Seefeld Plateau Discovery Tour

Destination: Austria Trip code: ATLEL

HOLIDAY OVERVIEW

From our base in the peaceful hamlet of Weidach, we will enjoy marvellous Alpine scenery, flower-filled meadows and pretty hamlets on this Seefeld Plateau Discovery Tour.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• Good quality en-suite accommodation in one of our European partner hotels • Half Board – continental breakfast and evening meal • The services of an experienced HF Holidays’ leader • Full day excursions with all essential transport in resort • ‘With flight’ holidays include return flights from the UK and hotel transfers

HOLIDAYS HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy breathtaking mountain views from the Karwendel Railway to Innsbruck. • Ride the steam-operated rack and pinion railway to Achensee Lake for a cruise. • Enjoy a cable car ride up Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze • Explore the mystical Leutasch Spirit Gorge.

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TRIP SUITABILITY

Discovery holidays involve active sightseeing and you should expect to spend lots of time on your feet. Optional short walks of approximately 2½ miles allow you to stretch your legs and see the best of the local scenery.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival Day

Day 2: The Seefeld Plateau

Today we discover and explore the natural beauty of the Seefeld Plateau with a walk around the Wildsee and a visit to the Mosern Peace Bell, which is swung daily at 5pm. From here, there are fantastic views down to the Inn Valley over Telfs.

Day 3: Innsbruck

This morning sees us taking a scenic train journey on the mountain railway to the city of Innsbruck. Here we shall visit the charming Old Town with its sophisticated mixture of Gothic and Baroque architecture. We’ll stop at the famous Golden Roof – or Goldenes Dachl – and will also have plenty of time to stroll through the city’s many alleyways.

Day 4: Free Day

On our 7-night holidays, we allow one free day where there is no organised excursion. This is an ideal opportunity for you to relax, enjoy the hotel facilities or explore the area independently.

Day 5: Garmisch Partenkirchen And The Zugspitze

Another train journey from Seefeld takes us across the border into Germany to the Garmisch Partenkirchen. Weather permitting, there will be an optional cable car ride up to the top of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. On clear days it is possible to see Munich from the top of this 2,962-metre-tall giant!

Day 6: Achensee

Today’s unforgettable itinerary begins with a ride on the steam-powered rack and pinion railway to Achensee. The 128-year-old railway is the oldest of its kind in Europe, still carrying passengers to this day. Once we’ve disembarked from the train, it’ll be on to the boat for a relaxing lake cruise.

Day 7: Leutasch Gorge And Mittenwald

A gentle walk through the Leutasch Valley awaits today as we follow the course of the river to view the impressive Leutasch Gorge. We’ll also stop at the small Bavarian town of Mittenwald, known for colourful houses and its violin-making museum.

Day 8: Departure Day

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ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Kristall - Seefeld Plateau

The superb 4-star Hotel Kristall is run by the Pfeffel family who have been welcoming HF Holidays' guests for over 10 years. Set in the small hamlet of Weidach in the Leutasch valley the hotel boasts beautiful mountain views on every side. The bedrooms are decorated in a contemporary style but still maintain a traditional alpine charm. Many rooms offer balconies. The recently renovated and extended wellness centre offers two swimming pools, sauna, tepidarium and steam bath. Winner of Best Food 2018 in the HF Holidays Hotel Awards, the 5 course evening meals are of an exceptional standard.

Accommodation Info

Rooms

Hotel Kristall has 40 comfortable bedrooms, most of which have balconies. As is usual in Austria, twin beds may be arranged in one large frame with separate mattresses and bedding.

All bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms with bath or shower, telephone, satellite TV, safe, refrigerator and internet access.

The balconies offer a lovely view across the village and mountains.

Facilities

The public rooms include an attractive lounge with open fire, sun terrace, public bar, games room, free internet access and ski/boot room.

There is also a large luxurious wellness centre, two indoor swimming pools, spa pool, Finnish sauna, Turkish steam bath, tepidarium, adventure and wellness showers and infrared sauna.

Food & Drink

Our Guided Walking holidays at Hotel Kristall are on a Half Board basis and include breakfast and evening meal.

Breakfast

The buffet-style breakfast has an extensive selection of breads and jams, fresh fruit, cheese, cold meats, cereals, pastries and cakes, smoked salmon and champagne (on sundays). Tea and coffee are also available.

Lunch (Payable Locally)

Ingredients for a picnic lunch can be bought from local shops or you may choose to eat at a mountain hut - your leaders will advise you of the options.

Afternoon Tea

Complimentary homemade cakes are served every afternoon.

Evening Meal

Hotel Kristall provides either a five course meal or a theme evening buffet. Particularly popular is the Tirolean www.hfholidays.co.uk PAGE 3 [email protected] Tel: +44(0) 20 3974 8865 feast, prepared with traditional recipes. All ingredients are sourced locally and are free range and organic where possible. Vegetarians and special diets can usually be catered for if requested in advance of the holiday. The hotel also offers an aperitif evening once a week in front of the open fire.

Drinks

The hotel has a bar serving beer, wine and spirits.

Your Evenings

The friendly atmosphere of our holidays continues into the evening.

Enjoy a glass of wine or local beer before hearing about the next day's activities. The focus of your evening will be a leisurely meal.

Your leader will also be checking out for any local events going on nearby or you may like to relax in the bar, with a drink and chat with your fellow guests.

USEFUL HOLIDAY INFORMATION

Holiday Information

Situated in the Northern Calcareous Alps, in the Austrian Tyrol, only 21km from Innsbruck, the elevation (1,200m) and spaciousness of the Seefeld Plateau guarantees a truly relaxing and enjoyable stay.

The plateau rises 600m above the Inn Valley to its south and is set against a stupendous natural backdrop. To the east rise the peaks of the Karwendelgebirge (known as the Seefeld Dolomites). In the west you have the big bulk of Hohe Munde (2,662m above sea level) and to complete the scenery are The Wetterstein Mountains. These mountains form the boundary between Austria and Germany and its highest peak is the Zugspitze (2,962m).

The Seefeld Plateau or Olympia Region Seefeld has many Olympic sports facilities. It has hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976, and also the World Nordic Championships in 1985. More recently it hosted the first winter junior Olympics in 2012. The region consists of five villages or areas, Seefeld, the Leutasch Valley, Mosern, Reith and Sharnitz. There are 150km of well-groomed walking trails, criss-crossing the plateau. With its many restaurants and leisure facilities, you are ensured a warm welcome.

Dense Alpine forests intermingle with sparse larch groves and wide grasslands covering 70 sq.km. The beautiful Alpine meadows and mountain lakes are the perfect opportunity for leaving your cares and woes behind you. Our base is in Weidach, the largest of the hamlets found in the Leutasch Valley. It is situated on the main bus route that links the villages of the Olympia region. Weidach has a small selection of shops and facilities, including a tourist information office, banks, sports shops, souvenir shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. It is a pretty village and an excellent location for our excursions.

Essential Information

To enjoy your holiday comfortably and safely, it’s essential that your clothing and footwear is suitable for the conditions likely to be encountered. Changeable weather is possible throughout the year, so our advice is to come prepared for all eventualities – hot, cold, wet or dry. All of our Discovery Tours involve active sightseeing and you should therefore be prepared for walking between the sights and wear flat, comfortable shoes. In the evening most guests wear casual clothing. You will probably find a small rucksack or cross-body bag useful for carrying spare clothing, camera, sun protection, drinks (at least 2 litres) etc during the day. A money belt is always a good idea. You’ll also need to bring your: • Booking confirmation • Travel insurance cover note and contact details

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• European Health Insurance Card (if applicable) • Completed guest registration form • Photocopy of photo page of passport • Sunhat, sun cream and sunglasses Medication: If you require any medication, please take adequate supplies for the duration of your holiday. It’s advisable to carry your medication in your hand luggage instead of packing it in your suitcase.

Admission costs are not included in this holiday and all are entirely optional. Reductions on entrance fees are often available for students and senior citizens, providing you can produce proof of your age or status. Please allow around €50 per person.

Dietary Requirements

Vegetarians and special diets can be catered for if requested in advance of the holiday.

Useful Information

Insurance is a condition of booking. Therefore if you have not already arranged insurance, it is imperative that you do so, and advise us of the insurance company and policy number. Do find out in advance if your insurance plan will make payments directly to providers or reimburse you later for overseas health expenditures.

Luggage

We suggest that you take just one small or medium size suitcase/holdall with wheels and a smaller bag/ rucksack that can be used during your Discovery Tours.

Local Currency

Euro

Tipping

Although service charges are often included in bills, a tip of 5% to 10% in addition is normal in cafes and restaurants. This is discretionary.

Electricity

220 Volt AC with round two pin plugs; you will need an adaptor for any appliances brought from the UK.

ATM Availability

There is an ATM machine in Weidach where you can obtain money.

HOW TO BOOK

When you're ready to book, you can choose to book online or book over the phone. Our website offers secure online booking for our holidays, is available 24/7, and offers more in-depth information about all our holidays. If you prefer to call us, our experienced and knowledgeable team are available to answer any specific questions you have and can offer guidance as to which holiday is best suited to your needs.

Our office is open: Monday to Friday: 9am – 7pm Saturday & Sunday: 9am – 1pm Bank Holiday Monday: 9am –

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1pm

PAYING YOUR DEPOSIT

To secure the holiday of your choice, you will need to pay a deposit: UK & European Holidays: £150 per person and Worldwide Holidays: £250 per person. You can pay your deposit by debit or credit card with no additional card fees charged or make an online BACS payment directly into HF’s bank account, please see details under BACS payments. You can also pay your deposit by cheque within seven days of booking. Cheques should be made payable to ‘HF Holidays Ltd’ with your booking reference / Order ID on the back.

ASSOCIATE’S FEE

Non-members can join our holidays by paying an Associate’s fee of £10 per person per holiday. Alternatively, full life membership is available from £100 – visit hfholidays.co.uk/membership for details. Also, please advise us of any dietary requirements so that we can inform your accommodation. To secure the holiday of your choice, you will need to pay a deposit: UK & European Holidays: £150 per person and Worldwide Holidays: £250 per person.

BACS PAYMENTS

Please quote your booking reference / Order ID when you make your payment online: Bank Name: Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) Account Name: HF Holidays Ltd Account Number: 35923304 Sort Code: 40-51-62 IBAN: GB92HAND40516235923304 Swift / Bic Code: HANDGB22

Once we have received your booking and deposit, we will send a confirmation invoice to the lead name. Please check this carefully. For bookings ‘with flights’ it is essential that the names on your booking confirmation invoice match those on your passport for bookings overseas. Please advise us immediately of any errors. Any name changes after the balance of your holiday has been paid will be subject to a fee levied by the airline.

MANAGE MY BOOKINGS

Payments can also be made through the Manage My Booking function on our website. Click on the link at the top of our homepage. This is available to all customers who provide an email address at the time of booking.

YOUR FINAL BALANCE

The balance is due 10 weeks before departure. As with paying your deposit, you can pay your final balance by debit or credit card, make an online BACS payment directly into HF’s bank account or pay by cheque.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Travel insurance is an important part of any booking and essential for one of our holidays. HF Holidays works with specialist. Insurance Brokers Campbell Irvine Direct. For more information or to obtain a quote call them on 01702 427 236 or visit hfholidays.co.uk/insurance

PEACE OF MIND

ATOL:

The air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL-protected, since we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 710. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid us for advance bookings. For further information visit the ATOL website atol.org.uk

MEMBER OF ABTOT:

HF Holidays is a member of ABTOT (The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited) which provides financial protection under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 for HF Holidays Ltd and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for the following: 1. non-flight packages commencing in and returning to the UK; 2. non-flight packages commencing and returning to a country other www.hfholidays.co.uk PAGE 6 [email protected] Tel: +44(0) 20 3974 8865 than the UK; 3. flight inclusive packages that commence outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland, which are sold to customers outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland. 1, 2 and 3 provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled. 1 and 3 provides for repatriation. Please note that bookings made outside the UK and Republic of Ireland are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with HF Holidays Ltd.

TRIP NOTE VALIDITY

These Trip Notes are valid based on the date printed at the bottom of the page. They will occasionally be updated post booking and pre-departure. We will send you the latest trip notes prior to departure with through a link in your pre departure documents or we can send you a copy in the post if preferred.

In booking this trip you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability you should call HF Holidays and ask to speak to one of the team about this itinerary.

The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. Where differences exist between the Trip Notes and our current brochure, the Trip Notes supersede the brochure. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes; so please be prepared to be flexible where necessary. At times, it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned due to weather conditions, political, physical or other factors. In these circumstances we will make the best possible alternative arrangements to maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.

PRICE GUARANTEE

We promise that our earliest published prices will always be the best and if we reduce our holiday price after your booking has been confirmed, we will pass this reduction on to you. Our price promise applies if any subsequent offer price is for an identical holiday, duration, location and date and does not cover any optional extras, flights or additional services.

Document produced: 27-09-2021

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