Day 1 - LONDON – AMSTERDAM
Meet your Tour Director and drive to Dover for the channel crossing to Calais. Follow the coast across “Flanders fair fields” to enter Belgium, past medieval Bruges and the port of Antwerp. Then enter your fourth country today, the Netherlands, and see the first of the windmills on the way to lively Amsterdam. Tonight, enjoy a Welcome Reception with drink and a light meal, followed by time to relax and explore.
Meals: Welcome Reception
Day 2 - AMSTERDAM SIGHTSEEING – VOLENDAM EXCURSION
An orientation tour reveals the Mint Tower, Dam Square and Royal Palace. Then board a special sightseeing boat to cruise under low bridges, past the canal-side mansions built by wealthy merchants. This afternoon choose an included drive through the pleasant Dutch countryside to the traditional fishing village of Volendam, situated on what was once the Zuider Zee. This is followed by a photo-stop at one of the windmills and a visit to a cheese farm and ‘Klompenhuis’, where wooden clogs are made. Alternatively enjoy an afternoon at leisure to visit the Rijksmuseum or the Anne Frank House. Back in Amsterdam round off the day with a visit to a diamond cutting factory, whose industry dates back to the 16th century.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast
Day 3 - AMSTERDAM – RHINE CRUISE – RHINELAND
Leave Amsterdam bound for Germany. Pass Arnhem, renowned for its ‘Bridge Too Far’, then cross the Ruhr Basin to head for the Romantic Rhine Gorge. Time to explore the quaint wine village of Boppard before taking to the water for a delightful cruise past fortified towns and leafy vineyards. Pass the twin strongholds of the ‘Enemy Brothers’, the Cat and Mouse castles and hear the legend of the Loreley Rock. Rejoin the coach at St. Goar and continue to the town of Mannheim.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dinner
Day 4 - RHINELAND – HEIDELBERG - BLACK FOREST – LUCERNE
Enjoy some time this morning in the city of the ‘Student Prince’, to view the ruined cliff top castle. Take the scenic route along the Rhine Valley to the ancient city of Freiburg, before climbing into the heart of the Black Forest, home of the cuckoo clock industry. Enjoy an informative presentation on their origins and see how these clocks are made, then continue past Lake Titisee and cross the Swiss border. See the Rhine River thundering over the Rhine Falls before driving via Zurich to lake-side Lucerne. Check into your hotel, shop for chocolate or a special timepiece, and consider joining an optional Swiss Fondue Party in the evening.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast
Day 5 - LUCERNE SIGHTSEEING
See Lucerne’s proud Lion Monument, carved into a limestone cliff and dedicated to the Swiss Guards who died defending the King during the French Revolution. Take time to stroll across the covered Chapel Bridge and see the baroque Jesuit church. Later, embark on an exhilarating ride by cog-wheel train and cable-car to the summit of Mount Pilatus. Admire the stunning panorama of snow-capped peaks – including the Eiger and Jungfrau – before descending over mountain crags and pine forests back to terra firma. For dinner tonight, choose your own style of cuisine from our selection of restaurants.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Dine Around
Day 6 - LUCERNE – PARIS
Leaving the Alpine region, cross the Rhine at Basel and continue into France. Travel past the fortified town of Belfort and along the forested ridges of the Jura Mountains to Burgundy. Continue through leafy vineyards and past the forests of Fontainebleau to arrive in the glittering French capital of Paris. Tonight enjoy wine and good company with an end-of-tour Celebration Dinner at a Parisian restaurant.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Celebration Dinner
Day 7 - PARIS SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing with a local guide takes you by the Île de la Cité to see Notre Dame Cathedral with its famous tale of Quasimodo. Then visit one of the world’s best known art collections. Your guide leads you through the galleries of the Louvre to see the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, Mona Lisa and many more priceless works amassed over the ages by the Kings of France. Sightseeing continues past Garnier’s splendid Opera House. See the obelisk in the centre of the Place de la Concorde and drive along the grand Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. Ascend to the viewing platforms of the Eiffel Tower for spectacular views of the city. Then you are at leisure. Tonight, perhaps visit one of the world-famous cabaret shows for an evening of excitement and glamour?
Meals: Buffet Breakfast
Day 8 - PARIS – LONDON
Cross the World War One battlefields of the Somme to arrive at the port of Calais for your return Channel crossing to England. The white cliffs of Dover will welcome you as you sail back into England. From here it’s a short drive through the Kent countryside to London, where your tour comes to an end.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast