Itinerary

(Inclusions in italics)

Day 1 - London: After your long flight your first experience of England will be the London Underground, ‘The Tube’. The ‘Piccadilly Line’ will whisk you from your arrival terminal directly to your hotel in the heart of the city.

Day 2 - London: Explore the city and its many famous sites in a red double-decker ‘hop-on hop-off’ bus.  Watch the ‘Changing of the Guards’ at Buckingham Palace during a guided walking tour.  See the Tower, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Stroll through Hyde Park, Soho, Notting Hill, Piccadilly Circus or along the Thames. In the afternoon choose from either the ‘Rock ‘n Roll’ or ‘Jack the Ripper’ walking tour. Enjoy High Tea at Claridge’s or a drink in a historic pub.  Relax in the evening and view some of London’s attractions, the London Eye and Big Ben, from the comfort of a river cruise boat.  See London Options for extra sightseeing and extensions.

Day 3 - Paris: Your reserved seat in the high-speed Eurostar train awaits you within just 3 minutes walking from your hotel to take you in only 2 ½ hours to Paris. Start the familiarization of the city with the ‘Paris Grand Tour’ and enjoy the view from the open top deck of the sightseeing bus with a local, multi-lingual tour guide.  See the Champs-Elysee, Louvre, Notre-Dame, Eiffel Tower, Palais Royal and many other attractions.

Day 4 - Paris: View the city in all its glory from the viewing platform of the iconic Eiffel Tower. Then spend some time to explore the many treasures of Paris, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur or the many open-air fresh food, collectibles and arts markets and take the ‘Grand Boulevard Tour’ . In the evening enjoy a meal and some music in the Latin Quarter. 

Day 5 - Paris: The day is yours to spend at your leisure. Visit the vibrant open air markets, spend the day at Versailles or knock yourself out at Eurodisney. See Paris Options for extra sightseeing and extensions.

Day 6 - Nice: Be exhilarated by the speed of the super-fast train that takes you from Paris to Nice. After arriving in Nice take a stroll along the Promenade de Anglais and enjoy the azure blue sea of the Bay of Angels. In the evening enjoy a 3-course provençale dinner.

Day 7 - Nice and the Provence: The full-day bus trip into Provence will be one of the many highlights of your holiday. In Cannes walk the famous Croisette Boulevard by the Film Festival Palace. Then be driven through the charming countryside of Provence to Grasse, world capital of the perfume industry, for a guided tour of a perfumery or free time to visit the old town. View the Alps, valleys and spectacular coastline from the amazing perched medieval village of Gourdon. After lunch and winding down the charming Loup Gorges taste the Riviera’s speciality flower sweets at the traditional Florian Confectionary. Photo stop by a provençal jewel: Tourrettes-sur-Loup. End the tour in the second most visited village in France: St Paul de Vence with ancient cobblestone lanes, fortified walls and art galleries, home of impressionist painters. 

Day 8 - Nice: The day is yours to just relax or explore more of the surrounding countryside. In the morning make your way into ‘Old Nice’ and be overwhelmed by the abundance of the colours and fragrances of the flower and food market.

In the afternoon take some local transport to Monaco/Monte Carlo – see the palace, luxurious Monte Carlo casino, mega yachts, chic boutiques, Formula One Grand Prix circuit or rtravel on to the ramparts of charming Antibes or take a short cruise to St. Tropez .

See Nice options for extra sightseeing and extensions.

Day 9 - Cinque Terre: After a breathtaking train ride along the Côte d’Azur arrive in La Spezia and the Bay of Poets, your base from where you explore the Cinque Terre. 

Day 10 - Cinque Terre: Walk the scenic Via Dell'Amore that connects the 5 villages of Cinque Terre and take in the dramatic views of the coastline and fishing villages. Taste one of Liguria’s specialties – razor clam soup in nearby Porto Venere and take a boat trip to the tiny island of Palmaria and its grottoes.

See Cinque Terre Options for extensions.

See Lake Como side extension  or Florence side extension for an optional detour.

Day 11 - Venice: Stepping out from the Venice Santa Lucia train station will make you feel that you have arrived on a movie set. Nothing can prepare you for that first moment when you see Venice and the Canale Grande spread out before you. Spend the day in awe just walking around and loosing yourself in Venice and its tiny cobble-stoned alleyways, canals, bridges and piazzas. Dine in a lagoon front restaurant with spectacular views over to Venice.

Day 12 - Venice: Choose between one of 3 walking tours: The ‘Hidden Venice Walking tour’, the 'Venice walking tour with St. Mark's Basilica' or in the evening the ‘Venice Ghost walking tour’. In the afternoon enjoy a canal cruise to the island of Murano and a visit to a glass blowing factory.

See Venice options for extra sightseeing and extensions.

Day 13 - Rome: The ‘Grand Final’ of your tour – arrival in Rome. You will be staying right in the heart of the city, close to the Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps.  Choose from either exploring the city and some of Rome's best known ancient sights, the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona in the afternoon with a ‘hop-on-hop-off’ bus or with a 3 hour ‘Classic Rome Tour’ led by a local guide (in English).

Day 14 - Rome:  During your 3 days in Rome (day 13 – 15) you will also have the ‘Roma Pass', which entitles you for admission into 2 of the historic sights, like the Colosseum and Roman Forum, free transport in the inner city, and a reduction in admission fees for most other attractions. 

Day 15 - Rome: On this last day make use of your ‘Roma Pass’ to see as much as you can, travel all over the city and savour every moment. See Rome options for extra sightseeing and extensions.