Day 1 ARRIVAL IN LONDON, ENGLAND Check into your hotel. In the afternoon you may want to start exploring the lively British capital. Uniformed hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.
Day 2 LONDON.
A full day to savor our rich program of optional activities: take a panoramic tour of Londons landmarks; visit the Tower or choose an excursion to Windsor Castle; tonight maybe a leisurely cruise on the River Thames? (B)
Day 3 LONDON-BRUSSELS, BELGIUM 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 your Tour Director and luxury coach meet you and youre off across Belgium to Brussels. (B)
Day 4 BRUSSELS-LUXEMBOURG-LAKE LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND. Ever-changing scenery on your southbound drive: the Duchy of Luxembourg; then through fertile French farmlands southwards, bypassing Strasbourg to the vineyards of Alsace on the way to the Swiss border near Basle; finally the foothills of the Alps as you approach Lake Lucerne. (B,D)
Day 5 LAKE LUCERNE-INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA This morning take advantage of the Lucerne sightseeing walk and maybe join the optional excursion to Mount Titlis. Later head for the tiny but very wealthy principality of Liechtenstein. To the east lie the picture-postcard villages of Austrias Voralberg, and once youre through the Arlberg Tunnel, the scenic splendor of the Inn Valley. Overnight in Innsbruck with time to see its Golden Roof. (B,D)
Day 6 INNSBRUCK-VENICE AREA, ITALY Early morning departure on the fast and comfortable highway by way of the Europa Bridge to the Venice area. This afternoons sightseeing includes a boat ride followed by a visit to St. Marks Basilica and a chance to watch Venetian glass blowers fashion their delicate objects as they did centuries ago. Dont miss out on the optional gondola trip, gliding along the picturesque canals with a local troubadour to serenade you. (B,D)
Day 7 VENICE AREA-ASSISI-ROME A long but interesting drive southward, cutting across the Po Delta, then joining the expressway which skirts the Adriatic coast. After crossing the Apennines, stop in Assisi, where St. Francis was born in 1182. Visit the Basilica, then head for Rome. (B)
Day 8 ROME Included sightseeing with local guide starts in St. Peters Square, followed by a visit to the Roman Forum and the mighty Colosseum. (B)
Day 9 ROME-FLORENCE AREA An easy drive this morning on the Highway of the Sun to 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 citys timeless beauty in relative peace and quiet. Dont miss out on the included walking tour with a local guide that 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)
Day 10 FLORENCE AREA-PISA-FRENCH RIVIERA, FRANCE Stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and the Square of Miracles. Bypassing the great port of Genoa, you drive northwest, getting glimpses of the Italian and French Rivieras. Visit a perfume factory before reaching your overnight on the lovely French Riviera. (B)
Day 11 FRENCH RIVIERA-LYON Take the opportunity today to enjoy all the amenities of the French Riviera rightly known as one of Europes loveliest regions. In the afternoon your coach takes the inland road crossing sun-drenched Provence into the vineyards of the Rhne Valley. Overnight in Lyon. (B,D)
Day 12 LYON-BEAUNE-PARIS Drive through the neat vineyards and fields of Burgundy to visit Beaune, famous for wines such as Chambertin and Nuits St. Georges. Its Hotel-Dieu is one of the oldest hospitals in Europe. Head for the final excitement of Paris, the most sparkling city in the world. Time to enjoy an optional cabaret show. (B)
Day 13 PARIS One full day to explore the city thats known throughout the world for its fashions, art and museums, delicious food, and joie de vivre. Included sightseeing with a local expert of many of the best-known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Opra, Madeleine, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre, the Invalides, and Champs Elyses... (Itinerary and sights maybe altered due to newly enforced traffic and parking regulations). 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 14 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 15 LONDON - ONWARD DESTINATION Your homebound flight from London today. (B)
|