Saxony & Bohemia MULTI-CENTRE HOLIDAY 2018

Transcription

1 Saxony & Bohemia MULTI-CENTRE HOLIDAY 2018

2 WELCOME TO Switzerland Visit the Elbe Sandstone Mountains also dubbed Saxon or Bohemian Switzerland. This stunning region overlaps the Germany/Czech border and features truly breathtaking landscapes, yet remains relatively undiscovered Rugged landscapes, bizarre rock formations and romantic valleys lie across the borders of Germany and Czech Republic. On this holiday we ll enjoy walks in both countries and soak up their different cultures as well as the jaw-dropping views and centuries of history. This holiday offers you a variety of walking and touring, giving you a fascinating mix of walks, unmissable sights and hidden gems. It has a dedicated tour guide and a number of local guides to give you the best insight to the area that you are visiting. 2 Call or visit hfholidays.co.uk

3 ACCOMMODATION All our chosen hotels have comfortable ensuite bedrooms. 3 STAR HOTEL ALBERGO TOSKANA Bad Schandau Rudolf-Sendig-Straße Bad Schandau Germany Tel: Our holiday starts in Saxony in the Hotel Albergo Toskana. All rooms at the Albergo-Toscana are fitted with Italian-style metal beds, cable TV and heated flooring. Bad Schandau is located in the heart of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and is ideally located to explore this area. 4 STAR HOTEL ERBGERICHT Krippen Bächelweg Bad Schandau Germany Tel: This hotel is located in the heart of Saxon Switzerland and offers the perfect choice as a walking based hotel. Surrounded by mountain fortresses, castles and museums, this is a little city which packs a cultural and historical punch! Call or visit hfholidays.co.uk 3

4 Guided Walking ITINERARY A unique feature of our Guided Walking holidays is the daily choice of walks. Each evening your leaders will give a short talk about the options for the next day and answer any questions that you may have. Easier Walks: 5-8 miles on good paths with some rocky sections. Up to 1,500ft of ascent in a day. Day 1: Arrival day Transfer from Prague airport to Bad Schandau and settle into your hotel. Take time to explore the city, ensuring you visit St John s Church with its 4 Call or visit hfholidays.co.uk This holiday is a combination of walking, sightseeing and touring as detailed in the itinerary below. octagonal western tower standing in its original form since Hotel: Hotel Albergo Toscana (3*) Meals: Dinner

5 Day 2: Bad Schandau to Rathen This day begins with a walk from Bad Schandau over the Brandstufen stairs to the Brand, the balcony of the Saxon Switzerland National Park. We then visit the medieval Hohnstein Castle, the history of which begins in Our walking tour continues to the beautiful Amsel Lake and the well-known spa resort of Rathen. A train transfer takes us back to Bad Schandau. Hotel: Hotel Albergo Toscana (3*) Meals: Breakfast and Dinner at Bad Schandau restaurant Day 3: Rathen to Koenigstein We start the day with an ascent on the Bastei Rocks to Wehlen (300m) enjoying views over the River Elbe and its green surroundings. From the Bastei, we then walk through stone formations, Hoellengrund and Wehlener Grund, to reach the town of Wehlen visiting the church of St Michael. After crossing the River Elbe, we continue on the opposite bank, passing the Big and Small Bear s Stone before reaching the Fortress of Koenigstein, the largest in Europe. A fast train takes us back to Bad Schandau. Hotel: Hotel Albergo Toscana (3*) Meals: Breakfast and Dinner at Bad Schandau restaurant Day 4: Koenigstein to Gohrisch Todays walk takes us from Koenigstein along pleasant forest paths to the famous rock pinnacle Barbarine (42.7m high), one of the symbols of the Saxon Switzerland National Park. This walk continues along the path of Pfaffenstein to the viewpoint over Lilienstein. We then take the Musel path to the spa resort of Gohrisch Hotel: Hotel Erbgericht (3*) Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Day 5: Gohrisch via Papststein to Krippen After breakfast we shall take a coach transfer back to Gohrisch to continue our walk. Beginning with the Kingdom of stones we then continue through Elbe Sandstone Mountains (climbing Gohrisch 448m and Papststein 451m). The walk takes us through the adventurous Kleinhennersdorfer Höhlen, over the Liethen Valley and then on to Krippen. Hotel: Hotel Erbgericht (3*) Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Day 6: Krippen via Hrensko (Czech Republic) and back We start the day visiting Pravčická brána, in the Czech Repulic, Europe s biggest natural sandstone arch. We then walk along the valley of the River Kamenice all the way down to Edmund s Gorge where we board a boat taking us down the river. A train will take us back to Krippen. Hotel: Hotel Erbgericht (3*) Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Day 7: Krippen via Schrammsteine and Kirnitzschtal to Bad Schandau On our last day we walk in the Saxon Switzerland National Park, firstly to the Schramm Stones the summit of which affords a breathtaking view over the entire Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Next we follow the Wald path along the Affensteig and later the Painter s Path to Beuthenfall where we will board the famous Kirnitzschtal train back to Bad Schandau. Hotel: Hotel Erbgericht (3*) Meals: Breakfast and Dinner Day 8: Departure Day Breakfast and transfer to Prague airport. Dietary Requirements All our holidays include breakfast and evening meal. If you have any special dietary requirements, including vegetarian. It is strongly recommend you advise us before you travel. On arrival, can you please confirm your request to our agent who will ensure that, where possible, your requirements will be met. Call or visit hfholidays.co.uk 5

