Austrian-Hungarian Lands: A Family Driving Holiday
Itinerary Map …where you will travel…
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It all goes back a long, long time…
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Journey of Discovery…
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Day-by-day…
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What’s included
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Itinerary Map
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Day1 Salzburg (Austria) – Arrive in Salzburg as per your own arrangements; we will be there to welcome you
Day8 In and around Istria (Croatia) – Exploring the hidden Gem that is Istria: Superb seafood, olive oil and an ancient, charming port village
Day2 In and around Salzburg (Austria) – We propose a visit to Austria’s most romantic city, Salzburg
Day9 In and around Istria (Croatia) – Exploring the hidden gem that is Istria: Truffles, back roads, or a relaxing day in your seaside hotel?
Day3 Salzburg (Austria) to South Tyrol (Italy) – Cross the Austrian Alps on your way to The Dolomiti mountains of northern Italy
Day10 Istria (Croatia) to Otocec (Slovenia) – Beginning to head north again toward Vienna
Day4 & Day 5 In and around South Tyrol (Italy) – Two days in the UNESCO Dolomiti of Northern Italy
Day11 Otocec (Slovenia) to Vienna (Austria) – On back roads to the erstwhile Austrian-Hungarian Capital
Day6 South Tyrol (Italy) to Dobrovo (Slovenia) – On your way from Summit to Sea, a stop in the Slovenian countryside…
Day12 In Vienna (Austria) – Explore Vienna: Art and culture as a way of life
Day7 Dobrovo (Slovenia) to Istria (Croatia) – A visit to the magical Lipican stud farm and then on to the ocean
Day13 In Vienna (Austria) – You’re on your own from today, but if there is anything we can do to help, just let us know….
International Brands Shopping Local/Handicraft Shopping
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It all goes back a long, long time... Europe is the cradle of the motorcar and private motoring. Ever since Karl Benz’s 1886 Motorwagen, people have taken pride in owning a car and being in its driver’s seat. Driving in a beautiful car bespeaks privilege, freedom, privacy, and, especially in a cabriolet, allows one to be in communion with the elements and natural beauty: soak up the sunshine, feel the wind in your hair, smell the fresh air and the scents of freshly cut grass. Besides, there is the sheer pleasure of being in control, of directing the course of travel: to turn, to go, to stop where and when you feel like it. These are pleasures that Europeans were the first to enjoy. Most evidently, these are pleasures that can be shared by couples. While it is often the gentleman who takes the driving seat, it was in fact Bertha Benz who undertook the first driving journey (with their two children) in the world. Driving journeys in a cabriolet is something that women have enjoyed ever since, whether as companion or driver. Discovering the world by means of a driving journey is a unique pleasure that we want to share with you!
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In Salzburg’s Lake Region…
A CASTLE by any other name in Salzburg’s LAKE REGION…”
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Starting your DAY in SALZBURG…the view from YOUR hotel ROOM”
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LUXURIOUS rooms inside the CASTLE...”
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The Gwandhaus in Slazburg
A MEMORABLE place for a simple LUNCH”
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Riding in a Fiaker, a horse-drawn carriage in Salzburg
The most BEAUTIFUL RIDE into SALZBURG”
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View of Salzburg’s magnificent public gardens
SALZBURG, one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL cities in the world”
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View of Salzburg at dusk
If there is one ROMANTIC city in Austria, then it is SALZBURG�
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A HIDDEN GEM of a restaurant where ONLY LOCALS GO...”
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YOUR VIEW across the Wolfgang See...”
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The Grossglockner High Alpine Road
The GROSSGLOCKNER... Austria’s tallest mountain and the focus of a GORGEOUS ROAD across the ALPS...”
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On the Seiser Alm, South Tyrol
The DOLOMITI are a PARADISE for hiking and enjoying the GREAT OUTDOORS of the ALPS...”
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South Tyrol, a farming region of LONG, LONG TRADITIONS!”
A farmer’s life in South Tyrol
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Roast chestnuts, typical in South Tyrol
In South Tyrol, a FOODIE PARADISE of haute cuisine and local produce and techniques…!”
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WHENEVER possible, taste local delicacies…”
Speck and Schuettelbrot in South Tyrol
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For your STAY in the DOLOMITI, a beautiful hotel in ALPINE STYLE...”
