Five countries, linked by one theme - magnificent, awe-inspiring natural beauty. And, particularly, mountains. Five countries, yet just two currencies now that the Euro is in full usage. Just Switzerland retains its strong Swiss Franc.

These are lands of fairy-tale castles (they inspired Disneyland!), ancient mediaeval cities, cow bells, stunning countryside and scenery. The land is dotted with impossibly pretty villages, every one a picture postcard image or chocolate box picture. Here we have a living culture (where national costume is still the daily norm, not just donned for the tourists). There's history, both ancient and modern, enough to satiate even the most enthusiastic. And to cap it all, great beer!

You can probably tell from the lyricism above that we are ourselves captivated by this area! We're very excited to be adding this to our range of tours and hope that it will appeal to fellow back-Roaders 'out there'. Note, too, that there are opportunities for some 'soft' activities such as walking and bicycling). For the really adventurous, hot air ballooning in the Tyrol can be organised but this has to be a group activity.

Tour Code

Arrive Munich

Depart Munich

AGS

Saturday

Friday

Arrive early and enjoy the last weekend of the Munich OktoberFest!
OktoberFest: Sep 20 to 05 Oct, 2008

TENTATIVE ITINERARY

Day One - Saturday

Welcome to Munich! You'll be collected from the airport and transferred to our city centre accommodation. If you're coming in by train, then you'll be able to catch a local taxi the short distance to our accommodation. We'll begin with a City tour, the timing will depend on the arrival times of all tour participants. Dinner tonight is included at a traditional rustic beerhall. It will NOT be one of the usual tourist places (though we'll see these during our tour).

Please note that there will be significant walking on this tour, and we'll be using local public transport (trams etc. ) to get around in the major centre enroute where parking is difficult for our tour bus, or access prohibited by local laws.

Day Two - Sunday

Day Three - Monday

Discovering Bavarian royalty at their fairytale castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau will be the focus of the day. The fit may enjoy walking the short distance from our accommodation to the castles through stunning woodlands. Bicycles are also available for hire while we're at this three-night stop. We're surrounded by grand scenery and will see much of the rural village life in the district around Fussen and Ruette. This evening, if scheduled, there'll be an optional opportunity of enjoying a folk evening featuring local amateur performers.

Day Four - Tuesday

We'll feature a circular tour today, highlights of which will include Wieskirche, masterpiece of Bavarian rococo in the meadows of the Ammergau Alps, Oberammergau, place of pilgrimage, passion plays and local wood carvers. We'll also decide on some of the following potential sights; Garmisch-Patenkirchen, the Olympic city at the foot of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze which we can ascend by train or cable car (optional, and depending on the weather). Then there's Linderhof castle, King Ludwig's favourite residence in a remote valley. We'll return via Tyrolean lakes and Reutte.

Day Five - Wednesday

Day Six - Thursday

Leave Lucerne we tour either via Berne, the Swiss capital, or via the
founding cantons of the confederation through dramatic Alpine scenery via the Susten Pass Road (highest elev. 7,296ft, 2,259m) to Interlaken and our nightstop high above Lake Thun. Here we promise the unbelievable and breathtaking views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks, three of the highest in the Swiss Alps.

Walkers will enjoy our accommodation stop, too, as there are some lovely local walks to be taken of varying lengths from the hotel.

Day Seven - Friday

A day of 'organised independence' and the experience of three different transportation methods (four if you count walking!). We'll travel by exciting funicular railway to Lake Thun, then via lake steamer to Interlaken, where you'll enjoy some independent sightseeing and shopping in this accessible town. We return to our high Alps accommodation at Beatenberg by the most enduring of Swiss travel methods, the post bus. This is a true Back-Roads style day and it should be noted that it will call for a measure of mobility on your part. Those with mobility problems or concerns should perhaps not be considering this tour.

Alternatively, you may simply prefer to spend your day with your feet up and enjoy the view or stay on the mountain for a hike through Swiss Alpine meadows.

Day Eight - Saturday

Day out in Alpine scenery: to Trümmelbach Falls, Lauterbrunnen and
the Staubbachfälle, which Lord Byron likened to "the tail of the pale horse ridden by Death in the Apocalypse" and/or Wengen, a fashionable resort devoid of all car traffic, accessible by train from the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Day Nine - Sunday

A longer drive today through dramatic Alpine scenery and three
countries: travelling via the Paso di San Gottardo we enter the Italian
speaking part of Switzerland, the Ticino, briefly visit Lugano and
experience the Mediterranean flair so typical for the southern Alps, then on to Lago di Como in Italy before we return to the Engadin region of Switzerland.

Our route then follows the valley of the river Inn into the
Tyrol and its capital Innsbruck. Spectacular views are the order of the day once again. Our later nightstop is the delightful salt town of Hall in Tirol and we'll spend the evening exploring the town.

Day Ten - Monday

The Tyrol is host to some of the great ski races in the winter
calendar. We'll be passing through Tyrolean villages bearing names known the world over. The countryside of the Salzburgerland also served as the setting for the story of the von Trapp family in the 'Hills are Alive'. If interested, we can visit one or two of the film's shooting locations in and around Salzburg.

Another famed (perhaps infamous) town is Berchtesgarten. The source of its notoriety is that it was Hitler's private base and retreat. One can still see the 'Eagle's nest' overlooking the pretty Bavarian village.

Day Eleven - Tuesday

Your choice today of: staying a full day in Salzburg, exploring this magnificent city on foot, or joining a day trip to the ancient community of Hallstatt deep in the salt mining area of the Salzkammergut, including a visit to a salt mine.

Day Twelve - Wednesday

Day Thirteen - Thursday

A flexible day's touring: the Dachau concentration camp recalls
the dark past of the Nazi era, another visit to Munich is possible (this can also be done independently as our Lakeside accommodation base is just 40 minutes on the famed German railway system from Munich city centre), or we can explore the lakes Starnberg and Ammersee and their quaint villages and scenery. In the evening we'll ascend the Holy Hill to enjoy 'liquid bread' and Bavarian monastery hospitality.

Day Fourteen - Friday