St Anton

Skiers love it in winter, but in summer Austria gives you mountain pine air you could bottle and sell, glacier fresh beer, scented meadows, crystal lakes, waterfalls, and sheer, sky–scraping peaks that'll have you fumbling every moment for your camera or sketchbook.

You stay seven nights at a choice of 4 star hotels in St Anton am Arlberg, a pedestrianised Tyrolian mountain resort with aerial trams and chairlifts (strap in – some of those drops are 5,000ft). There are around 200 miles of hiking and cycling trails ranging from charming to challenging, or there's river kayaking and Segway riding, while adrenaline junkies might appreciate the paragliding, canyoning or whitewater rafting.

This break includes an excursion to Liechtenstein and a visit to the Appenzeller Cheese Factory, and an excursion to Lindau and Lake Constance. You also get the St. Anton Active summer card which gives a lot of benefits including one day free use of the cable cars from the village.

All in all, a great break in some of Europe's most serene and spectacular country, and a terrific change from traffic in the city or towels on a crowded beach.

• Return flight from your chosen airport to Friedrichshafen
• Return transfers from the airport to the hotel
• Seven nights stay at the 4 star Anthony's Life & Style Hotel, the 4 star Hotel Arlberg or the 4 star Sport Hotel, St Anton am Arlberg with breakfast and dinner
• Two excursions to Liechtenstein & Appenzeller and Lindau & Lake Constance, with boat trip
• St Anton Summer Activity card with one day's free use of cable cars
• One piece of hold luggage (an allowance of at least 20kgs per person, to be confirmed on receipt of itinerary)
• One piece of hand luggage (5kgs)
• Services of an English–speaking representative
• All airport taxes and security charges and the Government charge on air travel (APD)
• VAT at 20%

* Based on two people sharing a room. A room for single person occupancy is offered, subject to availability, at a supplement of £70pp for the break.

Sunday Make your way to your chosen airport for the flight to Friedrichshafen, where on arrival we will transfer you to your choice of 4 star St Anton hotel for check in before dinner, which may be a cold buffet for late arrivals.

Monday After breakfast today there is a Welcome Meeting, during which you will be introduced to the area and given your St Anton Activity Card. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore St Anton until dinner.

Tuesday Breakfast first, and then we embark on today's excursion to find some really good cheese, and explore Liechtenstein. We travel through the scenic Appenzeller countryside whose rich grazing has for the past 700 years provided the raw material for its famous cheese. The uniquely spicy taste of Appenzeller comes from a trade–secret herbal brine, and while they won't be giving away this secret at the Appenzeller Cheese Factory, they will give us a fascinating tour showing every aspect of cheesemaking, with hopefully a chance to taste some of the produce.

We continue along the Rhine valley into Leichtenstein. This is a strange little country, double–landlocked, with virtually no crime, no military, one TV station, two newspapers, the highest per capita GDP in the world and more registered companies than people due to its tax–haven laws. We take a late lunch stop in the capital Vaduz, which has a pedestrianised Old Town, lots of museums and restaurants, and a castle. We continue on in the afternoon by way of Werdenberg, stopping for a break in this pretty town which has two museums and a hilltop castle founded in 1230. We return to St Anton in time for dinner.

Wednesday & Thursday Days at leisure. There is plenty to keep you occupied in the immediate vicinity of St Anton, but if you fancy an away–day adventure, how about Innsbruck? It's just an hour away by train and it's a gorgeous journey. The Tyrolean capital is a lovely place to walk around, or sit and take coffee at a pavement café and watch it all happen against the towering backdrop of Hafelekar mountain. Pretty in the daytime, Innsbruck is delightful at dusk, when the lights come on. The Hofburg Imperial Palace is worth a visit, as is Ambras Castle, and the Kaiserjägermuseum with its 1,000m² panoramic painting of epic moments from Tyrolean history.

Friday Today we embark on a full–day excursion to Lindau and Lake Constance. Lake Constance (Bodensee) is almost 40 times the size of Lake Windermere. We take a boat trip on the lake, during which we will technically be in no country on Earth due to the fact that neighbouring states can't agree where the borders are. Part of the eastern shore is Bavarian, and this includes the island of Lindau with what is famously Bavaria's only lighthouse. There are lots of attractive gardens and parks here, as well as interesting little shops selling clothes, local wines and cheeses, antiques, toys and gifts. But Lindau is best known for its beautiful old quarter, full of picturesque café–flanked squares and higgledy–piggledy building styles. A lot of the houses have crow–stepped or staircase–style gables, making the roofs look as if they were built out of Lego bricks. One of these, the Alte Rathaus (Old Town Hall), is painted with colourful frescoes bustling with muses, cherubs, dignitaries, sailing ships, biblical allegories and trompes l'oeil. Lindau Rathaus is another exuberant example.

Saturday One last day of leisure. Perhaps now's the time for some souvenir hunting, or, if you haven't already taken the cable cars to the peaks to enjoy mountain coffee and cake, now's the time to use your included St Anton Summer Card.

Sunday Breakfast, and then we transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Places to stay in St Anton

• Anthony's Hotel, St Anton
• Hotel Arlberg
• SportHotel, St Anton