Kazza the Blank One

Anyone wanna come with? ;)

Link in the blog :)

Day 1 - Travel to Sydney Airport

Today we make our way to Sydney Airport to stay right next to the International Terminal. Dinner will also be in the International Terminal where we meet our fellow travellers before retiring for an early night.

Day 2 - Depart Sydney and fly to Munich, Germany

Our flight this morning leaves at dawn, offering two legs of daytime flying. We fly via Dubai, United Arab Emirates on modern Emirates aircraft. We arrive in Munich in perfect timing to go to bed and reset jetlag.

Day 3 - Day at leisure in Munich

Our buffer day will be spent at leisure exploring Munich. Perhaps a stroll through the English Garden, followed by an early Oktoberfest beer at Hofbrauhouse?

Day 4 - Drive to Fussen with Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein

Picking up our hire car, we head to the Bavarian village of Füssen to explore both of "Mad King" Ludwig II's palaces. Weather permitting we will first ascend Tegelbergbahn for fantastic views of Neuschwanstein castle and the Bavarian Alps. After lunch we tour the palace of Hohenschwangau, where Ludwig II grew up. We will visit Marienbrücke which has the best view of Neuschwanstein castle. Then we will tour Neuschwanstein castle itself.

Day 5 - Oberammergau Passion Play

A short drive to Oberammergau where we will fully immerse ourselves in the Passion Play. In 1633 the residents promised to perform this play regularly in thanks to God for His deliverance of their town from the Bubonic Plague. We find it ironic that this year the play was performed two years later than normal, as a result of the COVID-19 plague. In the morning we will attend a "welcome" talk about the play. Afterwards we will visit the Oberammergau Museum which contains a wealth of information about the play. Our afternoon will be spent enjoying the first act of the play. After an early dinner at a local restaurant, we will enjoy the second act of the play into the evening. The venue is a covered outdoor theatre so bring warm clothing!

Day 6 - Austrian Alps, Liechtenstein and Lucerne

Today we will take a picturesque drive through the Austrian Alps, marvelling at the beauty of the mountains and quaint villages. Lunch will be in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. We continue on to Lucerne to explore the old town on foot.

Day 7 - Mount Pilatus, Interlaken and Swiss Alps

Weather permitting we will take the "Golden Round Trip" tour of Mount Pilatus, which starts with a gondola ride to the top of Mount Pilatus. From there we take in spectacular views of Lucerne and the Swiss Alps. We go down the mountain on the world's steepest funicular railway, and return to Lucerne by boat, enjoying the lake side scenery at a relaxed pace. Departing Lucerne we make a short stop in Interlaken before continuing into the Swiss Alps the mountain village of Täsch.

Day 8 - Matterhorn and Lugano, to Como

Weather permitting we will take the train to the car-free alpine village of Zermatt. From there we take a funicular and cable car high into the Swiss Alps for spectacular views of the Matterhorn. Our afternoon will be spent driving through the Alps, including Furka Pass. We will have a late afternoon stop in Lugano before continuing to our B&B on the shores of Lake Como where we will stay for the next three nights.

Day 9 - Brunate Funicular and Lake Como cruise

First thing in the morning we will take the funicular to the village of Brunate, where will enjoy stunning views of Como and Lake Como. After returning to Como we will have a leisurely day riding the ferries across Lake Como. We visit the charming villages of Bellagio and Varenna before returning to Como.

Day 10 - Day at leisure in Como

Today we will have a leisurely day exploring Como. We will look at Villa Olmo before walking into Como, visiting the Duomo and other local sights. Time permitting we may take a drive through the Italian countryside.

Day 11 - Drive to Milan, Last Supper and Cremona

An early start sees us drive into Milan to drop off our car. Leaving our bags at the hotel we will explore Milan on foot. Highlights of the morning will include the beautiful Milan Cathedral made out of white marble, and Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper". In the afternoon we take a train to Cremona to explore this small town.

Day 12 - Novara and Pavia

Today we continue to explore the satellite towns of Milan. In the morning we visit Novara, and in the afternoon we will explore Pavia.

