Post by Owen on Oct 4, 2014 9:40:13 GMT
1 ~~~~
Dear Members,
Following is a review from a travel agent who recently took part in a familiarsation trip to Switzerland, Austria & Italy.
Although the tour taken is not an actual brochure tour, the agent has given her overview of the experiences she had which are included in numerous Insight tours to these countries.
Kind Regards
John
Moderator
A Insight into Europe
Posted 23 Dec 2011
Chocolate, Cheese and Pizza
We arrived into Switzerland, and having a free afternoon, we decided to explore on foot, visiting Chapel Bridge and wandered around the shops, there were lots and lots of chocolate shops!
A journey to Mount Pilatus combines the excitement and adventure of travelling to the mountain’s 7,000- foot summit with the pleasure of viewing central Switzerland’s most scenic vista.
Travellers have a choice of ascending via gondola/cable car or by the world’s steepest cogwheel train — and they can return by either means.
We ascended by gondola/Cable car which took around 30 minutes. When the cable car stops there is a higher section reached only by foot, or you can just enjoy a hot drink whilst enjoying the amazing views. Afterwards in Lucerne, we sampled the delights of cheese fondue, a great meal to share but not great for those watching their waistline!
The next morning we travelled east through Switzerland to Austria. The scenery of the Austrian Alps en-route was truly breathtaking, we even had the soundtrack of The Sound of Music playing.
We arrived into Innsbruck where we visited one of the largest Swarovski Crystal stores in the World which was absolutely fabulous! The souvenir shops, the quaint looking houses, churches, the numerous pizzerias and cafes are all surrounded by glorious mountains whilst the town houses are adorned with characters from well-known fairy tales looking down on all the visitors, the town has such a magical feel to it and with the Christmas Markets being set up I would not hesitate to recommend this for a short break at Christmas time.
Leaving the mountains of Austria we travelled to Venice, and took a tour along the Grand Canal whilst our guide talked us through the beautiful palazzos and churches.
We then got to experience a gondola ride! I’m sure anyone who goes to Venice will want to experience this, we loved it! We were given a bottle of champagne to drink whilst we were transported round the back canals. It is a must for anyone visiting Venice.
Heading out of Venice we headed for Milan. We wandered through the 19th Century shopping arcade into the main Square and around the Duomo, which is the most gorgeous cathedral! It is one of the largest in the world and has lots of beautiful coloured glass windows, it really is a sight to see. If shopping is more your thing, there are so many designer shops dotted around including Gucci, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli.
Overall I had the most amazing trip and would like to thank Insight Vacations.