SCENIC DELIGHTS
Day 1 - (Sun.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight. Day 2 - Arrival in Amsterdam, Holland. (Mon.) The day is free to rest or to start exploring the Dutch capital. At 6 p.m. meet your traveling companions and Tour Director for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D) Day 3 - Amsterdam. (Tue.) A Local Guide shows you the 700-year-old capital, and the highlight is a CANAL CRUISE past patrician mansions, gabled façades, and humpback bridges. Next, visit a major DIAMOND CENTER to appreciate how a rough mineral is transformed into a sparkling jewel. You may wish to visit one of Amsterdam's many museums. Later, an optional excursion to Volendam can be arranged. (BB) Day 4 - Amsterdam - Heidelberg, Germany - Rhineland. (Wed.) A passing glance at the Dutch region best known as the locale of A Bridge Too Far on the way to Germany. Stop in Cologne to visit the awesome twin-spired gothic CATHEDRAL. Then the afternoon's highlight: a romantic RHINE CRUISE past castle-crested cliffs, terraced vineyards, and trim, half-timbered towns. Next stop is Heidelberg, famous for its red-walled castle. (BB,D) Day 5 - Rhineland - Rothenburg - Munich - Garmisch. (Thu.) Leisurely morning break on the Romantic Road in spectacular Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes, and 16th - century houses. South towards the Danube Valley and Munich, Germany's "secret capital." Your orientation tour features the Olympic Stadium, 1,000-foot - high Television Tower, and MARIENPLATZ with the Old and New Town Hall. Then continue into the Bavarian Alps to Garmisch, site of the fourth Winter Olympics in 1936, where you spend the next two nights. (BB,D) Day 6 - Garmisch. Bavarian Excursion. (Fri.) Focus on Neuschwanstein, Germany's premier tourist attraction. Visit KING LUDWIG'S CASTLE on its craggy outcrop high above a sparkling lake. Afternoon at leisure in Passion Play town OBERAMMERGAU, with the chance to join an optional excursion to nearby Linderhof Castle. (BB) Day 7 - Garmisch - Innsbruck, Austria - Venice, Italy. (Sat.) Morning break in Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian Tyrol. Stroll through quaint medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian's GOLDEN ROOF. Continue south on the spectacular Brenner Pass road across the mighty barrier of the Tyrolean Alps. Take a picture of the ski jump at Cortina, Italy's skiing and mountaineering center beneath the jagged limestone towers of the Dolomites, before reaching Venice, the celebrated "Pearl of the Adriatic." Tonight is your chance to sample the city's fine restaurants. (BB) Day 8 - Venice. (Sun.) Enter Venice in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK'S SQUARE and the byzantine BASILICA, the Clock Tower, lavish DOGES" PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace, or join an optional gondola ride. (BB,D) Day 9 - Venice - Lugano, Switzerland - Lucerne. (Mon.) Through the lush Lombardian plains, past the commercial capital of Milan into Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Free time in flower-festooned Lugano for lunch and to browse through the shops of Via Nassa. Admire the towering majesty of the Swiss Alps on the way over 6,935- foot-high St. Gotthard Pass and through William Tell country to the captivating charm of Lucerne. Why not sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking" (BB) Day 10 - Lucerne - Montreux. (Tue.) Admire Thorwaldsen's LION MONUMENT and the ornate patrician houses lining the cobbled streets of the Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Afterwards, shop for Swiss watches and why not join an optional excursion to the top of a mountain" Later in the afternoon, a smooth drive to Montreux of festival fame. Take a picture of the Festival Hall (BB,D) Day 11 - Montreux - Lausanne - Paris, France. (Wed.) A short drive to Lausanne, where you board the high-speed "TGV" train to Paris, the traditional climax of every European vacation. Discover the world capital of chic and style with a Local Guide and admire its most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs- Elysées, Notre Dame Cathedral, and more. For a bird's-eye view take the elevator to the second floor of Paris" most famous landmark, the EIFFEL TOWER. (BB) Day 12 - At Leisure in Paris. (Thu.) Another day to enjoy what this extraordinary metropolis has to offer. Shop for perfume and fancy fashion accessories, take your pick from many fine museums, or stroll through the magnificent parks. Optional excursions are available to the Louvre Museum and the lavish baroque Palace of Versailles. Tonight maybe a lively cabaret show" (BB) Day 13 - (Fri.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB) |
