Day 1, Sunday, Rome, Italy
Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore this ancient capital. Tonight meet your tour director and fellow travelers.
Day 2, Monday, Rome
Included sightseeing with local guide starts in St. Peter’s Square, followed by a visit to the Roman Forum and the mighty Colosseum.
Day 3, Tuesday, Rome-Piza-Florence Area
Vistas of undulating hills, austere rose of cypress trees, terraced vineyards, olive groves, and rural villages from 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.
Day 4, Wednesday, Florence Area- Venice Area
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 this morning on the included walking tower with a Local Guide that features most of the city highlights. You will see the Piazza Santa Croce, the Beautiful Pizza Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio and its courtyard, the Loggia del Lanzi, and to top it all, the Piazza del Duomo and its cathedral with the Giotto Campanile, and the magnificent East Door of the Baptistery known as the “Gate to Paradise”. In the afternoon you can drive north across the River Po into the Plains of Venetia for overnight in the Venice area.
Day 5, Thursday, Venice.
It is really more like a marvelous film set than a real live city, with its crisscrossing canals, gondolas and water buses, attached bridges, Palaces, and little quiet piazzas. The included tower starts with a boat ride and is followed by a visit to St. Marks Basilica and a chance to watch Venetian glassblowers 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.
Day 6, Friday, Venice Area-Innsbruck, Austria
Take a journey northwards today from the flat farmlands of the Venetian countryside to the Dolomites surrounding Italy’s most famous winter resort, Cortina. Stop a while to enjoy the grand scenery. Next, cross the border into Austria to reach Innsbruck for overnight.
Day7, Saturday, Innsbruck-lake Lucerne, Switzerland
Time this morning to get acquainted with Innsbruck. The orientation tower includes the famous Golden Roof. Later drive through the valleys and villages of the mountainous Tyrol to the Arlberg tunnel, descending into Switzerland. Stop briefly in Vaduz, Liechtenstein’s Capital, before heading for Lake Lucerne.
Day 8, Sunday, Lucerne
One of Switzerland’s finest cities nestled amid its snowcapped 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 Loin 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, and, of course, there is time to shop for that very Swiss watch.
Day 9, Monday Lake Lucerne-Paris, France
Enjoy vistas of green pasture and attractive chalets with rustic timbering and luxuriant flowers. Then move into France on the first and comfortable highway past some of its famous vineyards to Paris. Arrive in time to enjoy the optional cabaret show.
Day 10, Tuesday, Paris
Paris holds a special place in the imagination. It is a city of many facets famed for its culture, beauty sophistication and sparkle. By sitting with a glass of wine in a bistro or sidewalk café, you can absorb the essence of the city and the individualism of its people. The center has wide boulevards and impressive buildings. Included sightseeing with a local expert of many of the best known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Opera, Madeleine, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre, Invalides, and Champs Elysees. Optional excursions are also available to the Palace and Gardens of Versailles and, to celebrate the success of your tour, a French farewell dinner might be just the ticket.
Day 11, Wednesday, Paris-London, England
Relax and let the countryside whiz by on the road north to the coast, where you board your Channel ferry through Kent return to London for an evening arrival.
