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 11-Day escorted group SKI trip to BAD HOFGASTEIN
in the GASTEIN
VALLEY in AUSTRIA
especially designed for
Seniors and 50's & over,
tentatively planned for this winter 2012
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TRIP SUMMARY:
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Escorted
from Toronto & return.
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Leave Toronto Friday evening.
+ Arrive resort hotel Saturday afternoon.
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6 nights in BAD HOFGASTEIN ski & spa resort.
+ 5 days of skiing in
the GASTEIN Valley.
+ 3 nights in VIENNA.
+ Return to Toronto Tuesday
afternoon.
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DOUBLE Occupancy
tentative
price
per person $3,200. Canadian
*.
+
SINGLE Occupancy
tentative
price
per person $3,300. Canadian
*.
* Travel Agents - Contact us for
pricing details.
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INCLUDED
IN PACKAGE:
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+ FLIGHTS:
FROM
Toronto to Vienna, Friday, in the early evening.
Arrive in Vienna Austria, Saturday, in the morning.
Then a one-hour flight from Vienna to Salzburg.
Arrive in Salzburg Austria about noon Saturday,
(About an hour's drive from the airport to the
hotel
in Bad Hofgastein).
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RETURN from Vienna, Tuesday, leaving late in the morning,
Arrive back in Toronto
mid afternoon Tuesday.
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+
7
NIGHTS in BAD HOFGASTEIN
at the 4-star Kurhotel Osterreichischer Hof or similar,
depending on availability, with Breakfasts and Dinners. |
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+ 3 NIGHTS in VIENNA at the
4-star Hotel Ananas
or similar,
depending on availability,
with Buffet Breakfasts.
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+ LOCAL ACCOMMODATION TAXES and HOTEL GRATUITIES included. |
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+
TRANSFERS From Salzburg Airport to hotel in Bad Hofgastein.
From hotel in Bad Hofgastein to hotel in Vienna.
From
hotel in Vienna to airport in Vienna.
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+ LOCAL SKI GUIDE FOR 5 DAYS - Resident
Certified Austrian Ski School Instructor
and Mountain Guide.
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+ ESCORTED
from Toronto & back by Ed Pollock.
This will be Ed's third ski group trip to the Gastein Valley,
in addition
to more than a dozen
previous ski trips to ski areas in the Alps.
A senior and ski writer, Ed has also
skied all over North America.
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NOT INCLUDED: |
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+ SKI PASS - approx. $250 Canadian for 5 days, purchase at
ski area. |
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+ EQUIPMENT RENTALS - available in hotel and locally if
desired.
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DETAILS of TRIP
>> Click on map below to enlarge it <<
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Austria's
Gastein Valley is an hours' drive south from the city
of Salzburg, in the Gasteiner Tal region of the Province of
Salzburg. Arriving in the
Gastein valley, you
pass
through Dorfgastein on the way to Bad Hofgastein, gaining altitude along the way. Dorfgastein has a ski area of its own,
called Dorfgastein-Grossarl, which
connects over the
mountaintops to the next valley.
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Bad Hofgastein is linked to Bad
Gastein through a series of lifts offering spectacular runs and wonderful little restaurants
tucked into the terrain. Restaurants are
rustic and recommend local specialties, served indoors or
outdoors, depending on the weather.
Skiers can still
enjoy the huge public indoor-outdoor swimming pool in Bad Gastein, even though the curative elements have
been eliminated, although the water is still heated naturally by the springs. And if skiers are
still energetic after so much skiing and a four-course dinner at their hotel, there is the casino
for those who like to gamble, or discos for those who like
to dance. In terms of night life, the valley generally caters to an older, more serene après-ski clientele.
There are
endless possibilities for all types of skiers on the wide variety of ski runs in Gastein valley's four major ski
areas.
