Your itinerary
Day 1 – London –
Paris
We meet our Tour Director at the
Holiday Inn Kings Cross/Bloomsbury, before
crossing picturesque Kentish farmlands
en route for the port of Dover where our
Calais ferry awaits. We then follow the
Autoroute across the battlefields of
northern
France where names like the Somme and
Arras evoke memories of 1st World War
fighting.
We arrive in the French capital in the
late afternoon. Tonight you may wish to
join
a Paris illuminations tour? Hotel:
Novotel Porte D'Asnieres.
Day 2 – Paris
Sightseeing
Sightseeing with a local guide this
morning shows us the highlights of the
city,
including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de
Triomphe, Opera House, Invalides and the
immense
facades of the Louvre Palace. We also
see the 13th century Gothic cathedral, with
its memories of the tale of Quasimodo,
the hunchback of Notre Dame. This afternoon
is at leisure to shop in the great
department stores, ascend the Eiffel
Tower, or
perhaps to visit the superb collections
of the Louvre Museum? Tonight, maybe enjoy
dinner in a typical Parisian bistro? (B)
Day 3 – Paris – Lake
Lucerne
Our journey today takes us via the
vineyards of Burgundy, and across the Rhine
at Basel. We enter Switzerland, with
wonderful scenery of snow-capped mountains
and tranquil lakes, en route to Lake
Lucerne. Hotel: Postillon (Buochs).
(B,D)
Day 4 – Lucerne
Sightseeing
This morning we admire the Lion
Monument, carved into a limestone cliff
to commemorate
those Swiss Guards who lost their lives
during the French Revolution. Then we can
stroll along the Chapel Bridge, before
time at leisure to relax and do some
shopping
or perhaps take a thrilling cable-car
ride up a nearby mountain? (B,D)
Day 5 – Lake Lucerne –
Florence
After a truly spectacular drive
through Switzerland and one of Europe's
longest
tunnels, we arrive in Italy amidst the
splendours of the Italian Lake District.
We glimpse beautiful Lake Como and
continue southwards past Milan, the
heart of
the Italian fashion world. The smooth
highway carries us across the fertile
plains
of the Po Valley and into the wild
Apennine Mountains. We then make our way
into
the heart of Tuscany to the Renaissance
city of Florence.
Hotel: West Florence Hotel. (B,D)
Day 6 – Florence –
Rome
Our sightseeing starts with the
superb view over Florence from Piazza
Michelangelo.
Then we walk with our Tour Director to
the Santa Croce area for a leather working
demonstration. Then there is time to
explore the cathedral, Ghiberti's 'Gates of
Paradise', and the Signoria Square,
political centre of old Florence and a
living
museum of Renaissance Art. Now we take
the 'autostrada' south, through the
province
of Umbria, to the 'Eternal City'. Rome
comes alive at night, the Via Veneto -
scene
of the Dolce Vita, the cosmopolitan
squares like the Piazza Navona and the
beautiful
fountains. Hotel: Grand Hotel Fleming.
(B)
Day 7 – Rome
Sightseeing
Our city tour with an expert guide
begins with the Vatican City. We visit the
impressive St. Peter's Basilica to
admire Michelangelo's 'Pieta' and
splendid dome.
There is also time for an optional to
visit the Vatican Museum to see the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel. Then our local
guide unfurls the history of the empire at
the Imperial Roman Forum and we see the
magnificent Colosseum. (B)
Day 8 – Rome
Our tour ends after breakfast with a
transfer to Rome Airport. (B)
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