Journey overview
SWITZERLAND - GERMANY – AUSTRIA – SLOVENIA - ITALY, 11 days
Day 1: ARRIVAL TO ZURRICH
Transfer from airport to hotel. Overnight.
DAY 2: ZURRICH – RHINE FALLS
Breakfast. In the morning short trip to the Rhine Falls, the largest plain waterfalls in Europe. As a result of the general temperature fluctuating around 500`000 years ago, the first glacial advances began in the midland and formed the landscape of today. After that we will drive to Zurich to see some main attractions and visit the famous Lindt Chocolate Factory. Time for shopping. Dinner.
DAY 3: ZURRICH – MUNICH (315 KM)
After breakfast we will drive you to Munich. City offers diverse activities and sightseeing. From the world’s largest funfair Oktoberfest, vibrant city center, influential history, worlds famous football team, BMW factory, Olympic village to their traditional culture and delicious gourmet. Munich is the city filled with joy and happiness. You will have a half day tour to one of the most famous castles in the world, Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein castles. The setting of the castle could not be more idyllic. The nineteenth-century castle is located on the hill above the village of Hohenschwangau. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds. The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. In the afternoon tour in the Munich city center, we will see majestic Frauenkirche, lovely Marienplatz, Karlsplatz, Bayern Opera and the famous Odeonsplatz. Overnight in hotel.
DAY 4: MUNICH – SALZBURG (150 KM)
After breakfast we will go to Salzburg (Mozart birth place). No landscape is more typically Austrian than the Sound of Music lake and Salzkammergut on your way to Salzburg. Famous musical "The Sound of Music" was celebrating its 45 years and everybody remembers wonderful film scene; the city of Salzburg, villas, convent and blossoming parks. The scenery in the background adds a picturesque Austrian mountains, green meadows and crystal lakes. We invite you to visit some of the most beautiful venues and the highlights of the musical. We will visit the city Salzburg, the castle Helbrunn and its beautiful castle park adorned with the famous and magical water play fountains. Technique and form of fountains has not changed in almost 400 years. Then we will drive east to the beautiful Austrian lakes. We'll see Wolfgangsee and St. Gilgnom, the most beautiful village in the region. The trip will be completed in the village of Mondsee lake with the same name. For the end we will also see baroque park in the castle Mirabell and monastery Nonnberg. Dinner in local restaurant. Overnight.
Day 5: SALZBURG – VIENNA (290 KM)
This morning, after breakfast, we will drive to Vienna, once the center of the mighty Habsburg Empire. Meet your Local Guide and start your afternoon sightseeing with a visit of tje Prater Park, its giant Ferris wheel, and the United Nations City on the banks of the Danube River. Then we will drive along Ring Boulevard, pass the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, and stop at the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Austrian Imperial family. Hofburg Palace is spot where many Indian movies were filmed. Marvel at the impressive courtyards and famous Heldenplatz and visit awesome St. Stephen’s Cathedral. An optional excursion to the wine village of Grinzing is available. Time for shopping. Dinner.
DAY 6: VIENNA – LJUBLJANA (385 KM) - BLED
On 18th September, the movie “Super Ranga” is coming to Indian cinemas. This is the fourth Bollywood film production, which was filmed in Slovenia, mainly full of singing and dancing, which are compulsory elements of Indian films. The main actor in the film is the Indian superstar Upendra and the main actress is a promising young Indian actress Khriti Mr. Kharbanda. In addition to stellar cast, there were also some other famous names of Indian cinema in the 25-member film crew such as director Sadhu, director of photography Ashok Kashyap and dance choreographer Imran Sardhariya They have decided to record the songs in Slovenia, because a camera crew was impressed by the province of Slovenia. Upendra said that in Slovenia is as in heaven. One of the most beautiful scenes was filmed in Bled and also at the Old Castle Ljubljana, Postojna and Piran. The tour in Slovenia will include all those locations in Slovenia.
After breakfast we will drive you to Slovenian capital city Ljubljana. You will meet with your city guide, who will give you a short tour of Ljubljana’s history and show you some of the nicest corners of Slovenia’s capital: the city hall, a walking tour of Plecnik’s architectural masterpieces, haggling at the open-air market, the Napoleon monument, followed by taking the funicular up the castle hill and see the castle tower. Later you will visit Bled, a small town in the mountain region, north of Slovenia, with the lake famous by its island in the middle and the breath-taking view from the Bled castle. Night in hotel with view on lake, castle and mountains. You will also have options for shopping, spa wellness or casino.
DAY 7: BLED – POSTOJNA CAVE – PIRAN (130 km)
After breakfast drive through the typical Slovenian countryside to Postojna, where you visit one the biggest and most beautiful caves in Europe. You will enter cave with small train and then walk for about 70 minutes in the cave system which is full of stalagmites and stalactites. You will see underground river but the biggest attraction is human fish, an animal which lives only in Postojna Cave. After visit we will drive a short distance to Predjama Castle, which defends entrance to an other cave, which is connected to Postojna cave. After photo session we will have lunch in Postojna and then continue to drive to the Slovenian cost. In about 1 hour drive we'll reach Portoroz, seaside resort. Check-in to your hotel and then we'll walk for about 20 minutes along the cost to small medieval city of Piran which is known for their good fish restaurants - try a seafood dinner in one of them. Then return to your hotel. Overnight. (Evening can be spent in casino) .
DAY 8: PIRAN - VENICE (205 KM)
Cross into Italy to Venice- the city of romance. Enjoy a walk through a labyrinth of streets and narrow passageways in the old artisan’s quarters of Venice and listen to numerous stories of the illustrious merchants and their acts of cruelty. During this walk, you'll see some of the oldest houses in Venice, quaint picturesque bridges and palaces, an old prison for tax evaders and learn about how life used to be in Venice and how life is today for the modern day Venetians. Enjoy an in-depth tour of St. Marks Basilica, a highlights tour of the Doges Palace which will include crossing the bridge of sites, and as a grand finale cruise along the main street of Venice - The Grand Canal. Besides that, you can see the most important spots, where famous Indian movies were filmed. You will have opportunities to explore further on your own, take a gondola ride, go shopping or enjoy an afternoon at leisure. Night in hotel.
DAY 9: VENICE – FLORNCE (260 KM)
After breakfast departure to Florence.
While Rome entices with its majestic monuments and big city grandeur, Florence captivates visitors in an entirely different way. This enchanting northern city is a maze of cobble-stoned medieval streets and picturesque red-roofed buildings where the Renaissance feels remarkably recent --or maybe just ever-present. This charming setting is virtually packed with landmarks, stories, and above all, art. Florence is the home of countless works by Renaissance artists; the famous Uffizi Gallery houses paintings by Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Caravaggio, to name just a few, while Michelangelo’s magnificent David stands only a few blocks away. So vast is Florence's collection of artworks that some overstimulated visitors actually succumb to the dizzying madness known as the Stendhal Syndrome. Of course, if the art becomes too overwhelming, Florence does offer other pleasures. Even a casual walk through the streets of Florence is a chance to enjoy lovely scenery and beautiful old churches. Tuscan cuisine is famous for its delicious simplicity, and excellent wine and espresso are in abundance. Like the canvasses and sculptures filling the museums here, Florence is itself a work of art. Night at hotel in Florence.
And was it more, if you will be travelling in October, you will be able to visit River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival, an annual Indian film festival in Florence. This is the first festival in the world totally devoted to Indian cinema and films about India, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
DAY 10: FLORNCE – ROME (290 KM)
After breakfast departure to Rome.
Italy’s capital is enormous, sometimes bewildering, often stunning and exhilarating. What else could one expect from a city that once ran a vast empire and now contains an entire separate nation, the heart of a major religion, within its borders? Though the empire crumbled long ago, the city is constantly vibrant. Standing in the city center by the Forum, it’s easy to feel that you’re living inside a giant postcard, with crumbling ruins on one side and the commanding sight of the ancient Colosseum rising above the rooftops on the other. The evidence of more recent history is also omnipresent here; most spectacularly in Vatican City, where people pour into St. Peter’s Basilica and Square and the famous Vatican Museums to worship, gawk and wonder at everything from the Pope to the Sistine Chapel. However, though aged sights are abundant in Rome, the city is anything but elderly, and it is certainly not tired. The fashion is high-class here, the shopping opportunities countless, the cuisine delicious, the gelato heavenly, and the traffic absolutely ferocious, in both speed and volume. If you want a fast-paced day of historical sightseeing or just a slow afternoon with a cappuccino, Rome offers both and everything in between. Rome, an extremely excitement city offers you also many important spots where Indian movies was filmed.
DAY 11: ROME
After breakfast transfer to airport. End of tour.
PRICE: On request
PRICE INCLUDE:
- hotel accommodation in twin rooms based on breakfasts and dinners,
- all transfers + tours + entrance fees,
- local guides
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- personal costs
- tips for local guides and driver
- international plane tickets
- special SPA treatments