Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, entertainment, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, porterage and the services of local guides and drivers, and the Tauck Director are included. Transportation from Munich Airport to  the Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski is included, regardless of the time you check in to the hotel, provided you have given us accurate flight arrival information at least three weeks prior to the start of your tour. If you are arriving into a local train station please retain a receipt from your taxi and submit it to your Tour Director for reimbursement. Transportation from the Burgenstock Hotel to Zurich International Airport or a local train station is also included when you check out of the hotel. Transportation to and from airports and train stations may be shared with other Tauck guests.

The tour price includes all hotel accommodations with private baths. Our standard is to provide the best available accommodations without sacrificing value. Although the quality may differ slightly from one hotel to another, our commitment to your comfort is unwavering. Two-bedded rooms are reserved in most hotels. Triples are usually two-bedded rooms plus a rollaway cot and are not recommended for comfort.

Most meals are included as specified in the itinerary.

The Ultimate Alps and Dolomites is conducted by a Tauck Director who remains with the group throughout the tour. Your Tauck Director is a professional, fully trained employee of Tauck.

All customary gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff and local guides are included.

Checked Luggage – General

Due to space restrictions, we ask that you please limit your checked luggage to one suitcase per person weighing no more than 50 pounds (23 kg) and with overall dimensions (length + width + height) not exceeding 62 inches (158 cm).

Besides complying with the Tauck restriction noted above, you should also be sure to research and comply with all airline baggage restrictions relating to your flights to and from your Tauck journey. Airlines have become much more strict in enforcing size and weight limits in recent years, and luggage exceeding airline standards for size or weight may result in expensive overage fees or other consequences.

Airlines are free to revise luggage policies without notice, and certain airlines have different baggage allowances for different classes of service. Researching and complying with airline luggage restrictions is the responsibility of the guest, and Tauck cannot be held responsible for any costs or disruptions to travel caused by the failure to research and comply with airline policies.

Please be sure to attach your Tauck luggage tag to your suitcase before leaving home!

Although oversize bags and wheeled, carry-on luggage are popular for airline travel, they are often not convenient or appropriate for motor coach travel or for many on-tour flights. Most modern sightseeing motor coaches offer limited space for numerous or larger items. Space under seats or in the overhead rack is typically small, and designed to accommodate items like coats, hats, purses, and small camera bags, etc.

For your day-to-day travel while on tour, we recommend that you limit your hand luggage to a small, soft-sided carry-on piece, and that you bring only those items you need handy during the day such as make-up, medications, cameras, film, etc. Items too large to fit under the motor coach seat or on the overhead rack must be stored in the luggage bays beneath the motor coach, and may be inaccessible during daytime travel.

Tauck Directors assist with information on free-time activities based on honest opinion and guidance, but they will not sell you anything. This means better value and a more relaxed and pleasant experience for you.

Air transportation to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included.

To avoid jet lag and possible flight delays, you may wish to make hotel arrangements for the nights preceding or following your tour or cruise. As a service, we will book additional nights for you on a space-available basis using special rates only available through us. Hotel room charges will be added to the tour or cruise cost. Train and airport transfers are included for these extended stays as described above under Inclusive Prices. If you wish to spend additional nights, please consult Extend Your Trip in the Accommodations section on this webpage and discuss it with your reservations sales consultant or your travel agent when you book your tour or cruise.

Although every effort is made to handle your luggage carefully, we cannot be responsible, assume liability or accept claims for loss or damage to luggage and personal effects due to breakage, theft, or fair wear and tear through hotel, airline and group carrier handling. It is important for your own self-interest and protection that you make certain you have adequate insurance to cover these eventualities. Please refer to the Tauck Travel Protection Product section on this webpage for more information.

Lost luggage is an unfortunate possibility in today's world of airline travel. We suggest that you:

• Pack at least one change of clothing in your carry-on bag
• Split your items between your suitcase and a traveling companion's suitcase
• Do not pack any vital medications or valuables in your checked luggage
• Confirm that your luggage is checked and tagged to your final destination at airport check-in
• Place your luggage claim tags in a secure place for your flight
• File a claim for any missing luggage immediately before leaving the baggage claim area
• Secure a case number and contact information for follow-up communications
• Make certain that the airline has your onward itinerary

Your Tauck Director will assist you with airline and other carrier communications, but has no inside contacts to guarantee or expedite recovery of lost luggage. All recovery costs, including the communication costs, are your responsibility. Check your travel protection details for covered expenses.

Personal Expenses such as phone calls, room service, alcoholic and other beverages not specifically included, laundry, dry cleaning, airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, airport arrival and departure taxes, individual airport transfers (when applicable), and other optional or incidental extras are not included and may be significant.

Journey Start and End Times are provided at the time of booking. The tour begins at 6:00 PM at the Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, Munich on the first day of the tour. You or your booking agent will be advised of any change to this schedule. Please allow sufficient time to claim your luggage and clear customs in order to join the tour on time. The tour ends with your arrival at Zurich International Airport on the last day of the tour. Each carrier and each airport has different rules regarding how early you must arrive for flight check in. Please contact your individual carrier for this information.

