Tour Code: 943-588

2-7 Day Central Europe Flexible Tour from Zurich - Blue Loop

After breakfast, we’ll begin with a survey tour of Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, and drive on to visit the Rhine Falls, the largest single waterfall in Europe, which measures 150 meters across at its widest point. We’ll then continue with our tour, winding through a portion of the fairytale Black Forest, so called for the sheer number of conifer trees that densely fill the forest soil, blocking out much of the light from within. We’ll emerge at Titisee, a small town at the edge of Lake Titisee, where the cuckoo clock was first invented. While there, we’ll eat lunch, which will include a dessert course of the famous Black Forest cake. We’ll then return to Frankfurt, Germany, where we should arrive in the evening.

From Frankfurt, we set out in the morning for Prague, the lovely capital city of the Czech Republic. The thousand-year history of the city is deeply colored by past conflict, from the days of the Holy Roman Empire, through both World Wars, the Velvet Revolution and the end of Communist rule in 1989. In this prominent city, we’ll spend the night.

Our morning sightseeing tour highlights St. Vitus Cathedral; beautiful gardens at Na Valech and Rajska Zahrada; the Golden Lane*; the Charles Bridge; and the Old Town Square with its Astronomical Clock. In the afternoon, we’ll spend time at the Wenceslas Square, a boulevard-like thoroughfare which boasts many theatres and cinemas, restaurants, shops, stores, banks, and commercial centers. Featured in the square is the St. Wenceslas Statue in the center median, and the Czech National Museum, which flanks its southeast side. From one capital to the next, we leave Prague for Bratislava, across the border into Slovakia. Here we’ll visit St. Martin’s Cathedral, among the biggest, most elaborate, and oldest churches in all of Slovakia. We’ll remain in Bratislava overnight.

After breakfast in Bratislava, we’ll drive to Budapest. This city has been lauded as one of the most beautiful in Europe, and perennially ranks among Eastern Europe’s most livable destinations. Once two separate cities, Budapest is divided by the Danube River into Buda, on the west bank, and Pest on the east. First we’ll explore the western half of the city, seeing the Fisherman’s Bastion* and Matthias Church*, at the heart of the Buda Castle district. Then we’ll cross the Danube over the Elizabeth Bridge, one of the newest to connect the two sides of the city, and stop at Heroes’ Square, where an arc of statues commemorates the many heroes in Hungary’s storied past. We’ll stay overnight in Budapest.

On this day, our destination is Vienna, the capital city of the Republic of Austria. Vienna is a key center for international diplomacy, hosting such vital organizations as the United Nations and OPEC. Once in the city, we’ll visit Empress Maria Theresa's favorite palace at Schonbrunn*, former summer residence of the Hapsburg Imperial family (and considered one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Europe), Stadtpark and the popular Johann Strauss monument, the Austrian Parliament Building, the world famous Vienna State Opera House, the Soviet War Memorial, and impressive baroque Church of St. Charles Borromeo. A stroll along the Kartnerstrasse with its glamorous boutiques brings us to St. Stephen's Cathedral. (And for music lovers, Vienna is widely considered the classical music capital of the world, so check with your tour guide to arrange a Viennese Waltz concert* of classical music for you.)

In the morning, we’ll leave Vienna and pass through the Abbey of Melk on the river Danube as we drive to Salzburg. Once there, we’ll proceed on foot as we explore the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart*. Although Salzburg is ranked as Austria’s fourth-largest city, it has held on firmly to its history, considered one of the best preserved city centers north of the Alps. In the mid-1950s, the city contributed its historic scenery to the movie, The Sound of Music. After experiencing Salzburg, we’ll move on to Innsbruck for a night’s rest.

From Innsbruck in the morning, we make our way toward Switzerland, stopping at Engelberg to ride the world's first revolving cable car* that takes approximately 45 minutes to bring you to the top of Switzerland’s highest vantage point atop Mt. Titlis. The cable car will give you a 360 degree view of the country as you slowly crawl through the sky. After lunch on the mountain, we’ll descend to the city of Lucerne to view the medieval scenery and architecture, walk across the wooden Kapell Bridge, and alongside the lovely Lake Lucerne. We’ll see the Lion Monument carved into the rock above the water, and then we’ll enjoy some free time to shop for Swiss watches and other specialties, before proceeding to Zurich .

If you want to end the tour in Zurich, please contact us before booking.

*Optional activity; fee not included in tour price. See “Exclusions” for cost details.

IMPORTANT! Itinerary and End City Variations:
We constantly strives to improve tour itineraries and features. If such improvements can be made, or unforeseen circumstances beyond our control make changes necessary - we reserve the right to vary the end cities and to substitute hotels. At certain peak periods duplicate departures may operate, and sometimes in reverse order in which case hotels may vary from those stated on the itinerary pages.