Around the Alps Tour

The "Around the Alps" tour circles the entire Alpine region. It is designed so that we visit some of the most beautiful and some of the most historically important places, yet it proceeds along some of the less known locations out of the main tourist flow.

The Alps have a special weather system, so special consideration has been given to designing a route that circumnavigates the Alps and allows the main part of the route to be flown in most weather conditions. There are planned excursions into the higher regions and back; depending on the weather, these can be changed or skipped without jeopardizing the whole route. Sections of the route can also be flown more directly in good weather or somewhat more roundabout if the weather is not so good.

Day 1: Prologue Day

Each tour has a prologue day to compensate for skewed arrivals and to check the tour logistics. There are several options for flying on the prologue day and they are described at The Prologue.

Day 2: Portorož - Grado - Venice Lido - Chioggia - San Gimignano - Florence - Lucca

Fly along the Adriatic coast over Grado, today an attractive holiday resort that keeps some rare monuments of historical significance. Continue the flight over the spectacular Venetian Lagoon and enjoy the view of Venice, the city of bridges and canals: a city built on a hundred islands. From Venice Lido and Chioggia, the route leads across the impressive, rich, marshy Po delta and from there across the Apennines. Savor the captivating Tuscan landscape of charming villages amid the soft green vineyards. Fly over San Gimignano, possibly the most picturesque town in Tuscany with its numerous towers and palaces all neatly nestled within city walls on top of a hill.

Visit two of many Tuscan gems:

• Pisa, famous for its amazing Leaning Tower at Piazza dei Miracolo. But the Tower is not the only miracle that adorns the Piazza. Many other architectural and artistic marvels of this beautiful city can be admired: the Duomo, the splendid cathedral, the large round Romanesque Baptistery and the Monumental Cemetery with their flawless details.
• Lucca, the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, has preserved its historical town center due to the intact 16^th and 17^th century city walls. When these were no longer required for protection, they were transformed into beautiful parks and are used as the city's pedestrian pathways. Lucca is a wealthy and colorful town often mentioned as Tuscany's best kept secret.

Day 3: Lucca - Pisa - Viareggio - Genua - Monte Carlo - Cannes

Fly over Viareggio, known for its annual celebrations of the Carnival, and along the sandy coastline of the Ligurian Sea, the Riviera di Levante and the Riviera di Ponente, both within the Gulf of Genoa to Monaco and Cote d'Azure.

Grasse is a town some 20 km off-shore with perfect climate conditions for the flower farming industry. It has therefore grown into the center of the French perfume industry and is, in fact, the world's perfume capital. A guided tour of one of the old perfumeries.

Continue to Eze, an attractive medieval village with some breathtaking scenes, perched on a rocky peak overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Drive to the shores of the city of Monaco, often named the playground for the rich and the famous. Walk by the Sculpture Path of Fontivielle and possibly visit the Oceanographic Museum with a worldwide reputation.

Day 4: Cannes - Aix-en-Provence - Avignon - Chambery / Aix les Bains

From Cannes, where the world's oldest film festival is held every May, to the Rhone delta.

Fly over Aix-en-Provence where all is color and sensation; the light of the sky, the golden stone of the façades, the transparent green of the fountains, the shade of the plane trees, and presented to us through paintings of a local painter of world fame, Paul Cezanne.

Fly upstream River Rhone, a valley of colorful vineyards and superb wine. Enjoy the aerial view of Avignon situated on the left bank of the Rhone, a few miles above its confluence with the Durance. The city is well known for its Palace of the Popes, where several popes lived during the 14th century.

Aix-les Bains lies by the lake Bourget. Due to its sulfur springs, Aix-les–Bains became a well-known health resort and has always been much appreciated by celebrities. And for art enthusiasts, there is the Art Museum with the largest collection of Rodin.

Day 5: Aix les Bains - Albertville, Albertville - Courchevel Altiport - Aix les Bains

Weather permitting: unload the luggage, fly for a briefing and special permit to Albertville and then to Europe's highest altiport Courchevel (16 % uphill runway at 6850 ft elevation).

Should this not be possible, there are many more options that might be possible and also attractive:

• take a cable car from Chamonix to l'Aiguille du Midi at 3842 m that offers a view over French, Swiss and Italian Alps.
• or a train to Montenvers glacier, Mer de Glace ...

Day 6: Aix les Bains - Genève / Lac Léman - Montreux - Bex - Sion

Morning flight to Sion over Lake Geneva that shields cities like Geneva and Lausanne, as well as prestigious places like Montreux with Chateau de Chillon or Lavaux amid the vineyards. It offers breathtaking panoramas from the lake to Zermatt and Matterhorn.

Day 7: Sion ... A day at Leisure

Zermatt / Matterhorn – optional flight with a glacier pilot in a Super Cub and landing on a glacier.

or

Weather permitting, an optional flight trip to the Italian lakes Maggiore, Lugano and Como. Fly over Simplon Pass, a high mountain pass through a region that has been graced with unbelievable beauty and an awe-inspiring landscape.

or

Take a train to Zermatt for a view of the north face of the Matterhorn (2-hour ride one way)

Day 8: Sion - Furkapass - Luzern - Bodensee - Constance

From Sion over Furka Pass, a high mountain pass with daring curves and scenic glaciers to Lucerne (Luzern) that lies on a lake of the same name and gained importance as a stopover on the Gotthard Trade Route.

