Custom Concert Tour Sample DestinationsNew York City
"...I want to thank you and your staff for a truly wonderful tour. Your company did an outstanding job putting together this custom tour package for us."
Lindy Rust, Choir Director |
GERMANY — AUSTRIA
DAY 1: DEPART THE USADepart the USA on your flight to Munich, Germany. Dinner, breakfast, and snacks will be served en route. DAY 2: WELCOME TO MUNICH! Upon arrival at Munich airport, your Music Contact International tour escort will greet you in the arrival's area. Board your motor coach and begin a city tour of Munich with your local English-speaking tour guide. Munich, the city of Monks, is the capital of Bavaria and the second largest German city. Many of the images typically associated with Germany are quintessentially Bavarian; and as the capital of Bavaria, many of these images are part of the cultural landscape in Munich as well: Lederhosen, oom-pah bands, and alpine views. Munich is also home to the most famous of Bavaria's many annual festivals, Oktoberfest. However, there is much more to the city than this quaint Bavarian charm. Located in the most Catholic area of Germany, Munich is known for its many catholic churches, abbeys, and other religious landmarks. In fact, Munich is named for a Benedictine abbey founded in the 9th century. On your tour, see Munich's most familiar landmark, the twin-towered Frauenkirche, or the Cathedral of Our Lady. Continue on to Marienplatz to enjoy the world famous "Glockenspiel," seen and heard by thousands of people each day. See the Residenz, the old ducal palace of the Bavarian kings, built between the 16th and 19th centuries. After the city tour, enjoy lunch on your own. Following lunch, depart Munich for nearby Dachau (~30 minutes), the site of the first concentration camp built in Germany. Established in March 1933, Dachau held around 4,800 prisoners, mostly political prisoners, Gypsies and others deemed by the Third Reich to be a threat. When the American armed forces liberated the camp in April of 1945, there were around 188,000 prisoners, mostly Jews. Have some time to walk around the camp and see various exhibits in this historic monument. Afterwards, continue your journey to Garmisch (~1.5 hours), the site of the 1936 Winter Olympic Games. Upon arrival, check in to your hotel and take some time to refresh before joining your tour escort for an optional orientation walk of the area surrounding the hotel. In the evening, a Welcome Dinner is arranged for the choir in the hotel restaurant. DAY 3: GARMISCH—NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE • INFORMAL CONCERT Following breakfast, depart on an excursion to Schwangau (~1.5 hours) in southern Bavaria where you will visit Neuschwanstein, a castle associated with Bavaria's "Mad King" Ludwig. Due to its beauty and fairy-tale like qualities, Walt Disney used this castle as a model for castles in some of Disney's best known films. Nestled high in the mountainside in view of Hohenschwangau, Ludwig's childhood home, Neuschwanstein was first built by the Knights of Schwangau in the 12th century. Neuschwanstein's many towers, gates, battlements, lookouts, gables, spires, and spiral staircases lend it a dream-like quality, as does the stunning landscape which surrounds it. Rising on a granite spur with the magnificent snow-covered Alps as a backdrop, this castle is one of the most photographed castles in the world. Following the tour, enjoy lunch on your own. After lunch, return to Garmisch with a brief stop in Wieskirche where you will visit and enjoy an informal sing in the most famous Rococo-style church in all of Germany*. Later, return to your hotel. In the evening, enjoy a group dinner in the hotel. DAY 4: GARMISCH—SALZBURG • SUNDAY SERVICE PERFORMANCE Enjoy breakfast in the hotel and depart for a local church where your choir has been invited to perform during the service*. After the service, return to your hotel to check out. Depart the hotel for Salzburg. On your way to Salzburg, drive through the Berchtesgaden Alpine area to see Eagle's Nest, Hitler's summer home. Given to Hitler by the Nazi Party for his 50th birthday, Eagle's Nest became Hitler's favorite residence. Have some time for taking pictures and enjoying the mountain scenery. (Garmisch—Berchtesgaden = ~3hours; Berchtesgaden—Salzburg = ~40 minutes) Continue on to Salzburg stopping for lunch on your own en route. Upon arrival, check in to your hotel and embark on a guided walking tour of this Salzburg. See the Salzburg Cathedral, with its twin towers, measuring 259 feet high and massive bronze doors with the symbol of Faith (left), Love (middle) and Hope (right). See the majestic fortress Hohensalzburg, which towers over Salzburg from its perch atop Mönchsberg, the highest point in the city, and where the Salzburg Festspielhaus, home of the