Day 13 - Genoa

Departing Milan we head for the coast to Genoa. Genoa has one of the best preserved medieval town centres in Europe. We will spend our day exploring this historic city.

Day 14 - Portofino

Today we take a train and ferry to the beautiful coastal town of Portofino. Time permitting we may also visit the abbey at San Fruttuoso, which is only accessible by boat. In the afternoon we continue to La Spezia, where we will stay for the next three nights.

Day 15 - Cruise the Cinque Terre

Our day begins at the ferry wharf in La Spezia where we will board the Cinque Terre ferries to cruise up and down the coast. We will also see the "Three Islands" from a ferry out of Portovenere. Our ferry rides will let us see the seaside towns from the water away from the crowds.

Day 16 - Day at leisure in the Cinque Terre

We continue exploring the Cinque Terre, this time on the Cinque Terra Express train. We hop-on-hop-off the train at all the towns, exploring them at our leisure.

Day 17 - Pisa

Leaving La Spezia we head for Pisa and its famous leaning tower. As well as climbing the 273 steps of the tower, we will explore all the other sights this small town has to offer. We continue to Florence in the afternoon.

Day 18 - Florence

For the next two days we are free to explore Florence at our own pace.

Day 19 - Florence

We continue to explore the most famous Tuscan city.

Day 20 - Travel to Rome

This morning we take our first FrecciaRossa (Red Arrow) train to Rome where will spend the next three nights. Our afternoon is spent at leisure exploring Rome on foot. After dinner we will join a guided tour which will take us to all the major sights of Rome. This unique tour will allow us to see the attractions by night, making for some amazing photo opportunities.

Day 21 - Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

Today we join a tour that will take us to the historic city of Pompeii, destroyed in AD79 by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius. We will enjoy a guided tour of the enormous archaeological site. We will also have the opportunity to climb to the summit of Mount Vesuvius for 360 degree views over Naples, Pompeii and the Gulf of Naples.

Day 22 - Grand Tour of Rome

We take a different tour today which will take us to many of the most famous sights in Rome. Included is express access to the Colosseum in the morning and skip-the-line entrance to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums in the afternoon. We will also pass by the Roman Forum and Pantheon, and stop at Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain.

Day 23 - Travel to Ortona

Leaving Rome we cut through the mountainous heart of Italy by coach, finishing on the eastern coast in Ortona. We have free time to explore this small town with views of the Adriatic Sea.

Day 24 - Travel to Verona

Heading north, we take trains along the Adriatic coast, then deep into the north of Italy, arriving in Verona in the late afternoon.

Day 25 - Verona

Today we explore fair Verona, home of Shakepeare's Romeo and Juliet. We visit "Juliet's House" and explore the old town with its many beautiful buildings and bridges. We continue to Venice in the afternoon where we stay for the next three nights.

Day 26 - Venice

For the next two and a half days we will explore Venice at our leisure. A 72 hour vaporetto (ferry) pass will give us the flexibility to explore the outer islands including Murano. Other highlights include the famous St Mark's Basilica, and visiting sites used in the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Moonraker.

Day 27 - Venice

We continue to explore one of Italy's most famous cities.

Day 28 - Venice and fly to Singapore

Our morning will be at leisure in Venice. In the afternoon we head to Marco Polo airport for our flights to Singapore.

Day 29 - Arrival in Singapore

This afternoon we arrive in Singapore and head to our resort style hotel near Clarke Quay. We can relax in the pool and walk to Clarke Quay in the evening.

Day 30 - Day at leisure in Singapore

We have a relaxing day at leisure today. Perhaps a visit to the Botanic Gardens, with lunch in Chinatown. In the afternoon we head to the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel with its infinity pool with spectacular views of Singapore city. In the evening we walk around the Gardens by the Bay with its pretty lights.

Day 31 - Singapore and fly home

This morning we return to the Gardens by the Bay to explore them during the day. We return to the hotel to freshen up before heading to Changi airport for our flight home.

Day 32 - Arrive home

After flying overnight we arrive home after an amazing holiday.