Compare Berlin to Munich and Vienna Tour by Discovery Nomads vs A Grand Rail Adventure: Vienna, The Alps & Milan - Westbound 2023 by Tauck

Day 1-3: Berlin

Accommodation: Ramada Accommodation Alexanderplatz or similar

Arrival at any time. On the 1st day there's no activities planned. On the next day explore all the major sights of Berlin on a walking tour, see the Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate, visit Museum Island and Reichstag.

Day 3-5: Munich

On Day 3 travel by train to fascinating Munich and go on a Walking Tour around the city with local guide. See the highlights of Munich's historic old town, stroll through the farmer's market with its delicacies, then visit the Munich Beer Hall and the most expensive shopping street in Germany. On the next day enjoy a trip through the beautiful Bavarian Alps to explore Neuschwanstein castle.

Day 5-7: Vienna

Accommodation: 25 Hours Vienna or similar

On Day 5 travel by train to Vienna. Enjoy a city tour of Vienna by bus, see the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna State Opera, and the Museum of Art History, discover the museum quarter, the Hofburg Palace, the Austrian Parliament, and the Court Theater and enjoy a guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace without the wait.

Day 1 Arrive Vienna

Tour begins 6:00 PM. A transfer is included from Vienna International Airport to the Hotel Bristol, an elegant Art Deco landmark in the heart of the city, opposite the Vienna State Opera House. Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner at the hotel.

MEALS : D

LODGING : Hotel Bristol

PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria

Day 2 Vienna Sights & After-hours at Schönbrunn Palace

City sightseeing includes a tour of Belvedere Palace, a museum housing works by Impressionists including Monet and Van Gogh, Austrian art from the Middle Ages to the present, and the world's largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings. Later, get a guided look at the immense Hofburg, formerly the Imperial Palace, now the residence and offices of the Austrian President; and St. Stephen's Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece and iconic landmark. Spend free time exploring the city on your own, then join us this evening for a private after-hours tour of Schönbrunn Palace, the opulent Habsburg summer residence inspired by Versailles. Start with a typical Viennese dinner at the Café Residenz; inside the palace, your guided tour includes the dazzling hall of mirrors and the magnificent apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth. Dinner tonight is at the Cafe Residenz, a classic Viennese cafe in the eastern wing of the palace.

MEALS : B, D

LODGING : Hotel Bristol

PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria

Day 3 Viennese Music & The Danube Express

Depart your historic Vienna hotel and attend an exclusive private concert with sparkling wine (or soft drinks) in an intimate historic setting in Vienna. Following the concert, travel to the Vienna tain station , where you'll board Golden Eagle Luxury Trains'  Danube Express, your elegant hotel on wheels for the next three nights, and enjoy lunch aboard the train. After settling in, you'll begin your scenic ride through the Semmering Pass, the border between Lower Austria and Styria, a journey along viaducts and tunnels. Dine onboard the train tonight.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Golden Eagle Danube Express

PORTOFCALL : Vienna, Austria

Day 4 Innsbruck

Travel the scenic alpine landscapes of central Austria to Jenbach, where you'll travel up to Lake Achen, a mountain lake also known as the Fjord of the Alps. Enjoy a boat cruise on the turquoise water, over a sunken valley that wanders fjord-like for miles amid limestone peaks and forested islands. Resume your train journey to Innsbruck, the resort capital of Tyrol, nestled beside the striking Nordkette mountain range; the city was a favorite retreat of the Habsburgs, who kept a lavish residence here. Take a walking tour of the medieval old town with a local guide before dinner aboard the Danube Express.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Golden Eagle Danube Express

PORTOFCALL : Innsbruck, Austria

Day 5 Zurich & Vaduz

Watch the enchanting landscapes of Austria's Vorarlberg province – mountain lakes, craggy peaks, waterfalls, villages, castles and deep valleys – unfold as the Danube Express crosses into Liechtenstein. Vaduz, the nation's capital, is a fascinating city of art, eclectic architecture, and vantage points for panoramic views. View the clifftop medieval castle that is still the residence of Liechtenstein's royal family; trails and overlooks on the grounds offer stunning birds-eye views of the city, the Rhine River, and the imposing mountain range. Ride the Danube Express to Zurich, where you have a choice of strolling through Zurich's captivating Old Town with a local guide or a tour that includes the Kunsthaus Museum of Art; the museum's collections of 4,000 paintings, sculptures, and installations include paintings by Monet, Munch, Picasso, and Van Gogh, as well as works dating back to the Middle Ages, with an emphasis on Swiss masters.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Golden Eagle Danube Express

Day 6 St. Gotthard Pass to Lake Como

Dramatic landscapes of granite peaks, plunging valleys, tunnels, and dramatic turns fill your view as the Danube Express winds through the rugged Gotthard Pass to Italy. Arrive in Chiasso, Switzerland and depart the train, traveling the short distance to Como, Italy. A walking tour reveals charming narrow streets and pastel houses beside enchanting Lake Como, lined with stately villas, terraces and promenades against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Visit the 14th-century marble cathedral and spend free time in town, then ride the train to Milan, your final destination. Check into your prestigious hotel opposite the Central Station, and dine a la carte this evening.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Excelsior Hotel Gallia

PORTOFCALL : Milan, Italy

Day 7 A Taste of Milan

Discover the historic center of this modern metropolis known for sophistication, cutting-edge fashion, and art. Begin the day with a private early morning guided visit to the Ambrosiana Library, home to Leonardo Da Vinci's handwritten notebooks ( or Codex). Then a walking tour takes you on a tour of Milan's architectural gems. See the awe-inspiring Milan Cathedral (the Duomo). Built with Candoglia marble shipped from quarries around Lake Maggiore, the immense Duomo took 600 years to build and is still a work in progress, adorned with thousands of gargoyles and sculpted figures, soaring columns, vaulted ceilings, stained glass, and flying buttresses, and a rooftop terrace with breathtaking views. From the Duomo it's a short walk to a no-less impressive commercial cathedral, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a 19th-century shopping arcade under a monumental glass and ironwork ceiling, housing a busy warren of boutiques, restaurants, bars and cafes. Lunch is included in a local restaurant. Return to the hotel to relax or you may wish to take a walking tour of the Brera District, a romantic bohemian neighborhood of narrow cobbled streets, galleries, and artisans' shops known as the Milanese Montmartre. Join us for a farewell dinner with entertainment at a local enoteca (wine bar) and restaurant, with insights on wine-pairing and wines from a sommelier.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Excelsior Hotel Gallia

PORTOFCALL : Milan, Italy

Day 8 Journey Home

Tour ends: Milan. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan to Milan Malpensa Airport. Allow at least three hours for flight check-in. 

MEALS : B

PORTOFCALL : Milan, Italy