Salzburg & the Austrian Lake District

Day 1 – St Georgen im Attergau

Scheduled flight from your preferred airport – transfer with our guide in our private executive coach to the 3* Attergauhof Hotel in the village of St Georgen im Attergau.

Day 2 – Kaiservilla at Bad Ischl, St Wolfgang & cruise on Lake Wolfgangsee

Kaiservilla at Bad Ischl, the former summer capital of the great Austro-Hungarian monarchy and associated with the Hapsburgs for at least 700 years, was described by Franz Josef I as ‘heaven on earth’ and it was here on 28th July 1914 that he signed the declaration of war on Serbia that descended into World War I – time at leisure in St Wolfgang or join our optional excursion on the Schafbergbahn, the steepest cogwheel railway in Austria that famously featured in the ‘Sound of Music’ – one way cruise from St Wolfgang to St Gilgen on picturesque Lake Wolfgangsee.

Day 3 – Guided tour of Salzburg & Hellbrunn Palace

Guided tour of the old city of Salzburg, the home of Mozart and the ‘Sound of Music’, takes in sights such as the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Cathedral, Mozart’s birthplace and the Mirabell Palace and Gardens – Hellbrunn Palace, commissioned by Salzburg’s Prince Archbishop Matkus Sittikus von Hohenems in 1612, is one of the most magnificent Renaissance buildings north of the Alps.

Day 4 – Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest & Hallstatt

At Berchtesgaden there is an opportunity to visit Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, given to Hitler as a 50th birthday present – the picturesque town of Hallstatt, often referred to as ‘the pearl of Austria’, was the site of an early Iron Age culture from 800 to 400 BC and is considered to be the oldest, continuously inhabited settlement in Europe – you may choose to visit the Cultural Heritage Museum, displaying 7,000 years of Hallstatt history, or enjoy a cruise on Lake Hallstattersee.

Day 5 – Prien & Herrenchiemsee Castle

Time at leisure in the Bavarian resort of Prien – continue to King Ludwig II’s fairytale Herrenchiemsee Castle sitting magnificently on Lake Chiemsee and constructed to rival the Palace of Versailles – transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight home.