Optional Trip Extensions

Extend your Buddy Bombard adventure with our three and four day optional trip extensions by private car. Our all-inclusive, luxury extensions are available on the following trips, and are graciously hosted by Buddy Bombard.

» Loire Valley & Optional Normandy Extension
» Swiss Summer & Optional King Ludwig Castles Extension
» Siena/Palio & Optional Portofino, Megeve, Zermatt Extension
» Salzburg & Optional King Ludwig Castles Extension

LOIRE VALLEY & ITS ROYAL CHATEAUX
5 days, 4 nights • June 4-8 • July 25-29 • October 4-8
Including Optional Extension • Normandy, Giverny, Mont St. Michel, Balleroy, Honfleur
Total 9 days, 8 nights • July 25-August 2 • October 4-12

Loire Valley & its Royal Chateaux More than 1,000 chateaux, palaces and feudal castles rise from the Loire’s river banks, vineyards and medieval forests, royal relics of days gone by. Gorgeous Chateau Chenonceau, romantic Chateau d’Usse with its turrets, chimneys and towers, and Villandry’s resplendent gardens are but a few of the brilliantly preserved and period furnished architectural masterpieces awaiting our exploration by private guide—and by balloon--each day throughout our trip. Lavish lunches in Michelin star restaurants, and dinner parties in an 11th century fortress are perfect enhancements to our wondrous step back in time. 4 nights at luxury Domaine de Beauvois, our 18th century chateau-hotel exuding French country charm. Excellent cuisine and fine wine throughout. Hosted by Buddy Bombard. All-inclusive from Paris, $8,940 per person, based on double occupancy.

Optional Normandy Extension
A comprehensive experience with 3 nights at Normandy's exquisite Chateau d’ Audrieu. Exceptional visits with our full-time private guide to the Normandy beaches, cemetery and museum, Mont St. Michel abbey and grounds, the charming sea village of Honfleur, and Giverny, Claude Monet’s peaceful home and gardens. Also included is a visit to Malcolm Forbes's Chateau Balleroy and balloon museum, exclusively arranged by Buddy Bombard who taught Malcolm Forbes to fly balloons. Buddy was awarded the Chateau Balleroy trophy by Malcolm for his contribution to the ballooning world. Evening and overnight in Paris on Day 8 to facilitate convenient, independent departures from the city on Day 9. All-inclusive with excellent cuisine throughout and fine wine with dinners.

Loire Valley & Normandy extension, 9 days, 8 nights, all-inclusive from Paris to Paris, hosted by Buddy Bombard. $15,662 per person, based on double occupancy.

TUSCANY
THE MEDIEVAL SPLENDOR OF SIENA & ITS PALIO
7 days, 6 nights • July 1-7 • August 15-21
Including Optional Extension • Portofino, Megeve, Zermatt Total 11 days, 10 nights • July 1-11 • August 15-25

Tuscany & Palio
Join us in Tuscany, where 4 morning adventures in Buddy Bombard’s balloons take us from the streets of Siena to the rooftops of San Gimignano, and across nearly every historic cobblestone in between. We’ll take you across rolling hills and olive groves, past gothic abbeys, hilltop castles and through ancient Italian villages bathed in that glorious Tuscan light. Enjoy daily lunches with local nobility and our personal friends in their private villas and magnificent, ancestral castles. Plus! Premium reserved seating for the Palio race and pageantry, Europe’s most passionate festival and horse race in Siena’s town square. 2 nights at 5-star Hotel le Fontanelle outside Siena, 4 nights at 5 star Grand Hotel Continental, Siena. Excellent cuisine and fine wine throughout. Hosted by Buddy Bombard. All-inclusive from Florence. $13,996 per person based on double occupancy.

Optional Portofino, Megeve, Zermatt Extension
Come with us to Portofino, the romantic harbor village on the Italian Riviera, continuing through the castle-encrusted Aosta Valley and the Mont Blanc tunnel to France. We’ve arrived at the quaint mountain resort town of Megeve, developed in the 1020’s as a French alternative to St. Moritz. Then we’ll drive Switzerland’s most famous high Alpine passes with their staggering views and the stunning Vallee Blanche, a permanent winter land scene of snowy peaks and shimmering crystal ice. The beautiful Rhone Valley, carpeted with vineyards, leads us to Zermatt for railway to the spectacular summer snowfields of the Gornergrat and overnight at the foothills of the majestic Matterhorn . Our last drive takes us past the scenic shores of Lake Brienze and Lake Thun to Interlaken, then on to Bern for overnight. Glorious sightseeing, excellent cuisine and wines, with 5 star and luxury hotels throughout: Spendido Mare, Portofino; Mont Blanc, Megeve; Mt. Cervin, Zermatt; Hotel Bellevue Palace, Bern.

