Airport Departing Time Returning Time Cost Availability. Heathrow 28 Dec 16 10:25 02 Jan 17 16: Sold out

Transcription

1 A Viennese New Year Departures & Prices Airport Departing Time Returning Time Cost Availability Heathrow 28 Dec 16 10:25 02 Jan 17 16: Sold out What's Included Return scheduled flights Five nights accommodation in a four star hotel All evening meals and one lunch Porterage Personal audio guiding system Hosted drinks reception on arrival New Year's Eve gala dinner with drinks Traditional Viennese Heurigen evening Performance of the Spanish Riding School New Year s Day concert in the Kursalon Executive coach throughout Exclusive services of a One Traveller Tour Manager Excursions as follows Ride on the famous Ferris wheel Morning city tour; tour of the State Opera House Hofburg Imperial Apartments and Treasury Schönbrunn Palace tour and New Year s market Not Included Holiday Insurance You need to arrange your own but we can help. For more information, please see our suggested insurance services.

2 Itinerary Key: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Drink Afternoon Tea Longer walks and steps may be involved on this day 1 Travel to Vienna Morning: meet your One Traveller representative and fellow travellers at Heathrow Airport before boarding the flight to Vienna. On arrival your coach will be waiting to take you to the Prater Park, where your introduction to the Austrian capital and centre of the former Habsburg Empire will be a ride on the Ferris wheel made famous in the film The Third Man starring Orson Welles. Afternoon: check-in to your hotel for a five-night stay. Evening: hosted welcome drinks reception and dinner with a drink. 2 City tour State Opera House visit Morning: guided tour of the Imperial city, taking in the Ringstrasse, the showcase boulevard of the Habsburg Empire with buildings in numerous architectural styles. See also the Naschmarkt, Art Nouveau Secession building, the Hundertwasser House, the new Danube City; and the European home of the United Nations. Afternoon: after lunch in the unique setting of the Rathauskeller you will enjoy a private tour of the State Opera House with its magnificent staircase, statues and ornate Gustav Mahler salon. Evening: buffet dinner with a drink in the hotel. 3 Vienna Hofburg Traditional Heurigen dinner Morning: included entrance to the former Imperial winter residence the Hofburg and the Kaiser Apartments of Franz Josef and Elisabeth as well as the Imperial Treasury where the Crown Jewels of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are housed. Afternoon: free to explore the compact centre of Vienna. Maybe visit the House of Music or the Art Historical Museum which developed

3 from the private collections of the emperors and houses works by some of Europe s most famous artists. Evening: traditional Heurigen dinner and entertainment in a Viennese tavern on the edge of the Vienna Woods. 4 New Year s Eve The Spanish Riding School Late morning: after a leisurely breakfast enjoy a performance of the Spanish Riding School where the famous Lippizaner stallions will demonstrate the most demanding movements such as the pirouette, pas de deux, passage and piaffe to the accompaniment of Austrian classical music in a magnificent salon adorned with giant crystal chandeliers. Afternoon: free time to enjoy the pedestrianised heart of Vienna. Afterwards return to the hotel to relax before the evening s festivities. Evening: gala four-course dinner with drinks in a cosy local restaurant next to the hotel, with live piano music. At midnight all radio and TV stations will tune in to the State Opera House to hear the Blue Danube Waltz, an Austrian tradition! 5 New Year s Day Schönbrunn Palace New Year s concert Morning: guided tour inside Schönbrunn Palace, built to eclipse Versailles and all other European palaces, with its Marie Antoinette bedroom and vast porcelain collection. Afternoon: at leisure in the grounds of the palace with the magnificent Neptune Fountain, Gloriette triumphal arch and New Year s markets in the courtyard before a mid-afternoon return to the hotel. Evening: dinner and drink in the hotel followed by a wonderful concert in the Kursalonwhich will feature works by Strauss, Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. Please note there are several concert venues in Vienna on New Year s Day which is a city tradition. All are of excellent calibre. The concert often televised is from the Golden Salon of the Musikverein, which is for invited dignitaries and people who enter a lottery to receive tickets.

