A TALE OF THREE CITIES A STUDENT EXCHANGE TO VIENNA, SALZBURG AND MUNICH DESIGNED AND OPERATED BY CLUB EUROPA FOR DON BOSCO CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL GILBERTVILLE, IOWA A view of Vienna Day 1 Transatlantic flight from the United States to Vienna, Austria Jun 24 04:30 pm: flight DL4460 departs Cedar Rapids CID Sun 07:07 pm: arrival at Detroit Wayne County Airport DTW 08:45 pm: flight AF377 departs Detroit DTW (inflight meals) Day 2 ARRIVAL / VIENNA (Austria) Jun 25 10:40 am: arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport CDG Mon 12:55 pm: flight AF1738 departs Paris CDG 02:15 pm: arrival at Vienna Airport VIE Time will be allowed for money exchange Austria and Germany are Euro-Land!! Meet and greet by Club Europa director and exchange teacher Sonja Graf Private motorcoach for transfer to the city Check in at hotel / host families, free time to relax and unwind Welcome dinner at local Heurigen restaurant (included) The adults will be staying at Hotel Kaiser Franz Joseph / VIENNA
For centuries Vienna has been one of the great capitals of the world - glittering, elegant and romantic. Great composers lived here, and their music is still hauntingly alive today. The magnificent architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries is preserved in buildings that display the graceful Austrian Baroque that lifted this city above any of its rivals. The close of World War 1 saw the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Vienna lost its valuable status as the seat of imperial power with the ensuing decline in population. After World War 2 the city teetered on the precipice of being nothing more than city of shadowy museums and historical memorabilia. After the collapse of the Iron Curtain though Vienna has reawakened and is successfully reclaiming its status as the hub of Central Europe. Day 3 VIENNA Jun 26 Tue Sightseeing in Vienna will be done aboard a Hop-on / Hop-off bus - An informative and entertaining activity is the learning experience of Vienna Time Travel (included), a multi-media presentation of 2,000 years of Viennese history a magical world full of insights, sensations and emotions. Lunch is provided for An inside visit of St Stephen s Cathedral is scheduled for later in the afternoon Dinner with host families (included) Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna Day 4 Jun 27 Wed Day 5 Jun 28 Thu VIENNA ACTIVITIES FOR THE DAY TO BE ADVISED Lunch is provided for Dinner with host families (included) VIENNA Program for the morning: While the students are at school, an optional visit will be arranged to Schoenbrunn Palace for the adults / parents Lunch is provided for The afternoon will be spent at the Prater Amusement Park with the entire group rides aboard the Liliput Miniature Railway and the Giant Ferris Wheel will be included Dinner with host families (included)
The Monastery in MELK The impressive Baroque ensemble at Melk was built in 1702-1736. Especially noteworthy is the church with magnificent frescoes and the library containing countless medieval manuscripts. The monastic community of Melk is over 900 years old and black-robed Benedictine monks still stroll amidst the marble sculptures and frescoed walls. It is now also a prestigious monastery school with more than 700 students. Day 6 Jun 29 Fri VIENNA > SALZBURG 09:30 am: private motorcoach is ready for drive from Vienna to Salzburg (190 miles / 3 hrs) (This coach will stay with the group until departure from Munich) Drive through the Wachau Region, the most beautiful part of the Danube Valley. It captivates visitors with its scenic beauty - the winding Danube nestled in rolling chains of hills. A Danube river cruise will be included Visit of the Benedictine Monastery of MELK The Wachau is not only famous for its scenery, but also for wine-growing - it is one of the finest wine regions in Central Europe. The picturesque little towns and villages in the region also make the Wachau a popular destination for day trips from Vienna. The town of Melk is the gate to the Wachau. A tour of the famous baroque abbey with its magnificent library is followed by a walk around the medieval town of Dürnstein. Narrow, winding alleys, and a view over the Danube valley, crowned by Dürnstein