Tour Code: 25710 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Grade 6 Holiday Duration: 15 days The beautiful Valley from Prague to HOLIDAY DATES 3th Jun 2018 - 17th Jun 2018, 17th Jun 2018 - 1st Jul 2018 Dresden. 1st Jul 2018 - 15th Jul 2018, 15th Jul 2018 - 29th Jul 2018 12th Aug 2018 - 26th Aug 2018, 9th Sept 2018 - 23rd Sept 2018

Since the 1790s travellers have been fascinated by the beauty, the unique and intriguing landscape, the cultural heritage of Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland.

HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Walk the 70 mile romantic Malerweg (Painters Trail).

Visit Europe’s largest freestanding rock arch.

Experience a glorious display of contrasting and breathtaking landscapes.

Visiting two wonderful contrasting cities. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

Through woods rich in ferns and mosses, across meadows, up fissures between pillars of eroded sandstone, the Malerweg, or Painters' Way, winds its way through 's . From rocky viewpoints the meandering Elbe is often visible. You first see the river beneath Prague's Charles Bridge, where it is known as the Vltava. At the end of our journey you meet it once again in the neo-classical and Baroque splendour of Dresden.

We follow the Malerweg in its entirety from our riverside base in Krippen adjacent to the resort of Bad Schandau. Throughout the trail's seventy miles, which we follow in eight stages, it is easy to see why great painters and musicians have found inspiration here. The unique jumble of rocks, the sweeping panoramas, the dampness of the forest floor, mists rising from the valleys; these are the very essence of the Romantic Movement.

The Malerweg links towns on the Elbe such as , with its squares and gabled roofs, with hamlets and villages such as Hohnstein, where a castle rises above half-timbered buildings and neat gardens. And of course it is always easy to find a cafÉ serving coffee and cake or a Gasthaus for beer and pretzels.

Our holiday starts with two nights in the enchanting fairytale city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. We enjoy a full day to explore the city with a local guide. We'll wander through the narrow cobbled streets, visiting such city gems as the Old Town Hall with its remarkable 15th century astrological clock.

Our holiday ends with two nights in Dresden where a local guide will introduce us to the rich cultural heritage including the famous sights of the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady), Preidenkirche and Fürstenzug (Procession of the Princes), Old Masters Picture Gallery and Zwinger just to name a few. WHATS INCLUDED  Return flights from Heathrow to Prague (British Airways)  Airport transfers  Half board en suite accommodation  All local transport costs.

HOLIDAY GRADE

This is a Grade 6 moderate holiday which includes full day walks with appreciable amounts of ascent and descent with walks in some remote areas. Paths are mostly good, but there may be some steep and rough ground. Walks will last up to 6 hours and could involve as much as 750m of ascent and descent and are likely to be at the upper level of ascent, descent, walking time and distance. See the Walks & Excursions section for more information. Day: 6 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We walk from Proposed Itinerary Hohnstein to Altendorf. Starting in Hohnstein the trail takes us along a delightful pine forest trail Whilst every effort will be made to adhere to the below sandstone cliffs to reach the Brand viewpoint, outlined itinerary and advertised programme, local the ‘Balcony of Saxon Switzerland’. We then take conditions can change due to weather or other 800 steps down to the valley floor of the Polenztal, unforeseen circumstances. This may mean that then back up to the village of Waitzdorf. We finish in routes and timings need to be amended or the order Altendorf, and get views of tomorrow’s rocky area, of days may change, sometimes at short notice. the Schrammsteine.

