All Inclusive Austria: Alps, Salzburg & Lake Zell

Gathering at London St Pancras this morning, your holiday begins by meeting the Tour Manager and fellow travellers ahead of this all-inclusive tour to the beautiful Austrian Alps.

Boarding the Eurostar to Paris, we travel to Brussels in Plus class, we enjoy a light meal at our seats on the way. In the Belgian capital, we change trains, travelling in First Class to the German city of Cologne for an overnight stop. Standing on the regal Rhine River, this grand city is dominated by its Gothic cathedral with two piercing spires. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a symbol of Cologne and stands next to the main station. On arrival, we check in to our nearby hotel for the night and enjoy our first dinner together as a group this evening.

Please Note - For departure 3rd October we will outbound via Wiesbaden, staying at the Intercity Wiesbaden.

• Dinner
• Eurostar Light Meal

Setting off after an early breakfast this morning, we return to Cologne station to carry on our journey, starting by travelling to Munich in First Class. Passing through Frankfurt and Stuttgart, and the historic Swabian towns of Ulm and Augsburg, we arrive in the Bavarian capital in the afternoon. A local train takes us across the Austrian border to Wörgl and into the majestic Alps.

After a coach transfer to St Johann, we check in to our hotel, where we stay for six nights. Set in a broad amphitheatre-like valley, this charming town is nestled at the heart of the Tyrolean Alps. It's a beautiful and peaceful base for our alpine adventure - brimming with traditional buildings adorned by colourful flowerboxes.

Our family-run hotel has an idyllic chalet-style façade, and we settle down to enjoy dinner with drinks included between 7-9pm, as they are each and every night of our stay.

• Breakfast, Dinner

After our first breakfast in Austria, there is free time to explore St Johann at leisure, with a picnic lunch for you to enjoy as you wish.

The quaint Mariä Himmelfahrt church with a yellow façade and twin Baroque towers has an ornately decorated interior and sits in the main square, while the town's museum details the region's social and natural history - and is housed in an 18th-century penitentiary for dissolute priests. Leaving from near our hotel, the Harschbichl cable car delivers incredible views of peaks and valleys on its way to the mountain more than 5,000ft above sea level, where the taller Kitzbühel Horn dominates the skyline and breathtaking vistas stretch as far as the eye can see.

Returning to the hotel at leisure, you can enjoy coffee and cake this afternoon, before dinner.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A visit to the Hohe Tauern National Park after breakfast is a highlight of our trip as we ride over the highest surfaced mountain pass in Austria.

Our first stop is the beautifully named Edelweissspitze, an 8,400ft peak accessible by road that offers jaw-dropping panoramic views of snow-capped mountains. Afterwards, we travel through the wilderness to the summit of the Hochtor Pass. As the route winds gently down the mountains, we take a short diversion to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Named after the Habsburg emperor who stopped here in 1856, this viewpoint commands mind-blowing views of the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain, and the snaking Pasterze Glacier, the largest in the eastern Alps. There is free time here to enjoy your picnic lunch while soaking up the extraordinary scenery and keeping an eye out for native ibex and marmots.

Our next destination is the charming alpine village of Heiligenblut. There is time at leisure to learn about Heiligenblut's history as the site of the only gold-digging settlement in the Alps, before returning to St Johann in the evening, ready for dinner and drinks.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travelling by coach to Jenbach after breakfast, we join the narrow-gauge Zillertal Railway* for a 19-mile journey through the picturesque Ziller Valley. First opened in 1902, the route is operated by a steam engine hauling beautifully restored carriages through lush green pastures stretching between rolling alpine hills. Views of remote villages of half-timbered houses and traditional chalets guide our way to charming Mayrhofen.

A charming town at the head of a valley backdropped by increasingly tall peaks, you're free to explore the pretty streets lined with cafés and shops. Alternatively, take a cable car higher into the mountains to enjoy panoramic views while savouring your picnic lunch. The Penken cable car carries passengers to an alpine meadow offering breathtaking views of Mayrhofen and its surrounding snow-capped peaks. At the top of the Ahorn cable car is a rustic amphitheatre, crystal-clear lakes, pastoral huts and spectacular views.

