Western Crossing

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- 11 nights accommodation in European campsites
- 2 nights accommodation in multishare hostels
- 13 breakfasts, 7 lunches & 10 dinners
- English Channel ferry crossing
- Touring by air-conditioned coach
- Assistance of a tour guide & driver
- Touring & sightseeing of all sites as per itinerary

* High season supplement starting from an additional R925 per person applies for travel for set departures between 03 JUL 2016 - 14 AUG 2016

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London to Paris, France

Travel Day: London, UK, to Paris, France.

All good things start with Paris. Meet the crew, grab some supplies & hit the road early in the morning as we jump across the English Channel to Paris via the white cliffs of Dover.

Pinch yourself & instagram your first selfie over dinner before we kick off the trip with a guided night tour of the City of Lights with your Trip Leader (aka living guide book). Home to Coco Chanel, the Eiffel Tower & the Mona Lisa, Paris has more than deserved its reputation as the European capital for all things culture, fashion & food. And you're about to find out why.

Included today: City lights tour of Paris

Meals: Dinner.

Did you know:
-When the mummy of Ramesses II was flown to Paris in 1974, he had to be issued with a passport stating his occupation as "King (deceased)".
-The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the US from France. She's totally French.
-The Paris municipal government has banned Tom Cruise from ever becoming an honorary citizen of the city. #staystrong.

Paris

This morning: free time en Francais. From the Louvre & Musée d’Orsay to the l’Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysées, you’ll be sure to make a solid dent in your bucket list. Then: hop on an optional bike tour of Paris or roam the streets on your own before our gourmet picnic at the Eiffel Tower. End your day with an optional Seine River cruise or a #throwback bohemian cabaret show.

Included today: Free day & Gourmet picnic by the Eiffel Tower

Meals: Breakfast & dinner.

Optional activities:
-Paris bike tour
-Seine River cruise
-Traditional cabaret show in the Latin Quarter

Paris to Swiss Alps, Switzerland

Travel Day: Paris to Swiss Alps, Switzerland.

Trade in Parisian streets for snowy peaks. Home to the highest point in Europe, 72 waterfalls & one of the largest nature conservations in Switzerland, Lauterbrunnen is obviously where we're spending the night. Urban charm ain't got nothing on Swiss scenery. Upon arrival, chow down on Swiss cuisine & hit the bar for a nightcap.

Included today: Scenic drive through the Swiss Alps

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Did you know:
-The Dalai Lama owns the smallest vineyard in the world, consisting of three vines, spanning a mere 1.67 square metres. It's in Switzerland too.
-Here in the Swiss Alps you can lease a cow & score all the cheese produced from its milk. Best. Idea. Ever.
-It's illegal to own just one guinea pig in Switzerland. You must have at least two because they like having a buddy (& the Swiss government is sweeter than chocolate).

Swiss Alps

Scenic hikes & jaw-dropping views are on today's agenda. Go low key with a mountain walk or hop on board the Jungfraubahn railway for an optional visit to the Jungfrau Mountain summit.

Fairytale villages en route, sky-diving out of a helicopter upon arrival (if heights don't scare you). Another local feast awaits your return, regardless of how you make your way back down.

Included today: Free day

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Optional activities:
-Visit the highest station on the European continent on top of Jungfrau Mountain via the Jungfraubahn railway. Also known as 'the roof of Europe' & the spot that guarantees snow, year round
-Helicopter ride
-Skydiving

Swiss Alps to Avignon, France

Travel Day: Swiss Alps to Avignon, France.

This afternoon welcomes you to Avignon, the former home of exiled popes (read: MTV worthy cribs like the Palais des Papes). Tonight: hit up a local bistro or gather for a makeshift picnic. Either way, be sure to pair your meal with some local Rhône Valley wine, one of France's finest reds.

Meals: Breakfast & lunch.

Did you know:
-The government hands out medals to French parents who effectively raise their children with dignity. Yes, there is such thing as mum/dad of the year.
-There are three towns in Southern France where dying is not allowed. Like completely illegal.

Day 6: Avignon to Barcelona, Spain

Travel Day: Avignon, France to Barcelona, Spain (via Pont du Gard).

First up, we check out the 2000-year-old Roman engineered aqueduct Pont du Gard on our way to Barcelona. Get hungry on a guided driving tour, ticking off the Columbus Monument, Montjuic (site of the 1992 Olympics) & Gaudi's yet to be finished Sagrada Familia.

Round off the day with churros & tapas, & feed your cravings for Catalonian zest at tonight's included dinner. Later: let loose at an optional flamenco show.

Included today: Visit Pont du Gard & driving tour of Barcelona

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Optional activities:
-Flamenco show

Did you know:
-The name Spain is derived from the word Ispania, which means the land of rabbits.
-Chupa Chups were invented by Catalonian Enric Bernat in 1958.
-There is no tooth fairy in Spain? Instead there's a tooth mouse called Ratoncito Perez, originating in Madrid in 1894.
-Japan (allegedly) has more flamenco academies than Spain.

