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12 Days ~ England ~
France ~ Switzerland ~ Austria ~ Italy
Tour Pace
This classic tour is well
paced with two night stays in Paris, Lucerne, Venice, Montecatini and Rome.
The only one night stop is in the musical city of Salzburg. The travelling
days are well planned for your comfort with frequent rest stops.
DAY 1 – TUE –
LONDON – PARIS
After a warm greeting
from your Tour Director, leave London for Dover and wave goodbye to the
white cliffs on board your ferry to Calais. View the Canadian War Memorial
at Vimy as you cross the battlefields of northern France to arrive in the
French capital late afternoon. Enjoy a Welcome Drink with your fellow
travellers and, afterwards, consider an evening of fun at one of the
spectacular cabaret shows. Hotel: Paris Rive Gauche.
DAY 2 – WED –
PARIS SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing with a local
guide shows you the highlights of the city. See the Gothic Notre Dame
cathedral, with its tale of Quasimodo, then drive past the immense facades
of the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde and along the Champs Élysées to
the Arc de Triomphe. Ascend the Eiffel Tower for fine views over Paris and
complete the tour with a visit to Napoleon’s tomb in the Église du Dôme.
Spend the afternoon at leisure, shop in the department stores or visit the
Louvre’s superb collections. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 3 – THU –
PARIS – LUCERNE
After an early breakfast,
follow the autoroute across France’s great agricultural lands and on
through the Burgundy wine region. After passing the Jura Mountains, cross
into Switzerland at Basel before ending the day in lovely Lucerne. Hotel:
Astoria. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 4 – FRI –
LUCERNE SIGHTSEEING
Join your Tour Director
to see the Chapel Bridge and the stirring Lion Monument, dedicated to the
Swiss guards who died defending the King of France. Enjoy an exciting
included highlight – 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. There is time set aside to shop
for watches and chocolate in Lucerne. (Buffet
breakfast)
DAY 5 – SAT –
LUCERNE – SALZBURG
Drive east past the
Principality of Liechtenstein to Austria, and continue on through the
Arlberg Tunnel to arrive in Innsbruck, where you will see the Golden Roof
and the Imperial Palace. Follow the Inn Valley and pass the Wild Kaiser
mountain range to reach Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart and setting for the
film, The Sound of Music. Hotel: Castellani Parkhotel. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 6 – SUN –
SALZBURG – VENICE
Photograph the city
skyline from the Mirabell Gardens, then join a local guide and cross the
river to see Mozart’s birthplace on the Getreidegasse. A stroll through
the Old Town’s narrow lanes will lead to the Cathedral Square to view the
domed cathedral and Residenz fountain. Enjoy a scenic drive through the
Tauern Mountains down to the Carinthian Lake District and across the border
into Italy. Reach the flat Veneto plain en route to Venice and your hotel on
the fashionable Lido. Hotel: Le Boulevard. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 7 – MON –
VENICE SIGHTSEEING
Soak up the atmosphere as
a private launch takes you across the Venetian Lagoon to St Mark’s Square.
Hear the glorious history of ‘La Serenissima’, once one of the greatest
trading centres of the world. Take in the riches of St Mark’s Basilica,
the Law Courts, Campanile, Doges’ Palace and its adjoining Bridge of Sighs
before visiting a glass showroom for a demonstration of traditional
craftsmanship. The tour concludes with a gondola ride through the city’s
peaceful canals. Don’t miss the chance to try the region’s delicious
seafood, freshly caught in the lagoon. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 8 – TUE –
VENICE – TUSCANY
Bid farewell to Venice
and follow the highway past the university city of Bologna, into the wild
Apennines and on to the peaceful landscapes of Tuscany. Your destination:
the fashionable spa town of Montecatini where you can shop or enjoy a stroll
through town before dinner. Hotel: Nizza & Suisse. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 9 – WED –
FLORENCE SIGHTSEEING
Drive to the Tuscan
capital, Florence, and join a local guide for a sightseeing tour which
includes entrance into the Academy Gallery to see Michelangelo’s original
‘Statue of David’ and the half-completed ‘Slaves’. See the
magnificent Cathedral, the ‘Gates of Paradise’, and the living gallery
of Signoria Square, political stage of the Florentines. Then spend some time
shopping for leather, gold and other treasured memories in this wonderful
city.(Buffet breakfast)
DAY 10 – THU –
TUSCANY – ROME
Take the ‘autostrada’
south to Rome, arriving at your hotel mid-afternoon. After freshening up,
perhaps start the evening with a ‘passeggiata’ (traditional evening
stroll). Rome comes alive at night; enjoy cosmopolitan squares like the
Piazza Navona with its beautiful fountains, or the Via Veneto – scene of
La Dolce Vita.
Hotel: Crowne Plaza St Peters. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 11 – FRI –
ROME SIGHTSEEING
A local guide will
introduce you to the grandeur of the city, and take you on a visit to the
mother church of the Catholic faith, St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican
City. See Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Pieta, as well as the splendid
dome, completed after his death. Cross the Tiber to hear tales of the glory
of Ancient Rome, visit the Colosseum and overlook the Forum. Later, there is
time for last-minute shopping or sightseeing at your leisure. As night
falls, stroll with your Tour Director to the Piazza di Spagna, dominated by
the majestic Spanish Steps, before a Highlight Farewell Dinner of local
cuisine, wine and entertainment. (Buffet
breakfast, Speciality Highlight Dinner)
DAY 12 – SAT –
ROME
Our tour ends today after
breakfast, with a transfer to Rome airport arriving
at 07.00am or 09.30am only. (Buffet breakfast)
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