Amazing Hidden Austria PORSCHE Fest

Sunday, June 1st

Depart from your home for your overnight flight to Europe

Monday, June 2nd

• Arrive in Stuttgart; check in at Steigenberger Hotel Graf Zeppelin
• Free afternoon
• Welcome to Germany dinner and drinks

After you check in and freshen up, you will have the rest of the day free. We suggest that you take a walk along the pedestrian-only Königstrassse to get some fresh air to help get over any lingering jet lag. The area is filled with shops, museums, galleries, cafés and restaurants. If you want a delicious snack or light lunch, walk to the Markthalle, an art-deco building offering a fantastic array of regional and worldwide specialties.

This evening you are invited to a special Welcome to Germany dinner and drinks at Carls Brauhaus. A short walk will take us to this popular Swabian restaurant with an amazing selection of beer and wine.

Tuesday, June 3rd

• Mandatory Drivers’ Briefing
• Lunch in hotel
• Pick up PORSCHES
• Dinner and drinks at Zeppelino’s

Breakfast is served this morning at the Hotel Graf Zeppelin starting at 7:00 am. This morning, we will meet for our mandatory drivers’ briefing, which includes important information such as the rules of the road, road signs you will encounter, and more. You will also complete paperwork including the Waivers of Responsibility. Following our briefing, we will enjoy a fabulous lunch in the hotel’s casual restaurant, the Stüble.

In the early afternoon, we will transfer to the PORSCHE Museum where the PORSCHE you selected will be waiting for you. We will introduce you to your PORSCHE, including familiarization with the PDK Transmission and the Navigation Systems before you drive your PORSCHE back to the Hotel Graf Zeppelin where it will be securely parked overnight.

This evening, we will meet again for dinner and drinks in the hotel’s elegant Restaurant Zeppelino’s.

After the main course Peter will conduct a presentation outlining the next few days’ activities, routes and attractions and respond to your questions. Departing Stu8ttgtart tomorrow will be our first driving experience and will underscore the lessons we learned in the drivers’ briefing. 

Wednesday, June 4th

• Lunch in Bavaria
• Drive into Austrian Alps
• Pre-dinner drinks and dinner at Hotel Schloss Mittersill

Breakfast is served this morning at the Hotel Graf Zeppelin starting at 7:00 am. Following your lavish breakfast, please bring your large luggage to the hotel lobby so it can be loaded into our luggage van. The next time you will see your suitcases will be in your room at Hotel Schloss Mittersill in the middle of the Austrian Tyrol.

We’ll leave Stuttgart and head southeast towards Bavaria, where we’ll stop for lunch at the Hotel Schlossanger Alp in Pfronten, Germany. This modern chalet-style hotel has a spectacular setting amid fields, facing a panorama of peaks on the edge of a resort area in the Allgäu Alps.

Our final destination of the day is the luxurious Hotel Schloss Mittersill. Overlooking the scenic Salzach Valley, this 900-year-old historic castle located in Austria’s Hohe Tauern National Park has played host to celebrities from around the world. Each of the suites is named for a famous person who stayed there: Clark Gable, Coco Chanel, Queen Juliana, Henry Ford, Aristotle Onassis and Gina Lollobrigida just to name a few! After we arrive, you will have time to freshen up and relax a bit before we meet for cocktails and a Welcome to Austria dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.

Thursday, June 5th

• Drive to Gerlos; Coffee & Strudel break
• Visit Peter’s friend and his car collection
• Lunch in Itter
• Pre-dinner drinks and dinner at Castle Mittersill

Enjoy a delightful breakfast this morning starting at 7:00 am at the hotel. We will spend another night in this lovely hotel, so no need to get your luggage ready for transport today! Following breakfast, we’ll depart for a fun day of driving through the Tyrol area of gorgeous Austria. We’ll first drive to Gerlos, where we will stop for coffee and strudel at a local establishment.

After our stop, we will continue to the mountain village of Itter for a delightful lunch at the charming Gasthof Rössli. The castle in Itter has a very interesting WWII connection. It was a Nazi prison for French VIPs and in early May 1945, the US Army, German Wehrmacht, Austrian Resistance, and the prisoners fought side-by-side against the vicious Waffen SS.

We will also visit Peter’s friend Hans to see and hear about his incredible collection of “barn finds” and antique automobiles which he personally acquired over the years.

