EUROPEAN WINTER SAMPLER
Day 1 - (Fri.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight. Day 2 - Arrive in London, England. (Sat.) Uniformed Globus Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay. Day 3 - London. (Sun.) Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall's mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister's Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. Also see the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. Afternoon free for an optional excursion to the Tower of London. (B) Day 4 - London'Brussels, Belgium'Amsterdam, Holland. (Mon.) Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and transfer to the railway station to board the EUROSTAR TRAIN to Brussels, Belgium. From here, a comfortable drive brings you to Amsterdam, Holland. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (B,D) Day 5 - Amsterdam. (Tue.) A Local Guide shows you the 700-year-old capital, and the highlight is a CANAL CRUISE, where you'll marvel at patrician mansions, gabled façades, and humpback bridges. Next, visit a major DIAMOND CENTER and appreciate how a rough mineral is transformed into a sparkling jewel. Balance of the day is at leisure; you may wish to join an optional excursion to Volendam. (B) Day 6 - Amsterdam'Rhineland, Germany. (Wed.) On the way to Germany, enjoy a passing glance at the Dutch region best known as the locale of A Bridge Too Far. Enjoy a RHINE CRUISE (weather permitting) before arriving at your Rhineland hotel. (B,D) Day 7 - Rhineland'Lucerne, Switzerland. (Thu.) A comfortable drive past the Black Forest to Switzerland and picture-book Lucerne. During your walking tour, admire Thorwaldsen's LION MONUMENT and the ornate patrician houses lining the cobbled streets of the Old Town, then cross the CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. (B,D) Day 8 - Lucerne'Lugano. (Fri.) Admire the towering majesty of the Swiss Alps and St. Gotthard on the way to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Arrive in the subtropical town of Lugano with time to admire the lake and the little shops under the arcades of Via Nassa. (B,D) Day 9 - Lugano'Venice, Italy. (Sat.) Cross the Italian border and drive past Milan to the Adriatic coast. Enter Venice in style by PRIVATE BOAT to ST. MARK'S SQUARE. Admire the byzantine basilica, the Clock Tower, lavish Doges' Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. Watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects, then time to explore or to join an optional gondola ride. (B) Day 10 - Venice'Rome. (Sun.) A scenic drive across the Apennine Mountains and through the vine- and olive-clad Tuscan Hills, home of the popular Chianti wines, brings you to the ?Eternal City.? (B) Day 11 - Rome. (Mon.) Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo's ceiling paintings. Continue to monumental ST. PETER'S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Time for independent activities and optional excursion possibilities. (B) Day 12 - Rome'Florence. (Tue.) An easy morning drive back north to Florence. Enjoy a walking tour with a Local Guide and visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo's celebrated David, the magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry's heavy bronze ?Gate of Paradise,? and SIGNORIA SQUARE. Later, take a moment to check out the enticing shops with Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry. (B,D) Day 13 - Florence'Nice, France. (Wed.) Today, follow the Mediterranean coast past a string of Italian and French Riviera resorts to Nice. An optional outing is available to Monte Carlo. (B) Day 14 - Nice'Paris. (Thu) Transfer to the railway station and board the high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. You may wish to try out one of Paris' fine restaurants and explore the ?City of Light.? (B) Day 15 - Paris. (Fri.) Discover the world capital of chic and style with a Local Guide and admire its most famous sights: the Opéra, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Elysées. For a bird's-eye view, take the elevator to the second floor of Paris' most famous landmark: the EIFFEL TOWER. An optional excursion to the baroque Palace of Versailles is available, and tonight a lively cabaret show might just be the ticket. (B) Day 16 - (Sat.) Your homebound flight from Paris arrives the same day. (B) |
