09 Days - Treasures of Europe

Day 1

London - Calais - Brussels - Strasbourg or North-eastern France Region (Distance: 790 Kms)

Today morning join up with your coach and depart towards Dover or Folkestone for your crossing to Calais or Dunkerque; you will require your passports at hand as we will cross the UK and French immigration, as well as security. The crossing on the ferry will last approx. 90 Minutes; 40 minutes if the crossing is from the Euro Tunnel train. Once we are in mainland Europe we make our way towards Belgium, in the early afternoon we stop on the outskirts of Oostende for our Lunch, a picnic style buffet awaits you.

After Lunch, we continue to drive towards Brussels, the Capital of Belgium. Once we reach Brussels we take a photo stop at a giant stainless-steel atom, known as the "Atomium"; originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. This unique structure is one of a kind and stands at 102 metres high. The nine massive stainless-steel spheres are connected so that the whole structure forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. After our quick photo stop here, we continue to drive towards our hotel.

We then proceed towards our hotel and restaurant, which can be located in the Northeastern Grand Est region of France (Metz or Nancy) or Strasbourg. Depending on the hotel location we either go to the restaurant for our Indian dinner, or we head towards the hotel, where dinner will be served late in the evening in one of the conference rooms by our very own caterers. We can then put our head down after our long day.

Day 2

Black Forest - Rhine Falls - Lucerne (Distance: 380 Kms)

Today morning after breakfast, we check out of the hotel and board the coach heading South-East. We continue our drive into Germany. Whilst we drive through the Black Forest, enjoy the tree-lined alpine views, and be fascinated by the deep gorges along the way. We then arrive at Hofgut Sternen in the middle of the Black Forest, among dark fir trees, high hills, spectacular cliffs and gentle valleys, the Drubba family extends their welcome with an excellent choice of cuckoo clocks made locally as well as a varied selection of souvenirs, not before being briefed about the origins of the cuckoo clock. After your shopping trip, we have our picnic Indian lunch, before we head towards Switzerland.

We continue our journey heading South of Germany and into Schaffhausen a city in north-eastern Switzerland on the river Rhine, next to the German border. On arrival why not take the time to admire the prime tourist attraction of the Rhine Falls, Europe's largest open-plain waterfalls. You have the time to enjoy a quick trip to the centre of falls on the erosion resistant rock or simply bide the short time we have here admiring the beauty from the banks of the River Rhine with the Wörth Castle in the backdrop.

We re-join our coach and make our way towards Central Switzerland, and to Lucerne. In Lucerne spend the time admiring Lake Luzern, the fourth largest lake in Switzerland, with Mt Pilatus, Mt Rigi and the Swiss Alps in the background, or take a wonderful walk around the Old Town in the pretty cobbled streets. Don’t forget to walk and view the Chapel Bridge also known as Kapellbrücke, the famous 204 meters long wooden covered bridge originally built in 1333, regarded as the oldest covered bridge in Europe. We later visit the Lion Monument, or the Lion of Lucerne, a rock relief, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The carving has often been heralded as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world".

We board back onto the coach after another fun filled day heading for our evening Indian meal and hotel. It is time to pack our bags again for our checkout tomorrow morning where we make our way towards Italy.

Day 3

Mt Titlis - Venice (Distance: 340 Kms)

After breakfast today we ascend 10,000ft to the summit of Mt. Titlis. We take a small cable car or funicular depending on the time of the year before we take the world’s first revolving cable car, the Titlis Rotair. The Rotair makes one full revolution whilst we ascend to the top of Mt Titlis giving you a 360-degree view of the Uri Alps. Once we reach the top you can not only enjoy the breath-taking panoramic views of the surrounding Swiss landscapes, but you will have ample time to take pictures in traditional Swiss outfits, buy souvenirs and walk the highest Cliff Walk, a suspended pedestrian bridge along the cliff of Mount Titlis 3,000 m above sea level, it is believed to be the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe (subject to operation). Spend the morning playing in the snow and visit the ice caves.

On Mt Titlis, you can also enjoy the optional Ice Flyer (subject to operation). The Ice Flyer chairlift sweeps you smoothly and safely over crisp, virgin snowfields and icy depths. Some of the crevasses are up to twenty metres deep. Only on Mt Titlis can you expect such a fantastic glacier experience, and don’t forget to smile as you can purchase a perfect souvenir of your picture from the photo studio shop.

We make our way down in the early afternoon for our well-deserved Indian lunch from all the activities of the morning. Once our energy levels are back up from our lunch, we board our coach and make our way towards Italy, heading for Venice. We depart in the early afternoon for Venice, and we expect to reach there in the evening. We will be covering quite a distance today to reach, so ensure you carry your key essentials.

Once we reach the Venice area in the evening, we finish the day by heading towards the restaurant and hotel. We have our buffet Indian dinner before we pack in for the night.

Day 4

Venice - Rome (Distance: 580 Kms)

We check out after breakfast today and make our way towards the Venetian Islands. The drive will take us over "Ponte della Libertà" or in English the Bridge of Liberty, which connects the historic centre to the City of Venice.

