Your itinerary
8 Days ~ England ~ Belgium ~
Holland ~ Germany ~ Switzerland ~ France
Tour Pace
This is a well-paced tour with two-night
stays
in Amsterdam, Lucerne and Paris,
allowing plenty of time for indepth
sightseeing.
The only one-night stay is in the
delightful Rhineland region of Germany.
The driving
days are comfortable with frequent
stops.
DAY 1 – SUN –
LONDON – AMSTERDAM
Meet your Tour Director at London's
Thistle Marble Arch hotel and drive to
Dover for
the short English Channel crossing to
Calais. Pass historic Dunkirk, famous for
its Second World War evacuations, and
follow the coast north into Belgium. Enter
your fourth country, the Netherlands,
passing windmills on the way to the
cultural
capital of Amsterdam, ‘City of
Canals’. In the evening, enjoy a
Welcome
Drink with the Tour Director before
boarding a canal cruise. Glide past high
gabled
houses and under low bridges to alight
at afloating restaurant on Amsterdam’s
magnificent harbour. Here, you will
share a Highlight Dinner with your tour
companions.
Hotel: Eden Rembrandt Sq. (HD)
DAY 2 – MON –
AMSTERDAM SIGHTSEEING
An orientation tour reveals the Mint
Tower, Dam
Square and Royal Palace. Leave Amsterdam
and drive through the Dutch countryside,
with its windmills and canals, to the
old, traditional village of Volendam,
situated
on what was once the Zuider Zee. Later,
make a photo-stop beside one of the
picturesque
windmills and then visit a cheese farm
and a ‘Klompenhuis’, where wooden
clogs are made. Return to Amsterdam for
a visit to a diamond cutting factory, whose
industry dates back to the 16th century.
This evening, consider a visit to the
famous
Sailors’ Quarter. (BB)
DAY 3 – TUE –
AMSTERDAM – RHINELAND
Leave Amsterdam for Germany. Pass the
border town
of Arnhem, renowned for its ‘Bridge
Too Far’ (theRhine bridge which was
the object of bitter fighting at the end
of the Second World War), then cross the
extensive Ruhr Basin to Cologne. This
city was also badly damaged in the war, but
its superb Gothic Cathedral survived.
Take time to marvel at the soaring vaults
and spires, and to stroll in the
bustling pedestrian malls of the city
centre. Then
it’s on to Bonn, birthplace of
Beethoven and capital of West Germany
for more
than 40 years until Berlin was
reinstated as capital of a reunified
Germany after
the fall of the wall. Travel to the
picturesque Rhine Gorge to board a
Highlight
Cruise at Boppard, and glide past
medieval hill-top castles and steep
leafy vineyards
to the legendary Loreley Rock. Rejoin
the coach at St Goar and continue to your
hotel. Hotel: Steigenberger
Mannheimer Hof. (BB,D)
DAY 4 – WED –
RHINELAND – LUCERNE
Visit Heidelberg, city of the
‘Student Prince’,
on the banks of the River Neckar and
view the ruined clifftop castle. Take
the scenic
route along the Rhine Valley to the
ancient city of Freiburg, before
climbing into
the heart of the Black Forest, home of
the cuckoo clock industry. After stopping
to see how these clocks are made,
continue past Lake Titisee and across
the Swiss
border to Schaffhausen. Admire the Rhine
River thundering over the Rhine Falls
before
driving, via Zurich, to lakeside
Lucerne. After checking into your hotel,
shop for
chocolate or a special timepiece, and
consider joining an optional Swiss Fondue
Party in the evening.
Hotel: Astoria. (BB)
DAY 5 – THU –
LUCERNE SIGHTSEEING
See Lucerne’s proud Lion
Monument, carved
into a limestone cliff and dedicated to
the Swiss Guards massacred defending the
King during the French Revolution. Take
time to stroll across the covered Chapel
Bridge and see the baroque Jesuit
church. Enjoy an exciting Premium
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. (BB,D)
DAY 6
– FRI – LUCERNE –
PARIS
Leaving the Alpine region, cross the
Rhine at
Basel and continue into France. Travel
past the fortified town of Belfort, gateway
to Alsace, and along the forested ridges
of the Jura Mountains into Burgundy.
Continue
through leafy vineyards and past the
forests of Fontainebleau to arrive in
the glittering
French capital of Paris for a two-night
stay. Why not sample the fabulous local
cuisine tonight? Hotel: Paris Rive
Gauche. (BB)
DAY 7 –
SAT – PARIS SIGHTSEEING
A sightseeing tour with a local guide
takes you
by the Île de la Cité to see
Notre Dame Cathedral with its famous tale
of Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre
Dame. Pass the immense facades of the
Louvre
and marvel at Garnier’s splendid
Opera House. See the Obelisk in the centre
of the Place de la Concorde and drive
along the elegant Champs
Élysées
to the Arc de Triomphe. A Premium
Highlight takes you up to the viewing
platforms
of the wonderful Eiffel Tower for
spectacular views of the city. Visit the
magnificent
gilded Église du Dôme to
see the imposing tomb of Napoleon. Spend
the afternoon exploring Paris at your
own pace. Perhaps take an optional tour to
magnificent Versailles and, by night,
why not join in the fun at a world famous
cabaret show? (BB)
DAY 8
– SUN – PARIS –
LONDON
Cross the World War One battlefields
of the Somme
to arrive at the port of Calais for your
return Channel crossing to England. The
white cliffs of Dover will welcome you
as you sail back into England. From here
it’s a short drive through the Kent
countryside back to London, where the
tour ends
at the Thistle Marble Arch hotel. (BB)
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