We will enjoy more delightful scenic mountains roads as we head back to our lovely hotel, Castle Hotel Schloss Mittersill. Tonight, we will savor another wonderful dinner with drinks at the castle, weather permitting, on the patio.

Friday, June 6th

• Drive to Gmünd
• Lunch at Alpenrestaurant Fallerhütte
• Visit Original Porsche Factory, Pfeifhofer Museum
• Cocktails and dinner at Seeglück Hotel Forelle

Breakfast this morning will be at the lovely Hotel Schlössl Mittersill. Following breakfast, please have your luggage ready to load into our luggage van before we will depart in our PORSCHES for Gmünd.

We’ll first drive toward Gmünd, where we will enjoy lunch at the rustic Alpenrestaurant Fallerhütte in the nearby Malta Valley. We will next embark on a tour of the original historic headquarters of Prof. Ferdinand Porsche. We will also meet Christoph Pfeifhofer, the son of Helmut Pfeifhofer, who rebuilt the headquarters with his own hands and established his famous PORSCHE Museum in Gmünd.

After our tours, we will depart in our PORSCHES for Millstatter See, a lovely alpine lake where our next hotel, the Seeglück Hotel Forelle, is located (“Forelle” is German for trout). After we check in and get settled, we will meet for cocktails before our fabulous dinner at the Seeglück Hotel Forelle.

Saturday, June 7th

• Scenic drive to Treffen am Ossiacher See
• Lunch in Treffen
• FREE afternoon on Millstätter See
• Cocktails and Dinner at hotel

Enjoy a delightful breakfast this morning at the lovely Seeglück Hotel Forelle. Following breakfast, we will take a short drive to a 2000-year-old mall market town called Treffen am Ossiacher See (“See” is German for lake). We will explore this town, a favorite Austrian vacation retreat, including the local mushroom museum, and enjoy lunch there before returning to our hotel.

The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy. Perhaps you might enjoy fishing or sailing on the lake, swimming or enjoying a spa treatment. We will also offer an afternoon trip to the nearby town of Villach for some sightseeing and shopping in the quaint “old town.”. There we will also offer a visit to the “Fahrzeugmuseum” which is a very unique museum, an eclectic collection of automotive history. We will meet again for cocktails before our delightful dinner at the hotel.
 

Sunday, June 8th

• Lunch at Zotter Chocolate Factory
• Welcome Reception at Schlosshotel Kapfenstein
• Dinner and drinks at hotel

Enjoy a delightful breakfast this morning at the lovely Seeglück Hotel Forelle. Following breakfast, please have your luggage ready to load into our luggage van. After we check out, we will head towards Riegersburg and the fabulous Zotter Scholade (Chocolate) factory.

We will first enjoy a delicious lunch at Zotter’s before touring the factory. Of course, you will get to taste their chocolate, often considered the best chocolate producer in the world and one of the most innovative chocolate producers and trendsetters. They also produce very personalized chocolate bars – even with photos of not-so-famous people like Peter!

After savoring chocolate and perhaps purchasing some to take home, we will drive our PORSCHES to our next castle hotel, Schlosshotel Kapfenstein. When we arrive, we will be welcomed by the staff with drinks and canapés.

Schlosshotel Kapfenstein is a 1000 + years old fortress now offering unique accommodations that include modern bathrooms but authentic antique furnishings. Its renowned restaurant serves traditional regional cuisine including delightful wines from its own vineyards. This wine estate and fortress is close to the Slovenia and Hungarian borders and was built on an extinct volcano overlooking the valley below. You’ll enjoy a delightful dinner at Schlosshotel Kapfenstein tonight!

Monday, June 9th

• Scenic drive to Langenweg
• Wirtshaus Granitzbauer for lunch
• Mürzzuschlag Tour
• Dinner at Schlosshotel Kapfenstein

After enjoying breakfast at Schlosshotel Kapfenstein, we will depart in our PORSHES for a scenic drive to explore places that are familiar to Peter from his youth. We will first drive to Langenweg for a lunch of traditional home cooking at the charming Wirtshaus Granitzbauer. Don’t be surprised to see people there who will entertain you in traditional Austrian Alpine ways!

Following lunch, we will drive to Mürzzuschlag, the town where Peter’s grandparents lived and where he spent many wonderful years. He will show you the important sites in town, including the Brahms Museum (Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 by Johannes Brahms was written in Mürzzuschlag in 1884). Peter will also take you to meet some friends of his with interesting occupations and show you the local cemetery with its fascinating history.

