WOT 6 countries Switzerland.pub

World of Travel
Presents
Switzerland
A La Carte
Six Countries
from One Hotel
Spring / Fall
2011 /12012
Best times to visit are May and September
9 Days / 8 Night
$2,295.00*
per person double occupancy
This is a tour designed for the “boomers” who want independence and less structure
while appealing to the traditional traveler who wants an abundance of touring fully guided.
Choose as much activity that fits your needs!
Enjoy a 7 night stay in Lucerne, Switzerland, considered to be one of the most
beautiful spots in Switzerland. Do your own thing for a week, purchase a train pass or elect
any of the optional tours offered each day. Take one or all, based on how much touring you like.
You will actually be able to visit six countries without ever moving hotels!
Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein
Your Vacation Includes:
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Round trip air fare from selected cities
Seven nights in centrally located hotel in Lucerne walking
distance to the lake, restaurants, chocolate stores and
great shopping.
Full breakfast daily
Welcome and Farewell dinner
All taxes, baggage handling and service charges
Gratuities for guides and drivers
Sightseeing tour of Lucerne
Daily day and evening options to visit other countries
One complimentary trip for every 20 paid
Itinerary:
Day One - Depart
Depart in the early afternoon. Fly overnight to Zürich, Switzerland.
Day Two - Transfer from Zürich to Lucerne
Arrive Zürich at approximately 9:00 a.m. and transfer by motor coach to Lucerne (about 1½ hours) and our hotel,
where we will be spending the next seven nights. We will take a walking tour of Lucerne, where you will see the
Chapel Bridge, the Spreuer Bridge, the Lion Monument, the medieval walls and fortifications, and the Renaissancestyle Town Hall. The afternoon will be free for shopping, visiting the Fine Art Museum or Transport Museum, or just
walking around the pedestrian zone of the Old Town. Dinner tonight will be included at the hotel.
Day Three – Optional Excursion - Black Forest and Rhein Falls (B)
If you have chosen to take the optional full-day tour today, we will take our private motor coach from Lucerne to the Black Forest region, an immensity of
vegetation surrounded by magical mountains in the southwest corner of Germany. This area forms one of the most beautiful landscapes on the Old Continent. We’ll stop in Hofgutsternen for lunch (on your own), and one of Germany’s largest cuckoo clock shops. We will have time for cuckoo clock demonstrations and shopping. We will then continue on to the Rhein Falls, located in
Schaffhausen, to see Europe’s larges waterfalls. They are truly magnificent, not
so much for their height as for their impressive breadth and the sheer drama of the view, with the spray rising in a
cloud of rainbows above the forested banks. The turreted castle Schloss Laufen on a cliff directly above the falls to
the south completes the spectacle. We will have the opportunity to do some additional shopping and will return to
Lucerne via motor coach. (Lunch and dinner on your own). $129.00 per person
If you elect not to take the tour, you will have the day, lunch and dinner on your own.
Day Four - Optional Excursion to Colmar, Switzerland and Riqhewihr,
France. (B)
If you have chosen to take the optional full-day tour today, we will depart the
hotel for an excursion to the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. We will take the
motor coach from Lucerne to Colmar. Colmar is a wonderfully preserved old
city center with half-timbered houses and several interesting museums. This
part of Alsace produces some of the best white wines in the world. Colmar is
also the birthplace of Auguste Bartholdi, the man who designed the Statue of
Liberty. We will then continue through wine country and beautiful vineyards to
Riquewihr, France, a flower filled town with several authentic 12th century homes and an opportunity to sample
some of the region’s wines. We will sample three of the region’s most well known white wines at the Dopff and Iron
Winery (included). We’ll then return to Lucerne in time for dinner. (Lunch and dinner will be on your own). $149.00
per person
If you elect not to take the tour, you will have the day, lunch, and dinner on your own.
Day Five - Optional Excursion to Mount Pilatus (B)
This morning you will have the opportunity to go to the summit of the world
famous Mount Pilatus. At just over 10,000 feet high, you will have a spectacular view of the whole of Lucerne as well as the lake. Not to mention the
45-minute ride to the top by Gondola makes the whole trip worth it!
$114.00pp for the Mt. Pilatus tour. The rest of the day will be at your leisure. Explore Lucerne on your own. Take a day cruise on Lake Lucerne,
shop for Swiss watches at Bucherer, or just relax and spend the day as
many Swiss do—strolling around the lake, watching people, and drinking
coffee. (Lunch and dinner will be on your own).
