2010 Itinerary

Inclusive Prices

Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, the First Class train ride from Salzburg to Vienna, motor coach transportation, entertainment, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, porterage and the services of local guides and drivers, and the Tauck Director are included. Transportation from  Zurich Airport the Hotel Schweizerhof in Zurich is included,  regardless of the date and time of your arrival provided you have given us accurate flight arrival information at least two weeks prior to the start of your tour. Transportation from the Hotel Imperial to Vienna International Airport is also included whenever you decide to depart. Transportation to and from airports and train stations may be shared with other Tauck guests.

Hotel Accommodations – The tour price includes all hotel accommodations with private baths. Our standard is to provide the best available accommodations without sacrificing value. Although the quality of accommodations may differ slightly from one hotel to another, our commitment to your comfort is unwavering. Two-bedded rooms are reserved in most hotels. Triples are usually two-bedded rooms plus a rollaway cot and are not recommended for comfort.

Meals – Most meals are included as specified in the itinerary.

Tauck Director – Alpine Interlude is conducted by a Tauck Director who remains with the group throughout the tour. Your Tauck Director is a professional, fully trained employee of Tauck.

Gratuities Included – All customary gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff and local guides are included.

No Options Sold – Your Tauck Director will assist you with information on free-time activities based on honest opinion and guidance but will not sell you anything. This means better value and a more relaxed and pleasant experience for you.

Not Included

Airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included. Airfare may be purchased from us for travel originating in the United States.

Hotel Rooms Before and After Tours – To avoid jet lag and possible flight delays, you may wish to make hotel arrangements for the nights preceding or following your tour. As a service, we will book additional nights for you on a space-available basis using special rates only available through us. Hotel room charges will be added to the tour cost. Airport transfers are included for these bookings. If you wish to spend additional nights, please consult the Extend This Journey section on this webpage and discuss it with our your reservations sales consultant or travel agent when you book your tour.

Luggage Responsibility – Although every effort is made to handle your luggage carefully, we cannot be responsible, assume liability or accept claims for loss or damage to luggage and personal effects due to breakage, theft, or fair wear and tear through hotel, airline and group carrier handling. It is important for your own self-interest and protection that you make certain you have adequate insurance to cover these eventualities. Please refer to Tauck Travel Protection on this webpage for more information.

• Pack at least one change of clothing in your carry-on bag
• Split your items between your suitcase and a traveling companion's suitcase
• Do not pack any vital medications or valuables in your checked luggage
• Confirm that your luggage is checked and tagged to your final destination at airport check-in
• Place your luggage claim tags in a secure place for your flight
• File a claim for any missing luggage immediately before leaving the baggage claim area
• Secure a case number and contact information for follow-up communications
• Make certain that the airline has your onward itinerary

Your Tauck Director will assist you with airline and other carrier communications, but has no inside contacts to guarantee or expedite recovery of lost luggage. All recovery costs, including the communication costs, are your responsibility. Check your travel protection details for covered expenses.

Personal Expenses such as phone calls, room service, alcoholic and other beverages not specifically included, laundry, dry cleaning, airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, airport arrival and departure taxes, individual airport transfers (when applicable), and other optional or incidental extras are not included and may be significant.

Tauck Director Gratuities - The customary gratuities for the Tauck Director and local drivers are not included. We ask that gratuities be extended on a voluntary, individual basis and not as a group.

Additional Information

Airline Security Measures –

If you are traveling from the U.S., the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Secure Flight program requires that your name, as it appears on your domestic or international airline ticket, must precisely match your name as it appears on the government-issued photo ID (i.e., passport or driver’s license) that you present during security screening. The ID name must also match any additional airline data, such as frequent-flyer information. For example, if you present your driver's license to security and it says John T. Smith, your ticket must also say John T. Smith, not John Thomas Smith, Jack Smith, or any other variant. Your date-of-birth and gender information provided to the airline must also match your passport.

If you make your air travel arrangements through us, please ensure that the name you provide us precisely matches your name as shown on the identification you will use while traveling. If you make your own airline reservations, please ensure that the airline has the correct information.

For more information on the Secure Flight program, please visit the TSA web site by clicking here.

If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S, you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification is required for that particular airport.

Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette lighter, or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times.