castle - the famous ruin above the town in which Richard the Lionheart was held captive. Lunch (en route) is on own Continuation through the stunningly beautiful Salzkammergut Lake District 07:00 pm: dinner at hotel is included Overnight at Hotel Hubertushof / SALZBURG-ANIF Salzburg, a city of 17th- and 18th-century houses, is internationally known for its architectural grandeur. Much of the work was done by the masters of the baroque, Fischer von Erlach and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Salzburg Cathedral is the first deliberately Italian-style church to be built north of the Alps. Several beautiful castles and palaces dot the city: Hohensalzburg Fortress, the former stronghold of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg; the Residenz, an opulent palace and seat of the Salzburg prince-archbishops after they abandoned the gloomy Hohensalzburg; and Schloss Hellbrunn, just south of the city, summer residence of the prince-archbishops. The beautiful baroque Mirabell Gardens were laid out by the famous Fischer von Erlach. The city is the setting for the Salzburg Festival, a world-renowned annual event that attracts music lovers, especially Mozart fans, from all over the globe and yes: Salzburg was also the setting for The Sound of Music movie
Salzburg and the Fortress of Hohensalzburg A baroque city on the banks of the Salzach River, Salzburg is the beautiful capital of Land Salzburg. This former site of the Roman town of Juvavum is set against a pristine mountain backdrop. The city and the river were named after the early residents who earned their living in the region's salt mines. This "heart of the heart of Europe" is the city of Mozart, who was born here in 1756. The composer's association with the city continues to draw loads of tourists, who come to visit this favorite son's birthplace, the Geburtshaus, an old burgher's house. The city is the setting for the Salzburg Festival, a world-renowned annual event that attracts music lovers, especially Mozart fans, from all over the globe and yes: Salzburg was also the setting for The Sound of Music movie. Day 7 Jun 30 Sat SALZBURG and AREA xx:xx hrs transfer to meeting point with local guide xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for sightseeing tour (walking tour!) in Salzburg Free time for lunch (on own) The afternoon in Salzburg is free for further exploration, shopping etc. Dinner is on own tonight Overnight at Hotel Hubertushof / SALZBURG-ANIF Day 8 SALZBURG and AREA Jul 1 Sun This day will be spent in the mountainous area in the alpine region around Salzburg - it will mostly be a HIKING TOUR DETAILS REGARDING EXACT AREA, EQUIPMENT ETC TO BE ADVISED (Solid shoes will be a MUST!!!) Free time for lunch (on own) Return to Salzburg hotel in the late afternoon Dinner is on own tonight Overnight at Hotel Hubertushof / SALZBURG-ANIF
Day 9 SALZBURG > MUNICH (Műnchen, Germany) Jul 2 and EARLY departure Mon After breakfast: short drive to the German town of BERCHTESGADEN for a x:xx am visit of the Saltmines - a very informative and entertaining activity: Dressed in traditional miner s clothing visitors sit astride a miniature train that transports them nearly half a mile into the mountain to an enormous chamber where the salt is mined. Rides down the wooden chutes get the visitor from one level to another, and a boat ride on an underground lake the size of a football field is also included in the 1.5 hour tour Drive to Munich, capital of the German state of Bavaria (85 miles) Upon arrival: free time for lunch (on own) xx:xx pm: sightseeing in Munich with local, licensed guide Dinner is on own tonight Overnight at the Art-Hotel / MUNICH Day 10 Jul 3 Tue MUNICH Drive from Munich to the nearby town of DACHAU to visit the Concentration Camp Memorial The Dachau Concentration Camp was opened on March 22, 1933 in a former gunpowder factory. The first prisoners were 200 members of the Communist and Social Democratic political parties who were arrested after the Reischstag (German Congressional building) was deliberately set on fire on the night of February 27, 1933. Some of the first prisoners were members of the Congress, who were suspected of plotting to overthrow Hitler who had just taken office as the German Chancellor