This evening there is an optional Swiss Folklore Dinner and Show at one of Lucerne’s well-known restaurants,
The Stadtkeller. A traditional Swiss show with alphorns, cowbells, flag throwing, and yodeling will make your
visit to The Stadtkeller an unforgettable experience. All this takes place in a building dating back to the 12th
century. $ 99.00 per person for the Swiss Folklore Dinner and Show.
If you elect not to take the tour, you will have the day, lunch and dinner on your own.
Day Six - Optional Excursion to Italian Lake District and Lugano with Dinner via train (B)
If you have chosen the full-day optional excursion today, we will start out by taking the train from Lucerne to Como,
Italy on the border between Switzerland and northern Italy. The 3-hour train ride is very scenic, passing through
hillsides and valleys of color sprinkled with cool forests, an occasional village of old stone houses and picturesque
town. Como is a lively and pleasant town with an appealing historical center and a scenic location at the southern
end of the east branch of Lake Como in the Italian Lake District. The impressive cathedral (Duomo), like most in
Italy, was built and added to over a period of centuries, so you can admire Gothic
and Renaissance features including some fine tapestries and paintings. The town's
earlier cathedral (built in the tenth century), San Fedele, is another fine sight, as are
the tall nine-hundred-year-old gateway, Porta Vittoria, and the Romanesque church
Sant'Abbondio. We’ll have time for sightseeing, shopping, and lunch in Como (on
your own). Then we’ll continue by motor coach to Lugano, Switzerland, located in the
balmy, lake-laced southern foothills of the Alps. Lugano itself is a beautiful lakeside
community nestled in a valley of steep hills and surrounded by stunning natural beauty
– lushly wooded hills rising from azure water, date palms swaying against deep blue
skies, red roofs framed by purple bougainvillea. It is located in the lake region of
Ticino, which has a strong tradition of beautiful architecture since the Renaissance. Many of the renowned architects
of the Baroque era who were designing buildings in Rome at the time had originally come from Lugano. After you
have explored this beautiful city, we will stop for an included Italian-Swiss dinner. We will return to Lucerne via motor
coach later in the evening. $239.00 per person If you have chosen not to take the tour, you will have the day, lunch
and dinner on your own.
Day Seven -Optional Excursion to Liechtenstein, Austria, and Appenzell, Switzerland (B)
Today you will be seeing sights in three different countries. Your first
stop will be in Vaduz, the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
High above in the mountains, summits reveal unforgettable views.
Down in the valley, merely walking along the streets of Vaduz you can
experience the beauties of the landscape. And don’t forget to pick up
some postage stamps...Liechtenstein’s claim to fame!
You will then continue to the charming village of Feldkirch, located in the
western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, just over the border of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is a beautiful
medieval town with a castle from the 12th century called the “Schattenburg”. In the town there is the cathedral
of St. Nikolaus from the Gothic period. Here you will enjoy some time to admire the castle, the cathedral, and
the spectacular mountain views. Your last stop today will be in the charming village of Appenzell, Switzerland.
When an image of a typical Swiss village comes to mind, you are probably thinking of Appenzell! Appenzell
features include brightly painted houses in the town’s car-free center, village architecture, and landscapes
shaped by farming, religious influences and customs. In one small traditional Swiss town, you will find great
treasures of nature, living traditions, green fields and mountains. You’ll arrive back in Lucerne. (Lunch and dinner will be on your own). $125.00 per person If you have chosen not to take the tour, you will have the day on
your own. Lunch and Dinner this evening is on your own.
Day Eight – Optional Excursion to Interlaken, Switzerland (B,D)
If you choose to take the full-day excursion to Interlaken, Switzerland today,
we will take the motorcoach from Lucerne directly to Interlaken this morning.
Interlaken means “Between the Lakes” and is situated on the Bodeli, a small
alluvial neck of land between the Thunersee and Brienzersee. It’s one of the
oldest resorts in the country, famed for its superb views towards the Jungfrau
massif, which lies perfectly framed between two hills to the south of town. No
trip to Switzerland would be complete without a visit to one of the country’s
most famous destinations, Interlaken! After spending the day here, we’ll return back to Lucerne for dinner. (Lunch will be on your own). $129.00 per
person If you elect not to take the tour, you will have the day and lunch on
your own.
Day Nine – Departure for home (B)
This morning, we will check out of our hotel and transfer by private motor coach to Zürich for our return flight to
Columbus. We will arrive home in the early evening. Lunch will be provided on the flight.