Time to rest or to start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 5 pm, meet your Tour Director and get acquainted with your traveling companions. Then, enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (Dinner)
Morning sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit one of the New 7 Wonders of the World®, the COLOSSEUM. Learn about life as a gladiator and get a FAMILY PICTURE WITH A GLADIATOR (if available). Your Tour Director will have suggestions for optional excursions. (Breakfast)
Follow the Aurelian Way along the Tyrrhenian Coast to Tuscany. Stop in Pisa to take pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. In the afternoon, time to relax by the pool, enjoy a homemade GELATO at a typical gelateria, and explore the famous Tuscan spa town of Montecatini, where your hotel is located. (Breakfast, Dinner)
This morning, visit Florence, “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Follow your Local Guide to visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and visit sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Enjoy a festive PIZZA PARTY LUNCH at a local pizzeria, where a chef demonstrates just how Italian pizzas are made! In the afternoon, drive across the Apennine Hills to Venice. Enter the city in style by PRIVATE BOAT. Later, join your Tour Director for a tasty PASTA DINNER, Venetian style. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Walk through the narrow streets to an original Venetian workshop and enjoy the unique experience of decorating your own VENETIAN CARNIVAL MASK. When you are satisfied with your artistic endeavors, use the included vaporetto ticket to return to the hotel or to find a cozy trattoria for lunch. In the afternoon, meet your Local Guide and visit ST. MARK’S SQUARE, DOGES’ PALACE, and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. This evening, maybe an optional gondola serenade or dinner in Burano for a real Venetian experience. (Breakfast)
Travel to the attractive Lake Maggiore area. Afternoon at leisure to explore, relax at the hotel pool, or join an optional excursion to the baroque palace and peacock gardens of enchanting Isola Bella. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Drive over the impressive Simplon Pass, reaching the Swiss Valais. In Täsch, board the COGWHEEL MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to the picturesque Alpine village of Zermatt at the base of the Matterhorn. Free time to explore the car-free mountain town on your own or to join an optional excursion on Europe’s highest rack-railway up to 10,272-foot Gornergrat mountain for a breathtaking panoramic view of Switzerland’s loftiest peaks, including the famed Matterhorn. In the late afternoon, continue to your Montreux hotel at Lake Geneva and enjoy an included dinner. (Breakfast, Dinner)
From Lausanne, depart for Paris on board the high-speed TGV TRAIN (first-class). Upon arrival in Paris, meet your Local Guide and explore the world capital of chic and style. Admire its most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and visit NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, the setting for Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, written in 1831. Today, also ride the elevators to the TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER and enjoy spectacular views of the city. Try one of France’s specialties, a freshly made CREPE, for an afternoon snack. Your Tour Director can give you some ideas for your free time this evening. (Breakfast)
All day at leisure for exploration on your own. Your Tour Director will have some suggestions for optional excursions such as the Louvre Museum, where you can admire da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. This evening, a farewell dinner has been included at a local restaurant to celebrate the success of your European vacation. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)
