Classic Vienna

Meet at Macedonia Airport at 11.25 a.m. for the direct Austrian Airlines flight to the Austrian capital, Vienna. On arrival, after collecting our luggage, our tour leader will be waiting to meet us and start our programme. On our tour we will admire, among other things, the Kunsthaus, a complex of buildings in an abstract style, and the Baroque palace complex of the Belvedere, built for Prince Eugene of Savoy and today a gallery of works by artists of the modern era and the Modernist movement. We continue to Karlsplatz, home to St Charles Borromeo's Church and the Musikverein, the building of the Society of Friends of Music, and enter the famous Ringstrasse (the ring around the historic centre). We will see the State Opera, the Hofburg imperial winter palace complex, the twin Museums of Art History and Natural History, the Museum Quarter, the Parliament, the former Imperial Theatre opposite the City Hall, the University and the Votivkirche (Votive Church). We then head into the city centre, where we walk through the historic Greek quarter with the Greek Orthodox churches of St George and the Holy Trinity and, crossing the historic centre on foot past the famous St Stephen's Cathedral, end up at City Hall Square. Free time for lunch. Transfer and check-in at our hotel.

Breakfast at our hotel, and today we set off on a walking tour with our experienced tour leader, exploring hidden corners of the historic centre. We will have the chance to see City Hall Square; Café Landtmann, haunt of the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud; the Schottenplatz; the Freyung; and the famous arcade leading to Café Central, the meeting place of the Austrian intelligentsia of the 19th century. We pass through the beautiful lane of Naglergasse and finish at the Graben and the Kohlmarkt, home to one of the city's finest patisseries, the legendary Demmel. We then go on to the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) in Vienna, one of the largest cultural complexes in the world, which offers a dynamic mix of art, architecture and urban culture. Here stand two identical buildings facing each other: two of the leading museums in the world, the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) and the Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History). These buildings belong to an era that marked Vienna's transformation into one of the foremost metropolises of Europe and the world. Art lovers will have time to enjoy the exhibits. Free time in the city centre for lunch and souvenir shopping.

Breakfast and departure for an optional excursion to Mozart's birthplace, Salzburg. Our route towards the central Alps passes through four of Austria's federal states and offers a rich variety of visual experiences. We cross the 'Republic of the Alps' from east to west, climbing from the Danube valley into the alpine zone and the idyllic lake district of the Salzkammergut. Here we see some of the country's largest lakes. The architecture of the countryside and the alpine hinterland is of particular interest. We then reach the 'Rome of the Alps', the 'Jerusalem of the German-speaking Christian world', fairytale Salzburg. We walk through the gardens of Mirabell Palace, leaving the Mozarteum music university on our left, and see the State Theatre, the Mozart family residence, and the birthplaces of King Otto of Greece and of the composer of Greek descent Herbert von Karajan. We cross the Makartsteg, the bridge of 'locked hearts' over the Salzach river, and enter the Old Town of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Wandering through arcades and narrow lanes, we reach the famous Getreidegasse, with Mozart's birthplace, and the Town Hall. We continue to the Palace of the Prince-Archbishops beside the Renaissance Cathedral, St Peter's, and the Abbeys of St Peter and of the Franciscans. Free time and return to Vienna.

Breakfast and departure for a lovely optional excursion to the Vienna Woods. In turn we will visit (from the outside) Liechtenstein Castle, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, which was the ancestral seat of the family that later founded the well-known Principality of Liechtenstein. We will then visit the Catholic Monastery of the Holy Cross (Heiligenkreuz). We pass the former hunting lodge of Mayerling, known for the drama that unfolded on the fateful night of 29 January 1889, when the heir to the Habsburg throne, Rudolf, was found dead with his mistress, Mary Vetsera, who was of Greek descent. Finally, along a beautiful route, we reach Baden, the old Imperial resort that is still counted among the most famous spa towns of Central Europe. Free time for lunch at your own expense, then return to Vienna. Afterwards we visit one of the most important sights in Europe, the famous Schönbrunn Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the summer residence of the Habsburgs from the late 17th century until 1918. There we will have a little time outside in the palace gardens for souvenir photos. Return to the hotel and free time. For the evening we suggest a refreshing cocktail at the popular Do&Co bar overlooking St Stephen's.

Breakfast and free time for your last-minute shopping. Transfer to the airport and return flight.