On arrival at the Ports in Venice, we board our Vaporetto (Italian small boat) to make our way towards the main island and dock at San Marco. The main city of Venice is unique in its own right and holds many names; "The City of Water", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals", the names become very apparent as we glide through the Grand Canal.

We then make our way across the San Marco island for our demonstration at Murano, where you learn the facts about the glass and have an opportunity to purchase original Murano glass items. We also make our way to Piazza San Marco known as St Mark's Square, the main square opens up to the impressive Saint Mark's Basilica, the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best-known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture, as well as the famous St Mark's Campanile (bell tower), one of the most recognizable symbols of the city at 98.5 metres high. You will have time to also picture the famous Bridge of sighs and the intricate Clock Tower known as the Torre dell'Orologio.

Later enjoy a Gondola ride through a few of the canals that make up the intricate 118 islands of Venice. Glide along the quaint canals and admire the architecture involved in building this lagoon city. The short gondola ride is a unique experience on a flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon.
We then return back to the coach at the Ports, and make our way back into to the mainland were we go for our Indian lunch at the restaurant before making our way to Rome. We depart in the afternoon from Venice and expect to reach Rome in the evening.

Once we reach Rome in the evening, we finish the day by heading towards the restaurant and hotel. We have our buffet Indian dinner before we pack in for the night for two nights at the hotel.

Today the tour rep may conduct an optional tour of Rome by Night. The tour is conducted on the coach and includes Rome's most beautiful sites to be admired at night in comfort of the coach and by foot. The subdued lighting of the Colosseum - the largest amphitheatre built during the Roman Empire, St. Angelo’s, St. Peters church and Piazza Venezia will provide you with wonderful photos. The tour will last 90 minutes, late into the evening (The Tour rep may choose to do this optional tour on day 5).

Day 5

Rome - Vatican City (Distance: 90 Kms)

Today morning after breakfast we depart the hotel and make our short drive towards the city centre of Rome. We will be spending the full day in the Roman capital, and "Global City".

Our tour of Rome includes a trip to the Time Elevator, which is a multi-sensory film taking you back in time using technology. Rome’s history dates to almost 3000 years, and the Time Elevator will give you a glance of cultural, religious, historical and geographic events of the Eternal City.

You will also be met with a local professional guide whilst in Rome. The guide will immerse you in the rich history of Rome and explain the key sights of Rome. The Rome tour will include a short photo-stop of the Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre and arguably one of the most recognised sights; the stop is surrounded by other sights such as Constantine arch. You will also see the Roman Forums, where ancient civilisation developed.

We then make our way by coach to the restaurant for our Indian meal, before we transfer back to our coach and head towards the Vatican City.

Later you will visit the Vatican City, home to the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church to see the St. Peter's Basilica, it should be noted that you should wear appropriate attire for a place of worship, as this is a stipulation of entry. We will then walk across to view the Trevi Fountains, arguably the most beautiful fountains in all of Rome, here enjoy a gelato ice cream. It should be noted many parts of Rome will be done on foot as places such as Trevi Fountain, Time Elevator and Roman Forums are only accessible on foot.

In the evening depending on the hotel location we either go to the restaurant for our Indian dinner, or we head towards the hotel, where dinner will be served late in the evening in one of the conference rooms by our very own caterers. We can then put our head down after our long day.

Day 6

Rome - Florence - Montecatini (Distance: 380 Kms)

Today after breakfast we check out of the hotel and board the coach for our drive towards Florence. We head North towards Florence. We will be covering quite a distance today to reach Florence, so ensure you carry your key essentials and devices for your entertainment for the journey.

Once we reach Florence, we go for our Indian lunch at the restaurant before making our way to the Historic City Centre. The coach will drop the group off in the city centre and drive away as they cannot remain in the city centre of Florence.

On arrival in the afternoon at our drop off point in Florence, we meet our local professional guide. The tour of this renaissance city and former capital starts by viewing the impressive architecture of some of the finest historic buildings in Italy. The guide will provide you an in-depth knowledge of some of Florence’s most iconic sights including the Duomo of Florence the largest brick dome ever created, along with photo stops at Basilica of Santa Croce, the final burial place of Michelangelo, statue of David replica, and the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge on the Arno River. The tour of Florence will be a walking tour as many parts of the city are pedestrianised and only accessible on foot.

We then meet up with our coach towards the Arno River and proceed to make our way out of Florence. Just before we hit the highway we stop at the Piazelle Michelangelo, for the most outstanding views of Florence, the stop allows a panoramic view of the city and beyond. We stop for a quick photo stop here before boarding the coach and making our way to Montecatini.

In the early evening, we depart towards the Hotel in Montecatini, which is in the region of Tuscany for our overnight stay. We head towards our hotel and restaurant in the region. Today evening enjoy a buffet Indian meal, before settling in for our one-night stay.

