Package Tour
UK tour operator Trafalgar Tours offers a 10-day "European Spree" tour that starts in Frankfurt, Germany, and travels in a loop through Italy back to Paris. The tour follows Germany's Romantic Road southeast from Frankfurt via Rothenburg into Bavaria and Munich before crossing into Austria and a stop in Innsbruck. Crossing into Italy, the tour stops at Venice and Florence and then turns back north to Lucerne in Switzerland via the Italian lake country before ending in Paris. Tour price includes overnight stays, breakfast and some dinners. It also includes guided tours in several of the cities and a canal cruise in Venice.
Ski Trip
Hamburg, Germany-based Alternativ Bus Reisen offers a ski trip originating in Hamburg or Berlin and traveling via Hannover, Kassel, Nuremberg and Munich in Germany before reaching Innsbruck in Austria. The bus travels overnight to Munich, but the trip through Austria to the Brenner Pass and on to Sterzing in the Italian Alps takes place during the daytime. From there, travelers can catch shuttle buses to various ski resorts. Price includes lodging, breakfast, dinner and ski instruction for beginners. Southern Tirol is now part of Italy but retains a strong Austrian character from its time in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Hop On, Hop Off
London-based Busabout offers an inexpensive alternative in the May-to-October period with passes that allow travelers to hop on the bus in one of the cities served in a loop and then hop off for any number of days in another destination along the way. The Southern Loop, one of three loops followed by the service, links Munich to Innsbruck and then to several cities in Italy, including Venice, Rome, Siena, Florence and Milan. Munich, in fact, is a pivotal city, which allows travelers also to extend the trip and depart on the Northern Loop to cities like Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague. The buses stop each night at inexpensive lodgings, which are not included in the price of the pass.
Article Written By Darrell Delamaide
Darrell Delamaide has written professionally for over three decades, having held staff positions with Dow Jones, International Herald Tribune, Institutional Investor, Bloomberg and AOL. He currently writes for publications including "MarketWatch," "Institutional Investor," "EnergyBiz" and "DSNews." A former Fulbright Scholar, Delamaide holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from St. Louis University.
