ROAD TO ROME

Your itinerary

12 Days ~ England ~ France ~ Switzerland ~ Austria ~ Italy

Tour Pace

This classic tour is well paced with two-night stays in Paris, Lucerne, Venice, Montecatini and Rome. The only one-night stop is in the musical city of Salzburg. The travelling days are planned for your comfort with frequent rest stops.

DAY 1 – TUE – LONDON – PARIS

Meet your Tour Director at London's Thistle Marble Arch hotel before departing for Dover and your ferry to Calais. View the Canadian War Memorial at Vimy as you cross the battlefields of northern France to arrive in the French capital late afternoon. Enjoy a Welcome Drink with your fellow travellers and, afterwards, consider an evening of fun at one of the spectacular cabaret shows. Hotel: Paris Rive Gauche.

DAY 2 – WED – PARIS SIGHTSEEING

Sightseeing with a local guide shows you the highlights of the city. See the Gothic Notre Dame cathedral, with its tale of Quasimodo, then drive past the immense facades of the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde and along the Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. Ascend the Eiffel Tower for fine views over Paris and complete the tour with a visit to Napoleon’s tomb in the Église du Dôme. Spend the afternoon at leisure, shop in the department stores or visit the Louvre’s superb collections. (BB)

DAY 3 – THU – PARIS – LUCERNE

After an early breakfast, follow the autoroute across France’s great agricultural lands and on through the Burgundy wine region. After passing the Jura Mountains, cross into Switzerland at Basel before ending the day in lovely Lucerne. Hotel: Astoria. (BB,D)

DAY 4 – FRI – LUCERNE SIGHTSEEING

Join your Tour Director to see the Chapel Bridge and the stirring Lion Monument, dedicated to the Swiss guards who died defending the King of France. Enjoy an exciting included highlight – an exhilarating ride by cog-wheel train and cable-car to the summit of Mount Pilatus. Admire the stunning panorama of snow-capped peaks, including the Eiger and Jungfrau, before descending over mountain crags and pine forests back to terra firma. There is time set aside to shop for watches and chocolate in Lucerne. (BB)

DAY 5 – SAT – LUCERNE – SALZBURG

Drive east past the Principality of Liechtenstein to Austria, and continue on through the Arlberg Tunnel to arrive in Innsbruck, where you will see the Golden Roof and the Imperial Palace. Follow the Inn Valley and pass the Wild Kaiser mountain range to reach Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart and setting for the film, The Sound of Music. Hotel: Castellani Parkhotel. (BB,D)

DAY 6 – SUN – SALZBURG – VENICE

Photograph the city skyline from the Mirabell Gardens, then join a local guide and cross the river to see Mozart’s birthplace on the Getreidegasse. A stroll through the Old Town’s narrow lanes will lead to the Cathedral Square to view the domed cathedral and Residenz fountain. Enjoy a scenic drive through the Tauern Mountains down to the Carinthian Lake District and across the border into Italy. Reach the flat Veneto plain en route to Venice and your hotel on the fashionable Lido. Hotel: Le Boulevard. (BB,D)

DAY 7 – MON – VENICE SIGHTSEEING

Soak up the atmosphere as a private launch takes you across the Venetian Lagoon to St Mark’s Square. Hear the glorious history of ‘La Serenissima’, once one of the greatest trading centres of the world. Take in the riches of St Mark’s Basilica, the Law Courts, Campanile, Doges’ Palace and its adjoining Bridge of Sighs before visiting a glass showroom for a demonstration of traditional craftsmanship. The tour concludes with a gondola ride through the city’s peaceful canals. Don’t miss the chance to try the region’s delicious seafood, freshly caught in the lagoon. (BB)

DAY 8 – TUE – VENICE – TUSCANY

Bid farewell to Venice and follow the highway past the university city of Bologna, into the wild Apennines and on to the peaceful landscapes of Tuscany. Your destination: the fashionable spa town of Montecatini where you can shop or enjoy a stroll through town before dinner. Hotel: Nizza & Suisse. (BB,D)

DAY 9 – WED – FLORENCE SIGHTSEEING

Drive to the Tuscan capital, Florence, and join a local guide for a sightseeing tour which includes entrance into the Academy Gallery to see Michelangelo’s original ‘Statue of David’ and the half-completed ‘Slaves’. See the magnificent Cathedral, the ‘Gates of Paradise’, and the living gallery of Signoria Square, political stage of the Florentines. Then spend some time shopping for leather, gold and other treasured memories in this wonderful city. (BB)

DAY 10 – THU – TUSCANY – ROME

Take the ‘autostrada’ south to Rome, arriving at your hotel mid-afternoon. After freshening up, perhaps start the evening with a ‘passeggiata’ (traditional evening stroll). Rome comes alive at night; enjoy cosmopolitan squares like the Piazza Navona with its beautiful fountains, or the Via Veneto – scene of La Dolce Vita.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza St Peters. (BB)

DAY 11 – FRI – ROME SIGHTSEEING

A local guide will introduce you to the grandeur of the city, and take you on a visit to the mother church of the Catholic faith, St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City. See Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Pieta, as well as the splendid dome, completed after his death. Cross the Tiber to hear tales of the glory of Ancient Rome, visit the Colosseum and overlook the Forum. Later, there is time for last-minute shopping or sightseeing at your leisure. As night falls, stroll with your Tour Director to the Piazza di Spagna, dominated by the majestic Spanish Steps, before a Highlight Farewell Dinner of local cuisine, wine and entertainment. (BB,HD)

DAY 12 – SAT – ROME

The tour ends after breakfast, with a transfer to Rome airport at 07.00am or 09.30am. (BB)

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