Air Services – Airfare may be purchased through us for travel originating in the United States. By using our air services, you agree that we, in purchasing, selling or otherwise arranging air transportation, are acting only as your agent and are not liable or responsible for any accident, death, personal injury, illness, property damage, delay or other loss or expense of any nature whatsoever arising directly or indirectly out of any act of God, or any actions or omissions (including any failure to provide services) or default of, any carrier. All carriers are independent contractors and are not owned, managed, controlled or operated by us. Your airline ticket constitutes a contract between yourself and the airline only, even if purchased through us. We are not liable for, and do not assume responsibility or accept claims with regard to seat assignments, schedule changes, flight changes, cancellations, claims for a refund or reimbursement of airline ticket fees, or any other loss incurred by you for any reason whatsoever (including, without limitation to, bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar relief from creditors). We must handle ticketing for our special fares, which are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed until reserved. Our air services can only be purchased in conjunction with a one of our tours. Tickets or e-ticket numbers will be mailed with final documents. If you cancel or change your air booking before or after departure, all airline cancellation and change fees will apply.

Holidays and Museum Closures – Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or the many state, religious and civic holidays locally observed.You may wish to log on to Wikipedia to view a list of holidays by country by clicking here.

Itinerary Changes and Price Flexibility – We pledge to make every effort to operate all tours as advertised. We reserve the right to alter or curtail the itinerary, or substitute sightseeing, hotels, and/or conveyances as deemed necessary. Any savings realized by these changes will be refunded to you. Any resultant added expense will be covered by us. Although not expected, prices on this website may be modified due to unexpected significant external factors not forecast at the time of publication.

Journey Start and End Times are provided at the time of booking. The tour begins at 6:00 PM at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Zurich on the first day of the tour. You or your booking agent will be advised of any change to this schedule. Please allow sufficient time to claim your luggage and clear customs in order to join the tour on time. The tour ends with your arrival at Vienna International Airport on the last day of the tour. Each carrier and each airport has different rules regarding how early you must arrive for flight check in. Please contact your individual carrier for this information.

Membership will be granted to all persons. We reserve the right to terminate the tour of any person who is abusive of others or whose behavior disrupts the tour.

Photography on Tour – Occasionally, we will use photographs and/or video taken by fellow guests or your Tauck Director on your tour for print, Internet and other media promotional purposes. If you prefer that your image not be used in any marketing activities, please notify your Tauck Director at the start of your tour.

Preparing To Go

Travel Document Requirements – If you are a U.S. citizen, you will need a passport valid for six months beyond the completion of your Tauck journey to enter Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Italy and Austria; however, you do not need a visa for the short duration of this tour. Please note that longer stays abroad for any purpose may require additional travel documentation.

If you are a citizen of another country, you should contact an embassy or consulate of each of the countries visited on this tour to determine what travel documentation is required.

We recommend that you make at least two photocopies of all the travel documents that you bring with you. Include copies of the photo page of your passport that contains the date of issuance, the date of expiration and your citizenship, as well as both sides of your driver’s license. Secure one set of copies in the safe in your room while traveling and leave one set behind with someone at home who will assist you in the event your documents are misplaced, lost or stolen.

Travel with Children

Age Recommendations ― Children 5 years of age or older at the time of travel are welcome on this Tauck journey. Based upon our experience with family travelers, we have a minimum recommended age for each journey to encourage comfort and enjoyment for all of our guests. All children must be accompanied on activities by a parent or guardian. At least one guest in the traveling party must be 21 years of age or older in order to make a reservation.

Babysitting ― Our journeys are designed for adults and children to share the wonder of discovery together. If you require babysitting services, your Tauck Director will put you in contact with the appropriate hotel staff with whom you may make babysitting arrangements. There is usually an additional fee for these services. Many hotels do offer on-site babysitting services; however, babysitting services may not be available at all of our hotels. Please note that our Tauck Directors are not responsible for providing babysitting services.

Safety and Welfare Responsibility ― We welcome the participation of child travelers on our exciting excursions. If you are traveling with a child on a Tauck journey, you have the sole responsibility for ensuring that that the child with whom you are traveling follows all rules of safety throughout the tour. By traveling with us, you release Tauck, Inc. and our partners of all liability for any risks and/or injuries to the child with whom you are traveling.

Special Travel Documentation for Children

Authorization for Travel

If you travel into or out of the U.S. with children under the age of 18, you should be aware of the following: because of increasing incidents of child abductions in disputed custody cases and because children are at risk as possible victims of child pornography, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) strongly recommends that unless the child is accompanied by both parents, you should have a note from the child's other parent (or, in the case of a child traveling with grandparents, uncles or aunts, sisters or brothers, or friends, a note signed by both parents) stating that the parent(s) not traveling acknowledge that the parent(s), family members, etc. who are traveling into or out of the U.S. with the child have permission to do so. CBP also suggests that this note be notarized. While CBP may not ask to see this documentation, if they do ask, and you do not have it, you may be detained until the circumstances of the child traveling without both parents can be fully assessed.