We will return to the Schlosshotel Kapfenstein in the late afternoon where we will enjoy another delicious dinner and cocktails at the hotel.

Tuesday, June 10th

• Motorcoach to Graz
• Visit Landeszeughaus Museum
• Lunch in Graz
• Visit Weingut Tement
• Visit Gölles Distillery
• Dinner at hotel

Enjoy another delightful breakfast at Schlosshotel Kapfenstein before we depart in our motor coach for the “big” regional city of Graz. Our first stop will be a visit to Landeszeughaus Graz, the world’s largest historic armory museum. It contains over 32,000 pieces of medieval weaponry, tools, and suits of armor.

Following our tour of the armory, we will stop for lunch at the restaurant in the Aiola Living Hotel in the inner city of Graz. Next, we will depart in our motor coach for Ehrenhausen and Weingut Tement, a wine estate in the Sudsteiermark region of Austria, very close to the border with Slovenia. This family-owned vineyard grows grapes in both countries, and is best known for their Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. Since we are not driving today, we can enjoy tasting these delicious wines and perhaps even purchase a bottle or two!

After our wine tasting, we will board our motor coach once again, this time heading east to Riegersburg. For more than 30 years, the Gölles family has been tending their orchards at the foot of historic Riegersburg Castle in the hilly countryside of eastern Styria. Only the best, ripest, perfect fruit is used to make their excellent vinegars and fine distillates (a.k.a., fruit brandies). After touring the facility, we will have the opportunity to sample their vinegars and brandies. And again, we will be able to purchase any of these delightful creations.

Finally, our motor coach will transport us back to Schlosshotel Kapfenstein for another delicious dinner after a wonderful day in Steirmark.

Wednesday, June 11th

• Depart for Zell am See
• Lunch at Hotel Schloss Prielau
• Continue to Telfs
• Drinks and dinner at Hotel Interalpen Tirol

Enjoy your final breakfast at Schlosshotel Kapfenstein before we depart in our PORSCHES for Telfs and the magnificent Hotel Interalpen Tirol. We will first head to Zell am See, where the Porsche family bought the 700+ year-old Schloss Prielau in 1987 and converted the castle into a small boutique hotel managed by the Mayer family. We will stop to enjoy lunch there at their award-winning restaurant.

After savoring our delicious lunch, we will continue our drive to Telfs. When we arrive at the Hotel Interalpen Tirol, your PORSCHE will be as pampered as you at this delightful, scenic hotel. Tonight, we will enjoy drinks and a delicious dinner at the Hotel Interalpen Tirol.

Thursday, June 12th

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Free time in the morning
• Lunch on your own
• Free time in the afternoon
• Drinks and dinner at the Hotel Interalpen

You’ll start your day at the Hotel Interalpen,Tirol with a delicious breakfast at your leisure. The rest of the day is yours to do whatever you desire. Rest, relax, or enjoy the amenities that the hotel has to offer.

Lunch will be on your own, either at the Hotel Interalpen or wherever you may wander.

In the evening we’ll meet for our pre-dinner drinks, followed by another spectacular dinner.

Friday, June 13th

• Depart for Stuttgart
• Lunch at Autobahn Rest Stop
• Return PORSCHES at PORSCHE Museum
• Dinner and drinks at Restaurant Plenum am Schlossgarten

Enjoy a delightful breakfast at the Hotel Interalpen Tirol before checking out and loading your luggage in our luggage van. We’ll depart for Stuttgart, stopping for lunch at one of the Autobahn rest stops. Don’t worry – they are nothing like the ones in the U.S. You’ll be amazed at the selection of food!

After lunch, we will enjoy another wonderful run on the no speed-limit German Autobahn north towards Stuttgart. Unfortunately, you must return the PORSCHE you fell in love with when we arrive in Stuttgart! Our motorcoach will transport us back to the Steigenberger Hotel Graf Zeppelin after we return our PORSCHES at the PORSCHE Museum.

Tonight, we will meet again for our short walk to the delightful Restaurant Plenum am Schlossgarten for our Farewell Dinner and drinks.

Saturday, June 14th

• Depart Stuttgart and return home or travel on to other destinations

Enjoy another fabulous breakfast at the Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin. If you are departing for North America, you will be transferred to Stuttgart’s Airport for your return flight.