famous Salzburg Festival Operas, is built into the side of the hill. Proceed to the Franciscan Church (1223), featuring a dark Romanesque nave, which leads to a twelve-sided, Gothic choir. Your next stop is Residenzplatz (1596), the former town residence of the Prince Bishops and center square of Salzburg, whose focal point, the Residenzbrunnen, is the largest baroque fountain north of the Alps. Measuring 50-feet tall, the fountain is best enjoyed during the evening hours when it is lit for all to see, but is equally delightful during daylight hours. Walk through Mozartplatz, a pleasant square with a bronze statue of Mozart. See Mozart's Geburtshaus (Mozart's Birthplace) and continue up Getreidegasse, the city's pedestrian street lined with 17th and 18th century buildings, each of which displays the authentic tin signs depicting the trade of the local business. Cross the Salzach River to the Miralbell Gardens, originally the private gardens for the Schloß Mirabell (palace), which was built in 1606 by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his mistress, Salome Alt. Fire destroyed much of the Schloß in 1818 but the magnificent staircase added in 1727 still remains and leads to the Marmorsaal, where weddings and concerts are often held. See the large fountain with sculptures by Ottavio Mosto (1690), which use mythical figures to represent earth, air, water and fire. In the evening, enjoy a group dinner in the hotel. DAY 5: SALZBURG • SCHOOL CONCERT Enjoy breakfast in the hotel. Meet your local guide and embark on a half-day guided tour of the sights associated with the famous von Trapp family and the film that immortalized them, The Sound of Music. Visit St. Peter's Abbey, next to the cemetery where the escape scene was filmed in the movie. Following continue to Leopoldskron, where the façade of the castle was used as part of the von Trapp home in the film. Then travel along the Austrian Lake District, with marvelous views of the Salzkammergut region to Mondsee. Soak in the breathtaking views of this resort, where in the movie Maria and the Baron von Trapp were married in the Pfarrkirche (parish church). The tour proceeds to St. Gilgen on Lake Wolfgang, which offers views of the best-known landscapes of the Salzkammergut region and is a favored weekend getaway by many Austrians including the Chancellor. Here, the Mozart Fountain recalls the connection between Mozart and this beautiful land. After the tour, proceed to a local school for a Friendship Concert with that school's choir*. There will be free time afterward to mingle with the students and learn a bit about the Austrian school system. In the late afternoon, depart Salzburg for Vienna (~4 hours). Upon arrival, check in to your hotel. Dinner is arranged in the hotel dining room. DAY 6: VIENNA • CONCERT Enjoy breakfast in the hotel and depart on a panoramic bus tour of Vienna. Once the leading city in Central Europe, Vienna continues to benefit from its past glory. Much of the town's 18th century charm and 19th century grandeur has remained despite Vienna's development into a large, modern city. The Old World ambience of the city is determined as much by attitude as architecture; the Viennese invented café society, and they continue to perfect the art of sophisticated relaxation. Nowhere else in Europe are you so aware of a sense of warmth and friendly comfort, and this feeling is so prized by the Viennese that they refer to it by name: Gemütlichkeit (literally, "coziness"). Be sure to spend some time in the 'citadels of Gemütlichkeit', the Viennese cafés, where you'll see residents lingering over newspapers, in conversation with friends and relaxing over an Apfelstrudel and coffee. Vienna has an approximate population of 1.6 million people. The city is arranged in districts 1-23. The districts radiate from the center and increase in number accordingly.  Embark on a guided tour of the city including the Ringstraße, the site of the old city wall; the University of Vienna; the Staatsoper; the Votivkirche; the Vienna Hofburg—the previous residence of the Habsburg family, the late nineteenth-century, neo-gothic Rathaus (the City Hall); the neo-classic Parliament building; the Belvedere, and more. Following your tour, depart for a local school for a Friendship Concert with that school's choir.* There will be time afterward to mingle with the students. In the evening, enjoy a Farewell Dinner in the hotel dining room. DAY 7: WELCOME HOME!Enjoy breakfast in the hotel and check out. Load your motor coach and depart for the airport for your flight home. This tour was designed for a high school group. If you would like us to research prices for this tour for 2007 or would like to discuss an alternative itinerary, please contact us. Go to top of page to request more information on your customized Concert Tour. |