Key to Meals: Total ascent 9½ miles (15km) 573m ascent / 664m B - Breakfast, L - Lunch, D - Dinner. descent; 6 hrs In flight meals, if appropriate, will be advised in your final travel documents Day: 7 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We walk from Altendorf to Neumannmühle. We start by Day: 1 - Prague (D) We fly from London walking down through a gorge to Kirnitzschtal and Heathrow to Prague. On arrival we transfer by bus cross the historic tram line from Bad Schandau. to our hotel in Prague From here the route becomes slightly challenging as we climb through the rocks with the help of a Day: 2 - Prague (B,D) Sightseeing in Prague with collection of steps and a short ladder in the crevices a local guide. of the rock face; this section is quite steep so we take it nice and slow. We soon find ourselves on top Day: 3 - Bad Schandau (B,D) Today we travel by of the jagged sandstone rock formations of the road to Bad Schandau (Krippen) where we stay for Schrammsteine, and continue along the ridge which the following 10 nights. offers excellent views. And what goes up must come down as we take a steep path with more steps. Day: 4 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We start the first of After crossing the tram line again we climb to the our walks on the Malerweg trail. We walk from spectacular rock archway, the Kuhstall, before Liebenthal to Stadt Wehlen. finishing in the valley.

A relatively easy first day walk, with a trail that 12½ miles (20km) 668m ascent / 753m descent; 7 meanders along the Wesenitz stream, alongside hrs. beautiful rape covered fields and through the forest of the Sächsiche Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) Day: 8 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We walk from National Park and ends in the Riverside town of Neumannmühle to Schmilka. We walk through Wehlen. mainly wooded paths, which will be steep in some cases and rough underfoot. The views at the top 9 miles (13.7km); 213m ascent / 251m descent; 4 from the Grosses Pohlshorn and the hrs Goldsteinaussicht make it all worth the effort. At the highest point of the whole walk, the Grosses Day: 5 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We walk from Winterberg (556m high), a tower can be climbed to Stadt Wehlen to Hohnstein. This is a more give a 360 degree view of the surrounding hills and challenging day than the previous one. We walk forests. After another descent with many steps, we along the Elbe, then the trail climbs steeply uphill, end in the attractive and sleepy riverside town of high above the Elbe River, before we come to the Schmilka, a few hundred metres from the Czech unique sandstone rock formation of the Bastei area. border. We end the walk at the delightful town of Hohnstein. 9½ miles (15km); 628m ascent 688m descent; 6 8½ miles (13.1km) ; 502m ascent / 321m descent; hrs. 5-6 hrs Day: 9 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We walk from Schmilka to Kurort Gohrisch. Now on the south We will walk the Malerweg trail in eight sections. We side of the Elbe, we walk along some wooded paths expect to complete one section per day with a rest but the terrain is more open today and not so many day part way through. We will use the excellent steep paths to tackle. We walk through the village of local transport system or minibuses to get to the Reinhardtsdorf, with its impressive baroque style start and return from the end of the walk each day. church. We also walk amongst open farm fields. The length of the sections varies from 8½ to 13 There are some steps to tackle to reach the summit miles (12 to 21 km), with an average length of 10½ of the Papstdorf, which rewards us with spectacular (17 km). The paths are well-made and maintained views. but most of the sections include relatively steep ascents and descents, some of which involve flights 12½ miles (19km) 520m ascent / 330m descent); of steps, metal staircases and metal step-ladders. 6-7 hrs. However, the presence of hand rails along the more difficult stretches means that there are no exposed Day: 10 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We walk from paths anywhere along the route. Kurort Gohrisch to Kurort Rathen. We walk across fields which offer fine views towards Konigstein Castle. We then climb to the top of the During our time in Prague and Dresden we will Pfaffenstein, a flat top mountain, which entails a explore the highlights of these cities mainly on foot. rather strenuous ascent up numerous wooden and iron steps. We enjoy more walking in the forest around, but not up, the Quirl rocks, before Optional Excursions descending into Konigstein for lunch. After lunch a A range of local excursions and activities may be steep climb takes us around the outside of available to book in your destination through a local Konigstein Castle, before we continue on to Weissig operator. We have no involvement in such activities and then descend to Kurort Rathen on the River or excursions which are not run, supervised or Elbe. 13 miles (21km); 554m ascent / 654m controlled in any way by us. Your contract will be descent; 6 hrs. with the local activity supplier and we accept no responsibility for their actions or omissions. Day: 11 - Bad Schandau (B,D) We walk from Kurort Rathen to Pirna. Today will involve us climbing yet another flat top mountain, the Leaders Evening Briefing Rauenstein, although not as high as the previous Each evening, your tour leader will discuss with you one, therefore the climb is less demanding, but with the programme for the following day. If you do not plenty of steps. From the superb ridge walk we can wish to join the organised group programme, please enjoy views across the Elbe to the Bastei Rock, let the leader know. visited on section 2. We continue down a steep cobbled path to the village of Naundorf, and then along the Elbe to Pirna and the end of the trail at Local Transport Costs the Canaletto House with, appropriately, a Canaletto All local transport costs, in conjunction with the painting of the (unchanged) Pirna market square. advertised activity programme, are included in the holiday cost. 10½ miles (17km); 352m ascent / 372m descent; 5-6 hrs. Personal Expenditure You will need to consider drinks, any meals not Day: 12 - Bad Schandau (B,D) Free day to included in the holiday price, possible non-included further explore the area independently. entrance fees, any optional excursions you may choose to participate in locally as well as any Day: 13 - Dresden (B,D) We transfer by road to souvenirs or additional services such as laundry Dresden, on arrival and after lunch we have a when budgeting for your holiday. guided tour of the city with a local guide.

Day: 14 - Dresden (B,D) Today we further Small Groups explore Dresden. Group Size Day: 15 - - (B) We transfer by road to Prague Coming from all walks of life your fellow travelling airport for check-in and return flight to London companions will share your desire to discover great Heathrow. things and have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy their infectious enthusiasm, cameraderie and great dinner conversation. Walks & Excursions These small-group guided holidays usually have a This holiday is graded 6. The first section of the group size of 10 - 18 people. Malerweg and our walks both in Dresden and Prague will be within our grade 4 category and will mainly Our maximum group size for guided walks between involve sightseeing on foot. grade 5 and grade 8 is 18 persons. Tour Leaders Your tour leader makes the world of difference to your holiday and ours are as passionate about discovering the world on foot as you are. They're resourceful, organised and widely travelled. They will handle all the local administration and other needs that might arise to ensure that you don't have to worry about planning your days and you can enjoy your holiday. Although leading group holidays, they won't forget that every group is made up of individuals. Each tour leader has their own individual style, talents and professional backgrounds and all are trained, qualified, experienced and dedicated to making your holiday as enjoyable, interesting and inspiring as possible.

On most holidays of 7 nights and over, the tour leader will have one day's break a week, enabling you to have a 'free' day too! If you wish to organise your own flights from a non- Travel Details UK or provincial airport or travel by rail or car to Flights are from London Heathrow to Prague and your holiday destination, 'no-travel' reductions are return with British Airways. often available. Please contact us for details.

• The transfer from Prague Airport to our hotel Before finalising any independent travel in Prague will take around 45 minutes. arrangements, please check with us first - especially if doing so 12 weeks or more before your intended • Travel between the airport and hotel will be date of travel. by private bus transfer. If you do intend to join your holiday locally please For all those booking a flight or rail inclusive do tell us at least 14 weeks in advance. holiday, details of your travel arrangements and baggage allowance will be confirmed in your travel documents, sent to you approximately 10 days prior Passports and Visas to departure. Germany entry requirements: your passports should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. Your passport does not need any additional period of Personal Details Check validity beyond this. If your passport describes you When confirming your booking, we provide you with as a British Citizen you don't need a visa to enter a Personal Details Check form. This is to ensure that Germany. If you have any other type of British we have an accurate record of the information you nationality you should seek advice from your have provided us such as your passport details (if nearest German Embassy or Consulate. relevant), date of birth and any other important detail necessary for us to properly manage your Czech Republic entry requirements: For stays of up holiday arrangements. When you receive this, to three months your passport should be valid for please check the details, complete any missing or the proposed duration of your stay. A visa is not pertinent information and return it to us as soon as required by holders of British Passports, other possible. nationalities should check with their nearest consultants regarding visa requirements. Land Only If you are joining and leaving at your holiday General Passport & Visa Advice overseas we assume, unless you advise us It is a good idea to carry photocopies of the otherwise, that you will join and leave the holiday personal details pages of your passport. Should you from your hotel. lose your passport, this may assist with the issue of replacement documents and your return to your Although airport transfers are not included for those home country. making their own independent travel arrangements, if you wish to join the group at the overseas airport, Passport and visa requirements can change at any depending on your flight arrival time, you may be time. It is your own responsibility to ensure that you able to be included on the group's coach transfer. inform yourself from a professionally qualified Please contact us at least 5 weeks before departure source on, and comply with, such requirements. for more details. General travel and destination advice for UK Please note that your flight must arrive within 30 nationals is available from the Foreign and minutes of the group flight to be able to join the Commonwealth Office at www.fco.gov.uk/travel and group transfer. We also need your flight number, at www.gov.uk/travelaware. arrival time and departure point so that the group leader is able to meet up with you. Accommodation Our accommodation in Dresden is at the beautiful Hotel William four star Westin Bellevue which sits on the banks of Hellichova 5, the Elbe river, in twin and single bedded rooms with 110 00 Praha 1 shower and wc. The facilities in the rooms include a Czech Republic desk, safe, telephone, satellite TV, minibar, radio, hairdryer, and bathrobe. Other facilities include an Phone: 00420 272 114419 indoor heated swimming pool, a wellness area with Web: www.hotelwilliam.cz/en/ three saunas, a solarium, fitness room, a relaxation Email: [email protected] zone, treatments and massage (services at an additional charge), restaurant and a cafe bar, as well as an outdoor terrace area. Wifi is accessible in all areas of the hotel and is chargeable. Our accommodation in Prague is at the three star superior Hotel William, located in the historical part Breakfasts and dinners are included in the holiday of the city, in twin and single bedded rooms with charge, and in Bad Schandau and Dresden will be shower and wc. The facilities in the rooms include a taken at the hotels. Dinners in Prague will be in a telephone, satellite TV, a safe and a hairdryer local restaurant. Lunches are not included.

Hotel Erbgericht Bächelweg 4 01814 Bad Schandau Germany

Phone: +49 35028 86900 Web: www.erbgericht-krippen.de Email: [email protected]

Our accommodation in Bad Schandau is at the three star superior Hotel Erbgericht in twin and single bedded rooms with shower and wc. The facilities in the rooms include a telephone, satellite TV, and a hairdryer. The hotel also has a sauna.

