Immerse yourself in traditional alpine life against a backdrop of charming villages, towering mountains, and breathtaking scenery as you explore the European Alps with Davidson alumni and friends. You’ll unpack only once at your four star hotel in the quaint town of Igls, high in the Austrian Alps. From there memorable day trips will focus on the scenic and traditional Austrian province of Tyrol and the neighboring alpine regions of northern Italy and Germany’s southern Bavaria.

Salzburg epitomizes all that is Austrian and its magnificent alpine setting, combined with its ornate Baroque churches and the immortal musical legacy of its most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, will make it one of your favorite destinations. As you explore the city, meander through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Alstadt (Old Town), view the Fortress Hohensalzburg, and enjoy the elegant Mirabell Gardens. Conclude your day with a private presentation about Salzburg’s famous Von Trapp family, celebrated in the classic movie The Sound of Music. After a day in the city, you’ll be ready to experience rural Austrian life by visiting a working, family-owned farm in Mösern or donning miners’ apparel and entering a silver and copper mine in Schwaz, Austria. A visit to Innsbruck with its monuments of a Hapsburg past, including the Hofburg, the Hofkirche, and Goldene Dachl will enthrall those interested in the cultural, spiritual, and commercial capital of Tyrol. Cross the Brenner Pass to Italy, where the Germanic and Latin worlds meet in the towns of Bolzano and Merano. Here, in the gateway to the spectacular Dolomite Alps, is the home of the Iceman “Ötzi,” whose more than 5,000-year-old remains form a direct link to the Neolithic era. As your travels take you north to Germany, you’ll visit the fairy-tale castle of Neuschwanstein at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. This breathtaking castle will be just one of the many memories you take home from this truly magical alpine adventure.