Barcelona

Who needs the snooze button when you got a whole day in a city packed to the rafters with art nouveau, alluring accents & most importantly, tapas. Hit the side streets & alleyways of Las Ramblas, take in the eccentric work of artist Antoni Gaudi at Parc Guell or give in to your inner football tragic & kneel to the sporting gods at Camp Nou.

Included today: Free day

Meals: Breakfast.

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Barcelona to French Riviera, France

Travel Day: Barcelona, Spain to French Riviera, France.

Get that selfie stick out as we roll on north along the coast to rub shoulders with the rich & famous at the world's most lavish waterfront property, aka the French Riviera. Swap your patatas bravas for hearty French cooking & get ready for tomorrow's adventures.

Meals: Breakfast & dinner.

Did you know:
-It was illegal for women to wear trousers in France up until 2012. Guess who wears the pants now.
-A cafe in Nice has started charging impolite customers extra. At La Petite Syrah, customers get charged based on their manners. €1,40 if you use say hello &  please, €7 if you use neither.

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French Riviera

Bring your paparazzi posse to the beach or let loose among the designer boutiques in Nice's Old Town.

Later: Roll with the jet set as we hit up the Monaco for a guided tour & the chance to see how the 1% live (hint: it involves lots of fur & bathing in caviar). Feeling lucky? Hit the tables at the Monte Carlo Casino & make it rain (or not).

Included today: Eze perfume factory visit & guided tour of Monaco

Meals: Breakfast.

Optional activities:
-Monte Carlo Casino

Did you know:
-The Monte Carlo casino was originally called a health spa to avoid criticism from the church. Now that's a world class euphemism.
-The citizens of Monaco are not allowed to gamble, let alone step inside the famous Monte Carlo casino. When it was first constructed it was called a health spa to avoid criticism from the church.
-According to artifacts discovered in Nice, its earliest tourists were travelling cave-dwellers that passed through hunting woolly mammoths almost 400,000 years ago.

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French Riviera to Venice, Italy

Travel Day: French Riviera to Venice, Italy.

Thou literary fancies shalt be tickled in yonder Verona, home to thou fairest maiden Juliet & the accursed house of Capulet. Check out Juliet's balcony then head to the local Roman Amphitheatre turned killer concert venue. Verona Arena has played host to a number of international acts including U2, One Direction (sorry) & Sting. Feast Italian style with another dinner prepared by our resident chef tonight.

Included today: Verona visit & guided tour

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Did you know:
-Venice is sinking at the rate of 1-2 millimeters a year, 5 times faster than originally estimated. All the more reason to cross it off your bucket list.
-The average Italian slurps through 25 kilos of pasta a year.

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Venice

You know it as the floating city, but this place is actually sinking (slowly). Check out St. Mark's Square, Accademia Bridge & a who's who of Venice's usual suspects on a guided walking tour then jump on a vaporetto & explore the Grand Canal.

Also on the schedule: a lesson in traditional lace-making & an optional gondola ride through the maze of marble bridges & gelato shops we call Venice. Throw away your map in the afternoon & try to find the world's most epic little bookshop, Libreria Acqua Alta, or just go on a mission to find the perfect gelato.

Included today: Walking Tour, lace school demonstration & Vaporetto ride on the Grand Canal

Meals: Breakfast & dinner.

Optional activities:
-Gondola ride on the Grand Canal

Did you know:
Venice is sinking at the rate of 1-2 millimeters a year, 5 times faster than originally estimated. All the more reason to cross it off your bucket list.
Gondoliers (of which there are only 400 operating in Venice) go through rigorous training & a tough final exam - about 3-4 licences are distributed annually.

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Venice to Florence

Travel Day: Venice, Italy to Florence, Italy (via Pisa).

Take THAT shot at the Leaning Tower of Pisa today before trucking on to the Tuscan hills outside Florence to eat, sleep, repeat in the foodie capital of the world.

Included today: Pisa visit en-route

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Did you know:
-Gondoliers (of which there are only 400 operating in Venice) go through rigorous training & a tough final exam - about 3-4 licences are distributed annually.
-The Leaning Tower of Pisa was used as a Nazi observation post during WWII, but was spared from Allied artillery fire due to its beauty. Maybe she's born with it.

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Florence to Rome

Travel Day: Florence to Rome.

Onwards to Rome. Make like Caesar (the emperor, not the salad) & work up a colossus hunger as you pass by the Pantheon, throw your two cents in the Trevi Fountain, sit on the Spanish Steps & visit ancient history's version of the Hunger Games set at the Colosseum. Tonight, you're in Disneyland for foodies. Have fun.

Included today: Guided tour of Rome

Meals: Breakfast.

Did you know:
-Wishful thinkers throw about €3,000 into the Trevi Fountain every day so it's illegal to remove coins from it. Not that it stopped the notorious Mr. d'Artagnan. He stole from the fountain for 34 years before he was caught in 2002.
-Real Italians never drink cappuccinos after 10am.
-In Italian, 'fiasco' is a bottle. In English, it's a big fail. We don't get it either.

Rome

Make it an espresso doppio this morning - you're on your own from here. Rome wasn't built in a day so why not spend a few more and get to know this ancient powerhouse a little better?

Meals: Breakfast.

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