Just below Schaffhausen, there are the magnificent Rhine Waterfalls that continue their flow into Lake Constance (Bodensee). The lake borders with Austria, Germany and Switzerland and like most Swiss lakes, Bodensee is not surrounded by high mountains and therefore has strong winds all year round and is perfect for sailing.

Konstanz (Constance) is a University town on Lake Constance with a rich history. It was particularly important in the Middle Ages, as it had the only bridge over the Rhine. Trade thrived. Konstanz is also the birthplace of Count Zeppelin, but the Zeppelin Museum is on the other side of the lake at Friedrichshafen.

Take a ferry across the lake and visit the Zeppelin Museum.

Day 9: Constance - Friedrichshafen - Allgau - Salzburg

Fly over lake Constance and through the impressive region of Allgaeur Alps with its fairytale castles like Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau and Linderhof and on by the Bavarian Alps to Salzburg. The enchanted castle of Neuschwanstein even inspired Walt Disney, who used it as a model for the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland.

Arriving to Salzburg, our first stop is at the airport: the Red Bull aircraft museum. The city of Salzburg is noted for its Alpine setting. It is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the setting for parts of the musical and film The Sound of Music, which features famous landmarks in Austria, but focuses mainly on Salzburg.

The Altstadt, or "old town", is dominated by its baroque towers and churches and the massive Festung Hohensalzburg ("High Salzburg Fortress" in German). With a length of 250 meters and a width of 150 meters, it is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe

Day 10: Salzburg ... A day at leisure

You can enjoy the rich Salzburg cultural heritage, walk around the city and admire the nearby mountains.

Optional daytrip to Prague

Prague, the city on the River Vltava, has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1992. The city has an extensive history and through that some very impressive monuments. The must-see sights are the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square, Prague Castle – one of the largest castles in the world – and the Dancing House. Oh, and don't forget "U Flecku".

Or

Optional Flight to Innsbruck, depending on the weather conditions

Innsbruck is located at the confluence of the rivers Inn and Sill. The junctions of the two river valleys provide access to Brenner Pass and on to Italy. Innbruck became internationally famous with the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976. A short guided tour of Altstadt (Old Town) with Goldenes Dach (Golden Roof), the Stadtturm (Watch Tower), The Old Inn Bridge and the Imperial Court.

Innsbruck airport is a demanding one, as the valley is narrow. Large jets need a special permit to land in Innsbruck. With the maneuverability of our fleet there is no real danger, but the feeling of a narrow valley is very impressive.

Optional excursion to Bad Reichenhall Salt Mines

The Bad Reichenhall salt mine is one of the mines that gave Salzburg its name (Salzburg literally translates as "Salt City"). The salt mine is open to the public and it gives a very nice journey to the underground. You will see many narrow tunnels and an underground lake.

Day 11: Salzburg - Gmunden - Linz - Graz / Styria - Ptuj

Fly over the lake district of Salzkammergut passing Bad Ischl, a spa retreat for the Austrian aristocracy, Wels and Linz, and then follow the Danube to Melk, the cultural and spiritual center of Austria in the form of the Benedictine Abbey built above the town and overlooking the Danube. Turn south toward St. Poelten and Graz that has one of the best preserved city centers in central Europe and was thus included to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. Landing in Ptuj, Slovenia.

Visit Ptuj Castle with a striking position on the Castle Hill, above the town and overlooking the river Drava. Walk through the narrow streets of the old town center and visit the oldest wine cellar in the region.

After wine tasting and lunch, a retreat to the Thermal Health Resort in Ptuj.

Day 12: Ptuj - Ptujska gora - Ljubljana - Škoflja loka - Bled

In the vicinity of Ptuj is Ptujska Gora, a pilgrimage church, a treasury of Gothic sculptures built on one of the many hills covered in vineyards. Fly to Bled via Ljubljana and Škofja Loka. Škofja Loka, once a territory of Bishops of Freising (Bavaria), is an attractive medieval town on the confluence of two rivers.

Afternoon drive to Ljubljana.

Ljubljana is a lively city with a vibrant cultural life hosting an exceptional number of events. The old town center combines heritage of the medieval period with Baroque and Art Nouveau masterpieces. Ljubljana also displays some ancient Roman sights and some unique monuments designed by early 20^th century architect Jože Plečnik.

A guided tour of the city center, followed by dinner.

Day 13: Bled - Rateče - Predil pass - Bovec - Soča valley - Lipica - Portorož

A morning boat ride to the islet in lake Bled. It is an amazing experience waddling through dark green water with a church on an islet on one side and a medieval castle perched on a cliff above the lake.

The return flight to Portorož is via Rateče and over Predil Pass into Soča valley, over the Karst region and Lipica to the airport by the salt-pans in Portorož.