Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Oh! The places you will see
Evening view at the Hotel Zechmeisterlehen, Berchtesgaden
Grand European Adventure
Rita & Mike Hurd
Itinerary
April 24 – May 27, 2015
Highlights of this private, custom-designed tour for Rita and Mike Hurd include:
- Vienna, Austria (3)
- Berchtesgaden, Germany (2)
- Villach, Austria (1)
- Venice, Italy (3)
- Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy (3)
- Rome, Italy (3)
- Orvieto, Umbria, Italy (2)
- Florence, Italy (3)
- Sestri Levante (Italian Riviera) (2)
- Moncalieri, Italy (1)
- St-Martin-de-la-Cluze, France (2) near Grenoble
- Beaune, Burgundy, France (2)
- Yonne Region of Burgundy, France (2)
- Paris, France (4)
What makes this private tour extra special:
This tour, designed just for the two of you and built entirely around your interests ensures attention from your Trip Captain and allows flexibility in travel and sightseeing.
In the Hofburg Palace Courtyard
DAYS 1, 2, 3 - April 24, 25, 26
Arrival at Vienna International Airport
Vienna (3)
MORNING OF ARRIVAL- You’re met by your tour guide, Jenean Derheim at the airport. Jenean will be waiting for you just outside the customs area
You travel in a roomy rented car or our full-size van to the center of Vienna for a three-night stay near the Vienna Opera and other sites within walking distance. During our time in Vienna, Jenean will arrange for tickets to classical music concert options, to be determined and as your interest dictates.
As discussed in our telephone conversation, your first day will be spent doing only a minimum of sight-seeing and acclimating to the time difference – Jim and Jenean’s tried-and-true formula for beating jet lag.
Grand Hotel Wien, Vienna (3)
http://www.grandhotelwien.at/
Grand Hotel Wien, Vienna (3)
http://www.grandhotelwien.at/
Dinner included the night of your arrival, April 24
The luxurious Zechmeisterlehen Hotel
Days 4, 5 – April 27, 28:
Berchtesgaden, Germany (2)
Moving on, we travel to a beautiful area just over the border from Salzburg, Austria, to Berchtesgaden, Germany. We stay two nights at our favorite spa hotel The hotel we have in mind has heated indoor pool, saunas, massage available, other beauty and pampering treatments available plus fantastic food and a breakfast buffet you have to see to believe. Rooms are gorgeous and feature splendid views of the Alps.
Dinner is included in both nights while at this Alpen Spa Hotel, served in their dining room.
Alpenhotel Zechmeisterlehen, Berchtesgaden (2)
http://lang.zechmeisterlehen.
Alpenhotel Zechmeisterlehen, Berchtesgaden (2)
http://lang.zechmeisterlehen.
Mountain Majesty around Berchtesgaden
Day 6 – April 29
Villach, Austria (1)
We have a beautiful drive today as we start our way south toward Italy. We break up the drive by staying overnight in Villach, Austria.
Dinner included this evening at the Warmbaderhof Hotel’s restaurant.
Warmbaderhof, Villach (1)
http://www.warmbaderhof.com/
Warmbaderhof, Villach (1)
http://www.warmbaderhof.com/
Days 7,8,9 – April 30, May 1, 2
Venice, Italy (3)
Arriving in Venice, we leave the car in parking garage near the port. As Venice is a series of islands, no cars are allowed or even possible in the heart of the city where we are staying. After parking the car, Jenean takes you, via a private water taxi, into the city and to a dock close to your hotel.
This will be an awesome experience for you. You are now entering one of the world’s most captivating and special cities, and you’re doing it in a comfortable taxi unlike any other that you have encountered before.
We’re dropped at a place just a few minutes from our hotel where we stay three nights.
In Venice, Jenean takes you to the Basilica of San Marco. In addition, there’s plenty of great shopping, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary & Modern Art, and a variety of concerts around the city.
On one of the days, we can make excursions to the islands of Murano (famous for its glass works and Burano (famous for its lace and fabrics), if there’s interest.
Dinner is included the first night we’re in Venice, April 30
Ai Cavalieri, Venice (3)
http://www.hotelaicavalieri.
Ai Cavalieri, Venice (3)
http://www.hotelaicavalieri.
DAYS 10, 11, 12 – May 3, 4, 5
Montepulciano, Italy (3)
We stay at a serene and gracious villa with gorgeous views of the rolling Tuscan countryside and vineyards. Here, you’re able to enjoy the wonderful ambience of the gardens and grounds. There is a swimming pool but likely it will be too cold at this time of the year, as it is not heated by anything other than the sun.
We are perfectly situated to explore these parts of Tuscany, including several charming hamlets and villages, and enjoy wine tastings of the region.
Gorgeous countryside near Pienza
Days 13, 14, 15 – May 6, 7, 8
Rome (3)
Rome (the Eternal City) is an awesome experience. You make your home base for the next three nights at a lovely hotel in a quiet neighborhood on the Aventine Hill, one of the seven hills of ancient Rome. This was once a district of villas for the rich and powerful. Now it’s an upper middle class neighborhood with a scattering of boutique hotels. We check into the hotel park the car for the duration of our stay. Driving in Rome is restricted to taxis and residents so we get around by taxi and by foot.
