Departure from the U.S. on Austrian Airlines and/or its partner airlines for Vienna.
Dinner and breakfast will be served on board. Schedule may vary, depending on your departure city.
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Day 2 |
Vienna - Wachau Valley |
Arrive at Vienna International Airport in the morning and be met by your tour escort in the
arrival hall. Board the bus and travel past Vienna, along the river Danube to Krems.
Check-in to the
Hotel Steigenberger is followed by free time to relax and recover
from the transatlantic flight and for lunch on your own. After the wine tasting a welcome dinner will be served at
the
Restaurant Loibnerhof. Return to Krems for overnight.
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Day 3 |
Wine Region Kamptal - Vienna |
After breakfast we will take you along the most beautiful stretch of the Danube Valley,
the Wachau, past vineyards, ancient ruins and rolling hills to the town of Melk. Enjoy
a private guided tour of the Abbey of Melk, a masterpiece of Baroque Architecture, with
its impressive library. The church stands high on a bluff overlooking the Danube Valley.
Your first wine tasting today will be at the
Weingut Rudi Pichler in Weissenkirchen.
Lunch will be served at the
Restaurant Florianihof in Weissenkirchen before we continue
on to Spitz for the wine tasting at the
Weingut Franz Hirtzberger in Spitz. This
afternoon you will have two more visits to wineries and wine tasting: at the
Weingut
Franz Prager in Weissenkirchen and the
Weingut F.X. Pichler in Duernstein. Return to
Krems by boat on the Danube. Dinner tonight will be served at the restaurant of the hotel.
B,L,D
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Day 4 |
Wine Region Kamptal - Vienna |
After breakfast and luggage loading, the tour escort will take you on a stroll through
Krems, the oldest town in Lower Austria. See the old town with its handsome burgher's
houses and many buildings of the Gothic period, and visit the Historical Museum and
the Wine museum, before we depart Krems and travel north to Austria's prime white-wine
growing area, the Langenlois. Visit the vineyards of
Willi Bruendlmayr, where a
Heurigen lunch will be served after the wine tasting. The next winegrower to be
visited is
Fred Loimer, also located in Langenlois. From there you travel east to
Stammersdorf, to the outskirts of Vienna. We arranged for a wine tasting at
Fritz
Wieninger. You then continue on to Vienna. Check-in to the centrally located first
class
Hotel Stefanie. Time to relax and freshen-up before we take you to the
Restaurant Daniel in the 1st district of Vienna. Daniel is one of the finest
restaurants in Vienna with a "fin de siecle" atmosphere, serving dishes of the
innovative yet traditional new Viennese cuisine.
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After breakfast meet with your local city guide for a sightseeing tour of the
Capital of Austria. This tour will include a visit to the State Apartments at
Schoenbrunn Palace as well as St. Stephen's Cathedral. The afternoon is at your
leisure, to visit one of the many museums, stroll around town and sample pastry
and coffee in one of the many coffeehouses Vienna is famous for.
Smolka Tours is more than happy to help you make dinner reservations or get
you tickets to the opera or concerts in advance. With your final documents
you will also receive comprehensive information on Vienna, a museum list
with opening times...and much more.
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This morning you will continue the tour of Vienna by visiting the Naschmarkt,
Vienna's farmer market, and specialty shops. Meet again at 1:30 pm at "Meinl am Graben", a specialty and gourmet
food store and restaurant. where Christian Petz, currently the best chef in
Austria, presides. Be introduced to Austrian specialties before you browse this
store and other specialty stores. The rest of
the afternoon is at your leisure and dinner tonight is on your own. (See May
20)
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Day 7 |
Wine Region Burgenland - Graz |
After breakfast depart Vienna and travel to Austria's easternmost province, the
Burgenland, known for its red wines and exquisite dessert wines. The first stop
will be in Illmitz at Lake Neusiedl, to taste the wines of
Alois Kracher sen.
& jun., known for their Spaetlese wines (sweet wines). A delicious 3-course
lunch will be served at the
Restaurant Nikolauszeche in Purbach. From there we
continue on to Rust, the wine town at Lake Neusiedl for a wine tasting at
Heidi Schrock. Continue on to the winery of
Anton Kollwentz in Grosshoeflein
before traveling south to the final destination, Graz, the capital of the
province of Styria. After check-in at the
Grandhotel Wiesler, the rest of
the evening is at your leisure.
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Following breakfast at the hotel, depart for a tour along the Styrian Wine Road.
The first stop will be in Spielfeld to taste the wines of
Maria Polz. The wine
tasting is followed by a lunch serving typical Styrian food. Continue on to
Burghausen to visit the vineyards of
Manfred Tement. Return to Graz and have
some time to pack, stroll around town and relax. A farewell dinner will be
served at the
Restaurant Landhauskeller, not only renowned for its excellent
cuisine but also for the outstanding selection of Austrian wines.
B,L,D
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Day 9 |
Graz - Vienna - USA |
After an early breakfast, transfer to Graz airport. Austrian Airlines departs
Graz at 8:55 am and arrives at Vienna Airport at 9:35 am. The connecting
flights to the U.S. (JFK or Dulles) depart at 11:20/11:30 am and arrive back
in the U.S. at 3:00/2:40 pm. Lunch and a snack will be served on board.
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