Day 7

Pisa - Geneva (Distance: 580 Kms)

After breakfast, we load our luggage on the coach and leave the Montecatini region and make our short drive towards the city of Pisa, best known for its iconic Leaning Tower.

On arrival in Pisa, we disembark the coach, and we make our transfer towards the Piazza dei Miracoli, we walk through the small market and enter the Piazza dei Miracoli through the iron gates, where the magnificent Leaning Tower of Pisa can be seen tilting since its completion in 1372, the 56m white-marble cylinder is the bell tower of the Romanesque, striped-marble cathedral that rises next to the tower. Also, in the piazza is the Baptistry, an ecclesiastical building constructed from 1152 to 1363.

We then walk to our restaurant for our Indian meal, before we transfer back to our coach on the outskirts of Pisa. In the early afternoon once we return to the coach we make our way towards Switzerland, heading towards the city of Geneva.

Once we reach Geneva in the evening, we make a couple of short photo stops. We make our way to the "Jardin Anglais", known as the English Gardens. Here we stop for photos of the National Monument, which features lady Geneva and Lady Helvetica; also see the Flower Clock an iconic outdoor flower clock designed in 1955, made with colourful blooms that change seasonally, and finally of the Jet d’Eau (subject to operation), a fountain, lit up at night, pumping half a cubic meter of water per second 140m into the air.

We then head towards the United Nations of Geneva (UNOG) for our second photo stop, the UNOG is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations and situated in the Palais des Nations building constructed for the League of Nations between 1929 and 1938. Capture an amazing picture containing all the flags of the countries of the United Nations.

We then finish our quick trip to Geneva by heading towards the restaurant and hotel. We have our buffet Indian dinner before we pack in for the night.

Day 8

Geneva - Paris (Distance: 580 Kms)

Today after breakfast check out of the hotel, and we make our way towards Paris. You will not be reaching Paris until late in the afternoon, and we will be stopping on route for Lunch. The lunch stop will only sell continental food, and there will be no fast food restaurants located within the services.

On arrival in the "City of Lights" - Paris, we make our way to the renowned, and world recognised the Eiffel Tower. Your journey will take you to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It should be noted that as the Eiffel Tower is the worlds most visited paid monument you should expect long security and ticket queues as reservations are not always available. Additionally, you will be provided tickets for the highest floor possible, should the top floor ticket not be available or closed then the ticket difference will be reimbursed to you on the completion of your tour. On instances we may conduct Montparnasse Tower, where the Eiffel Tower is closed due to national holidays, Bastille day parades etc., or non-operational due to any other reason, an advanced warning will not be given in relation to the change of monument.

In the evening we will then make our way to the restaurant for our group buffet meal, on the allocation of our entry time enjoy your Indian dinner and then settle back in your seats on the coach for an optional night tour of Paris or be transferred back to the hotel on one of our vehicles.

If you chose the optional tour of "Paris By Night" then we board our coach after the restaurant and begun our night tour, which lasts 90 Minutes and takes you around the key sights of Paris at Night, see the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Concorde and Invalides from the comfort of your coach, with the magnificent street lights and monumental lights gravitating you towards the wonderful sights and monuments. See the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour, for five minutes immersing you in the city of Paris, and truly recognise why it has been nicknamed the "City of Lights".

We then late in the night make our way to the hotel for our stay. Get a good night’s sleep as more wonders await you tomorrow.

Day 9

Paris - Calais - London (Distance: 460 Kms)

Today morning we check out of the hotel after breakfast and load the luggage depending on your final drop off point.

We then make our way back to the centre of Paris, where we embark on the famous "Bateaux" cruises of Paris for our one-hour cruise along the River Seine, we cover the stunning architecture that Paris has to offer on sights such as the Grand Palais, Petite Palais, Pont Alexandre 3rd bridge, National Assembly, Invalides and of course the spectacular Eiffel Tower. The glass-covered boat is at your disposal, choose to sit inside or outside whilst listening to the commentary of the sights.

Whilst travelling around Paris you would have covered various other sights including the Vendome, home to the Ritz Hotel; Concorde square made famous during the French revolution and Avenue des Champs Élysées, the largest tree-lined boulevard in Paris.

We then depart Paris and make our way towards Calais, not before stopping at an Indian restaurant for our last meal together. After Lunch, we continue to make our way back to London.

The journey back we say goodbye to friends we have made along the way as we drop off those getting off on the route.

Once we reach Calais, we cross over back into Dover or Folkestone depending on our crossing schedule for the tour on the day. We continue our journey towards Wembley and dropping passengers off at their respective drop-offs.

Important Notes

On occasions, due to large events, traffic, logistics and availability of reservations, it may be necessary to change the above itinerary. However, all aspects of the itinerary will be covered. In the event of the Eiffel Tower restricting access the price difference for the restricted floor will be reimbursed. Eiffel Tower when closed during national holidays or events may be substituted by Montparnasse tower or will be refunded.

Lunch on Day 1, 2 and 8 will not be provided on departures in March, Oct to Dec.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner