Day
1 , Tue. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.
Day
2
Wed. 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
3
Thu. LONDON. A full day
to savor our rich program of optional activities: take a panoramic tour
of London’s landmarks; visit the Tower of choose an excursion to
Windsor
Castle; tonight maybe a leisurely cruise on the River Thames? (B)
Day
4
Fri. LONDON-AMSTERDAM AREA, HOLLAND.
Leave London in the early morning and head through the lush English
countryside
to the Channel port, where you embark on your ferry for the Continent.
Meet your Tour Director and board your luxury coach for the drive to
the
Amsterdam area. (B)
Day
5
Sat. AMSTERDAM AREA-THE RHINELAND,
GERMANY. A morning to enjoy Holland’s busy metropolis. After
your included visit to a famous diamond center, it’s time for morning
sightseeing
with a local guide pointing out the city highlights; finally a canal
cruise
to see Amsterdam at water level. In the afternoon travel southward to
the
Rhineland area for overnight. (B,D)
Day
6
Sun. THE RHINELAND-HEIDELBERG-LAKE
LUCERNE,
SWITZERLAND. Take the optional Rhine River cruise this
morning
and enjoy splendid scenery including the Lorelei Rock. Next drive into
Germany’s oldest university town, Heidelberg, nicely located at the
confluence
of the Rivers Necker and Rhine, for a short visit. In the afternoon
travel
by way of the fast autobahn into Switzerland for an overnight around
Lake
Lucerne. (B,D)
Day
7
Mon. LUCERNE. One of
Switzerland’s
finest cities nestled amid its snow-capped Alps, surrounded by its
lake,
and embellished by the clear mountain waters of the River Reuss. Your
sightseeing
takes in the impressive city walls, a covered wooden bridge, ornate
patrician
houses lining cobblestone streets, and the Lion Monument—a masterful
stone
sculpture in honor of the heroic Swiss Guard of Louis XVI. A grand
selection
of optional activities completes the day: a cable car ride to the
10,000-foot
summit of Mount Titlis; a cruise on the fjord-like lake. (B)
Day
8
Tue. LAKE LUCERNE-LUGANO, VERONA,
ITALY-VENICE
AREA. More wonderful Alpine scenery as you drive into the
mountain
ranges that surround the massive St. Gotthard. Once through its great
tunnel,
you’ll start your scenic descent into the warmer and sunnier ambiance
of
the Canton Ticino. Stop in beautiful Lugano and take a stroll along the
lakeside promenade. In the afternoon, cross into Italy and drive across
the Po valley to Verona, medieval setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Juliet.
See Juliet’s House and Balcony and stroll around the picturesque market
square. Tonight you are in the Venice area. (B)
Day
9
Wed. VENICE. It’s
really
more like a marvelous film set than a real live city, with its
criss-crossing
canals, gondolas and water buses, arched bridges, palaces and quiet
little
piazzas. The included tour starts with a boat ride and is followed by a
visit to St. Mark’s Basilica and a chance to watch Venetian glass
blowers
fashion their delicate objects as they did centuries ago. Don’t miss
out
on the optional gondola trip, gliding along the picturesque canals with
a local troubadour to serenade you. (B,D)
Day
10
Thu. 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
11 Fri. ROME.
Included sightseeing with local guide starts in St. Peter’s Square,
followed
by a visit to the Roman Forum and the mighty Colosseum. (B)
Day
12
Sat. ROME-PISA-FLORENCE AREA.
Vistas of undulating hills, rows of cypress trees, terraced vineyards,
olive groves, and rural villages form the backdrop of your journey
through
beautiful Tuscany. Take a break in Pisa to see the Square of Miracles
and
the amazing Leaning Tower, then on to the Florence area. (B)
Day
13
Sun. 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 city’s timeless beauty in relative peace and quiet.
Don’t
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.” End the day by joining the optional Tuscan
dinner
in a typical restaurant. (B,D)
Day
14
Mon. FLORENCE AREA-ITALIAN &
FRENCH
RIVIERAS, FRANCE. An early start this morning for the
journey
northwest with views of the Italian and French Rivieras, then into
France
well in time to enjoy some time at leisure in this lovely area. (B)
Day
15
Tue. FRENCH
RIVIERA-AVIGNON-CARCASSONNE.
Today’s journey will take you through some of France’s loveliest
scenery,
sun-drenched landscapes right out of Van Gogh’s paintings, on the way
through
Provence. Stop for a visit in historic Avignon. Continue westwards to
the
impressive walled city of Carcassonne for overnight. (B,D)
Day
16
Wed. CARCASSONNE-BARCELONA, SPAIN.
Enjoy a visit of this almost untouched piece of military fortified
architecture
still standing in all its walled glory, with fortifications,
drawbridges,
towers, battlements, watch turrets, ramparts and even arrow-slits to
repel
the enemy. Later drive by way of Perpignan across the border into
Spain,
skirting the Costa Brava to arrive in Barcelona for overnight. (B)
Day
17
Thu. BARCELONA. This
morning’s
sightseeing with a local guide includes a drive around Monjuich to see
the Olympic Stadium and a panoramic view of the port and city. The
drive
continues to the city center to Plaza Catalunya and Paseo de Gracia to
admire the greatness and eccentricity of Gaudi’s architectural
masterpieces
in the Houses Batilo and Mila and the Sagrada Familia (entrance fee not
included). (B)
Day
18
Fri. BARCELONA-MADRID. See
more of Catalonia as you drive northwest via Saragossa through the very
heart of new Castille for two overnights in Spain’s capital, Madrid. (B)
Day
19
Sat. MADRID. Not only
because
it’s the capital of Spain, but also because it is situated 2,180 feet
above
sea level, the Spaniards say Madrid is the nearest thing to heaven.
Enjoy
the main highlights on the included sightseeing excursion. The optional
trip to Toledo is most rewarding, too. The splendid setting is like a
great
open-air museum of Spanish history and art. (B)
Day
20
Sun. MADRID-BURGOS-BILBAO.
Climb the Somosierra Pass, the boundary between Old and New Castile, to
the walled city of Aranda de Duero, before stopping in Burgos. On
through
Basque Country to Bilbao, now famous for four living architects, Norman
Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Cesar Pelli, and Frank Gehry. (B,D)
Day
21
Mon. BILBAO-BORDEAUX,
FRANCE-POITIERS.
A change of scenery as you travel into France across Gascoigne for a
stop
in Bordeaux, the wine capital of France. Travel further north by way of
the Cognac area to Poiters of Black Prince fame for overnight. (B,D)
Day
22
Tue. POITIERS-CHÂTEAUX
COUNTRY-ORLEANS-PARIS.
The fast and comfortable autoroute L’Aquitaine will take you directly
to
Tours and along the Loire and the castles of Amboise and Chaumont. Stop
in Orleans before reaching Paris in time to enjoy an optional cabaret
show.
(B)
Day
23
Wed. PARIS. One full
day to explore the city that’s known throughout the world for its
fashions, art and museums, delicious food, and joie de vivre. Included
sightseeing with a local expert shows off many of the best-known
Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine,
the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre, the Invalides, and
Champs Elysées. Optional excursions are also available to the
Palace and Gardens of Versailles. (B)
Day
24
Thu. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT FROM PARIS ARRIVES THE SAME DAY.
(B)