BETHANY VIKINGS SOCCER Prague - Munich - Venice - Como - Milan
OVERVIEW: Spring break 2018 may seem far away, but it will be here before we know it. Every four years, our BLC men s and women s soccer teams travel abroad for a special soccer experience. Past destinations have included Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Italy. But our next trip promises to be the most exciting to date. We will travel to the heart of Europe to sightsee, train and play games in some of the most scenic and historic locations in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. As always, we will make safety and security a top priority. Family and friends are welcome to join us on this trip as chaperones or simply as a tourist. Each coach and chaperone is given a complete itinerary of what will be done each day, along with copies of rooming lists and other information about each city. Players are instructed on basic safety rules and at our first introduction meeting and at each stop along the way. During the entirety of our trip, a translator will travel with the team to help with any local or international issues that we may encounter. THE ITINERARY Day 1 Friday, March 9 th 2018 Departure from Minneapolis to Europe. We arrive on European soil the following day. Day 2 Saturday, March 10 th Arrive at Prague international airport and meet with our bilingual tour manager who will remain with us during our trip to take care of all our travel needs. Transfer to Prague city centre for a preliminary guided tour of Prague with a local tour guide Free time and lunch on our own Final transfer to our hotel to get settled before our welcome dinner. Day 3 Sunday, March 13 th After breakfast, we will transfer to the Prague Castle for a visit of the largest coherent castle complex in the world, declared UNESCO World Heritage Site Leisure time and lunch on our own In the afternoon, transfer to sports centre for first Friendly Soccer Match of the trip
Dinner on our own in the city and our last overnight in Prague Day 4 Monday, March 14 th After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and depart for Munich, Germany (about 4.5 hours) by train. Once in Munich, we will have a preliminary orientation tour and lunch on our own A guided tour of Munich will take place in the afternoon, including a tour Allianz Arena, home of European soccer giants Bayern Munich Possibly a Champions League??? Final transfer to our hotel, check-in on your arrival, dinner and overnight Day 5 Tuesday, March 15 th Following breakfast, transfer to Dachau, the infamous concentration camp of World War. II (Audio-guides included). Return to Munich afor free time and lunch on your own. We will then get together at a local restaurant for an authentic Bavarian dinner as a team. Day 6 Wednesday, March 16 th After breakfast, we checkout of our hotel and depart for our next destination, Venice the romantic Lagoon in Italy. Stop on the way in Bolzano, a famous touristic attraction in the Italian Alps. Time to stroll and shop around the cute city centre. Lunch will be on our own. After lunch, we will continue on to Venice Mestre where we will arrive in the late afternoon at our hotel. Day 7 Thursday, March 17 th Following breakfast, check-out of hotel and transfer to Tronchetto for a private boat transfer to St. Mark s Square, in Venice Guided visit of Venice and its beautiful canals: the Square, San Marco Basilica, Ponte dei Sospiri, the Prisons and much more! Lunch will be on own At about 2.30/ 3.00 pm we return back by boat to Tronchetto then departure by bus to Como Lake area. Arrival in the late afternoon, check-in at our hotel in the city center, dinner and overnight Day 8 Friday, March 18 th After breakfast, we transfer to Milan, the economical and fashion capital of Italy Once there, we will meet with a local tour guide and take a walking tour of Milan
Lunch will be on own In the afternoon, transfer to local sports centre for second Friendly Soccer Match Optional: visit the Leonardo's Last Supper, famous the world over, is inside the Refectory at the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie (not included and to reserve many months before) Dinner is on your own in Milan and overnight at hotel in Como Day 9 Saturday, March 19 th After breakfast, early departure to Tirano (Valtellina area, Italian Alps), where you will take the famous red Bernina Express train to St. Moritz, in Switzerland. During the ride, you will admire breathtaking panorama! At midday, we will have time to explore the town and have lunch Return back to Milan to watch a Serie A soccer match at the famous San Siro (Inter Milan or AC Milan) Day 10 Saturday, March 20 th After breakfast, we check-out of the hotel and transfer to Milan Malpensa international airport to depart for Minnesota. Bye, Bye Europe! ******* ESTIMATED PRICES 2018 $2500 (with taxes and misc. costs included: $3000) Note (1): Prices are in USD based on a rate exchange of 1 euro vs. 1,26 USD this value is subject to change Note (2): prices include round flight from Minneapolis. Air taxes per person are not included. We will get the final amount at the moment of tickets issue. This cost must be added on top of the above quotes. SERVICES INCLUDED: - Round flight from Minneapolis air taxes are not included - B&B accommodation (breakfast daily) - 03 dinners by hotel s restaurant (in Prague, in Munich and in Como) - 08 nights in selected 4 stars hotel in Prague (2 nights), in Munich (2 nights), in Venice Mestre (1 night), in Como (3 nights) - Full time bilingual experienced tour manager 24 hours available - Additional tour manager when in Prague - Full time private bus service available about 8/9 hours a day - Half day guided visit of Prague, Munich, Venice and Milan with local tour guides - Entry ticket to Prague Castle
- Entry ticket to Dachau with audio-guides included - Entry to the Allianz Arena and/or San Siro Stadium Tour - Typical Bavarian dinner when in Munich - Dinner by a local nice factory on Italian Alps - Excursion to Bolzano (no guided visit) - Tickets to Serie A Football match - Train ticket for Bernina Express (one way: Tirano-St. Moritz on observation car) - Bag Tags and travel guides - Bus driver and tour manager expenses - Cities entry fee, all parking costs, land taxes DREAM TEAM ITALY SPORTS TOURS: Dream Team Italy has been the preferred travel partner of Bethany Soccer for over a decade. Their professional service, competitive pricing and second-to-none connections have given us the opportunity to see professional matches from such teams as AS Roma, AC Milan, Real Madrid and front row seats to see Lionel Messi set Barcelona s all-time scoring record. We ve also trained with coached from Malmo FC in Sweden and Juventus in Italy. After a number of highly successful trips as a customer, Bethany men s coach Rob Pipal became an American travel representative for the company. His relationship with Dream Team has only enhanced our abilities to take world class trips in a cost effective way CONTACT INFORMATION: While the exact cost of the trip won t be finalized until our travel schedule and additional activities have been finalized. Estimates from recent trips with Dream Team Italy put the cost at right around $3000 per traveler. Between now and our departure date, our men s and women s soccer teams will be doing various fundraising activities to help reduce the costs of this trip. It is our goal to make this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity a reality for every member of our Bethany soccer family. For more information or if you have any questions about this trip, please contact: Derick Lyngholm Rob Pipal Head Coach- or Head Coach- BLC Women s Soccer BLC Men s Soccer 763-242-9090 507-344-7861 dlyngholm@blc.edu rpipal@blc.edu