Your itinerary
European Highlights
Day 1 – London –
Amsterdam
You meet your Tour Director at the
Holiday Inn Kings Cross/Bloomsbury and
head for the White Cliffs of Dover and
your ferry to Calais. Cross Belgium’s
Flanders Fields to Holland’s
lively Amsterdam. Pass canals and tall
gabled houses
to see the Royal Palace in Dam
Square and sparkling stones
transformed before your eyes when
you visit a diamond-
polishing factory.
Hotel: Tulip Inn Riverside.
Day 2 – Amsterdam
– Rhineland
Leave Amsterdam this morning and
cross the
border into Germany. At historic
Cologne,
stop to view the 13th century Gothic
cathedral with its soaring spires.
After
passing Beethoven’s home town
of
Bonn, continue to the charming
village of Boppard to join a cruise
past awesome castles, leafy vineyards
and picturesque villages. Rejoin the
coach and see the legendary Loreley
Rock, before continuing to your hotel.
Hotel: NH Weinheim. (B,D)
Day 3 – Rhineland
– Innsbruck
Head into the wooded Bavarian Alps
today to see ‘Mad’ King
Ludwig’s
fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein. Cross
the Austrian border and travel the
spectacular Fern Pass to arrive in
Innsbruck,
the capital of the Tyrol. Your
Tour Director
will show you Innsbruck’s
Golden Roof and
the Imperial Palace before offering an
optional
thigh-slapping folklore show. Hotel:
Alpin Park. (B,D)
Day 4 – Innsbruck
– Venice
Cross the impressive Europa Bridge,
one of Europe’s highest, and the
Brenner Pass
into Italy. Visit Romeo and
Juliet’s Verona – and see
Juliet’s balcony and the
Roman arena – before travelling
across the fertile Adriatic Plain to the
Veneto
region.
Hotel: Il Burchiello (Oriago). (B,D)
Day 5 – Venice
sightseeing
Drive to the Venetian Lagoon where a
private launch takes you to St Mark’s
Square. See the ornate Basilica of St
Mark, Doges’ Palace, Bridge of
Sighs and the
prison in which Casanova was
incarcerated – and from which he
escaped. Join a
demonstration of Venetian
glass-blowing before spending the rest of
the day at leisure – why not
explore the islands of the beautiful
lagoon or try a local seafood lunch?
(B,D)
Day 6 – Venice –
Rome
Cross the Appenine Mountains and
follow the
Autostrada del Sole past ancient
Etruscan hill
towns to Rome, a city founded on seven
hills above the river Tiber. Discover
hidden
piazzas and the splendid fountains of
the ‘Eternal City’.
Hotel: Cristoforo Colombo. (B)
Day 7 – Rome
Sightseeing
Rome is three cities in one: Imperial
Rome, Catholic Rome and modern
Rome. Enter the Vatican City with
your local guide and explore St
Peter’s
Basilica and its deeply moving
‘Pieta’ by
Michelangelo. Cross the Tiber River to
see the remains of the Colosseum, where
Nero was entertained by gladiator fights.
Your guide will enthral you with
stories of
the Roman Empire as you overlook the
Imperial Forum, from where Julius Caesar
contemplated his victories. The rest
of the day is
yours to explore the treasures of the
Vatican Museum,
including the Sistine Chapel, and to
sample the best of Italy:
pasta, vino and music. (B)
Day 8 – Rome –
Florence
Bid ‘Arrivederci’ to Rome
as you head north to the Tuscan hills
and Renaissance
Florence. View the city from Piazza
Michelangelo, before enjoying a Florentine
leatherwork demonstration and
shopping for the latest fashions.
Be sure to
explore Signoria Square with its
open-air museum, the Ponte Vecchio and tombs
of Galileo and Michelangelo in Santa
Croce Basilica.
Hotel: Art Miro. (B,D)
Day 9 – Florence
– Lucerne
Head north from Tuscany, past
Milan and on to the Lake District
on the
Italian/Swiss border. Enjoy the
magnificent drive through the Swiss
Alps to
Lucerne, where you see the wooden
Chapel Bridge and view the famous Lion
Monument.
Hotel: Luzernerhof. (B,D)
Day 10 – Lucerne
– Paris
Cross the Rhine at Basel before
skirting the Jura Mountains and
following the
valley of the Doubs River into
Burgundy – a region noted for its
fine wines. Cross
the wheat fields of Auxerre and the
forest of Royal Fontainbleau before
arriving in
Paris – don’t forget to
look out for the Eiffel Tower as you
approach the French
capital. Consider taking a tour of the
sparkling illuminations.
Hotel: Mercure La Defense 5. (B)
Day 11 – Paris
Sightseeing
Tour the city with a local guide,
seeing the Eiffel Tower, Arc de
Triomphe, Cathedral
of Notre Dame, the Opera and Place de
la Concorde. The afternoon is yours to
shop for souvenirs or to visit the
Mona Lisa in the Louvre; perhaps plan a
farewell
dinner in a typical Parisian
restaurant or take in a cabaret. (B)
Day 12 – Paris –
London
Cross the Somme’s World War One
battlefields to Calais and the English
Channel.
The tour ends after a return
crossing to Dover and short journey
back to
London. (B)
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