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Group Tour Operator for holidays to Austria

Gems of Austria including Salzburg and Zell am See

  • Night view of Salzburg in winter ©Tourismus Salzburg GmbH

    Austria, Salzburg, winter, christmas markets
  • Hallstatt in winter ©Osterreich Werbung, Photographer Popp Hackner

    Austria, Hallstatt, winter wonderland, group travel
  • Grossglockner Pass, Austria

    Grossglockner Pass, Austria
9 day tour
Price on request

Highly Recommended

During this tour of Austria, visit many of its highlights in both the Tyrol and Salzburgerland. From fairytale cities to sparkling lakes and dramatic scenery, step into the wonderland of Austria!

Visit stunning Zell am See, a charming town on the shore of Lake Zell. While exploring the town, be sure to admire it from the water with a relaxing and scenic lake cruise. You will also explore Hallstatt and Wolfgangsee. The shores of these pristine, crystal waters are scattered with enchanting little towns. Beyond the villages, the banks rise up sharply to the dramatic peaks of the mountainous landscape.

Further wonders await in Salzburg – a city so beautiful it belongs in a fairy story. A dramatic castle perches above the city, overlooking the town’s green domes and spires. Perhaps explore the city’s musical heritage. Mozart fans can visit his birthplace, now a museum, while others may choose to visit the places seen in The Sound of Music. This charming city offers visitors a range of exciting attractions, as well as wonderful coffee houses and delicious cakes.

With an abundance of beautiful scenery and a sprinkling of beautiful towns, this tour features many of Austria’s highlights. Furthermore, there is the option to add an extra day to visit the mighty Eagles’ Nest in Germany.


Dates

Dates throughout 2024 and 2025


Suggested itinerary by coach

Day 1/2

Travel from the UK to Austria

Take the short sea ferry crossing from Dover to Calais and continue south through France for an overnight stop.  Continue the next morning, driving through Germany and arrive at your hotel in Austria for the next 6 nights.  If time permits, enjoy a stroll around the local area before dinner at the hotel.

Day 3

Tirol – Steam train, Cruise and Kitzbühel

After making the short drive to Zell am See, a busy town which has long been a favourite with visitors from the UK, board the historic Pinzgau steam train for a one-way journey along the Ziller valley passing alpine scenery towards Mittersill** where our coach awaits.  Drive on to medieval Kitzbühel where there will be time to explore this town of colourful buildings.  Return to Zell am See by coach and embark on a relaxing round trip lake cruise: with the Hohe Tauern mountains behind, the setting is intoxicatingly beautiful. Enjoy a stroll along the cobbled streets of the historic town centre or take a cable car for more mountain-top views.   Back to the hotel in time for dinner.

(**disembarkation station could change depending on schedules but will not affect the days’ itinerary.  Also the excursion may done in reverse depending upon train schedules and availability)

Day 4

At leisure

There’s free time today to relax and enjoy the facilities of the hotel and explore the local area.

Day 5

Panoramic Grossglockner Pass

A panoramic drive across the Grossglockner Pass, one of the most spectacular roads in the Alps and one of Europe’s most scenic drives (toll payable locally). Every kilometre and every single one of the 36 turns of this High Alpine Road is a treat! Enjoy spectacular 360° views from the summit of the pass where there is a visitors centre and observation tower.  Enjoy some free time in the quintessentially and picturesque Tyrolean village of Heiligenblut facing the highest mountain in Austria, the Grossglockner.  Here you will be able to get something to eat and/or drink before the return journey.

Day 6

Austrian Lake District – Hallstatt and St Wolfgang

Hallstatt is one of the Lake District’s most beautiful and most photographed lakeside villages in Austria. Wander along the lakeside promenade and make sure to visit the Chapel of the Skulls!  After some time to enjoy the town continue by coach to St. Wolfgang for a leisurely round trip cruise over the flawless crystal waters of Wolfgangsee.  Back in St. Wolfgang make sure to visit the ‘White Horse Inn’ hotel, which was used in a scene from the film ‘The Sound of Music’.

Hallstatt: Optional lake cruise or a visit to the oldest Salt Mine in the World ‘Saltwelten Hallstatt’. Details on request.

Day 7

Salzburg: Mozart and ‘The Sound of Music’

Today, we enjoy a full day excursion today to the fairytale city of Salzburg. The birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the setting for many of the scenes in ‘The Sound of Music’, Salzburg is filled with musical heritage. The Old Town overflows with character. Amble along the cobbled streets under iron-wrought shop signs and be transported back in time. Perhaps take a funicular up to the medieval Hohensalzburg fortress for wonderful views over the city or take an optional guided walking tour to uncover the city’s secrets, then spend time exploring the Old Town.

Specialist/themed guided tours are available (eg Mozart or Sound of Music) – details on request

Day 8-9

Return to the UK

Its time to leave Austria behind and travel into France for an overnight stay before continuing the next day to Calais.  Take the short sea ferry crossing to the UK, disembark and head homewards.

Optional Extra Day

Königssee and ‘Eagle’s Nest’ (Seasonal operation)

Cross the border into Bavaria, Germany, to the beautiful lake of Königssee with crystal clear water that reflects the surrounding mountains. A visit to the Eagle’s Nest (mid-May to October only) is a must.  Once Hitler’s mountain-top residence, it has been transformed into a remarkable visitor attraction that’s part museum and part restaurant. Specially equipped mountain buses take you along a spectacular 6.5km route up to the rock face.  From here a luxurious brass lift will whisk you up inside the mountain to the ‘Kehlsteinhaus’ itself.   It hardly needs saying that the views are simply stunning. From over 1800 metres up, gaze across the tops of the majestic Bavarian and Austrian Alps. Groups must be booked in advance/payment direct on arrival.  If time allows, cruises on Königssee are also possible.  There are a few souvenir shops and cafes at the lakeside.


Suggested hotels

Hotel Lukashansl, Bruck ***

Family-run hotel with a long tradition. The hotel prides itself on using its own homemade produce from the farm and mountain pastures. Excellent entertainment programmes throughout the summer. Coach parking next to the hotel.

Hotel Brückenwirt, St Johann im Pongau ****

Popular, centrally-located family-run hotel. All bedrooms with balcony and seating area. The hotel has a lift to all floors, restaurant with menu choice for dinner, café and sun terrace. Free entrance to wellness area and sauna. Live music and dancing (seasonal). Coach parking for 2 coaches available a few meters away but coach can load/unload in front of the hotel.


You may also be interested in:

Little Trains and Boats of Austria – BEST SELLER

Lake Constance: One Lake, Four Countries


Half Twin Single Supplement
2024 and 2025 dates Price on request Price on request
Price based on exchange rate of £1.00 = €1.13. All prices are per person based on sharing a double or twin room and with one free place in a single room, based on a minimum 25 full fare paying passengers. Prices do not include UK coach hire or travel insurance. Dates are subject to availability. Smaller groups can be quoted for on request. Greatdays Holidays Limited is a member of ABTA (Y0380) which means you have the benefit of ABTA's assistance and Code of Conduct. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. Greatdays Holidays Limited has an ATOL licence (4279) and all of our air package tours are protected under this licence. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the Civil Aviation Authority will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any monies you have paid to us for an advance booking. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this tour are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate. Our website policy is to use only copyright free images or images which have been authorised to us for free use by the owner. If you consider an image to be unauthorised or to be your property, please contact us immediately and if invalid we will have the image removed. If your image requires crediting or is missing a copyright statement then we will be pleased to add this to the webpage, contact us at info@greatdays.co.uk

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