Day 2
ARRIVAL IN
LONDON, ENGLAND. Check into your hotel. Uniformed hosts
are available to help you make the most of
your stay.
Day 3
LONDON.
A full day to savor our rich program of optional activities:
take a panoramic tour of London’s landmarks;
visit the Tower or choose an excursion to Windsor Castle;
tonight maybe a leisurely cruise on the River Thames? (B)
Day 4
LONDON-AMSTERDAM
AREA, HOLLAND. Leave London in the early morning and head
through the lush English countryside
to the Channel port, where you board your ferry for the
Continent. Here you meet your tour director and join your
luxury coach
for the drive to the Amsterdam area. (B)
Day 5
AMSTERDAM
AREA-THE RHINELAND, GERMANY. A morning to enjoy Holland’s
busy metropolis. After your included visit to a famous
diamond center it’s time for optional
morning sightseeing: visit the Van Gogh museum with the world’s
finest collection of his paintings, then a drive with a
local guide pointing out the city highlights; finally a
canal cruise
to see Amsterdam at water level. In the afternoon travel
southwards to reach the Rhineland for overnight. (B,D)
Day 6
RHINELAND-ROMANTIC
ROAD-MUNICH. Start the day with a scenic drive along the
shores of the Rhine or opt for a
Rhine cruise. Admire the pretty villages, the castles perched
high above the river, and the numerous terraced vineyards.
Next a drive along the Romantic Road, through towns and villages
protected by medieval towergates and battlements, with squares
of half-timbered houses and richly decorated fountains. Stop
awhile in Rothenburg. Overnight in Munich. (B)
Day 7
MUNICH-INNSBRUCK,
AUSTRIA-VENICE AREA, ITALY. A fast drive from Munich to
Austria for a stop in the capital of
the Tyrol, Innsbruck. In the afternoon drive over the Brenner
Pass, into the Dolomites for a stop in the world famous resort
of Cortina before the descent into the Piave Valley to the
Venice area. (B,D)
Day 8
MORNING
IN VENICE-FLORENCE AREA. The included tour starts with
a boat ride and is followed by highlights such
as a visit to St. Mark’s Basilica and a chance to watch
Venetian glass blowers fashion their delicate objects as
they did centuries ago. Southwards into the hilly Tuscan
countryside to reach the Florence Area for overnight. End
the day by joining the optional Tuscan dinner in a typical
restaurant. (B)
Day 9
FLORENCE.
This Renaissance gem and city of the Medicis will keep
you enthralled for a whole day. Traffic is banned
in part of the historic center so visitors can wander at
leisure and admire the city’s timeless beauty in relative
peace and quiet. Don’t miss out on the included walking
tour with a local guide which features most of the city highlights.
You will see the Piazza Santa Croce; the beautiful Piazza
Signoria; the Palazzo Vecchio and its courtyard; the Loggia
dei Lanzi; and, to top it all, the Piazza del Duomo and its
cathedral with the Giotto Campanile, and the magnificent
East Door of the Baptistry known as the "Gate to Paradise." (B,D)
Day 10
FLORENCE
AREA-LAKE LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND. Across the Lombardy Plain
this morning to Italian Switzerland’s
subtropical resort of Lugano. Here you take a break to stroll
along the lakeside promenade, before climbing towards the
St. Gotthard tunnel. Emerge on the German-speaking side of
Switzerland and then descend into the gentle landscape around
Lake Lucerne. (B,D)
Day 11
LAKE LUCERNE-PARIS,
FRANCE. Vistas of green pastures and attractive chalets
with rustic timbering and luxuriant
flowers. Then into France and on the fast and comfortable
highway, past some of its most famous vineyards, to Paris.
Arrive in time to enjoy an optional cabaret show. (B)
Day 12
PARIS.
Included sightseeing with a local expert starts with an
inside visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. Then many of
the best-known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe,
Opéra, Madeleine, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near
the Louvre, the Invalides, and Champs Elysées... Optional
excursions are also available to the Palace and Gardens of
Versailles, and to celebrate the success of your tour, a
French farewell dinner might be just the ticket. (B)
Day 13 PARIS-LONDON,
ENGLAND. Relax and let the countryside whiz by on the road
north to the coast, where you board your
Channel ferry. Through Kent return to London for an evening
arrival. (B)
Day 14
YOUR HOMEBOUND
FLIGHT FROM LONDON ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)
