Alps Deluxe

We will spend much of today meandering southward through pastoral Bavaria, past crystal blue lakes and inviting medieval towns.

We'll make time to visit one of the famous King Ludwig's Linderhoff, his private retreat near Garmisch. We'll begin encountering some gentle sweepers and then increasingly challenging passes as the snow-topped Bavarian Alps give way to the Austrian Alps. We'll end Day 2 unwinding in the charming, cozy ski resort town of Lech, 1300m high in the Alps.

From picturesque Lech, where crisp, clean mountain air is guaranteed, we’ll continue west toward Switzerland, crossing the postage stamp- sized monarchy of Lichtenstein along the way; we’ll stop for coffee in the dramatic, hillside capital city of Vaduz.

Once across the Swiss border, we can enjoy the quiet, forested area around Walensee Lake, before scaling our first major pass of the day—the Klausen. From there we'll continue west through the valley, making a turn in Wassen to ride over another beautiful pass – Sustenpass, before settling on the top of the Grimselpass, our base tonight.

Today's drive will be fast, driving through old decorated chalets, exploring the beauties of Vanil Noir, listed in the inventory of natural sites and monuments of national importance.

Furka, Gotthard, Novena...just to name a few famous passes waiting for us in the morning! Spectacular Swiss roads hanging on mountain slopes deliver an unforgettable experience. Afterwards we decent into Valais Canton and head to Chamonix!

Resting at the foot of Mont Blanc, western Europe’s highest mountain, Chamonix offers spectacular alpine scenery and atmosphere.

You can experience one of the highest cable cars in the world, which takes you to the top station of the Aiguilles du Midi, the closest point you can get to Mont Blanc without climbing. Or drive up to Great St. Bernard Pass, connecting Switzerland to the Aosta Valley in Italy, also famous for St. Bernard dogs. Those with a climbing spirit can explore the Aiguille du Midi tunnel. After the day spent inhaling fresh mountain air, there's time for some typical Savoyard food and French aperitif. Santé!

More alpine driving takes you through some of the best mountain passes in French Alps, starting with Col de I'Iseran, at 2.770 meters elevation the highest mountain pass in the Alps, and passing to the summits of Col du Galibier and Col du Lautaret.

Massive rock, mountain pastures and snow covered landscapes envelop the view! Driving along Val d'Isere valley we arrive at the historical little French village of Briançon, entering through one of its several drawbridges. Walking along narrow cobble streets surrounded by old UNESCO-listed fortifications and old painted buildings makes it a nice conclusion to the day.

We are in the Southern French Alps when leaving Brincon.

Across Col de Montgenèvre you find your self back in Italy. Our destination is the spectacular and fashionable Lake Como. The go to place for the worlds jet-set.

Lake Como, the undisputed star of the Lake District.

Enjoy the day arourn Lake Como or go for a drive to one of many quaint towns along the lake.

Great Alpine driving over high passes all the way to St.Moritz and further to Livigno.

Livigno is our gateway to a series of high passes straddling the Swiss-Italian border.

Our next challenge, Stelvio Pass, will make these first two seem like mere warm-ups. At almost 2800 m, Stelvio is one of the two highest drivable mountain passes in the Alps! And what a drive it is-- switchbacks galore, and, if you dare look up from the road, some of the most beautiful high mountain panoramas in the world. The route to our last major pass of the day, Passo di Gavia, inspires with its lakes, narrow chicanes, and wildness. We will end our day in the middle of the fabulous Dolomites.

If resting is not your idea of spending a holiday in the Alps, then numerous drives around the Dolomites playground await.

Exhilarating mountain roads lead in all directions. You can drive all the way to Lago di Garda or even to Venice and have a cappuccino on the Piazza San Marco. It's really all about driving as you will have a hard time finding better roads anywhere in Europe.

Drive more switchbacks and cross to Slovenia. Arrive to Bovec, an outdoor paradise.

This high altitude playground for car inthusiasts exists today because of the road building efforts of Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces along what was a bitterly contested front through here in WWI. We'll end our day across the border in Slovenia in the town of Bovec and say good bye to the Dolomites, the ultimate driving destination.

Over the highest Slovenian Mountain pass to the picturesque medieval town of Lienz.

Waving goodbye to the Soča Valley, we'll make our way to the Vršič Pass. With 50 hairpin curves, it is the highest pass in Slovenia. From the little town of Kranjska Gora we will drive the Wurzenpass, connecting Slovenia and Austria. We'll become one with wide, sweeping roads, zooming through Austria's mountain ranges and green pastures —incredibly picturesque Austrian countryside.

Today we will drive the best, most exhilarating roads in the Austrian Alps, including the famous Grossglockner High Alpine Road.

Running through the heart of the Hohe Tauren National Park to Austria's highest peak, Mt Grossglockner (3798m), this classic twisty throws 36 curves into your path over 48 km up to an altitude of 2504 m! Once off the mountain, anyone looking for some exposure to Austrian culture and history may detour to medieval Salzburg for a coffee and bit of exploration. From here, much our drive back to Munich will be through the spectacular Alpine foothills of southern Bavaria. The German Alpine Road, Grande Dame of Germany's scenic byways, will carry us over a landscape dotted with castles, baroque churches, viaducts, and abbeys. By late afternoon, Munich will greet us once more. That evening, we'll meet for our farewell dinner.

This morning you will say good bye to your guides and new friends until we meet again for another adventure.

If you have an afternoon flight planned, you can walk the Old Town and enjoy the local sites and tastes once more before returning home filled with great memories.