6 WALKING SAFETY Hydration: In warm weather it is very important to keep hydrated. You will need to carry water with you on walks, more during hot weather or on more demanding walks. One good way of hydrating is to use a hydration pack which allows drinking without constant stopping. This can then be filled up from additional water sources as required. Insurance: Insurance is a condition of booking. Therefore if you have not already arranged insurance, it is imperative that you do so, and advise us of the insurance company and policy number. We have negotiated special holiday insurance and full details of this cover can be found in our brochure or at hfholidays.co.uk. There is no extra charge for pre-existing illnesses. If you would like to purchase insurance from us please call us on or holidayservices@hfholidays. co.uk. Even with an EHIC card, medicines and out-patient treatment normally have to be paid for at the time and the costs reclaimed afterwards details are available at dh.gov.uk/travellers. Therefore insurance is extremely important, as is access to emergency money, preferably a credit card. WHAT TO WEAR & BRING To enjoy your walking comfortably and safely, it is essential that your footwear, clothing and equipment are suitable for the conditions likely to be encountered. Changeable weather is possible throughout the year, so our advice is to come prepared for all eventualities. You will need: comfortable outdoor clothing waterproof jacket and overtrousers ankle supporting footwear with non-slip soles small rucksack water bottle (at least 2 litres, more for hot climates) and a thermos flask if you wish sunhat, sun cream and sunglasses In addition to the above, the following are recommended to all walkers, and are essential for mountainous and hilly areas: walking boots spare pullover or fleece 6 Call or visit hfholidays.co.uk hat and gloves spare high-energy food e.g. chocolate bar or Kendal mint cake torch You may also wish to consider bringing: walking pole(s) many guests find these useful, particularly for descents camera personal first aid kit Footwear: We recommend wearing walking boots on all our walks, as these provide the best ankle support and grip. Modern approach shoes offer appropriate levels of grip and may be worn on some low level walks, but users should be aware that they offer less ankle support. Lightweight trainers, denim jeans and waterproof capes are not recommended for any walks. HOLIDAY TIPS Language: German Currency: Euro Money:: Access to emergency money, preferably via a credit card, is very important as you never know when an emergency may arise. Electricity: Volt AC with round two round pin plugs; you will need an adaptor for any appliances brought from the UK.. TRANSFER INFORMATION If you have booked your holiday with flight you will arrive at at Prague Airport. from London Heathrow. Please note that meals are not provided on most European flights, although some airlines may offer a small snack. Airport parking and accommodation If you require airport parking or accommodation before your flight, we recommend our partner Holiday Extras. Call and quote HX031 or book online at holidayextras.co.uk/hfholidays

7 RECOMMEND A FRIEND AND SAVE 50 Do you know someone who would enjoy our holidays as much as you do? Invite them to book a holiday and you ll receive 50! If you recommend HF Holidays to a friend who subsequently makes their first ever booking with us, we will give you 50 off your next holiday for each person recommended. Plus, as a welcome, we will also give your recommended friend or friends 50 per person off their holiday, meaning savings for everyone! Claim your 50 in three easy steps When your friend books a holiday, ask them to mention at time of booking your name and address. If they have never travelled with us before, we will give them a discount of 50 per person. We will send you a 50 voucher off a future HF Holidays break for each friend you have recommended. Terms & conditions apply, visit hfholidays.co.uk/raf for details. PATHWAYS FUND Last year guests donated 19,500 to our Pathways Fund and we spent 25,000 on projects. For more information on the projects the Pathways Fund has supported, plus how to donate, please visit hfholidays.co.uk/pathways HF Holidays continues to work in partnership with the Family Holiday Association to provide Feel Good Breaks designed to reward families who could not otherwise afford it with the gift of a break in the outdoors and the chance to spend quality time together. Help us continue this work by donating to the Pathways Fund. JOIN US TODAY AND BENEFIT TOMORROW HF Holidays is the only UK holiday provider that s a co-operative. We re owned by our members who help shape our business for future generations. Join our award-winning and sociably responsible society that s passionate about helping others to enjoy holidays in beautiful countryside. For a minimum purchase of shares you can benefit from: Members loyalty scheme earn points on your holidays and use as a discount on your next holiday Member-only events and holidays Members come first with advance registration for the holiday you want 10% discount at our country house bars 15% discount at Cotswold Outdoor 15% discount at Rohan 25% discount at Hi-Tec Annual interest on your shares ALREADY A MEMBER? There are many ways for you to further your support: Help choose our Board Attend member events Encourage others to join us Increase your shares at any time Top up to 1,000 shares to become an investment member with enhanced benefits Give membership as a gift To join or increase your investment call our Membership team on , membership@hfholidays.co.uk or visit hfholidays.co.uk/membership Call or visit hfholidays.co.uk 7

8 Contact details HF Holidays Ltd Catalyst House 720 Centennial Court Centennial Park Elstree Borehamwood, WD6 3SY hfholidays.co.uk For any questions before your holiday, we re here to help, so please contact us on: (local rate) +44 (0) (from outside the UK) Monday-Friday: 9am-7pm. Emergency contact details: In all instances during your holiday, your first point of contact should be our HF Holidays leaders. If for any reason this is not possible, HF Holidays emergency contact details are as above or between the hours of Friday 7pm to Monday 9am are: +44 (0) or