4 6 Fly home Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before departing for the return flight back to the UK. Included excursions Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel On arrival in Vienna you will head directly to the Praterpark to ride the famous Ferris wheel known as the Riesenrad for an overview of Vienna. The wheel was made famous in the film The Third Man starring Orson Welles. Originally built to commemorate the Emperor Franz Josef s Golden Jubilee in 1896, it was designed by a British Naval engineer Lt Walter Bassett Bassett. During the opening ceremony the last rivet was driven in by the British Ambassadors wife Lady Horace Rumbold. Vienna City Tour Few cities can boast the Imperial grandeur of Vienna. The heart and historical centre of the city the Ringstrasse, houses imposing buildings and monuments such as the Rathaus (town hall), the Burgtheater, the University, the Parliament and the State Opera House. Your guided tour of the Imperial city, will take this showcase boulevard of the Habsburg Empire with buildings in numerous architectural styles. See also the Naschmarkt, Art Nouveau Secession building, the Hundertwasser House, the new Danube City; and the European home of the United Nations. Part will be on foot throught the heart of the Kärnterstrasse and St Stephens Cathedral. Tour of the State Opera House A private guided tour of one of Europe s most famous opera houses. Opened as the initial showcase building on the famous Ringstrasse in 1869 the architect fell into depression when Franz Josef proclaimed it looks like a battleship sinking into the ground. The interior however is lavish with frescoes such as the famous Magic Flute series of frescoes on the veranda, paintings in the three arches, depicting the ballet, comic opera, and tragic opera. The Grand staircase is adorned with allegorical statues which embody the seven liberal arts: architecture, sculpture, poetry, dance, musical art, drama, and painting. The historical highlight of the opera house is the Tea Salon, formerly the Emperor s Salon, and the Gustav Mahler Hall. Imperial Apartments and Treasury The Hofburg was the residence of the Habsburgs for over 600 years. Each member of the family had their own apartments or suites in one of the numerous palace wings. Whereas most of these apartments today house a range of museums as well as offices, government ministries and the presidential chancellery, the Imperial Chancellery Wing and the Amalia Residence, which contained the apartments of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth is open to the public. The Imperial treasury is the home of the most important collection of medieval royal objects: the insignia and jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, including the Imperial Crown

5 and the Holy Lance. In earlier centuries, two items were considered to be so unique that they were declared inalienable heirlooms of the House of Austria : a giant narwhal tooth which was thought to be the horn of a unicorn and an agate bowl from Late Antiquity which was thought to be the legendary Holy Grail. Traditional Viennese Heuriger wine tavern dinner Enjoy a relaxed evening at a typical Viennese wine tavern, a so called Heuriger. While you listen to live Viennese folkmusic (Schrammelmusik) and enjoy a variety of cold and warm specialities and homemade wine, grown and produced on the banks of the Danube. Our venue is a family run tavern that has been operating in the same family for over 200 years Spanish Riding School performance Enjoy a performance from the most famous riding school in the world. Set in the magnificent salon of the Hofburg Palace, illuminated by giant Swarovski crystal chandeliers and accompanied by a live orchestra. The stallions once bred in Lipica in Slovenia all stem from six bloodlines of Andalusian horses from the time of Caesar. The riders will be in their traditional two cornered hats, brown tailed coats with gold trim, buckskin britches and knee high boots as they perform famous moves such as the Quadrille and Pas de Deux. Schönbrunn Palace and New Year markets Built between 1695 and 1748 to eclipse Versailles and all other European palaces Schönbrunn has seen an array of historical events. Marie Antoinette was born here, the final Emperor of France grew up here for his safety, Franz Josef was born and died here and the sovereign control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire relinquished on November 11th After a tour inside the palace enjoy time at leisure in the grounds of the palace with the magnificent Neptune Fountain, Gloriette triumphal arch and the atmospheric New Year s markets in the courtyard. New Year s Day concert in the Kursalon Enjoy the classic works of Mozart and Strauss at the Kursalon, one of the most beautiful concert halls in Vienna. This tour offers you a fantastic way to celebrate the New Year! The Kursalon is a Renaissance style building which was built in 1867, and is considered one of the most beautiful concert halls in Vienna. This concert hall has a strong connection with the Strauss brothers and is the very place where Johann Strauss himself used to direct his orchestra from the position of first violin. Please note there are several concert venues in Vienna on New Year s Day which is a city tradition. All are of excellent calibre. The concert often televised is from the Golden Salon of the Musikverein, which is for invited dignitaries and people who enter a lottery to receive tickets. Hotels Hotel Kaiser Franz Josef (New Year 2016 & 2017) The four-star Hotel Kaiser Franz Joseph is located in the smart area

6 of Wien-Döbling within easy reach of the city centre by public transport. There are several shops, cafés, a supermarket and a bank within 100 yards of the hotel. On site facilities include a coffee shop, hair salon, gym, sauna and Jacuzzi. You will have your own double room equipped with fridge, cable TV and free high speed WiFi. Bathrooms are equipped with showers or bathtubs, hairdryer and complimentary toiletries.