on January 30, 1933. They were at first held in Landsberg prison which was the same prison where Hitler served time after his attempt to take over the government on November 9, 1923. Concentration camps were invented and first used by the British in the Boer War when 76,000 women and children were incarcerated in South Africa. Return to Munich and free time for lunch (on own) Free afternoon for shopping and other individual activities Munich holds a number of excellent museums, amongst them a new Museum of Modern Art, plus the Deutsches Museum, one of the world s best museums for science and technology (including a fantastic transportation department) 07:00 pm: Farewell dinner (incl.) at the Ratskeller, located in the caves underneath City Hall Overnight at the Art-Hotel / MUNICH
Situated near a settlement (Munichen) that was established in Carolingian times, Munich was founded (1158) by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and of Bavaria. In 1255 it was chosen as the residence of the Wittelsbach family, the dukes of Bavaria; in 1806 the city was made the capital of the kingdom of Bavaria. Under the kings Louis I (1825 48), Maximilian II (1848 64), and Louis II (1864 86), Munich became a cultural and artistic center, and played a leading role in the development of 19th- and 20th-century German painting. After World War I the city was the scene of considerable political unrest. National Socialism (Nazism) was founded there, and on Nov. 8, 1923, Adolf Hitler failed in his attempted Munich beer-hall putsch a coup aimed at the Bavarian government. Despite this fiasco, Hitler made Munich the headquarters of the Nazi party, which in 1933 took control of the German national government. In September 1938, the Munich Pact was signed in the city; in 1939 Hitler suppressed a Bavarian separatist plot there. Munich was badly damaged during World War II, but after 1945 it was extensively rebuilt and many modern buildings were (re)constructed. Nowadays the city is one of the leading cultural and economic centers of Germany. Day 11 Jul 4 Wed RETURN TO THE U.S. and EARLY departure (due to early departure hotel will provide a packed breakfast) 06:45 am: private coach for EARLY transfer from hotel to Munich Airport Services of Club Europa escort terminate after transfer and check-in RETURN FLIGHT: 10:10 am: flight DL023 departs Munich Airport MUC (inflight meals) 01:43 pm: arrival at Detroit Wayne County Airport DTW 03:25 pm: flight DL4460 departs Detroit 03:59 pm: arrival at Cedar Rapids CID PLEASE NOTE: THE USE OF MOTORCOACHES WITHIN ALL EUROPEAN CITIES IS DRAMATICALLY RESTRICTED IF NOT ALTOGETHER IMPOSSIBLE. THE DISTANCES TO BE COVERED ON FOOT CAN BE CONSIDERABLE. COMFORTABLE SHOES ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
INCLUDED ARE : FIVE overnights at (superior) tourist class hotels, in safe and convenient locations, twin or double occupancy, all rooms with private facilities plus FOUR overnights with host families in Vienna for the students For the chaperones: FOUR overnights at Hotel Kaiser Franz Joseph, Vienna All lunches and dinners in Vienna provided by host families All breakfasts Two dinners during the travel part (1 x Salzburg and 1 x Munich) Services of experienced, multilingual Club Europa escort / hosting teacher from start to finish Services of local, licensed guides for sightseeing as noted Services of deluxe motorcoach (equipped with A/C) as noted (all highway tolls, parking fees and driver s expenses included) Entrance fees as noted in the itinerary All applicable local taxes Gratuities to coach drivers and local guides Gustav Klimt s portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer at Vienna s Belvedere Gallery NOT INCLUDED ARE : Meals other than mentioned Drinks with dinners (Please note that table water is not always free of charge in Europe) Expenses of personal nature such as passport, laundry, insurance, souvenirs etc... Expenses for activities in Vienna (welcome dinner, daily activities and admissions) - to be settled directly between organizers and Club Europa s Vienna Office Airport transfers in the United States Luggage handling at hotels (not included for cost savings) Gratuities to escort (EU 3.00 / US$ 4.00 per person per day for the escort is standard)