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And what ARE they LOOKING at?”
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YOU enjoying ALPINE BLISS...on a FINE DAY in the South Tyrolean ALPS...”
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In Lipica, Slovenia
REARING Austria-Hungary’s IMPERIAL HORSES…”
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SUMMIT to SEA: You have ARRIVED at the ADRIATIC SEA...”
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An elegant HOTEL for YOU by the OCEAN...”
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ISTRIA is FOODIE heaven…start with OLIVE oil from beautiful trees such as these...”
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ISTRIA is FOODIE heaven... LANGOUSTINES and other seafood and much more...”
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Motovun, Istria, Croatia
From ANCIENT villages on HILL CRESTS...”
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...to ALLEYWAYS by the SEASIDE... all in ISTRIA…”
In Rovinj, Istria, Croatia
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Your hotel in REMOTE SLOVENIA...”
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South Styria, Austria
Lovely ROADS in AUSTRIA’s TUSCANY...”
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The Imperial Palace in Vienna‌
A SIGHT to BEHOLD in VIENNA’s 1st District…”
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Austria’s National Library…
ONLY ONE of so many unique TREASURES in VIENNA…”
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The VIENNESE CAN and DO spend their lives in their beloved KAFFEEHÄUSER…”
A typical Viennese Kaffeehaus (coffee shop)
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Shopping for something special in Vienna?
One of Austria’s PRIDES…the most DELICATE of CHINAs...”
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For you, a GRAND Hotel for a GRAND city…”
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Your hotel in Vienna�
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Day 1 Arrive in Salzburg as per your own arrangements from the Czech Republic; we will be there to welcome you You will arrive today, in the early to mid afternoon, at Salzburg Airport at a time to be confirmed. We will welcome you at the airport where your car for the journey will be waiting for you. From Salzburg Airport it is only a thirty minute drive to Schloss Fuschl, your hotel for the next two nights. The hotel is situated right by Fuschl See (meaning “lake” in German), a tranquil, turqoisegreen, crystal clear lake, one of many in the Salzkammergut, Austria’s best known lake region. You can take a walk along the lake or simply enjoy the balance of the day in the grounds of the hotel. We suggest dinner at the hotel restaurant with a beautiful view over Fuschl See.
Driving Distance & Duration* Distance: 32 km Duration: 0.5 hours Hotel A luxury castle hotel in Salzburg’s lake region (*****) *All Driving Distances & Duration are approximate
Day 2 We propose a visit to Austria’s most romantic city, Salzburg
Salzburg, literally meaning Salt Castle, over centuries generated enormous wealth through nearby salt, gold and copper mines. This wealth allowed the city’s PrinceArchbishops to employ not only Your hotel is a wonderful place some of the finest architects, painters and builders, but also from which to visit Salzburg. to invest in prodigious amounts “Salzburg with its surroundings on scientific research, fine arts is – alongside Rio de Janeiro and culture. and Constantinople – one The drive from Fuschl of the most beautiful urban See to Salzburg is short regions in the world!” Even (approximately 30-45min). today, the words of Alexander Your destination is a palacevon Humboldt, world-famous like, private residence at the traveller and scientist of the outskirts of Salzburg. From late 19th century, ring true. there, you will take a horse Above all, Salzburg is a city of drawn carriage into the heart romance and elegance. Along of Salzburg where we have the river Salzach, and presided arranged for you a tour of over by a mighty fortress, Salzburg’s highlights. Festung Hohen Salzburg, (the largest fully preserved fortress complex in central Europe), fabulous churches, quiet monasteries, impressive palaces, lush parks, beautiful squares with impressive fountains – all these create an intimate and romantic cityscape that is made all the more lovely by the picturesque mountains (some so high that they are snow-covered all year round), pristine lakes and green meadows of its surroundings.
Driving Distance & Duration Distance: 45 km Duration: 1.5 hours Hotel A luxury castle hotel in Salzburg’s lake region (*****) At the end of the day, you will drive back to your hotel. After a bit of rest, we suggest to drive –either by van or your own car – to another, small restaurant by the side of another of the Salzkammergut lakes. Family run with the gentleman being a hunter and a fisherman and his wife the chef in the kitchen, it is a hidden gem.
