Europe Trip in June 2009

Date: 30 May to 29 June (Gun Kiat, Edwin, Terence), 31 May to 18 June (Ghim Siong), 7 June to 29 June (Meibin, Liv, Yiling)

Confirmed Participants: Gun Kiat, Edwin, Terence, Ghim Siong, Meibin, Liv, Yiling

Route:
Itinerary:

Munich ->|| (Garmisch-Partenkirchen) -> (Dachau) -> (Augsburg) -> (Memmingen) -> Alghero -> (Neptune's Grotto) -> Nuremberg -> {Bamberg} -> {Wurzburg} -> (Rothenburg ob der Tauber) ->** Neuschwanstein Castle -> Innsbruck -> (Berchtesgaden) -> Salzburg -> (Hallstatt) -> {St Gilgen} -> Ljubljana -> (Bled) -> Zagreb -> (Plitvice National Park) -> Split ||-> (Trogir) -> (Sibenik) -> (Hvar) -> {Mostar} -> Dubrovnik -> (Kotor) -> {Budva} -> Bratislava -> Vienna -> Budapest -> Munich **

(....) - means day trips
{....} - means optional day trips
|| - means the period GS joins
** - means the period Mebin, Liv and Yiling joins

Countries:

Germany: Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Dachau, Augsburg, Memmingen, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Neuschwanstein Castle, Berchtesgaden
Italy: Alghero, Neptune's Grotto
Austria: Innsbruck, Salzburg, Hallstatt, St Gilgen, Vienna
Slovenia: Ljubljana, Bled
Croatia: Zagreb, Plitvice National Park, Split, Trogir, Sibenik, Hvar, Dubrovnik
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Mostar
Montenegro: Kotor, Budva
Slovakia: Bratislava
Hungary: Budapest

Classification:

Culture - Munich, Augsburg, Memmingen, Alghero, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split, Trogir, Sibenik, Hvar, Mostar, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest

Nature - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Neptune's Grotto, Neuschwanstein Castle, Innsbruck, Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, Hallstatt, St Gilgen, Bled, Plitvice National Park, Kotor

Beaches - Alghero, Hvar, Dubrovnik, Budva

History - Dachau, Neuschwanstein Castle

Highlights:

1) Munich - Munich is noted for its architecture and culture, and the annual Oktoberfest beer celebration is world famous.

2) Zugspitz - The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany. It is located at the Austrian border in the town of Grainau of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria.

3) Alghero - Alghero is a beautiful destination in Sardinia, Italy. It is best known for its beautiful beaches, very good food at reasonable prices, and its catalan origin.

4) Neptune's Grotto - The Neptune's Grotto is one of the post popular and one of the star attractions in the whole of Sardinia.

5) Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Rothenburg ob der Tauber is well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world.

6) Neuschwanstein Castle - Neuschwanstein Castle is the most photographed building in Germany and is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. The palace was the inspiration for many Disneyland parks.

7) Salzburg - Salzburg's "Old Town", with its world famous baroque architecture, is one of the best preserved city centers in the German-speaking world, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

8) Hallstatt - Hallstatt is spectacularly picturesque, due to its location on a narrow rocky west bank of the Hallstättersee with the sheer rising mountains behind it. Considered by some to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, Hallstatt is sometimes called "the pearl of Austria".

9) Bled - Bled's scenery is almost impossibly romantic, with a little white church on an island in the center of an emerald green mountain lake, Bled Castle perched high above and the peaks of the Julian Alps all around and it is consequently often packed with honeymooning couples.

10) Plitvice National Park - Plitvice National Park in Croatia is considered to be one of the most beautiful natural sights in Europe. Due to its natural beauty and significance, this system of 16 interlinked lakes and a large forest complex around it were set aside as a national park and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

11) Dubrovnik - Dubrovnik is nicknamed "Pearl of the Adriatic" and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county.

12) Kotor - Kotor is a major tourist destination in Montenegro. It has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic, listed with UNESCO world heritage sites.

13) Budva - Budva is a coastal town in Montenegro and it is well known for its sandy beaches, diverse nightlife, and beautiful examples of Mediterranean architecture.

14) Vienna - As the former home of the Habsburg court and its various empires, the city still has the trappings of the imperial capital it once was, and the historic city centre is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

15) Budapest - Regarded by many as one of world's most beautiful cities, travelers are quickly recognizing the appeal of Budapest, with a tourism growth of approximately 20 million visitors per year.