatian", and an architecture and traditions of great Germanic roots. We will make a stop in COLMAR, city with unique architecture, with colored wooden houses and canals that cross it. It is known for its white wine and its gastronomy. We will have time for lunch and a peaceful walk. In the afternoon we will visit two of the most beautiful villages of Alsace: RIQUEWIHR, medieval town with cobbled streets and colored houses that seem to get out of a fairy tale and that inspired scenes of the movie “the Beauty and the beast”. RIBEAUVILLE, with its historic center and castles in ruins that dominate the town. STRASBOURG, arrival in the evening. We suggest walking through the Cathedral and Petite France area, full of charming places and small restaurants.

Dag 9

Time in STRASBOURG, the capital of Alsace. The city is the seat of the European Parliament. Its historic center is beautiful, with its picturesque medieval streets, its impressive Gothic cathedral and its canals and flowers. We include a boat trip through the canals of Petite France. After that we go to Germany, admiring beautiful mountain landscapes and towns of the Black Forest. In FREIBURG, we have time to have lunch and walk through this university city with its medieval center and its cathedral. Among wonderful landscapes we will continue to TRIBERG, one of the most picturesque towns in the Black Forest known for its cuckoo clocks. We include the admission to the Triberg Falls, the highest in Germany, which we access through a beautiful path. We continue towards GENGENBACH, a small town with its beautiful central square. Accommodation in BADEN-BADEN, a spa city that attracted nobles and upper bourgeoisie from all over Europe, its casinos, its architecture and its parks remind us of this.

Dag 10

Some time in Baden-Baden to stroll through its parks before leaving for Rhineland-Palatinate. SPEYER, on the banks of the Rhine River, its great Romanesque cathedral is a World Heritage Site, you can visit it and have a walk through the old quarter, where the Alte Munze tower stands out. We continue our route to HEIDELBERG. We include a cable car to its impressive castle (admission to the castle´s exterior park, wineries and pharmacy museum included), with its great views over the city. After that we will have time for lunch and a walk through the old town and its Markt Platz. In the afternoon we will arrive in FRANKFURT, a large financial city, with its modern skyscrapers, its old town, the views over the Rhine River and its well-known nightlife.

Dag 11

Today we will see the valleys of the Rhine and Mosel, two rivers loaded with history and sprinkled with charming villages. We take a short cruise on the Rhine, between the villages of RUDESHEIM and ST. GOAR, undoubtedly the most picturesque section of the river. Then we will go on to the river Mosel, and will have time for lunch in COCHEM, a very picturesque village on the bank of the river, dominated by its imposing castle, whose origin dates back more than a thousand years. After that we travel to COLOGNE. Time to visit its impressive Gothic cathedral, which with its 154 metres of height was the tallest building in the world until the end of the 19th century. You can also have a walk along the Rhine River and through the lively city center before going on to our hotel in DORTMUND. Note: On dates with trade fairs or congresses, accommodation may be given in a nearby city.

Dag 12

Today we will have a stage full of magic, reminding us about the stories and movies from our childhood, as we travel through towns that inspired the Brothers Grimm and that is called today the Fairytales Route. We will travel to TRENDELBURG, a picturesque walled village dominated by its large medieval castle. We visit the castle with its RAPUNZEL TOWER (entrance included). We continue along small roads, crossing forests while we imagine "Hansel and Gretel". Time for lunch in HOXTER, a small town full of life where Corvey Abbey is located, an ancient monastery from the 9th century, a World Heritage Site (a stop to photograph its walls and interior patios). We continue our route making a brief stop in POLLE to photograph the exterior ruins of "Cinderella´s" castle. We continue to HAMELIN, a city popular for the story of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin". After enjoying following the mouse tracks we continue to HANNOVER with some time to get to know the center of this thriving city and a walk next to the old town hall. Note: On dates of fairs or conferences, accommodation may be provided in a nearby city.

Dag 13

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS: Visit to the beautiful villages of Goslar and Quedlinburg.After breakfast, we continue the route to GOSLAR; We are in one of the most beautiful villages of Germany, with its wooden architecture, its walls, its squares. Time to walk. We travel to QUEDLINBURG, a city declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its fascinating historic center of more than 2100 half-timbered girder houses that have managed to survive almost unscathed for centuries. It also noteworthy its town hall and castle. Time for lunch. Continuation to BERLIN. Arrival in the afternoon. Free time.

Dag 14

Ease your way into the local culture with a guided tour of Germany’s incredible capital, Berlin. We will visit the historic center, Museum Island, the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the city’s magnificent parks. We continue our visit by stopping at the Holocaust Memorial and the Berlin Wall Museum. Optionally you will have the opportunity to visit the Potsdam area with its beautiful palaces.

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Dag 18

Today we have a sightseeing tour around this impressive city with a local expert. Here we experience its majestic avenues, its palaces and the vibrant city center. Then we head directly to Schönbrunn Palace, where visitors can stroll around and enjoy its beautiful gardens. In the evening we will go to the City Hall Square to enjoy the nightlife in the neighboring streets. Here you will have the opportunity to dine.

Dag 19

After breakfast, end of our services.