Vienna, Logarska Valley, Ljubljana & Venice

Day 1: Welcome to Vienna! Transfer to your centrally located hotel and check in, then spend the rest of the day at leisure. This evening, meet your Tour Director for a welcome dinner at one of the city’s many fine restaurants.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel or similar        

Day 2: Join your guide for a private morning tour of Vienna, former capital of the Hapsburg Empire. The city’s entire historic center has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and many of its most impressive buildings and monuments lie along the Ringstrasse (Ring Road), a grand, circular boulevard that maps where the city’s medieval fortifications once stood. Pass by the Vienna State Opera, Parliament with its famous Pallas Athene fountain, and the neo-Gothic City Hall before visiting St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Vienna. Built between the 13th and 15th centuries, the landmark cathedral was mostly reconstructed after World War II. Gaze at its 450-foot-high spire and majestic towers before entering the spectacular interior, whose pillars support life-size statues of saints. Highlights include the masterfully crafted pulpit, late-Gothic organ boasting some 12,000 pipes, and macabre catacombs dating from bubonic plague days.

Afterward, stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Then enjoy the rest of your afternoon and evening at leisure.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel or similar

Day 3: This morning transfer to Maribor, Slovenia’s second-largest city. The Old Town is a real charmer; explore it on a guided tour, navigating the cobbled alleyways that open onto spacious public squares. Wander around Glavni Trg, Maribor’s main square and meeting place lined with handsome historic buildings like the Renaissance-style Town Hall. Note the elaborate monument dedicated to the victims of the 1680 plague, which claimed a third of the town’s residents. Visit Grajski Trg Square, another lively square fronted by its eponymous castle; and the Gothic-style cathedral, noted for its 187-foot-high tower and the tomb of Bishop Anton Martin Slomšek, Slovenia’a first saint. Snap a photo of Maribor Synagogue, one of Europe’s oldest, before lunch at a local restaurant.

Maribor also serves as gateway to the scenic Logarska (Logar) Valley, which happens to be your next stop. Upon arrival, check in at your hotel and enjoy dinner on your own.

Hotel: Plesnik Hotel or similar

Day 4: Head out on a guided morning hike through the Logarska Dolina (Logar) Valley Landscape Park. Set in the heart of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and surrounded by 6,000-foot-high peaks, the 6,000-acre park encompasses more than 40 natural wonders and is considered one of the most beautiful alpine glacial valleys in all of Europe. Pass by well-tended farms as you trek through serene meadows and old-growth forests on the way to Rinka Waterfall, which can be heard long before you catch sight of its 295-foot-high cascades. The waterfall makes a perfect backdrop for your picnic-basket lunch. Logar Valley is dotted with kaštes or wooden granaries, where farmers have stored their grains and other foodstuffs for centuries. Some are still in use, and you visit one for a bread tasting and aperitif before returning to your hotel. 

Hotel: Plesnik Hotel or similar

Day 5:  Transfer to the resort town of Bled, set along a glacial lake in the Julian Alps. The picturesque resort has long been a favorite retreat for artists and those seeking healing in the lake’s thermal springs. Bled Castle, the oldest in Slovenia dating back to 1004, perches atop a sheer cliff overlooking the lake; a guided tour reveals the history inside its millenia-old stone walls. Then enjoy a leisurely lake cruise aboard a traditional pletna (flat-bottomed boat); soak in the tranquil setting as you pass by tiny Bled Island, topped by a Gothic church and its 171-foot-high belltower.

Next up: Radovlijica, the quintessential medieval town complete with moat. Enjoy a guided walking tour through “Sweet Radovlijica,” so called for its honey-making tradition. The area was renowned for lectarstvo, the traditional craft of making decorated pastries from honey dough. Today only a few workshops still practice the craft, and you visit one to learn about the production of gingerbread and sample some sweet treats. Enjoy a typical Slovenian lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to Ljubljana, the country’s capital. Ljubljana’s urban design, conceived by architect Jože Plečnik, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, which you learn about on a guided city tour. Ride the funicular up to Ljubljana Castle, a dominating medieval fortress dating from the 12th century; tour the castle before a relaxing cruise along the Ljubljanica River.

Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel or similar

Day 6:  Travel to Postojna Cave, the largest show cave in Europe. Explore this 14-mile-long “Queen of the Underground World” on a guided tour, which includes a ride aboard the world’s only double-track cave railway. Marvel at Postojna’s captivating formations, beautifully illuminated in colored lights, and meet its famous “Baby Dragons.”

Have lunch at a local restaurant in Postojna before continuing to Venice, capital of Italy’s Veneto region and one of the world’s most iconic cities. Check-in at your centrally located hotel, then enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. Founded in the 5th century and spread over 118 tiny islands, Venice and its Lagoon were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Explore the Gothic Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, the city’s landmark “Church of Gold” which overflows with gilding, mosaics and myriad treasures. Cross the famous Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal, gazing at the marble palaces and magnificent churches that line its banks. Consider a romantic gondola ride, taking in the sights while being serenaded by one of Venice’s famous gondoliers.

Hotel: Ca’ Sagredo Hotel or similar

Day 7:  Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before transferring to the ship for embarkation.