espt-brru

EUROPE II

DAY 1 ZURICH – LUCERNE – ZURICH

Panoramic tour of Zurich, where we can contemplate the Bahnohofstrasse, famous commercial street, and one of the prettiest commercial streets in Europe, and main artery of Zurich; it extends from the Central Station up to the Lake. The street was projected in the 19th century, after the opeing of the station, taking as its model the Champs-Élysées of Paris. Lindenhof Hill, one of the primitive walls of the present-day Zurich; the old Fishermen’s Neighborhood (Schippe), the oldest bridge in Zurich, the Rathaus-Brücke, Town Hall, constructed between 1694 and 1698 in Renaissance style, the Church of Saint Peter, the oldest in the city and with the  largest spherical clock in Europe  (8,7 meters in diameter), Fraumünster Abbey, known for the windows by Marc Chagall and Augusto Giacometti, and the Grossmünster, a temple in Romanesque style that played very important role in the Protestant Reforms. Lunch. Departure for Lucerne. Panoramic tour of the city where the Dying Lion, symbol of the city and one of the most famous monuments in the country, the Bridge of the Chapel, constructed in 1333, adorned with numerous paintings, evocative of war exploits and the martyrdom of the saints and patrons of the city, and the impressive octagonal-shaped water tower stand out. Return to Zurich. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 2 ZURICH – THE RHINE FALLS – FREIBURG

Breakfast and departure to take one of the prettiest excursions that can be taken inside of Switzerland. We will leave for Schaffhaussen, where nature managed a perfect synthesis between trees, mountains and wild streams. In Schaffhaussen we will enjoy free time to contemplate the Rhine Falls, whose waterfalls are so beautiful  and spectacular, measuring 150 meters wide and 23 meters high. Lunch. Departure for Freiburg, one of the most representative cities in the German Black Forest. Panoramic tour of the city. The 900 years of history gives Freiburg a good artistic heritage, as we especially highlight the Cathedral. During the tour we can  contemplate what began in Romanesque style around 1200, but soon turned to Gothic, the dominant style of the building. In Freiburg they say that the tower of the Cathedral is the most beautiful in Christendom, and that the Cathedral is the only one in Germany constructed completely in the Middle Ages. theCathedral Square, with buildings like the Archbishop palace, constructed in 1756, the Kaufhaus, finance and commerce building, from the 15th century, the Wentzinger Haus, from 1761, that contains the History Museum of the city.  Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 3 FREIBURG – BADEN BADEN – MUNICH

Breakfast. Departure for Baden Baden. For the quality as summer capital in Europe  during the Belle Époque, and point of encounter for the wealthy, Baden-Baden is known throughout the the world as a city of culture and spas, with an excellent reputation in health care. With its splendorous parties and elegance without comparison, it presumes the quintessence of exclusivity, nobility and the style of a luxiorious life. Nestled  in the beautiful landscape of the Black Forest, Baden-Baden offers the most excepcional setting imaginable to develop whatever cultural and health program. The hot water of the spring rises up from a depth of 2,000 m allowing visitors from all over the world to enjoy it in the twelve thermal fountains in the city. Panoramic tour of the city, where we can contemplate the New Castle, old Renaissance construction built over an earlier construction from the 14th century. It rises above the city and is in the middle of a beautifully wooded garden area. The Stiftskirche, a beautiful Catholic Church that is situated near the castle and that belonged to a convent until the beginning of the 19th century. The Kurhaus, which houses the famous  and luxurious casino of Baden Baden, powerful building constructed at the beginning of the 19th century, with rooms for the the ample social life of the town, galas, dances, concerts, etc. Very near is the Trinkhalle, sumptuous gallery of Corinthian columns built at the end of the 19th century, where one can drink water from the springs. The impressive Lichtentaler mall, three kilometers long, flanked by parks and gardens. The Roman Baths, found in 1847 and that bear witness to the antiquity of the use of thermal fountains. Lunch. Departure for Munich. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 4 MUNICH – FÜSSEN – SALZBURG

Breakfast. Panoramic tour of the city, where we can contemplate the famous Marienplatz, where there is the New Town Hall with its façade decorated with innumberable figures and the famous  carillon, the fifth largest in Europe. The carillon of Munich is famous for its 43 bells that can play 3 different melodies and is made up of 32 copper figures. The Viktualienmarkt, the famous “Hofbräuhaus” brewery, built in 1589 and where they say Hitler gave his talks at the beginning when he was not yet popular. The Frauenkirche Cathedral, the Church of Saint Peter, the National Theater, the Hofgarten or court gardens, the Residence of the Bvarian kings, the Feldherrenhalle or Field Marshalls Hall, the Church of the Teatinos, Maximilianstrasse, the golden street of Munich. Lunch en route. Departure for Füssen to visit the impressive castle of Neuschwanstein, contructed on orders from Ludwig II of Bavaria, the “Mad King,”  in 1866. Nestled in the middle of mountains and lakes, Neuschwanstein was designed by the architect Christian Jank, and it presents several architectural styles. In the castle we will be able to see the service rooms, the throne room, the bedroom, the office, the room of the cantores, the kitchen, etc. Walt Disney took as his model the castle of Neuschwanstein for the design of the castle for “Sleeping Beauty”. We continue journey to Salzburg. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 5 SALZBURG –LAKE REGION –SALZBURG

