New Year's Eve On Cloud 9 An Austrian Celebration Tour

Our Europe-bound jet heads for Munich, Germany.

Meals: In-flight

Transfer to Innsbruck upon arrival at Munich airport. For travelers with AESU airfare, the tour director will meet you in the arrivals hall at Munich airport for your group transfer to Innsbruck, the capital of Austria’s Tyrol region. Take some time to rest up or start exploring the medieval old town, with spectacular views of mountain ranges, palaces and cathedrals. Tonight, join us for a welcome dinner of Austrian specialties and a program orientation with your tour director.

Meals: In-flight, Austrian welcome dinner

Join us on the mountains for our very own Winter Olympics. A snow shoe hike will take us off the beaten path with fresh snow clinging to mountain peaks, spectacular views, and maybe even some wildlife sightings. After discovering our inner Inuit by building an igloo, we have earned a hearty meal in a ski hut on the mountain top. Then bundle up in hats and mittens to whiz down the mountain on a sled. If you would like to ski or snow board on your own, talk to your tour director about equipment rental and ski passes.

Meals: Breakfast, Mountain lunch

On this morning tour of Innsbruck our local historian takes us to the very center of Innsbruck to the famous ‘Golden roof’, decorated with 3,000 fire-gilded copper tiles. We pass the famous triumph gate of Innsbruck, ‘Hofburg’ Imperial Palace including the ‘Hofkirche’ chapel, then visit the Olympic Bergisel Stadium and Ski Jump, with the most amazing views over Innsbruck and the Inn Valley. Our final stop is Ambras Palace, built by Archduke Ferdinand II half a millennium ago. After a walk in the castle gardens, we return to town for a coffee and some of Austria’s legendary pastries at a traditional coffee house. Get ready to ring in the New Year in style. Our gala dinner is only the beginning of tonight’s celebration. After a feast of Tyrolian specialties accompanied by local wines, we take the Nordkettenbahn cable-car to ‘Cloud 9’ an igloo club with exclusive views of the New Year’s Eve laser show. In a setting over 6,200 feet above sea level, chill out and dance the night away at the club featuring some of Austria’s hottest DJs.

Meals: Breakfast, New Year’s Eve dinner & champagne toast

Happy New Year! After a hearty breakfast, we make our way to Kristallwelten, Swarovski’s fascinating museum, a fairy-tale world of shimmering crystal. Travel through ’14 chambers of wonder’ featuring marvelous paintings and sculptures such as the crystal tree or the giant ’crystaloscope’, created by world-famous artists. Let’s toast to the New Year with a glass of champagne before heading back to town with leisure time to shop or relax before our farewell dinner at a rustic pub tonight. Bid farewell to new-found friends and make plans for your next young alumni adventure.

Meals: Breakfast, New Year’s cocktail, Farewell dinner