Returning to Jenbach by rail in the early afternoon, we arrive back at our St Johann hotel with free time to relax or explore before gathering for tonight's dinner and drinks.

*On early/late season departures, today will feature a journey on the Achensee Railway from Jenbach to Seespitz instead of the Zillertal Railway

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In mid-morning, we take a local train through valleys alongside the shore of Lake Zell. On arrival in the beautiful lakeside town of Zell am See, we enjoy a relaxing cruise across the sapphire-blue lake, a great way to admire the lush forests, undulating hills and towering mountains beyond.

Returning to shore, you have the afternoon to explore at leisure. Stroll along the lakefront promenade, stopping to admire delightful views while enjoying your picnic lunch, or discover Zell am See's historical centre. The quaint triangular Stadtplatz is overlooked by the Romanesque tower of the 13th-century Church of St Hippolytus. Inside, there are Gothic carved figurines and frescoes decorating the walls. On a different corner of the Stadtplatz is another historic tower containing the Vogtturm museum, relaying the town's history. For astounding views of Zell am See and the surrounding scenery, a series of cable cars also connects the town with alpine pastures and peaks.

Boarding a local train back to St Johann in the late afternoon, there's time to relax before dinner and drinks this evening.

*Please note, the cruise season starts from 15 May. If travelling at an earlier date, today's itinerary is replaced with a tour and tasting at the in-house brewery of the Grand Hotel Zell am See (with soft drink options) which has picturesque gardens overlooking Lake Zell.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The birthplace of Mozart and the setting for The Sound of Music, Salzburg is our destination after breakfast today. This musical city's impressive sights are explored during a guided tour.

Overlooked by the huge 11th-century Hohensalzburg Fortress, set high on a hill, we stroll through the well-preserved and UNESCO-listed Old Town, admiring churches, squares, alleyways and Baroque spires. With an afternoon at leisure, there are many appealing options. You can visit the former residence of the Mozart family, who lived at Getreidegasse 9 from 1747 to 1773. It is where Wolfgang was born in 1756 and is now a house museum detailing his young life. His old Makartplatz home is also a museum displaying artefacts from the composer's life. You could take a walk along the river, visit Mirabell Garden or take a cable-car ride up Untersberg Mountain for spectacular views across the Berchtesgaden Alps.

This evening, we enjoy dinner and drinks at our St Johann hotel.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leaving St Johann this morning, a coach transfers us to nearby Wörgl. Travelling by local train, we say goodbye to the wonderful Austrian Alps as we journey to Munich.

In the Bavarian capital, we board the service to Cologne in First Class. Passing through the charming city of Ulm, look out for its majestic minster, the spire of which is the tallest in the world.

Arriving back in Cologne the early evening, our hotel is just a short distance from the main station. This German city sits beside the Rhine and was founded as a military camp by the Romans who named it Colonia, which is from where the modern term 'colony' is derived. After checking in, we have our final dinner together as a group.

Please Note - For departures 16/05, 15/08, 12/09, 26/09 and 03/10, we will return home via Frankfurt, staying at the Avani Frankfurt City.

• Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast this morning, we return to Cologne station to board the train to Brussels in First Class. In the Belgian capital, we switch to the Eurostar service in Plus Class and enjoy a light meal at our seats as we travel through northern France and under the English Channel before reappearing in Kent.

As the train travels through the English countryside to London St Pancras, we can look back on the astonishing alpine scenery we have witnessed on our holiday to Austria. Our time in St Johann began with an alfresco breakfast on a mountainside, and we got closer to the stunning Alps during a journey across the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, admiring views of the country's highest mountain. A steam-hauled train trip on the Zillertal railway took us to the charming town of Mayrhofen, while a cruise on Lake Zell provided a relaxing way to marvel at a panorama of peaks. A day in Salzburg was spent uncovering the sights of this musical city, including an enjoyable exploration with the singing tour guide.

• Breakfast
• Eurostar light meal