Breakfast. City tour, nestled  in a lovely territory, with an urban structure riddled with beautiful monuments and typical corners. Salzburg has a distinct silhouette. Its towers and rooftops extend in the urban texture revealing vestiges from different styles, most notably the baroque, with the Cathedral as one of the most prominent elements. In addition to the baroque, there are also Gothic and Romanesque footprints, and a framework of stately houses that attest to a wealthy bougeoisie sensitive to beauty. Fountains, statues gardens and a river that runs vigorously through the middle of the city, complete an agreeable image, in the middle of green and mountainous surroundings. During the walk we will be able to admire the main monuments of the city, including the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Cathedral, the Franciscan Church, the neighborhood of Saint Peter with its famous monastery, the birth home of Mozart, Mirabell Gardens on the other bank of the Salzach River. Lunch. In the afternoon, we will take an excursion to the Lake Area, that covers the North area of the state of Salzburgerland the south of Upper Austria, with a landscape and more than 300 lakes with crystaline water surrounded by magicals mountains that rise up to 3000 meters. Bad Ischl, small imperial city that was the official summer residence of the emperor Franz Joseph. Little and enchanting towns full of history such as St.Wolfgang, St.Gilgen (the town of Mozart), that surround the lakes of Wolfgang, and Lake Hallstätter. In Lakes Atter, Mond and Traun enchanting towns hug the shores. In the region there is also Hallstat, a small town declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, also known as the Pearl of Austria. Return to Salzburg and free time. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 6 SALZBURG – VIENNA

Breakfast and departure for Vienna. Lunch. Panoramic tour of the city, whose historic center is, since 2001, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We will be able to contemplate Parliament, with a neoclassical façade and Hellenistic pilars, the impressive Cathedral of Saint Steven, the most embelmatic monument in Vienna, the Hoffburg, Winter residence of the emperors, the Burgtheater or National Theater, the Opera House, one of the most important opera theaters of the greatest prestige and tradition in the world, etc. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 7 VIENNA

Breakfast and departure to visit Schönbrunn Palace. Former summer residence of the family of the emperor, it is one of the most impressive baroque constructions in Europe. It was the wife  of Emperor Ferndinand II who ordered in 1642 the construction of a summer Residence, to which he gave the name of “Schönbrunn”. The palace and the gardens were totally reformed on behalf of Maria Theresa after 1743. It has private salons and numerous rooms, and the Habsburgs lived in it the greater part of the year. The rooms, decorated in Rococo style, call attention to themselves due to their sumptousness, in the case of the official salons, or due to their simpleness, as in the rooms that belonged to Franz Joseph and the Empress Elizabeth (Sissi), which contain a number of objects that remind us of them. Some of the most striking rooms in the palace are the Grand Gallery, used to celebrate imperial banquets, the Circular Chinese Salon, used by Maria Theresa to have private conversations with Iher chancellor, the Breakfast Salon, or the blue Chinese Salon, which saw Charles I abdicate in the year 1918. A few steps from the palace we can admire the magnificant coronation carriage in the Carriage Museum. The palace park invites the visitor to stroll through it just like in the time of the Emperor. Lunch and Tour of the Hofburg, the largest palace in the city, with more than 2,600 rooms in 18 wings. Until 1918 the Imperial Palace was the center of the vast empire of the Habsburgs. They made a sumptuous design for a large area that once was planned as the “Emperor’s Forum”; from the “Ancient Court”, which dates from the 12th century, to the newest part, from the beginning of the 20th century, today the Imperial Palace of Vienna serves as the residence of the President of Austria. We will see 19 rooms of what has been the residence of the Habsburgs for more than 600 years, visiting the official rooms, in addition to the private ones in which Emperor Franz Joseph and the Empress Elizabeth, the offices, salons, dressing rooms and bedrooms. The rooms are perfectly decorated and furnished, giving testimony to the esplendor of the Habsburg monarchy, in addition to their personal history. Dinner and lodging.

DAY 8 VIENNA

Breakfast and END OF TRIP