The Westin Bellevue Grosse Meissner Strasssr 15 01097 Dresden Germany

Phone: 0049 351 8050 Web: www.westin-dresden.de/en/ Email: [email protected] www.watertogo.eu. Just fill up from any water Footwear source and save the environment from disposable Lightweight waterproof walking boots with a good plastic bottles. moulded rubber sole (such as Vibram or similar) and a deep tread which provide ankle support are We have negotiated an exclusive 15% discount with strongly recommended and may be essential for our partners Water-to-Go for you as a thank you for some walks. helping the environment. Please go to their website We recommend that you either wear your walking at www.watertogo.eu and enter the code RWH17 boots or shoes or pack them and some waterproofs when ordering. In addition, Water-to-Go will match in your hand luggage as in the unlikely event that the discount with a donation to our charity, Heart & your hold luggage is delayed, you will still be able to Sole, which will allow us to continue to make a participate in the holiday programme. difference in the countries you visit on our holidays. Kit List Trekking Poles Outdoor activities are always more enjoyable if you Many of our clients find walking poles hugely are prepared. The following list is a basic guideline beneficial when walking. They can both reduce that will enhance your experience. Please don't stress on the knees and aid confidence. If you use hesitate to contact us with any questions you may them please make sure that you have the rubber have. tips covering the sharp metal points. There is increasing evidence that the bare metal tips are damaging footpaths both in the UK and abroad. A basic kit list is likely to include: - Waterproof jacket (Goretex or similar) and trousers Travel Document Checklist - Lightweight, quick drying trousers Documents and Information to take with you: - Several polo shirts, T-shirts or specialist walking shirts - Your passport (make sure it's valid and it's yours) - Fleece jacket - Your travel tickets or e-ticket itinerary - Comfortable walking socks - Any visa or electronic travel authorisation (if - Warm hat and gloves (if appropriate) required) - Sun hat, sunglasses, lip salve and high SPF sun - Holiday money block - Credit or debit cards (and separate details of who - Swimwear (if appropriate) to call if lost) - Day sack (25 litre capacity) to comfortably carry - Car parking ticket and car park directions (if the kit you'll take out on your days activity prebooked) - Strong polythene bags to keep the contents of - Coach or rail travel tickets (if prebooked) your daypack dry - Your holiday Booking Confirmation document - Water bottle(s) - at least 1 litre capacity - Your travel insurance details - Basic first aid kit (plasters, blister treatment, - Alternative form of identification (such as a driving antiseptic etc) licence) - Insect repellent - Photocopy of the personal details pages of your - Waterproof bag or container and knife for your passport lunch - A valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if - Walking/trekking poles (if applicable) relevant - Details of any medical condition or allergy your holiday leader should know about Water-to-Go An alternative to bottled water from single-use sealed water bottles is filtered water from a refillable bottle containing its own water filter such as a Water-to-go bottle available from Maps, Guidebooks & Advice Maps and guidebooks relating to your holiday may be obtained before departure from:

The Map Shop (www.themapshop.co.uk)

Maps & Guidebooks:

Maps and books on the Switzerland area and Prague may be obtained before departure from specialist map sellers such as the Map Shop

Websites:

You may find a visit to German & Czech tourism websites useful at: www.germany-tourism.de www.dresden.de/dtg/en www.saechsische-schweiz.de/malerweg.html www.czechtourism.com/home www.praguewelcome.cz/en

Weather and Climate Visit the following websites for an idea of the climate in your destination:

Weather2 www.myweather2.com

BBC Weather www.bbc.co.uk/weather Currency Further Travel Health Advice For further advice please visit: The currency in the Czech Republic is the Czech - The National Travel Health Network and Centre Koruna (CZK). Banks and ATM machines can be (NaTHNaC) travel health website at found within easy reach of the hotels and in most www.travelhealthpro.org.uk towns and villages. - The NHS 'Fit for travel' website at The currency in Germany is the euro. www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk - The Foreign Office Office Travel Advice Website at Electricity www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. In the Czech Republic the electricity is supplied at - Or a local travel health clinic. 220 Volts. If you wish to use electrical equipment you will need a European two pin adaptor with You might wish to take a small bottle of antibacterial round pins. More information can be found at hand gel with you for times when you're unable to www.powerplugadapter.uk. wash your hands. In Germany the electricity is supplied at 220 Volts. Language If you wish to use electrical equipment you will need Language spoken in Germany: German a European two pin adaptor with round pins. More information can be found at Language spoken in Czech Republic: Czech www.powerplugadapter.uk. Health Insurance No compulsory immunisations are required for visits Travel Insurance to the Czech Republic. You must be adequately insured to join our holidays. We do not insist that you insure with us but we You should be up to date with the usual require that you are adequately insured for the immunisations recommended in the UK. nature of your holiday. You will be unable to participate in our local walking and other activity You may wish to consider immunisations against programmes without being able to demonstrate that Tetanus, Tick-borne Encephalitis and Hepatitis B. you have valid travel insurance. No compulsory immunisations are required for visits Please ensure that as a minimum your travel to Germany. insurance policy covers you for medical expenses, mountain rescue and emergency repatriation in the You should be up to date with the usual event of illness or injury, and that your policy immunisations recommended in the UK. provides adequate cover for the activities, included and optional, you are likely to participate in during You may wish to consider immunisations against your holiday. See our brochure or website for Tetanus and Tick-borne Encephalitis. further advice regarding holiday insurance. Health requirements can change at any time. It is Whoever you insure with, please ensure that you your own responsibility to ensure that you inform take full details, and ideally the policy itself, with yourself from a professionally qualified source on, you on holiday and provide our tour leader with your and comply with, such requirements at least 6 to 8 insurer's name, the policy number and emergency weeks before departure. Advice on vaccinations is assistance contact numbers. available from your GP. Please note that it is very difficult to obtain travel insurance once your holiday arrangements have Please do keep your mobile phones switched on and started. readily available when travelling to the airport or if delayed in transit so that we can contact you with any last minute information relating to your travel EHIC Cards arrangements. Please take your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you; it will help you in the event of you As a matter of courtesy, please switch off your needing medical assistance during your holiday. mobile phone during walks, or endeavour to Please note the the EHIC has an expiry date, so minimise its use. Please also try to minimise the use please check that your card is valid for the duration of mobile devices during group meals. of your holiday. Please note however the an EHIC should not be considered a substitute for medical or Emergency Contact Numbers (Germany) travel insurance. For more information please visit www.ehic.org.uk. Police, Ambulance, Fire, Mountain Rescue: 112 Personal Safety Feedback The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office provides up We welcome all comments about our holidays and to date information on security and local laws for value ideas for the future. If you have provided us travellers, together with current passport and visa with an email address we will invite you to complete information, at www.gov.uk/travelaware. Please an online questionnaire or to add feedback to our take a few minutes to look at the current advice on page on independent review site 'Feefo'. your planned destination.

Please be aware of what's going on around you, Important Information take sensible precautions with your credit cards and Please note that this Holiday Information sheet may passport and avoid displays of wealth such as be periodically updated and reissued. wearing expensive jewellery or watches. Do not carry more cash on you than you will need for each In most cases the revisions will be minor and the day, and we recommend that a money belt is used. overall nature of the holiday will remain unchanged. Should we make a major change to your holiday arrangements between you booking your holiday Cultural Awareness and your date of travel we will notify you to specifically draw your attention to any significant Responsible Travel change. We're committed to ethical tourism in all our destinations. Our holidays are designed for you to You may wish to review the latest version of this discover the essence of the country you are visiting. Holiday Information Sheet online prior to travel. Travelling in small groups not only gives you an up close and personal experience of your destination, Please note that any advertised offers, benefits or but minimises your impact on the immediate initiatives may be discontinued at any time. environment. We feel that the most important starting point to protect the environment is to be out in it. For more details visit our website. Contact Us Ramblers Walking Holidays

Heart & Sole - Tel: UK +44 (0)1707 331133 We appreciate that we are in a fortunate position to - Email: [email protected] be able to use our profits to help make a difference - Web: www.ramblersholidays.co.uk to people's lives. Heart & Sole is a venture managed by our office staff, whose aim is to reach the heart Our office is open and our Sales & Reservations of the communities in the countries we visit. team available to speak to you from: Through Heart & Sole, we hope to make more of a long term, direct impact to these communities, - 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday particularly in less developed countries where even - 9.15am to Midday on Saturdays a small amount goes a long way. See our website - 9.15am to 3pm on Saturdays in January & for more information and details of some of the February only projects we support. Please quote your Booking Reference number and Communication Tour Code whenever contacting us. We wish you an enjoyable holiday! Mobile Phones Please do provide us with a mobile phone contact number. We will only use this to contact you with important information relating to your holiday arrangements.