We pledge to make every effort to operate all tours as advertised. We reserve the right to alter or curtail the itinerary, or substitute sightseeing, hotels, and/or conveyances as deemed necessary. Any savings realized by these changes will be refunded to you. Any resultant added expense will be covered by us. Although not expected, prices on this website may be modified due to unexpected significant external factors not forecast at the time of publication.

Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or the many state, religious and civic holidays locally observed. You may wish to log on to Wikipedia to view a list of holidays by country by clicking here.

The Alps are located in a temperate climate zone. On this journey, the average high temperatures from April through September range from 55 to 85 °F (13 to 29 °C). The average low temperatures range from 35 to 55 °F (2 to 13 °C). Rainfall is spread throughout the year with the summer months experiencing almost twice as much as the winter months. Munich is the driest location visited with only 20 in (610 mm) per year; Salzburg is the wettest with 31 in (794 mm) per year.

To read about current weather conditions, we suggest you log on to the Internet website, noaa.gov, by clicking here.

Occasionally, we will use photographs and/or video taken by fellow guests or your Tauck Director on your cruise for print, Internet and other media promotional purposes. If you prefer that your image not be used in any marketing activities, please notify your Tauck Director at the start of your tour.

Membership will be granted to all persons. We reserve the right to terminate the tour of any persons who are abusive of others or whose behavior disrupts the tour.

We recommend that you contact your bank in advance of departing on your journey to determine whether you will be able to use your ATM and credit cards while traveling. When contacting your bank, notify them of your travel dates so that they will anticipate charges being made outside of your hometown and do not suspend your cards for what may appear to them to be “suspicious” charges. We also recommend that you make a photocopy of the front and back of your ATM and credit cards to leave behind with someone at home who will assist you in the event your cards are misplaced, lost or stolen. Be sure you know your pin number as it is often required with use of the chip.

We understand and appreciate the value of instant communication when we travel; it keeps us in touch with friends and family, and it's a reassurance in the event of an emergency. However, the use of cell phones can be disruptive to a tour and to other guests who are enjoying their vacation. As a courtesy to others, we ask that you refrain from using your cell phone during motor coach travel, group functions, when sightseeing and when the Tauck Director is addressing the group as a whole. There are usually ample opportunities to make or receive calls at times when it does not affect others.

Please contact your cell phone carrier to determine limitations and services that exist in your destination.

Age Recommendations ― Children 8 years of age or older at the time of travel are welcome on this Tauck journey. Based upon our experience with family travelers, we have a minimum recommended age for each journey to encourage comfort and enjoyment for all of our guests. All children must be accompanied on activities by a parent or guardian. At least one guest in the traveling party must be 21 years of age or older in order to make a reservation.

Babysitting ― Our journeys are designed for adults and children to share the wonder of discovery together. If you require babysitting services, your Tauck Director will put you in contact with the appropriate hotel staff with whom you may make babysitting arrangements. There is usually an additional fee for these services. Many hotels do offer on-site babysitting services; however, babysitting services may not be available at all of our hotels. Please note that our Tauck Directors are not responsible for providing babysitting services.

Safety and Welfare Responsibility ― We welcome the participation of child travelers on our exciting excursions. If you are traveling with a child on a Tauck journey, you have the sole responsibility for ensuring that that the child with whom you are traveling follows all rules of safety throughout the tour. By traveling with us, you release Tauck, Inc. and our partners of all liability for any risks and/or injuries to the child with whom you are traveling.

Special Travel Documentation for Children
Authorization for Travel

If you travel into or out of the U.S. with children under the age of 18, you should be aware of the following: because of increasing incidents of child abductions in disputed custody cases and because children are at risk as possible victims of child pornography, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) strongly recommends that unless the child is accompanied by both parents, you should have a notarized note from the child's other parent (or, in the case of a child traveling with grandparents, uncles or aunts, sisters or brothers, or friends, a note signed by both parents) stating that the parent(s) not traveling acknowledge that the parent(s), family members, etc. who are traveling into or out of the U.S. with the child have permission to do so. While CBP may not ask to see this documentation, if they do ask, and you do not have it, you may be detained until the circumstances of the child traveling without both parents can be fully assessed.

If there is no second parent with legal claims to the child (parent deceased, sole custody, etc.), other relevant paperwork, such as a court decision, birth certificate naming only one parent, or a death certificate, will be useful.

Authorization for Emergency Medical Treatment

In the unlikely event of a medical emergency, a medical facility will require permission from the child’s parents to provide treatment. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you bring along a letter from both parents (including other pertinent documents as cited above) authorizing emergency medical treatment for their child.

We are not responsible for the disruption of travel caused by the improper documentation of any guest, including children traveling without both parents. While there is no definitive format or standard, click here to view a sample letter for guardians or one parent traveling with a child.