Highlights of the next days:
· The Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum
· IF YOU’RE INTERESTED: The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel plus St. Peter’s (where an advance entry will be purchased to minimize wait times)
· The tomb of Hadrian
· The Pantheon (oldest church in Rome)
· Trevi Fountain
· Spanish Steps
· Shopping
Dinner is included the first night in Rome, May 9
Hotel San Anselmo, Rome (3)
http://www.aventinohotels.com/
Hotel San Anselmo, Rome (3)
http://www.aventinohotels.com/
View over the amazing Roman Forum
DAYS 16, 17 – May 9, 10:
Orvieto, Umbria (2)
Time to start making our way back up north to the outskirts of Orvieto. Orvieto is situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tufa (a porous limestone). The site of the city is among the most dramatic in Europe, rising above the almost-vertical faces of Tufa. The city was virtually impregnable; it was last conquered by Julius Caesar.
Here's where we stay at one of our all-time favorite inns (and a consistent favorite of our guests). We're hosted by Giampiero, who runs this "agriturismo" inn. Most of the products served come from the farm. Dinners are served in the big, comfy dining area "alla Famiglia."
Locanda Rosati (2)
http://www.locandarosati.it/
Locanda Rosati (2)
http://www.locandarosati.it/
Locanda Rosati
Dinner is included both nights of your stay here, served at the “Locanda.”
The Orvieto Cathedral dates mainly from the early 1300s
DAYS 18, 19, 20 – May 11, 12, 13
Florence, Italy (3)
Staying three nights to ensure that there is plenty of time for shopping for custom leather goods and seeing other important sites.
Other suggestions for Florence:
· Ponte Vecchio, the old merchant bridge
· The Cathedral and Bell Tower (you can climb to the top for an awesome view)
· Shopping
· Gelato!
· Burial place of Galileo and Michelangelo
· Florence is famous for fine leather goods. If you want to visit one of the best shops ($$$) Jenean is familiar with the family who owns it since more than 50 years
· Possible visit with the shoe maker that Rita mentioned
Birthplace of the European Renaissance, the incredible city of Florence
Sestri Levante (2)
A logistical bonus as we head north toward France – a two-night stay at a beach side hotel on the Italian Riviera.
The stunning cliffs of the "Cinque Terre"
Moncalieri, Italy (1)
We’ll have a pretty drive today, traveling north following Italy’s coast and then spending the night in the foothills of the Alps in a town that Jenean’s grandfather’s family comes from.
Dinner is included in the form of a “picnic” dinner to enjoy in your apartment.
Le Serre, Moncalieri (1)
http://www.leserretorino.com/
Le Serre, Moncalieri (1)
http://www.leserretorino.com/
DAYS 24, 25 – May 17, 18:
Near Grenoble, France (2)
Chateau du Paquier
You’re in store for more incredible vistas, driving through the Italian and French Alps today. We stay the next two nights in a tiny hamlet near Grenoble in a 16th Century chateau that James and Jenean just happened upon several years ago. We’re always ecstatic when there’s an opportunity to return. The chateau is owned by a lovely and gracious couple. The rooms, grounds and food are all remarkable.
Chateau de Paquier, St Martin de la Cluze (2)
http://chateau.de.paquier.
Chateau de Paquier, St Martin de la Cluze (2)
http://chateau.de.paquier.
Be certain to ask where the tiny footprint can be seen!
Dinner is included both nights of your stay here, served at the property. One night will be a “pique-nique”.
DAYS 26, 27 – May 19, 20
Beaune, Burgundy, France (2)
Welcome to the bread-basket of France – land of wonderful wines, picturesque and important historic villages, a beautiful abbey, lazy rivers and waterways, and amazing food.
We stay two nights in the heart of the Cote-d’Or, one of the most recognized wine regions of Burgundy. In Beaune, we:
· Visit the l’Hospice de Beaune, formerly an almshouse in the founded in 1443 and is considered one of the finest examples of French 15th Century architecture.
· Take part in a self-guided wine tasting experience
· Take part in a semi-private Market Tours and Cooking Class which includes a 5-course lunch with wine
A quiet street in Beaune
Nitry, Yonne, Burgundy (2)
Moving into the western regions of Burgundy, we are perfectly situated to discover some of the amazing and fairy-tale villages in this part of Burgundy, including:
· Noyers-sur-Serein
· Abbaye de Fontenay
· Semur-en-Auxois
· The UNESCO World Heritage site of Vezelay, where the basilica is an important part of an ancient pilgrimage route and purported to have relics of Mary Magdelene
We spend two nights in yet another inn that is a favorite of European Focus and its guests. The owner, Serge, has lovingly converted the family farm buildings to a charming country inn with themed rooms. People come from all over to dine in the restaurant that specializes in recipes of Burgundy.
Semur-en-Auxois
Auberge la Beursaudiere, Nitry (2)
http://www.beursaudiere.com/
DAYS 30, 31, 32, 33– May 23, 24, 25, 26
Sightseeing including:
· One-hour orientation cruise on the Seine past the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Diana memorial and much more.
· The Notre Dame cathedral
· Montmarte and Sacre Couer
· Shopping time in St. Germain des Pres right near our hotel, as well as other districts
· Eiffel Tower at night, a spectacular sight! We arrange a taxi for your family and pick up the tab.
· Louvre
· Other interests as discussed
Dinner is included the last night of your stay, May 26
Notre Dame Cathedral
DAY 34, May 27
Departure from Paris Charles de Gaulle International back to the United States
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