Black Forest, Alsace and Switzerland – 2013

Board your flight from your home destination to Zurich, Switzerland.

This itinerary assumes this to be an overnight flight.

Air fare independently arranged.

Arrival in Zurich, Switzerland.  At 12 noon the complimentary transfers depart from the airport to your hotel, Schloss Reinach, near Freiburg in Germany's Black Forest.  This will be home for the next five nights.

Rest in the afternoon, take advantage of the hotel facilities, or play a round of golf only steps away at the Golf Course Munzingen-Tuniberg.

Tonight you'll meet your travelling companions and tour director and enjoy a great dinner at the hotel.

>  Your tour includes: Transfer from airport to hotel, three-course dinner with menu choice, including one beverage and coffee or tea after dinner, overnight at Hotel Schloss Reinach

Today visit two of Germany's most beautiful castles, both rising majestically from atop the Swabian Hills.  First we go to HOHENZOLLERN CASTLE for an inside guided tour.  King Frederick William IV. of Prussia had it reconstructed between 1846 and 1867.  The bastions and towers offer a breathtaking panorama over the countryside, and the splendid halls and rooms offer lots of valuable works of art pertaining to the history of Prussia´s Kings and Germany's emperors.

We continue to LICHTENSTEIN CASTLE.  The first castle was built here in 1200 but it was destroyed twice, in 1311 and in 1381.  Lichtenstein Castle evolved into its present glorious appearance when it passed to King Frederick I of Württemberg's nephew, the Duke Wilhelm of Urach.  Its new owner ordered the castle's reconstruction and that was carried out between 1840 and 1842 by architect Carl Alexander Heideloff.  Today Lichtenstein Castle is still owned by the Dukes of Urach, but it is open to the public.  Enjoy breathtaking scenery from the hilltop.

Dinner tonight in the country in the heart of the Black Forest.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, three-course dinner, Hotel Schloss Reinach

This morning go for a stroll around the old city of FREIBURG with your guide.  Walk the main streets and squares, its small streams (Bächle) and lanes with the colourful mosaics made of Rhine pebbles, the Cathedral Square (Münsterplatz) with its merchant town houses and secular buildings, the colourful farmers and trader market, and get to know the city's very long history.  A tour of the Gothic cathedral with its wealth of medieval treasures forms the highlight of the tour.

Visit the winery Badische Winzergenossenschaft, the largest of its kind in Europe, explore their wine cellars, and enjoy some wine tasting.

Continue to BREISACH for a stroll along the Rhine River and a visit of the town followed by dinner.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, service of local guide, three course dinner, Hotel Schloss Reinach

This morning we drive into France to visit STRASBOURG, seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.  Join your guide for a walking tour of the old town and visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The 142-metre (466-foot) spire is a masterpiece of architectural elegance and intricacy.  We also visit La Petite France, the most picturesque district of old Strasbourg, with magnificent half-timbered houses that date from the 16th and 17th centuries.  Fishermen, millers and tanners once lived and worked in this part of town where the streets have been built level with the waterways.

We continue to COLMAR in the heart of Alsace.  Colmar's Germanic and French architectural heritage was spared by the frequent wars that ravaged this area.  The town has preserved the charm of its romantic districts (Tanner’s District, Little Venice).  Enjoy your guided tour of the old town, which also includes a visit to the Bartholdi museum, housed in a vast residence which was the birthplace of the creator of New York's Statue of Liberty, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.

Dinner tonight in France.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, tours in Strasbourg and Colmar, services of local guides, three-course dinner, Hotel Schloss Reinach

Since its construction in the 12th century, the HAUT-KOENIGSBOURG CASTLE at Orschwiller in Alsace has been a constant witness to both European conflicts and rivalry between lords, kings and emperors.
A number of illustrious owners each left their mark on the castle’s history, and successive events even led to changes in the castle’s structure.  Enjoy a tour of this magnificent castle with its majestic architecture and its incredible view across the Alsatian plain.

We continue on the ALSATIAN WINE ROUTE, stopping in villages along the way, each of them offering a delightful picture postcard setting and some the best examples of Alsatian architecture.

Dinner tonight at the hotel.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, wine tasting, three-course dinner, Hotel Schloss Reinach

Today it is goodbye to Germany and the Black Forest as we cross the border into Switzerland.  We stop in Schaffhausen to see the largest waterfalls in Europe, the RHINE FALLS, where in summer 600,000 liters of water falls down 23 meters (75 feet) every second.

We continue to LUCERNE, this most beautiful city at the foot of the Swiss Alps on fabulous Lake Lucerne.  See the Lion Monument (the famous dying Lion of Lucerne), walk the wooden Chapel Bridge and join your guide for a stroll of the old town.

Later shop for something really Swiss – chocolate, watches or army knives – or stroll along the Lake this afternoon.

Tonight look forward to a typical Swiss dinner in town, on your own.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, visits at Rhine Falls and Lucerne, hotel in Lucerne

This morning be prepared for incredible views as you climb up MOUNT PILATUS by cogwheel train, the steepest in the world.  From the top enjoy endless views of the mountains and plains and lakes below.  Time for a Swiss hot chocolate before we return downhill on the other side of the mountain by cable car.

Back in LUCERNE you have the afternoon free to spend at your leisure.  Maybe go for a cruise on Lake Lucerne, visit the Swiss Museum of Transport or one of the many Art Galleries, go hiking in the stunning surroundings or just enjoy time in or on the Lake and relax, or to get your final shopping done.

Tonight be prepared for lots of fun at a Swiss Folklore Farewell Dinner.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, cogwheel train and cable car rides, three-course dinner with show, hotel in Lucerne

 
Time to say "Auf wiedersehen".  One final breakfast and then a complimentary transfer to Zurich Airport for your return flight home.

If your flight is leaving earlier then 10.30 a.m. we can arrange for an alternative transfer at your expense.

>  Buffet breakfast, transfer to Airport