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Salzburg
This forum is so quiet. We are anxious to hear recent reviews and comments from the 2017 tours. My husband and I are taking the September 14 tour and we are very excited. This will be our first Tuack tour. We were wondering about the free time is Salzburg, we are thinking about booking a tandem paragliding adventure, but we are not sure of the timing. Any input and/or suggestions would be appreciated.
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We did that on Peru & Galapagos in March- it was a blast.
We took UA&D two years ago, so your itinerary and free time may be different. It is best to give Tauck a call. Not always, but they can often give you more detailed information about free time than the website itinerary, e.g. when a Tauck walking tour is suposed to end and where you will be when you are free. We do that quite often when we are planning an on-tour extra activity. Don't forget to figure meals, both provided and on your own, into your planning
A few questions- how far away is the paragliding? Will the paragliding company provide transportation from and to your hotel? If not, how do you plan to get there? Are the winds sufficient all day or just in the morning or afternoon. (In Lima, Peru it was mainly in the afternoon). What does WeatherUnderground or other weather source history say about the winds during the time you will be available- the flying conditions may change over the course of a year- they may not fly certain months. What are the chances of rain?
We are in Rothenburg on the Romantic Germany tour right now and were in Oberammergau a few days ago! After lunch there we had the option of a roaming around town (some in our group went cuckoo clock shopping) or having a guided tour of the Passion Play Theater. I had researched the nearby Kolbensattel Alpine Coaster- supposedly the longest and fastest in Germany (there is a video of a run on their web site.). It was busy in town and we were unable to get a taxi from the restaurant so my wife and I hoofed it- about 15-20 min., not far, but a bit uphill. We rode a chairlift to the top (15 - 20 min.) and the Alpine Coaster down. It was a blast!!!! The sleds which ride on rails like modern roller coasters, have manual and automatic electromagnetic brakes so you are limited to 40 kph (25mph) which I thought sounded benign, so I tried to do it without using the manual brakes. But, I forgot, some sections are steep and there are many REALLY sharp hairpin turns that get your attention. This is not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, we only had time for one run before we had to head back into town to catch the tour bus. I read on TripAdvisor about long (45 min.) waits in the busy season- they release a sled every 30 seconds. Depending when you go and what the Tauck schedule is, it may possible to do the coaster on the UA&D tour as well. I heard from another Tauck TD that someone on another departure had also done it.
i am wondering about seeing sound of music sites? do they show you many like the wedding church or gazebo or lake house?
Tauck doesn't take you to the sites, but you can Google "Salzburg, Sound of Music tours" That should yield a number of companies like Viator, panoramatours, toursbylocals, bobstours, etc. that provide that service. Their websites will likely list their itinerary. Also check out TripAdvisor for reviews of tour providers. You are starting this search a bit late, however, and may find most tours are booked up. The (repaired/reconstructed) gazebo is located at Schloss Hellbrunn 5 mi. south of Mirabel Gardens and easily reachable by bus. There is also a huge park for you to relax near the Gazebo and a 2km walk away is the house they used as Captain Von Trapp's front yard (Frohnburg). Going on 16?
I just read this CNN Travel article:
"One company, however, knew all about the locations and was happy to oblige.
Kleinbusse am Mirabellplatz had provided six Volkswagen vans for director Bob Wise to transport his 250 stars and staff around for three months during the shooting.
The company morphed into today's Panorama Tours, doing two four-hour "Sound of Music" tours a day, every day, all year."
We are considering this trip for 2019. What did you think of it? Would you recommend it? Any advice for free time?
I know this isn't directed a me, but we loved this tour, it is one of our favorites and we've done some of the biggies- England, Scotland Wales, Classic Italy, Peru & Galapagos, Kenya/Tanzania Classic Safari, Best of Ireland, Blue Danube!!! Check the archives for my posts. I also recently posted some observations comparing our UA&D tour to the current incarnation, and the Switzerland Crown Jewel tour in your other recent thread. Lots of things to do in Munich before the tour, but not much free time during the tour.
We just got back from this trip. Fantastic! We added a Fraulein Maria bike tour in Salzburg during the last day in Salzburg when we had free time in the morning. It was terrific. We bicycled along the river, through the old town (walking our bikes for steep sections), and then rode out into the countryside (flat). It was not at all strenuous and perfectly delightful hitting many of the famous film locations. My husband and I were both glad we did it.