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Day 3 Cross the Austrian Alps on your way to The Dolomiti mountains of northern Italy On your way to the glorious Dolimiti, a mountain range of the Alps that is under UNESCO World Heritage Protection, you will cross the Austrian Alps. Weather permitting, we will choose one of two tremendously scenic routes, one of which is open all year round, the other only in the summer months. The latter is the Grossglockner High Alpine road, Austria’s highest, topping out at 2,500m elevation. (Should the weather be very poor with low visibility we will choose a third route which will get us across the Alps more quickly.) Soon after crossing the Alps, you will enter Italy’s northernmost region called Alto Adige in Italian or South Tyrol in German. Until World War I, this region belonged
to the Austrian Hungarian empire; at the end of this war it became part of Italy. To this day many inhabitants of this region see themselves more as Austrians than Italians. Regardless, this region is a true hidden gem of Europe’s geography since it combines Alpine ruggedness (of which the Dolomiti mountains are the best evidence) with Mediterranean flair that is most apparent in the superb cuisine and wine of this region.
You will stay for three nights in the midst of these mountains to give you some time to see how varied and beautiful this area is, and we want you to spend enough time to enjoy its surroundings and serenity. Your first dinner will be at the hotel. Perhaps start with a Fondue?
Driving Distance & Duration Distance: 300 km Duration: 5 hours Hotel A superb, Alpine hideaway in the Dolomiti (*****)
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Day 4 & Day 5 Two days in the UNESCO Dolomiti of Northern Italy There are many, many things to do in the Dolomiti. Here are some of our suggestions for the two full days you will spend in the Dolomiti. If the weather is nice, we warmly recommend the Sella
Ronda four-mountain passes drive. You will see the heart of the Dolomiti from all sides – the landscape and the roads are breathtaking. Somewhere midway, we would suggest a lunch in one of the many, rustic restaurants en route. You should most certainly also make your way up to the Alpe di Susa (or Seiseralm in German). It is the largest high-altitude Alpine meadow in
Europe with magnificent views of the Dolomiti and endless hiking opportunities. Even if you’re not to sure about hiking, you can enjoy a leisurely lunch in the midst of this “nature pure” splendor and you will forget all that might preoccupy your mind. The Rosa Alpina hotel has its own Alpine restaurant which you can access via a chairlift. A picnic up there is
also magnificent. Besides, you could go on a bike ride or take a stroll through San Cassiano, the village in which the Rosa Alpina hotel is located. Or you can spend a few hours relaxing with a book by the hotel’s fire place. The hotel also has lovely Spa facilities where you can, at one point or another, enjoy a massage or other treatments to relax in between or after one of your outings.
We’re sure, the two days will be over before you know it! Driving Distance & Duration (depending on your chosen activities) Distance: 0-100 km Duration: 0-4 hours Hotel A superb, Alpine hideaway in the Dolomiti (*****)
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Day 6 On your way from Summit to Sea, a stop in the Slovenian countryside… Your driving journey today begins in the Dolomiti and will end by the Adriatic sea. In the morning you will drive in an easterly direction along beautifully winding roads through valleys lined by imposing mountains. Before long, you will begin to turn south and the mountains will gradually disappear and eventually give way to the plains
of Italy’s north-eastern corner, the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia which is as well known for Venice as it is for producing some of Italy’s finest wines. It is also home to San Daniele del Friuli which is best known for the production of the San Daniele prosciutto. In the afternoon, you will drive further south-east towards Slovenia where your hotel is located just after crossing the border. It lies in the rolling hills of Western Slovenia: from the hotel terrace you can look out right across Italy on the other side. It will be a “fine watering hole” for the night on the way to the Adriatic Sea.
Driving Distance & Duration Distance: 4 km Duration: 215 hours Hotel A small, boutique hotel in the midst of vineyards (****) Dinner can either be in the hotel – it features a superb restaurant – or in La Subida, a charming restaurant only a minutes drive away on the Italian side.
Day 7 A visit to the magical Lipican stud farm and then on to the ocean On your way from the hills of Slovenia to the ocean, we have planned for you an excursion to Lipica. Lipica takes its name from the Slovenian word for Linden Trees and is the best known home of the Lipican horses that appear in the rarified performances of the Spanish Court Riding School in Vienna. There, they are show pieces; here in Lipica, in Western Slovenia, near the Italian border (less than one kilometer away), just above the Adriatic Sea, they are in their natural environment, and it is here that they are bred.
the graveled, Linden Tree-lined pathways of they area, is a special experience you will not want to miss. After the Lipica visit, we suggest a drive to the Slovenian coast for lunch in a small restaurant overlooking the ocean.