If you are traveling from the U.S., the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires that your name, as it appears on your domestic or international airline ticket, must precisely match your name as it appears on the government-issued photo ID (i.e., passport or driver’s license) that you present during security screening. The ID name must also match any additional airline data, such as frequent-flyer information. For example, if you present your driver's license to security and it says John T. Smith, your ticket must also say John T. Smith, not John Thomas Smith, Jack Smith, or any other variant. Your date-of-birth and gender information provided to the airline must also match your passport.

If you make your air travel arrangements through us, please ensure that the name you provide us precisely matches your name as shown on the identification you will use while traveling. If you make your own airline reservations, please ensure that the airline has the correct information.

For more information on the TSA's requirements, please visit their website by clicking here.

If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S., you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification is required for that particular airport.

Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette lighter, or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times.

The motor coaches are air-conditioned for your comfort. Only the Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, Sacher Salzburg and Burgenstock Hotel provide air-conditioning. European air conditioning in hotels should be considered as a climate-control system; most have three settings for the fan, plus a "cool" setting. Very few of the European systems actually have a temperature setting. In general, the amount of cool air that is produced from a European air-conditioning system may be less than what you may have in your own home. Some hotels in Europe do not operate their air-conditioning systems on a year round basis, but only during certain months of the year.

The official currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF) which is divided into 100 centimes and in Italy and Austria, it is the Euro (EUR), which is divided into 100 cents. Although not part of the EU, Switzerland prices are nonetheless often indicated in Euros and some merchants may accept Euros. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are widely accepted and ATMs are widespread; many are equipped with the Cirrus or Maestro systems. Banks offer the best exchange rates for travelers’ checks and foreign currency, but it is also possible to exchange money at all of the hotels on the itinerary, main train stations and airports. Banks are open Monday through Friday.

To obtain the most current exchange rates for all national currencies, you may want to check your local newspaper or log on to the oanda.com by clicking here.

Each country we visit has its own customs clearing process. You should familiarize yourself with each country’s specific required declarations before you travel. In general, you are not permitted to bring live plants, fresh fruits and other produce items into most countries. You may find additional information by visiting the VisaHQ.com website by clicking here.

If you are a U.S. resident who will be returning to the U.S. at the end of the tour, you are entitled to a duty-free exemption based on the total value of merchandise purchase abroad, as long as you physically bring them with you. There are limits to the amount of alcohol that can be a part of this exemption. Certain restrictions apply to unaccompanied goods mailed from abroad to the U.S. Please call your local customs office or consult the U.S. government's customs regulations as contained in their publication entitled Know Before You Go.

If you are a resident of another country, please refer to your own country’s rules and regulations regarding customs and duty-free shopping to ensure compliance upon your return.

Many countries levy Value Added Taxes (VAT) on consumer goods and services. (The tax rate may be higher for luxury items and lower for basic goods.) As a rule, if you are not a resident of the country (or of the country’s intergovernmental economic community, e.g., the European Union) in which the purchase is made, you may be entitled to a VAT refund and should inquire about the refund policy where you shop.

The electrical current in Switzerland and Austria is 230 V, 50 Hz, AC. If your electrical devices do not conform to this standard, you may need to bring the appropriate converters and adapters. These items can be purchased in a store that specializes in travel products.

Complimentary basic Internet where available in hotel rooms; service levels are not guaranteed.

Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Austria are 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (or Greenwich Mean Time). From late March through October, these countries switch to Daylight Savings Time and are 2 hours ahead. To determine current time in major cities around the world, we suggest you log on to the timeanddate.com by clicking here.

The highest elevation is 10,500 ft (3200 m) on the excursion to Mt. Titlis. We ascend and descend high elevations often on this tour, and many guests react differently to these conditions. If you are not accustomed to these heights, you may at times feel dizzy, light-headed, or nauseous. We suggest that you drink plenty of water throughout the whole tour to prevent dehydration.

For reservations, call 800-788-7885 or contact your travel agent to book today!

Reservation Sales Center hours – North America Eastern Time Zone (New York City time):

Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM  
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM  
Sunday: 12:00 Noon – 5:00 PM  

The Deposit and the fees for the optional Protection Plan or Cancel Fee Waiver [CFW] coverage are due at time of booking. Your deposit is $600 per person.

We will be happy to advise hotels of any special requests, provided we receive them at time of booking. We regret that requests cannot be guaranteed.

Final Payment is due at Tauck’s Wilton Woods, CT office 60 days before departure. Any bookings without full payment at this time may be subject to cancellation without notice.

Final Documents, which may include airline tickets, when applicable, are sent by first class mail upon receipt of final payment. They include joining instructions, hotel lists, tour itinerary, clothing suggestions, luggage tags and other pertinent information. We recommend overnight mailing service for any reservation that is made within 30 days of the tour departure date to ensure timely delivery. The additional expense will be added to your tour cost.