Three countries. One extraordinary landscape. The Alpine arc that sweeps from Austria’s Tyrolean valleys through the Swiss mountain cantons and into Bavaria’s fairy-tale castles and romantic countryside is one of the most scenically spectacular routes in the world. Our Bavaria, Switzerland & Austria tour traces this arc from Vienna — following the country roads, mountain passes, and historic towns that no motorway itinerary can access.
NextView Tours offers this classic Alpine three-country journey in two versions: the Classic tour for those wanting the full experience with a regular-sized group, and the Small Groups edition for a more intimate, personal adventure with a maximum group size that ensures genuine access to your guide and real flexibility on the day.
Both tours visit the same extraordinary destinations — the difference is in group size, and therefore in the quality of your experience. If you want the full range of destinations at the best price, choose Classic. If you want a more personal, flexible journey with fewer passengers, choose Small Groups.
Classic Tour | Small Groups Tour |
Standard group size | Maximum small group — more personal |
Same destinations and itinerary | Same destinations and itinerary |
Most cost-effective option | Premium small-group experience |
Book: /country-roads-classic/ | Book: /country-roads-small-groups/ |
Your journey into Bavaria reveals the Germany of the imagination — the Germany of fairy-tale castles, dense forests, flower-box villages, and the kind of sweeping pastoral scenery that inspired the Romantic movement. The undisputed highlight is Neuschwanstein Castle — the 19th-century fantasy fortress of King Ludwig II, which inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle and which remains, by visitor count, one of the most visited castles in the world. Perched on a rocky crag above a Bavarian forest valley, it is as extraordinary in person as in photographs.
Beyond Neuschwanstein, Bavaria offers the walled medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber on the Romantic Road, the vibrant city of Munich with its world-famous Marienplatz, and the serene lakes of the Bavarian Alps — Chiemsee, Königssee, and the Zugspitze peak (Germany’s highest mountain) rising above the Austrian border.
Crossing from Bavaria into Switzerland, the landscape intensifies dramatically. Swiss mountain architecture — steep-roofed timber chalets, each window box overflowing with geraniums — frames views of glaciated peaks, turquoise lakes, and meadows that are almost surreally beautiful. Switzerland’s Alpine landscape is the benchmark against which all other mountain scenery is measured.
Key Swiss highlights on the Country Roads route include: the extraordinary Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen (the largest waterfall in Europe by volume), the medieval lakeside city of Lucerne (Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, Lake Lucerne), the Bernese Oberland with its famous trio of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks, and Zurich — Switzerland’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, combining a beautifully preserved Altstadt with cutting-edge contemporary culture.
The Austrian section of the Country Roads tour begins in the Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck — a uniquely compact city where medieval architecture meets 2,000-metre cable car peaks directly above the rooftops. The Nordkette cable car, departing from virtually the city centre, rises in minutes to Seegrube station at 1,905m and Hafelekar at 2,334m — from where the panorama across the Inn Valley and into the Bavarian Alps is extraordinary.
From Innsbruck, the tour moves through the heart of the Austrian Alps — the Arlberg pass region, the Salzburg province, and the spectacular landscapes of the Salzkammergut lake district — before returning to Vienna through the rolling hills and vineyards of Lower Austria.
The tour departs Vienna heading northwest into Bavaria. Day 1 may include an overnight stop in Munich or the Bavarian countryside. Your guide provides context on the regions you’re entering and Bavaria’s fascinating relationship with Austria throughout history.
Neuschwanstein Castle. Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The Bavarian Alps and their mirror-still lakes. Two days exploring the romantic landscape that gave the world its fairy-tale castle archetype and its most beloved Alpine scenery.
Cross into Switzerland at Lake Constance and follow the northern flank of the Alps through the Rhine Valley. Arrive in Lucerne — the jewel of central Switzerland — for two days of exploration: Chapel Bridge, the old city walls, Lion Monument, Lake Lucerne boat trips, and optional cable car ascents to Mount Pilatus or Mount Rigi.
Descend into the Bernese Oberland and arrive in Interlaken — flanked by two lakes and overlooked by the legendary Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau trinity. Optional Jungfraujoch cogwheel railway (the “Top of Europe” at 3,454m). Grindelwald glacier. Schilthorn cable car. The Bernese Oberland is Switzerland at its most dramatic.
Head east via Zurich and Bern (brief city stop at Switzerland’s perfectly preserved federal capital), crossing back into Austria via Vorarlberg and the Arlberg region. Journey through the heart of the Austrian Tyrol and Salzburg province before the final return to Vienna.