Following your leisurely lunch, you will drive across the northern hills of the Istrian peninsula to your hotel for the next three nights: it is situated right by the Adriatic Sea. We suggest dinner at the superb hotel restaurant.
Driving Distance & Duration Distance: 210 km Duration: 4 hours Hotel An elegant, stylish gem of a hotel by the Adriatic Sea (*****)
These horses are so elegant, so nimble, so noble and majestic that seeing them here when they (the mares only) are out and about on their expansive and paradise-like grounds, when the stallions are given their workouts by master trainers, or when riding in a horse-drawn carriage along p85
Day 8 Exploring the hidden Gem that is Istria: Superb seafood, olive oil and an ancient, charming port village One could easily spend one or two weeks in Istria; in fact, many Europeans do come here for an extended vacation. Alas, you only have two days. We would like to suggest the following program for you. For your first day here, you might want to drive with us to Istria’s south where we would like to introduce you to the world of Istrian olive oils which have of late received high accolades: in 2015 Istria was voted as the finest region for olive oils in the world. You will have a chance to taste them and learn how to distinguish good olive oils from bad by visiting one of Istria’s finest olive oil producers. For lunch, we would like to take you to one of the finest sea food restaurants in Istria (and one which can stand shoulder-top86
shoulder with the finest seafood restaurants anywhere). It looks like nothing from the outside, but the brother-and-sister team that runs it will delight you with their creations made from the freshest seafood of the Adriatic. In the afternoon, you will drive to a nearby town called Rovinj, an active fishing port and a jewel of a village situated right by the ocean. Istriot, a romance language, still spoken by some residents, is almost extinct. Today, Rovinj is bilingual: almost everyone speaks Italian
and Croatian, reflecting the fact that in the inter-war years Istria belonged, in fact, to Italy. Rovinj (or Rovigno in Italian) has a history that dates back to Roman times. Originally it was built on an island that was connected to the mainland only much lateer (in 1763). Rovinj features charming alleyways and an impressive church. It will well be worth giving an hour or two for exploring it, guided or on your own.
Day 9 Exploring the hidden gem that is Istria: Truffles, back roads, or a relaxing day in your seaside hotel? For your second day, why not visit nearby Buzet, the truffle capital of Istria. Listen to Croatians, and they will tell you that Istrian truffles – white or black – are a match for (and even exceed) the quality of those from Italy, at a much lower price. (They will tell you the same about Olive oils
as well...as you may have found out the day before.) On November 2nd 1999, Mr. Zigante unearthed the largest specimen ever: at 1.31kg, this find entered the Guiness Book of Records. Having tasted white truffles from this region – sprinkled over delicately prepared scrambled eggs, for example – they deserve a worldwide reputation, and not only because of this one find.
Day 8 & Day 9 Driving Distance & Duration (depending on your chosen activities) Distance: 0-150 km Duration: 0-4 hours p87 Hotel An elegant, stylish gem of a hotel by the Adriatic Sea (*****)
Besides these outings, you may simply want to explore the little town of Opatija in which the hotel is located or enjoy your time in the Bevanda hotel.
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Day 10 Beginning to head north again toward Vienna The drive today is not very long, but we would like to suggest that it is worthwhile arriving at your hotel for a late lunch. Therefore, we propose to set out around 9:30. (But this can be adjusted as you like, of course.) The first part of the drive will be on a highway that takes you deeper into Croatia. Then, around an hour before your
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arrival, you will turn north onto a country road that crosses the border back into Slovenia and winds itself through forests and tiny villages. The aim is, as we said, to arrive at your hotel for a late lunch. This hotel, as you will see, is unique and well worth having time for. It is more than simply a comfortable place to rest. In the afternoon, you can go for a leisurely walk, rent a bike to explore the area around the hotel or, quite likely, enjoy the grounds of the hotel itself. Dinner will be at the hotel!
