European adventures this winter

We can hit the back roads to a host of unique UK and European adventures this winter with the launch of an exciting new range of small group touring from Explore Holidays. Explore Holidays, the wholesaler of choice to sell Back-Roads Touring Company Product, has announced the launch of one of its most exciting brochures of the year offering a wonderful array of unique, small group touring adventures capturing the festive spirit of Europe and the UK.

In a first for the leading travel wholesaler, the special Back-Roads winter brochure will offer 16 pages of unique touring product covering Castles and Cathedrals, Imperial Cities, Alpine Discoveries, Italian Indulgence, Battlefield Tours and more at highly competitive pricing. Marketing manager for Explore Holidays, Maxine Wiggs, said the brochure would open a winter wonderland for Australian travellers looking to get behind the tourist façade.

“The packages allow travellers to enjoy an intimate connection with the places they visit throughout the UK and Europe travelling in the company of just two to 16 others,’’ Ms Wiggs said “Guests can enjoy spectacular scenery travelling in the comfort of small air-conditioned coaches and relax at night in a range of traditional accommodation choices.’’

Enhanced by the services of knowledgeable companion guides, the tours cover destinations including traditional South England, Scotland, Vienna Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria (http://welcome-to-vienna.ru), Germany and Italy with flexible itineraries and both scheduled and customised options available.
With over six million visitors every year (over 250,000 of whom come to the acclaimed festival, which got under way last weekend and runs until the end of August), Salzburg has no shortage of hotels, but it can be hard to find a decent place to stay. If you fancy somewhere more personal than the Sheraton (but just as comfy), the Hotel Auersperg is the ideal hideaway.

Family-owned and run, it's intimate yet stylish, with none of that bland anonymity which bedevils so many chain hotels. It's quintessentially Austrian , but there's not a trace of Alpine kitsch – no lederhosen, stuffed animals or antlers on the walls. A pleasant hotch-potch of antique and modern décor, it's a proper slice of Salzburg chic, rather than Sound of Music schmaltz.

The Auersperg gets a lot of repeat business, and it's easy to see why. The walled garden is a real rarity in a compact city where green space is at a premium. Sitting out here in the summertime, you feel more like a private guest in a close friend's house than a paying customer in a hotel. There's no restaurant, but the buffet breakfast is delicious and the convivial bar serves hearty snacks, nourishing enough for brunch or supper.

Highlights of the new brochure include a four day tour of South England taking in the Cotswolds, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle; seven days discovering the royal castles of Scotland and a nine day tour of the imperial cities ( Vienna )of Central Europe with its medieval buildings and festive markets.
By Eris