DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Vienna.

DAY    2            ARRIVE VIENNA (6 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our tour manager/guide and transfer into the historic capital city of Vienna. This afternoon we will take a Walking Tour through old Vienna, which will include the Hoher Markt, where we will see Virgin Mary's Wedding Fountain and an Art Nouveau clock, the Altes Rathaus, the former town hall, the old Chancellery of Bohemia, the Clock Museum, and St. Peter's Church.

DAY    3            VIENNA (IMPERIAL VIENNA)
Our morning begins with a visit to the former winter palace of the Habsburgs, the vast and impressive Hofburg, which sits in the heart of Vienna. This complex of imperial edifices grew with the empire, so that today the palace is virtually a city within a city. Our visit will include the Imperial Apartments; the Imperial Treasury, featuring the crown jewels and an assortment of imperial riches; the Spanish Riding School, where we will marvel at the skill and beauty of the sleek Lippizaner stallions as their adept trainers put them through their paces in a show that hasn't changed for 4 centuries. (Subject to availability and performance schedule); We will also visit the Lippizaner Museum, a permanent exhibition, which depicts the historic inception of the Spanish Riding School. Our day concludes with a visit to St. Stephen's Cathedral, one of the greatest Gothic structures in Europe, rich in woodcarvings, altars, sculptures, and paintings. We will also have the opportunity to Ascend the Spire to the viewing platform for spectacular views of the city. After dinner we will explore Prater Park, the city's classic amusement park, complete with wonderful foods and the world-famous Ferris wheel.

DAY    4            DAY TRIP TO THE VIENNA WOODS & SCHONBRUNN
                          PALACE
This morning we will a Vienna Woods-Mayerling Tour, outside of Vienna, which will offer an interesting look into small Austrian towns and villages. Our tour will include: the towns of Perchtoldsdorf and Modling; the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz, a center of Christian culture since medieval times; the village of Mayerling, forever linked to the tragic suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf, only son of Emperor Franz Joseph; and Baden, a spa that was once a favorite summer resort of the aristocracy. This afternoon we will stop just outside the city center for a visit to the 1,441-room Schönbrunn Palace, which was designed for the Habsburgs before becoming the imperial summer palace during Maria Theresa's 40-year reign. It was the scene of great ceremonial balls, lavish banquets, and fabulous receptions held during the Congress of Vienna, including a performance by a 6 year-old Mozart. Our tour will include the State Apartments, a stroll through the Imperial Gardens, and a brief visit to the Wagenburg or Carriage Museum, which contains a fine display of imperial coaches from the 17th through the 20th century. We continue to Vienna.

DAY    5            VIENNA (THE BELVEDERE QUARTER)
Our morning commences in Karlsplatz, where we will visit Karlskirche, dedicated to St Charles Borromeo, patron saint of the plague. This richly eclectic Baroque masterpiece is dominated on the outside by a massive Dome and two columns, which were inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome. Our morning continues to the Palaces and Gardens of the Belvedere, the former summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Belevedere consists of two palaces linked by a formal garden laid out in the French style. Our specialist-guided tour begins at the Upper Belvedere, featuring an impressive façade designed to reflect Prince Eugene's glory. In addition to the impressive interiors of the Sala Terrena, with its sweeping staircase, the chapel and the Marble Hall, the building also houses collections of 19th and 20th century paintings, including the Gustav Klimt Collection, belonging to the Austrian Gallery. After a stroll through the spectacular Gardens, we will continue our tour through the Lower Belvedere. The Museum of Austrian Baroque Art is housed in the elegant rooms of the Lower Belvedere. Works of art by the artists and sculptors who shaped the city during Vienna's Golden Age are on display. Our final visit will be the Orangery, which houses the Museum of Austrian Medieval Art, including Gothic and Early Renaissance paintings and sculpture. This evening we will visit the Haus Der Musik, where we will be invited to hear, see and feel music. Unexpected experiences of sound inside larger than life instruments await us, as well as the opportunity to take hold of the baton and conduct the Vienna Philharmonic, or to compose our own melody.

DAY    6            DAY TRIP TO THE WACHAU VALLEY & MELK
This morning we travel to the historic town of Melk, where we will visit Melk Abbey, one of the finest baroque buildings in the world. Our tour of the Abbey will include: the Marble Hall, which contains pilasters coated in red marble, and a richly painted allegorical picture on the ceiling; the Library with some 80,000 original volumes; and the Kaisergang (Emperors' Gallery), which is decorated with portraits of Austrian rulers. Our day continues as we board a Danube Cruise Ship for a scenic cruise through the Wachau Valley. The relaxing cruise will take us past some of Austria's most breathtaking castles, abbeys and river towns. Our cruise will conclude in Krems, where we will meet our coach and return to Vienna.

DAY    7            VIENNA (THE SONS OF VIENNA)
This morning we begin with a visit to the Votive Church, which was built after a failed assassination attempt on Emperor Franz Joseph. A collection was taken for the construction of the church, which sits across from the site where the attempt was made. Heinrich von Ferstel began work on the neo-Gothic church in 1856, but it was not consecrated until 1879. The magnificent facade features awesome lacy spires and intricate sculpture, and most noteworthy is the Renaissance sarcophagus tomb of Niklas Salm, who commanded Austrian forces during the Turkish siege in 1529. Next we take a tour of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Fine Arts Museum), housing one of Europe's finest art collections compiled by the Hapsburgs. The collection includes great works from some of Europe's greatest artists, including Bruegel, Rubens, Durer, Hals, Rembrandt, Raphael, Caravaggio, Titian and Velasquez, just to name a few. Our day concludes in the Stadtpark, a lovely park that lies on the slope where the Danube used to overflow into the Inner City before the construction of the Danube Canal. Many memorial statues stand in the park; the best known depicts Johann Strauss Jr., composer of operettas and waltzes like The Blue Danube Waltz. We will also view monuments to Franz Schubert and Hans Makart, all of which are surrounded by verdant squares of grass, well-manicured flower gardens, and plenty of benches.

DAY    8            DEPARTURE FROM VIENNA
Our enjoyable and rewarding trip will come to an end as our guide accompanies us to the airport for the return flight home.