European Experience – 11 nights – 12 days

Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1: LONDON – PARIS

London bids you safe travels as you continue south through the Kent countryside to Dover and then on by ferry to Calais. Next stop is Paris, another capital that doesn’t hold back and doesn’t expect you to either. Take a walk through its grand past, dynamic present, and exciting future, from the maze of streets that once nurtured great artists in Montmartre to the Eiffel Tower.

Optional Experiences:

1. Seine Cruise and Parisian Icons

DAY 2: PARIS

Hit Paris’s grand boulevards on a city sightseeing tour with your Travel Director. See the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées, then spend the rest of the day discovering the city on your terms.

Don’t resist the urge to tread in the footsteps of Picasso and Dalí and visit Montmartre this afternoon, exploring its maze of streets and Artist’s Square. There’s time to shop for artwork and savour some local specialities before considering a real highlight this evening – an optional dinner and cabaret performance.

 Optional Experiences:

1. Montmartre Village and Artists’ Square
2. Montparnasse and the Latin Quarter
3. Moulin Rouge Cabaret and Dinner
4. La Nouvelle Ève Cabaret and Dinner

DAY 3: PARIS – LUCERNE

Journey through the idyllic French countryside before arriving in Lake Lucerne. You’ll want to put the ‘heart’ of Switzerland in your pocket and take its history, culture, and epic landscapes with you.

DAY 4: LUCERNE

Turn the page to a land of fairy-tale landscapes and medieval history. You have a full day to see the sights and explore Lucerne, starting with a morning orientation including the Chapel Bridge and the Jesuit Church.

No visit to Lucerne is complete without a visit to the Lion Monument, built to commemorate the brave Swiss Guards who died defending Louis XVI during the French Revolution. You may be tempted to do some souvenir shopping, but a Choice Experience in the mountains will be hard to resist. Ascend Mount Pilatus by a cog-wheel railway, then embark on a scenic lake cruise.

Optional Experiences:

1. Mount Pilatus and Lake Cruise
2. Swiss Countryside & Carriages
3. Swiss Folklore Evening with Dinner
4. Swiss Dinner Party in Old Lucerne

DAY 5: LUCERNE – FLORENCE

Your journey heads south to the city of Florence – home to various masterpieces of Renaissance architecture and outstanding fine arts. Enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers tonight as you prepare to soak up the beauty of the city, surrounded by Tuscan countryside that has remained unchanged throughout the centuries.

Optional Experiences:

1. Pisa and The Arno Valley

DAY 6: FLORENCE – ROME

Enjoy your day in Florence before heading to Rome. Admire the city skyline from Piazza Michelangelo. There’s time to explore Piazza della Signoria and admire the Duomo and Giotto’s Bell Tower, or shop for the bespoke Italian leather goods and fine gold jewelry for which Florence is justifiably famous.

You could choose instead to join a Choice Experience revealing the Renaissance heritage of a city that attracted artists, physicists, astronomers, and philosophers like Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo. Next, travel to Rome. You could choose to join a Local Guide for an optional guided stroll through Rome’s piazzas. Linger in your favorite square, or perhaps enjoy a scoop or three of the local gelato and soak up the effervescent energy of a city that knows how to enjoy life.

Optional Experiences:

1. Florence’s Renaissance Treasures
2. Michelangelo’s ‘David’ & Academia

DAY 7: ROME

You could spend a lifetime exploring Rome and just scratch the surface, but with your Local Guide on hand, you’ll dive right into the city’s heart and soul. Head to Vatican City to watch the pigeons and people tread on holy ground. The rest of your day is free to explore the City.

Optional Experiences:

1. Inside The Roman Forum
2. Guided Visit to the Colosseum
3. Roman Evening with Dinner
4. Colosseum and Dinner

DAY 8: ROME – VENICE

Journey on to Venice, which bewitches in all her Byzantine glory, softening even the hardest of hearts with her opulence. Highlights include a cruise on a private launch to St. Mark’s Square and views of the magnificent St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace.

The talents of master craftsmen are the stars of the show later, as you visit their glassblowing workshop. There’s even time for an optional Gondola and Grand Canal cruise – grand palazzi, churches, and ornate bridges line your journey.

Optional Experiences:

1. Gondolas & the Grand Canal

DAY 9: VENICE – INNSBRUCK

Today, you continue along the Inn Valley to the Austrian Tyrol and its capital, Innsbruck, where you can ‘ooh and aah’ at the impressive ski jump and view the famed Golden Roof, constructed from 2,657 copper tiles.

Admire the fascinating crystal installations and browse for precious gifts and souvenirs at the Swarovski Crystal Worlds Store. This evening, a Choice Experience could see you enjoy a lively evening of entertainment during a traditional Tyrolean evening.

Optional Experiences:

1. Tyrolean Thrill
2. Traditional Tyrolean Evening

DAY 10: INNSBRUCK – MUNICH – RHINELAND

Your first stop today is Munich, where you can admire the Glockenspiel in the Marienplatz and the Hofbräuhaus. Continue to the Rhineland.

DAY 11: REILINGEN – AMSTERDAM

Suitably inspired by its spires, you’ll board a lazy river cruise down the Rhine past terraced vineyards and fairy-tale castles. Your experience of a lifetime ends in the free-thinking capital of the Netherlands.

Immerse yourself in Amsterdam’s gezelligheid as you soak up the buzz of the city’s canals, gabled houses, and festive squares. There’s no better way to see the capital than from its waterways. Why not join a Choice Experience in a glass-topped boat winding through Amsterdam’s historic canal ring?

Optional Experiences:

1. Amsterdam Discovery Canal Cruise
2. Taste of Amsterdam & Holland

DAY 12: AMSTERDAM

Say farewell to your Travel Director and travelling companions at the end of an amazing two-week tour of Europe.