EUROPEAN WHIRL

• A brief interlude with the British capital this morning sees us meet our Travel Director before travelling to London’s St. Pancras International where we will board the Eurostar™ for a high-speed train journey to Brussels and a luxury coach journey to Amsterdam.
• Enjoy an orientation of this historic Dutch city before joining your fellow travellers and Travel Director for a dinner cruise on its canals.

Include Experience: Amsterdam Orientation

• Driving through the lush landscapes of the Netherlands and Germany, we arrive in Boppard where we board a cruise along the Rhine to St. Goar, passing vineyard-clad hills and medieval castles perched above riverside towns.
•  Arriving in the Baroque city of Heidelberg, we explore its unexpected highlights before travelling to our Rhineland hotel.

Included Experience: Rhine Valley Cruise and Heidelberg Orientation

• Crossing the Swabian Alps on the edge of the Black Forest, we arrive in the Bavarian capital of Munich.
• Our orientation takes us past the Hofbrauhaus, reputedly the most famous Beerhall in the world, and the neo-Gothic Town Hall which dominates the Marienplatz.
• We cross the Austrian border next, arriving in Innsbruck, the capital of the Alps.
• Admire the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture of the Old Town, including Emperor Maximilian’s famous Golden Roof with its ornate façade and consider an evening of traditional Tyrolean entertainment.

Included Experience: Munich Orientation and Innsbruck Orientation

Optional Experience: Tyrolean Evening With Dinner

• We cruise the beautiful Venetian lagoon by private launch to the gateway of Venice, St. Mark’s Square.
•  View the ornate Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, so named for the sound made by condemned prisoners as they took one last longing look at their beautiful city before meeting their fate.
• Enjoy a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where you’ll witness the centuries-old craft of Venetian glassblowing.
• You’ll learn how the master craftsmen shape the molten glass to make the exquisite and delicate works of art that adorn homes all over the world and perhaps be inspired to buy your own souvenir as a reminder of this special visit.
•  There’s time later to enjoy the city your way.

Included Experience: Learn about the History and Ancient Skills on Venetian Glassblowing

Optional Experience: Gondolas & the Grand Canal

• Travel south across the Veneto Plain, passing Bologna and the dramatic Apennine Mountains as well as the green and golden fields of Lazio before reaching Rome, the ‘Eternal City’.
•  En route, we Connect With Locals over lunch at a Be My Guest experience and enjoy true Tuscan hospitality with a local family on their private estate in the Chianti countryside.

Included Experience: Enjoy Lunch with the Landi Family at their home near Florence, with Eight Generations of Stories to tell

Optional Experience: Piazzas and Fountains

• Our first stop today sees us discover the divine beauty of the Vatican City.
• We’ll visit St. Peter’s Basilica with a Local Specialist to view Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece, the Pietà.
• We continue to Ancient Rome to view Roman Forum, the walls of the iconic Colosseum and Circus Maximus, once the site of exhilarating chariot races centuries ago.
• The afternoon is yours to explore the city on your terms.
• Sit on the Spanish Steps savouring a tasty gelato, shop up a storm on the trendy Via Condotti or perhaps join an Optional Experience to see the magnificent frescoed ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Included Experience: Visit St. Peter’s Basilica

Optional Experience: Inside The Vatican & Roman Forum / Roman Evening with Dinner

• From Rome, we travel north through the rolling countryside of Tuscany and along the Arno valley to the ‘Cradle of the Renaissance’, Florence.
• Visit the political hub of the city, Piazza della Signoria, with its impressive sculptures and stunning palazzi.
• View the imposing Duomo, crowned by Brunelleschi’s dome, and the Baptistery, renowned for its sculptured bronze doors.

Included Experience: Scenic Drive through Tuscany and Michelangelo’s ‘David’ & Accademia

Optional Experience: Michelangelo’s ‘David’ & Accademia / Discover Palazzo Vecchio / Dinner in the Tuscan Hills / Tuscan Dinner at Villa Machiavelli

• Drive via the scenic Italian Lakes District, across the Alps into beautiful Switzerland, where we’ll spend the next two nights in the medieval lakeside city of Lucerne.
•  View the mournful, mortally wounded lion hewn from rock to commemorate the Swiss Guards who lost their lives defending Louis XVI.
• Walk along the flower-lined 14th-century covered Chapel Bridge, crossing the river Reuss.

Included Experience: Scenic Drive Through the Alps

Optional Experience: Swiss Folklore Evening with Dinner

• This morning join an exciting Optional Experience to one of the surrounding peaks for breath taking views of the Swiss countryside.
• We have some time later to discover the best Swiss chocolates in town.

Included Experience: Lucerne Orientation

Optional Experience: Mount Pilatus And Lake Cruise / Swiss Countryside & Carriages

• Crossing the border into France this morning, we travel past the picturesque vineyards and country towns of Burgundy en route to the ‘City of Lights’.
• Spend some time this evening strolling along the Seine and grand boulevards in search of a cosy bistro for fine French cuisine or consider an Optional Experience to a colourful Parisian cabaret.

Optional Experience: La Nouvelle Eve Cabaret and Dinner

• Join a Local Specialist today for a sightseeing tour of this romantic city.
• View the sophisticated Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, the 19th-century Arc de Triomphe, honouring those who fought for France, and Notre Dame Cathedral, then enjoy a stroll through the Latin Quarter.
• Our European Whirl is almost at its end, we spend the evening with fellow travellers and our Travel Director, enjoying a Farewell Dinner in a local bistro.

Included Experience: Paris City Tour

Optional Experience: Montparnasse and Napoleon’s Tomb / Versailles Palace and Gardens / Seine Cruise and Paris Illuminations

• Today bid adieu to your fellow travellers and Travel Director at the end of your memorable experience.