Driving Distance & Duration Distance: 165 km Duration: 2.5 hours Hotel A castle hotel in remote Slovenia (*****)
Day 11 On back roads to the erstwhile AustrianHungarian Capital Today is your last driving day. At first, you will find yourself on beautiful back roads of Eastern Slovenia until you meet up with the highway that runs via Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest city, to Vienna. For lunch, we have selected a beautiful, small restaurant situated in the area of the South-Styrian Wine Road which some have termed “the Tuscany of Austria.” Vienna... the former capital of the Habsburg Austro- Hungarian Empire and nowadays the capital of Austria,
the City of Music, the City of the Blue Danube, the only city worldwide that created its own distinct cuisine and the only capital that grows its very own wine within its city-borders. St. Stephen’s Cathedral, The Hofburg (the Imperial Court), Schönbrunn and Belvedere Palaces, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Imperial Treasury, The Spanish Horse-Riding School, the world’s largest graphic-art museum (the Albertina), the palaces and state buildings along the Ring Straße (the former inner defense line)... Vienna – the melting-pot and nucleus of the former empire – attracted (and still attracts) scientists, entrepreneurs,
artists, architects, engineers, physicists, Zuckerbäcker (“sugar bakers” or makers of sweets) and musicians from all around the world. Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Schönberg, Mahler, Schubert, Gluck, the Strauss Family (creators and promoters of the Viennese Waltz tradition) and many more musicians lived and worked in this city and enriched its vast history with their master pieces. Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, to name but a few, are among Vienna’s bestknown painters. Otto Wagner, Friedrich Loos, Helmer & Fellner and Theophil Hansen its most prominent architects. How to introduce you to a city of such splendor in less than forty-eight hours? We hope that before you depart, you will have unforgettable memories of Vienna!
Driving Distance & Duration Distance: 382 km Duration: 5 hours Hotel One of Vienna’s finest hotels, right in the first district p89 (*****)
Day 12 & Day 13 Explore Vienna: Art and culture as a way of life.... and You’re on your own from today, but if there is anything we can do to help, just let us know….
Vienna’s history reaches back for millennia. For anyone but specialists, the events and personalities that have shaped Vienna are bewildering. But thankfully, we’ve found a fun and entertaining way for you to learn about Vienna’s past right through to modernity. Be surprised!
After your breakfast, we will take you on a slow walk to the near-by city center.
No stay in Vienna would be complete without a visit to some of its best-known
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landmarks such as St. Stephen’s Cathedral and its Imperial Palace. So much is there so see in the latter alone that one could spend days in it. We have selected for you two that impress us the most: the splendid Imperial Treasury and the incredibly beautiful National Library. A visit to these two will easily fill the morning!
For lunch we plan to take you to one of Vienna’s many, traditional coffee houses where the Viennese while away their time reading newspapers, chatting with friends and sipping one of many varieties of coffee.
special concert. In the evening, we will take you to an elegant, yet typical Viennese restaurant frequented much more by locals than by tourists as a fitting end to your journey through Austria Hungary.
In the afternoon, we will arrange a program aligned with your interests – some fun for your children, more sightseeing, or perhaps a
On the following day, you will stay in Vienna and make your own arrangements. If there is anyway in which we can help you, please let us know.
Driving Distance & Duration Distance: NA Duration: NA Hotel One of Vienna’s finest hotels, right in the first district (*****)
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What’s Included...
Your Journey price includes: • Hand-crafted On the Road in Europe – Back Roads.Hidden Gems. – Itinerary design as described in this Journey Dossier • A crew existing of your journey host and a service car driver along with specialist guides in Salzburg and Vienna. p92
• All meals in ‘tasting menu’ (or omakase) style • All accommodations • A BMW X5 Series (or similar), including 0 deductible, second driver, extra insurance to go into Slovenia and Croatia, and one-way trip
• All ground transportation and airport transfers • Pre-programmed GPSs and printed maps • “Walky-talkies” and a “WIFI egg” service to stay in touch with your crew.
• All toll fees and parking fees • Entrance fees for all attended activities • Service car for your crew • On the Road in Europe service (goodies basket and other treats along the way: wet towels, daily picnic,
basket containing fresh fruit, fruit juice, water, and a mixture of sweets and nibbles) • All tips
What’s Not Included • Your transport to Salzburg/ from Vienna • Personal shopping • Wines and Spirits
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