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(click
to
GASTEIN
web site)
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4-star
HOTEL
in BAD HOFGASTEIN
- 7 nights - Saturday to Saturday
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Located in Bad Hofgastein. The town centre is a pedestrian zone with a nearby quiet spa park. Walking distance to closest ski area lifts and ski bus transportation to other Gastein Valley ski areas. Hotel facilities include - Fax - Elevators - Concierge - Barber/Hair Stylist  - Currency Exchange - Photocopy Service - Gift Shop - Doctor On Call
- Indoor Pool - Health Spa/Massage - Boot Drier - Bar - Breakfast service - Room Service (Limited) - Cafe - Car Park - Garage - Hotel safe - Laundry Facilities Available - Lounge - Luggage Transport  - Storeroom for Skis - Terrace - Wake-up Call - Wellness department - Sauna
- Steam Bath - Fitness room and equipment Room amenities available include - Refrigerator - Television (Cable/Satellite) - Balcony/Terrace - Mini-Bar - Radio/Alarm Clock - Shower or Bathtub  - Telephone - Non-Smoking Rooms - Smoke Alarm - Safe
Close to hotel is one of Europe's most modern alpine thermal/recreational facilities. Guests can make their way to the new Gastein Alpine Spa. www.alpentherme.com/en/ |
History of the Gastein Valley
(click to skip history)
The thermal springs of the Gastein valley were known to Stone
Age
people
and the Celts, who recognized the healing powers of
the warm
springs.
Romans also visited the valley to partake of the
healing waters.
During the 15th and 16th century people travelled long
distances
to
come
to Gastein, where they would take baths in simple wooden tubs for ailments
such as gout. In 1828 the spa regained prominence under the sponsorship of
Archduke Johann of Austria. It became fashionable to
"take the cure" in
Bad Gastein. Famous
personages including Emperor Wilhelm I of
Germany and
Emperor Franz
Josef I
of
Austria, along with poets
and composers, flocked to
the Gastein valley
to
immerse
themselves in the healing waters.
The 20th
century brought both progress
and health science to the Gastein valley.
The railway made the area more accessible
and more people became aware of the
benefits of the healing waters. Gradually the
area changed from an exclusive spa
for the rich and famous into a modern health
resort.
Then, in
the latter half of the 20th century, Gastein evolved from a health spa
catering to people with arthritis, rheumatism, sinus problems and sport related
injuries
into the present-day ski resort in
winter and hiking paradise in summer.
The surrounding mountains and abundance of snow in winter has
made the Gastein
valley an ideal ski destination.
When skiing
became more fashionable after World War II, new lifts and cable cars opened up the surrounding
mountains to the skiing public. Today the Gastein valley is a well-known popular
year-round vacation destination and one of Austria's top ski resorts.
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4-star
HOTEL in VIENNA
- 3 nights - Saturday to Tuesday |
The Hotel is located in the centre of the city. Guest rooms are
comfortable, clean and bright, being furnished to a very high standard and equipped with
bath/shower and WC, hair dryer, cable TV, radio, direct dial telephone, mini bar and air conditioning.
For breakfast, tuck into a more than ample buffet, at the end of
the day unwind at the hotel's bar or alternatively, relax in the in-house sauna/fitness
centre.
The hotel has a bar, café, fitness centre, garden, jacuzzi, restaurant, sauna, a well-stocked souvenir shop and can provide theatre/opera ticket
bookings. |
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Vienna Sightseeing
(click
to web site tour of VIENNA)
 
Strauss Monument
Reisenrad
Spanische Reitschule Lipizzaners
 
Imperial Palace
Kaiser-Jubiläum-Kirche Hundertwasser-House
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Vienna -
A European city that combines beauty and charm with culture,
style and sophistication, Vienna should impress even the most discerning visitor.
Mixing the traditional elegance of "Mittel-Europa" with all the necessities of modern 21st-century
living, it is a thoroughly cosmopolitan city that offers a friendly, laid back atmosphere,
ornate buildings, funky nightspots, wondrous Viennese coffeehouses and more history than
you can shake a stick at.
Having once been the capital of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, which controlled almost one-third of Europe, reminders of Vienna's glorious past are
everywhere. Take a stroll around the Hofburg, Schönbrunn or Spanish Riding School and you
begin to realise just how powerful, imposing and far reaching the Habsburg's influence
was.
In recent years, Vienna's vast array of cultural institutions
have been further enhanced by flagship projects such as the development of the
MuseumsQuartier, while many famous landmarks, including the Karlskirche and Kunsthistoriches Museum,
which have been painstakingly renovated.
Modern developments that have also sprung up all over the city, have also been carefully designed to ensure that Vienna's charm
and character is fully preserved for the future.
Easy to explore, Vienna has first-rate public transport
(including the clean and efficient U-Bahn tram system, although you can still tour many of the
city's major sights on foot, or even by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage.
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