TRADITIONAL GRAND EUROPEAN
Day 1 - (Sat.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight. Day 2 - Arrive in London, England. (Sun.) Uniformed Globus Hosts are available to assist you. Day 3 - London. (Mon.) Morning 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, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. Visit ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL and see the Changing of the Guard, if held. (B) Day 4 - London'Brussels, Belgium. (Tue.) Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and board the EUROSTAR TRAIN to Brussels. Walk to GRAND' PLACE and famous Manneken Pis, followed by a welcome dinner at your hotel. (B,D) Day 5 - Brussels'Amsterdam, Holland. (Wed.) In Amsterdam, enjoy a CANAL CRUISE, the best way to see the 700-year-old capital, and visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. Later, maybe join an optional excursion to Volendam" (B,D) Day 6 - Amsterdam'Rhineland, Germany. (Thu.) Pass the locale of A Bridge Too Far on the way to Cologne. Here, visit the gothic CATHEDRAL. The afternoon's highlight is a romantic RHINE CRUISE. (B,D) Day 7 - Rhineland'Lucerne, Switzerland. (Fri.) Morning stop in the BLACK FOREST, renowned for its cuckoo clocks. On the Swiss border, take your pictures of the thundering RHINE FALLS, and continue to Lucerne. (B,D) Day 8 - Lucerne. (Sat.) During your walking tour, admire the LION MONUMENT and cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Afterwards, shop for Swiss watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car, take a cruise on the fjord-like lake, or sign up for a folklore party. (B) Day 9 - Lucerne'Liechtenstein'Oberammergau, Germany'Munich. (Sun.) A short stop in Vaduz, capital of the pocket-sized Principality of Liechtenstein. Next, a panoramic drive through the Bavarian Alps past King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle to the Passion Play town of Oberammergau. In Munich an orientation drive features the Olympic Stadium and 17th-century Nymphenburg Palace. How about a stein of beer at the Hofbräuhaus tonight" (B,D) Day 10 - Munich'Salzburg, Austria'Vienna. (Mon.) Through southern Bavaria to the Austrian border and on to Salzburg. A pleasant stroll with your Local Guide takes you through the historic center. Admire exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, and ST. PETER'S CHURCHYARD. Time to browse through the shops or to visit Mozart's birthplace if you wish. Then, drive along the Danube Valley to Vienna. (B) Day 11 - Vienna. (Tue.) Guided sightseeing features Prater Park with its Ferris wheel, the United Nations City on the Danube, the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, a stop at the Hofburg Palace, and a visit to ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL. Optional excursions to Schönbrunn Palace or to Grinzing for a taste of Heurigen wine are available. (B) Day 12 - Vienna'Venice, Italy. (Wed.) Journey across scenic Semmering Pass and through the loveliest parts of Austria to Venice. Tonight is your chance to sample the city's fine restaurants. (B) Day 13 - Venice. (Thu.) Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. Highlights of your guided walking tour are ST. MARK'S SQUARE and its BASILICA, lavish DOGES' PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also enjoy a GLASSBLOWERS' DEMONSTRATION. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (B,D) Day 14 - Venice'Ferrara'Rome. (Fri.) In Ferrara, time to stroll along the imposing Este Castle to the marble cathedral before continuing to the ?Eternal City.? (B) Day 15 - Rome. (Sat.) Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL. Continue to monumental ST. PETER'S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM. Time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion. (B) Day 16 - Rome'Florence'Tuscany. (Sun.) An easy morning drive to Florence, ?Cradle of the Renaissance.? During your walking tour with a Local Guide, 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 sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. (B,D) Day 17 - Tuscany'Pisa'Nice, France. (Mon.) Focus on Pisa this morning for pictures of its amazing Leaning Tower. Next, a scenic drive along the Mediterranean coast towards the Principality of Monaco. Here, leave the highway for the panoramic Moyenne Corniche and visit one of the PERFUME FACTORIES. This evening, you might want to sample some French cuisine. (B) Day 18 - At Leisure in Nice. (Tue.) Full day to enjoy this enchanting resort on the Côte d'Azur at your own pace. Later, an exciting optional excursion to Monte Carlo is available. (B) Day 19 - Nice'Avignon'Lyon. (Wed.) Stop in Avignon, the medieval residence of several Popes and antipopes. Walk through the Old Town and take pictures of the gothic papal palace and the bridge of the popular song before proceeding to Lyon, the country's second-largest city. (B,D) Day 20 - Lyon'Paris. (Thu.) Drive through Burgundy to Paris, the traditional climax of a European vacation. Afternoon at leisure to explore the world capital of chic and style at your own pace or join an optional excursion to the famous Louvre Museum. (B) Day 21 - Paris. (Fri.) Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the the Opéra, Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Elysées. For a bird's-eye view, take the elevator to the second floor of the EIFFEL TOWER. An optional excursion to the Palace of Versailles is available, and tonight, a lively cabaret show might just be the ticket! (B) Day 22 - (Sat.) Your homebound flight from Paris arrives the same day. (B) |