If there is no second parent with legal claims to the child (parent deceased, sole custody, etc.), other relevant paperwork, such as a court decision, birth certificate naming only one parent, or a death certificate, will be useful.

Many other countries also share this concern for children who travel without both parents. To ensure smooth travel, we require you to comply with the travel regulations of each country visited. This information may be obtained from a country’s consulate or embassy.

Authorization for Emergency Medical Treatment

In the unlikely event of a medical emergency, a medical facility will require permission from the child’s parents to provide treatment. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you bring along a letter from both parents (including other pertinent documents as cited above) authorizing emergency medical treatment for their child.

• Casual daytime wear – shorts, slacks, long and short-sleeved shirts
• An optional jacket and tie for men
• Casually elegant evening wear for ladies
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat
• Swimwear
• Gym wear
• A light sweater or jacket for higher elevations or a breezy night
• Binoculars (7x50 preferably)
• Insect repellent
• Camera, lenses, batteries, memory cards and/or plenty of film
• Lightweight, comfortable, sturdy walking shoes that have already been broken-in
• Battery-operated travel alarm clock
• Rain poncho and collapsible umbrella
• Zipper-lock bags
• Daypack for camera equipment
• Sundries and toiletries that may be difficult to find en route
• Copies of your travel documents that should be secured in the safe in your hotel room while traveling

Elevation - The highest overnight elevation is 1,870 ft (570 m) in Interlaken, Switzerland. The highest elevation for sightseeing (optional) is 11,333 ft (3,454 m) at Jungfraujoch. We ascend and descend high elevations often on this tour, and many guests react differently to these conditions. If you are not accustomed to these heights, you may at times feel dizzy, light-headed, or nauseous. We suggest that you drink plenty of water throughout the whole tour to prevent dehydration.

Health – This active journey of 1,000 miles (1,609 km) through the Alps requires you to be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances often over unpaved and uneven surfaces. Some of the most memorable sightseeing can only be accomplished on foot. The amount of walking you do, however, is at your discretion.  Switzerland, Italy and Austria are home to innumerable historic buildings and sites, many centuries old. Therefore, roads, walkways and architecture will present difficulties for some guests with physical limitations. You will encounter cobblestone streets, narrow passageways, and some steep and winding staircases.

We regret that we cannot provide you with individual assistance for walking, dining or other personal needs. If you need such assistance, you must be accompanied by an able companion who will help you.

While drinking water is generally safe at all our hotels, bottled water will be available wherever the local water is not fit to drink. We also provide bottled water on the motor coaches.

Guest rooms are all booked as non-smoking unless otherwise requested by guests. No-smoking sections in restaurants are rare in Europe. No smoking is permitted on board the motor coaches or on the Austrian Railways.

Please check with your health insurance provider to determine whether you are covered while traveling. If you will not be covered under your current policy, we strongly suggest that you arrange for adequate coverage while on tour.

If you have a medical condition which might limit your participation in activities, please consult your physician for pre-departure health advice and notify Tauck as soon as possible, if you have not already done so. We will advise your Tauck Director accordingly.

If you are a resident of the U.S., no vaccinations are currently required for travel to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Italy or Austria. For complete vaccination and inoculation information, contact your physician, the public health service in your area, or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. The Travelers' Health Section of the CDC operates a 24-hour, prerecorded "Travelers' Health Hotline" at 877-394-8747 (toll-free in the U.S.). You may also log on to the CDC website by clicking here.

If you are a resident of another country, please contact an embassy or consulate of each of the countries on the itinerary to determine what vaccinations may be required for you to visit.

Luggage Restrictions:

Checked Luggage – General

While it is common for airlines to allow passengers to check more than one piece of luggage per person, space constraints during your Tauck journey make it difficult to accommodate extra luggage. We ask that you limit your checked luggage to one average size suitcase per person.

Recently, airlines have adopted policies enforcing strict number, size and weight limits. Luggage exceeding maximum restrictions may require expensive overage fees, frustrating and hurried re-packing at the ticket counter, or even risk being left behind.

Many carriers require that checked luggage not exceed a weight of 50 lbs (22.7 kg) per piece. Airlines revise luggage policies frequently and often without notice; therefore, we cannot be held liable for the accuracy of the weight limit listed above. We urge you to check with your airline before traveling to determine current number, weight and size restrictions. It is also important to note that restrictions for luggage number, weight and size may vary with the same airline based on the class of service you select. First and Business Class ticket holders may have different restrictions than Coach Class travelers. You may wish to consult the website, luggagelimits.com, by clicking here,

We cannot be held liable for additional fees or inconveniences imposed by the airline due to luggage number, weight and size policies.

Please be sure to attach your Tauck luggage tag to your suitcase before leaving home!

Carry-on Luggage - General

Although oversize bags and wheeled, carry-on luggage are popular for airline travel, they are often not convenient or appropriate for motor coach travel or for many on-tour flights. Most modern sightseeing motor coaches offer limited space for numerous or larger items. Space under seats or in the overhead rack is typically small, and designed to accommodate items like coats, hats, purses, and small camera bags, etc.

For your day-to-day travel while on tour, we recommend that you limit your hand luggage to a small, soft-sided carry-on piece, and that you bring only those items you need handy during the day such as make-up, medications, cameras, film, etc. Items too large to fit under the motor coach seat or on the overhead rack must be stored in the luggage bays beneath the motor coach, and may be inaccessible during daytime travel.  

Destination Information

Cell Phones - We understand and appreciate the value of instant communication when we travel; it keeps us in touch with friends and family, and it's a reassurance in the event of an emergency. However, the use of cell phones can be disruptive to a tour and to other guests who are enjoying their vacation. As a courtesy to others, we ask that you refrain from using your cell phone while on the motor coach, during group functions, when sightseeing and when your Tauck Director is addressing the group as a whole. There will be many opportunities to make and receive calls at times when it does not affect others.

Please contact your cell phone carrier to determine whether your service extends to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Italy and Austria.

Currency and Exchange Rates - The official currency in Switzerland and Liechtenstein is the Swiss Franc (CHF) which is divided into 100 centimes and in Italy and Austria, it is the Euro (EUR), which is divided into 100 cents. Although not part of the EU, Switzerland prices are nonetheless often indicated in Euros and some merchants may accept Euros. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are widely accepted and ATMs are widespread; many are equipped with the Cirrus or Maestro systems. Banks offer the best exchange rates for travelers’ checks and foreign currency, but it is also possible to exchange money at all of the hotels on the itinerary, main train stations and airports. Banks are open Monday through Friday.

To obtain the most current exchange rates for all national currencies, you may want to check your local newspaper or log on to the oanda.com by clicking here.

Customs and Tax-Free Shopping – Each country we visit has its own customs clearing process. You should familiarize yourself with each country’s specific required declarations before you travel. In general, you are not permitted to bring live plants, fresh fruits and other produce items into most countries. You may find additional information by visiting the VisaHQ.com website by clicking here.

If you are a U.S resident who will be returning to the U.S. at the end of the tour, you are entitled to a duty-free exemption based on the total value of merchandise purchase abroad, as long as you physically bring them with you. There are limits to the amount of alcohol that can be a part of this exemption. Certain restrictions apply to unaccompanied goods mailed from abroad to the U.S. Please call your local customs office or consult the U.S. government's customs regulations as contained in their publication entitled Know Before You Go.

If you are a resident of another country, please refer to your own country’s rules and regulations regarding customs and duty-free shopping to ensure compliance upon your return.

Currently, Switzerland levies a 7.6% Value Added Tax (VAT) on most consumer goods and services; Italy and Austria levy a 20% VAT, and Germany, a 19% Import Turnover Tax. (The tax may be higher on luxury items and lower on basic goods.) As a rule, if you are not a resident of the country in which the purchase is made (or of the country’s intergovernmental economic community, e.g., the European Union), you may be entitled to a VAT refund and should inquire about the refund policy where you shop. In Switzerland, you must spend a minimum of 400 CHF in one store to be entitled to receive a VAT refund by filling out a form the retailer gives you and presenting it to Swiss Customs as you exit the country.

Electrical Current – The electrical current in Switzerland and Austria is 230 V, 50 Hz, AC. If your electrical devices do not conform to this standard, you will need to bring the appropriate converters and adapters. These items can be purchased in a store that specializes in travel products.

Internet Access – Most hotels on this itinerary offer Internet access either as a complimentary service or for a fee. Please inquire at time of booking.

