Amazing Switzerland & Germany

Travel

In September 2017 we headed to Germany and Switzerland for 5 wonderful days travelling through the magnificent Swiss mountains. This was then followed by a 9 day Uniworld Discovery River Cruise on the Main & Rhine Rivers of Germany. Scott arranged for our personal driver/ guide Thomas to meet us on arrival at Munich Airport. During the following days we experienced a personalised guided tour of little known St Michael Basilica in Altenstad, Teilberg, Schwangau, Neuschwanstein Castle, Grindelwald (which included train trip and a day at Jungfrau) and stops to Tummelbach Falls, Discentis Abbey, a full day at Lake Konstanz. A special highlight was wandering through the beautiful village of Brienz & enjoying a relaxed coffee and apple strudel at Loft Chalet. For anyone travelling in this area we would recommend overnight stops at Grindelwald, Hohenschangau and the Steigenberger Insel hotel, the wonderful monastery accommodation on the shores of Lake Konstanz. Our time at Mainau – Inselplan (Ilse of Flowers) was a total delight. Our guide Thomas added so much local knowledge to each stop and was flexible so that we could indicate our preferences for the day/time. We were able to visit many destinations not on the regular tourist route and spend time where we chose rather than having to follow a set guided tour with large groups. Because of his local knowledge Thomas was able to arrange visits that allowed us time to explore such treasures as roman bath ruins before heading to the Teilberg Cable Car, personalised visits to small country churches, village bakeries and dairies enjoying goats cheese’s and breads & a wonderful wide variety of local cuisine.

We arrived at Munich again via the Rhine Falls at Basel, having travelled in our rental car with Thomas over 1800kms through the most spectacular mountain peaks and picturesque villages, experiencing three alpine passes, walking on glaciers and stopping at awe-inspiring mountain vistas.

Our Uniworld cruise on the Main & Rhine Rivers provided a complimenting more relaxed journey through vineyards and castles, churches and historic points with thought provoking visits to much of Hitler’s Germany, including a day at Dachau Concentration Camp. Lectures on board provided insights into the places we would visit and events of past times. Our land content tours covered Nueremberg, Bamberg, Wuzberg, Karlstadt, Mittenberg, Aschhaffenburg, Baubach and finally Cologne .Tour groups with excellent local guides were limited to 20 often smaller numbers depending on the level of physical activity. Staff on board were without fault and nothing was too much trouble, all meals were served with local produce and wines from the districts we were travelling through. Each night we were provided with information sessions on the day’s wines and local delicacies. Our holiday may have been limited in time however each day filled with new experiences .

Robyn, Russell, Jennifer & Matthew Hamilton (Clients)