Tuscany with Palio & Portofino, Megeve, Zermatt extension, 11 Days, 10 nights, all-inclusive from Florence to Bern. $20,396 per person based on double occupancy.

HEIDI’S SUMMER SWITZERLAND
5 days, 4 nights • June 18-22 • July 11-15 • August 25-29
Including Optional Extension • Germany’s King Ludwig Castles Total 8 days, 7 nights •
June 18-25 • July 11-18 • August 25-Sept 1

Heidi’s Summer Switzerland
Chalets, mountain trains, and helicopters to shimmering, crystal ice fields and wonderland glaciers behind the imposing Jungfrau are daytime highlights on our Swiss summer trips, with our trademark daily balloon excursions late each afternoon through the sloping emerald valleys and charming villages of the Emmental. You won’t forget our luncheons in medieval mountain settlements, at famous Piz Gloria at the top of the Shilthorn and on a luncheon cruise skimming medieval lakeside villages of the Thunsee. Explore raging Trummelbach Falls from inside a mountain and so much more on our delightful, “Heidi” experience. A great and playful adventure for families! 4 nights at 5 star Bellevue Palace, Bern, excellent cuisine and fine wine throughout. Hosted by Buddy Bombard. All–inclusive from Zurich, $8,940 per person, based on double occupancy.

Optional King Ludwig’s Fairytale Castles Extension
We’ll drive from Salzburg through pretty Bavarian countryside to the foothills of the German Alps and three of the most fantastic fairytale castles built by the eccentric Bavarian King Ludwig; romantic Neuschwanstein which was the model for Cinderella’s castle at Disney World, exquisite Linderhof Palace, and majestic Herrenchiemsee Palace, which was to be an exact copy of Versailles and half completed when King Ludwig died. Each night will be spent in a different charming hotel in a storybook setting, the Jagerhaus Hotel in Schwangau, Residence Heinz Winkler in Aschau and Munich’s 5 star Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten. An exceptional trip of stunning beauty, with excellent cuisine and fine wine throughout; hosted by Buddy Bombard.

Salzburg Lakes & King Ludwig Castles extension, 8 days, 7 nights, all-inclusive from Salzburg to Munich. $13,442 per person, based on double occupancy.

SALZBURG LAKES & ALPINE FOOTHILLS
5 days, 4 nights • September 1-5
Including Optional Extension • Germany’s King Ludwig Castles 8 days, 7 nights •
September 1-8

Salzburg Lakes & Alpine Foothills
Five star Schloss Fuschl, the beautifully restored 15th century hunting castle of the Archbishops of Salzburg is our home during our 4 night Austria adventure. Daily private sightseeing includes Old Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart, and lakeside villages with 15th century houses and churches filled with art. Enjoy the ancient lakeside town of Hallstatt in a small fleet of electric boats, lunch with our good friend Princess Manni Wittgenstein in her lovely Alpine home and shopping on the lively Getreidergasse. Late each afternoon we’ll take you exploring in our beautiful balloons, through the magnificent lakes and Alpine scenery made famous in The Sound of Music. Wonderful dining and fine wines throughout. Hosted by Buddy Bombard. All-inclusive from Salzburg, $8,940 per person, double occupancy.

Optional King Ludwig’s Fairytale Castles Extension
We’ll drive from Salzburg through pretty Bavarian countryside to the foothills of the German Alps and three of the most fantastic fairytale castles built by the eccentric Bavarian King Ludwig; romantic Neuschwanstein which was the model for Cinderella’s castle at Disney World, exquisite Linderhof Palace, and majestic Herrenchiemsee Palace, which was to be an exact copy of Versailles and half completed when King Ludwig died. Each night will be spent in a different charming hotel in a storybook setting, the Jagerhaus Hotel in Schwangau, Residence Heinz Winkler in Aschau and Munich’s 5 star Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten. An exceptional trip of stunning beauty, with excellent cuisine and fine wine throughout; hosted by Buddy Bombard.

Salzburg Lakes & King Ludwig Castles extension, 8 days, 7 nights, all-inclusive from Salzburg to Munich. $13,442 per person, based on double occupancy.

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