Time Zones – Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Italy and Austria are 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (or Greenwich Mean Time). From late March through October, these countries switch to Daylight Savings Time and are 2 hours ahead. To determine current time in major cities around the world, we suggest you log on to the timeanddate.com by clicking here.

Weather – The Alps are located in a temperate climate zone. On this journey, the average high temperatures from April through September range from 55 to 85 °F (13 to 29 °C). The average low temperatures range from 35 to 55 °F (2 to 13 °C). Rainfall is spread throughout the year with the summer months experiencing almost twice as much as the winter months. Vienna is the driest location visited with only 24 in (610 mm) per year; Salzburg is the wettest with 53 in (1,340 mm) per year.

	Average Temperature
	Bern, Switzerland		Innsbruck, Austria
Month	Hi/Lo ºF	Hi/Lo ºC	Hi/Lo ºF	Hi/Lo ºC
January	38 / 27	3 / -3	34 / 20	1 / -7
February	43 / 29	6 / -2	40 / 24	4 / -4
March	50 / 34	6 / -2	51 / 31	11 / -1
April	54 / 37	12 / 3	60 / 39	16 / 4
May	65 / 46	18 / 8	69 / 46	21 / 8
June	70 / 50	21 / 10	75 / 52	24 / 11
July	74 / 54	23 / 12	78 / 55	26 / 13
August	74 / 54	23 / 12	76 / 54	24 / 12
September	64 / 47	18 / 8	69 / 49	21 / 9
October	57 / 42	14 / 6	58 / 40	14 / 4
November	44 / 34	7 / 1	46 / 32	8 / 0
December	39 / 29	4 / -2	36 / 24	2 / -4
	Salzburg, Austria		Vienna, Austria
Month	Hi/Lo ºF	Hi/Lo ºC	Hi/Lo ºF	Hi/Lo ºC
January	36 / 25	2 / -4	36 / 27	2 / -3
February	37 / 27	3 / -3	39 / 28	4 / -2
March	48 / 32	9 / 0	49 / 35	9 / 2
April	55 / 37	13 / 3	57 / 41	14 / 5
May	64 / 46	18 / 8	67 / 49	19 / 9
June	70 / 50	21 / 10	72 / 55	22 / 13
July	73 / 54	23 / 12	77 / 59	25 / 15
August	72 / 54	22 / 12	77 / 59	25 / 15
September	68 / 50	20 / 10	69 / 53	21 / 12
October	55 / 41	13 / 5	57 / 43	14 / 6
November	45 / 32	7 / 0	44 / 35	7 / 2
December	36 / 27	2 / -3	39 / 30	4 / -1

	Average Rainfall
	Bern, Switzerland		Innsbruck, Austria
Month	Inches	Millimeters	Inches	Millimeters
January	2.3	58	2.1	53
February	2.0	51	4.6	117
March	2.8	71	4.7	119
April	3.3	84	2.2	56
May	4.9	124	2.9	74
June	5.3	135	4.1	104
July	5.4	137	4.8	122
August	6.2	157	4.6	117
September	4.7	119	3.0	76
October	4.0	102	2.4	61
November	3.0	76	2.2	56
December	2.6	66	2.0	51
	Salzburg, Austria		Vienna, Austria
Month	Inches	Millimeters	Inches	Millimeters
January	2.8	71	1.5	38
February	2.5	64	1.7	43
March	2.6	66	1.6	41
April	3.7	94	2.0	51
May	5.1	130	2.4	61
June	6.8	173	2.9	74
July	7.9	201	2.5	64
August	6.9	175	2.3	58
September	5.2	132	1.8	46
October	3.5	89	1.6	41
November	2.9	74	2.0	51
December	2.8	71	1.7	43

To read about current weather conditions, we suggest you log on to the Internet website, noaa.gov, by clicking here.

 

If You Have to Cancel

Cancellation Fees – Regardless of reason, cancellations of confirmed bookings result in our incurring costly penalties and cancellation fees from our travel and hotel providers. Therefore, if you have to cancel a confirmed booking, we will charge you a cancellation fee according to when your cancellation notice is received in our Norwalk, CT office. To help limit your liability, please refer to Tauck Travel Protection on this webpage for more information.

If you choose not to purchase Tauck Travel Protection or Cancellation Fee Waiver, you will incur cancellation penalties per person as follows:

Did you know that you can link-up Tauck itineraries to create longer journeys? Many of these trips are in the same region, and depending upon availability you might connect with them before or after your trip. Alternatively, you might find one of these options better suited for your interests and preferences or for when you are available to travel.

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