RR27810
What could be better than experiencing all this fabulous continent has to offer during the magic of winter? Nothing, that’s what. To travel in Europe in the wintertime is to discover the same wonders but in a different light. From the Eiffel Tower to the Colosseum, the towering Swiss Alps to the canals of Amsterdam, the sights & sounds of Europe will stay with you long after the picturesque snow melts.
| Starting from | R27 810 |
| Package Validity | Selected departure dates between:03 DEC 2017 - 03 MAR 2018 |
| Duration | 14 days |
| Destination | Europe (France, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, Austria, Germany, Netherlands & Belgium) |
| Starts in | London (Paris) |
| Ends in | London |
| Age Group | This is a group tour (max 45 people) for ages 18 - 38 years. |
{tab Description}
- English channel ferry crossing from Dover to Calais
- 2 nights accommodation in Paris
- 2 nights accommodation in the Swiss Alps
- 1 night accommodation in Florence
- 2 nights accommodation in Rome
- 2 nights accommodation in Venice
- 1 night accommodation in Salzburg
- 1 night accommodation in Heidelberg
- 2 nights accommodation in Amsterdam
- 13 Breakfasts, 9 dinners
- Touring by coach with Wi-Fi
- Assistance of a Trip leader & driver
- Gondola ride in Venice, Dutch cheese & clogs demonstration, bicycle tour of Amsterdam, Vaporetto ride on Grand Canal in Venice, Canal dinner cruise in Amsterdam, Paris city driving tour & taste a traditional Swiss fondue
{tab Day 1}
London to Paris, France
Leave London for dust as we jump over the English Channel to Calais for a beauty smackdown. Brush up on your bonjour's when you meet the rest of the group & wrap your lips around your first real French meal. Dinner may leave you full but it's just an appetiser; see the City of Light at its best on a driving tour & play landmark bingo with the Eiffel Tower, Champs Élysées & Arc de Triomphe.
Included today: English Channel crossing & Paris city driving tour
Paris
A free day in Paris to partake in pastries, paintings & Centre Pompidou! Bike along the Seine on an optional tour or just flâner (stroll) around and drink it in. Check out L'eclair de Genie in le Marais (don't ask questions), get your obligatory Eiffel Tower #selfie then explore the world's largest grave at the Catacombs. Tonight, experience the razzle dazzle of a cabaret show or hop on a boat down the river to crank the romance dial to 11.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
{tab Day 3}
Paris to Swiss Alps, Switzerland
Tear yourself away from that baguette - fondue awaits! The vista out your window today plays like a documentary on 'world's sexiest views'. Unlike the Toblerone box, the Swiss Alps aren't all lined up perfectly, so we weave up through the breathtaking valleys & peaks to reach Engelberg. Grab your forks & prepare to cover everything in cheese at dinner tonight. Don't worry, there are plenty of mountains to ski down to burn the calories off.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Swiss Alps
Wake up, eat hearty then go Stallone all over the Alps. You can glide, slide, hike & ski all over Mount Titlis. Or just settle in with some Gluhwein. They don't make these ridiculously cosy cafes for nothing! If you get a second wind, jump on the revolving gondola to the top of Mt Titlis & test your pano photo skills. Then head back down for some snow angels & hot chocolate. #HardLife.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
{tab Day 5}
Swiss Alps to Florence, Italy
Hand back the skis & yodel your way down the mountains & into the land of the long boot. Make your food baby sing as we roll into the land of hearty Tuscan cuisine & birthplace of gelato: Florence. Whip around Santa Maria del Fiore before tucking into amore on a plate. The evening is yours to stroll along the real-life watercolour of the Arno River, wishing you were a painter.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Florence to Rome
Get schooled on the Medici family, stroll the Ponte Vecchio & learn about leather (new handbag, anyone?) on a morning walking tour. Then we're Romeward bound for a rendezvous with ancient architecture's biggest players. 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. Tonight, you're in Disneyland for foodies. Have fun.
Included today: Florence walking tour by local guide, leather demonstration & Rome walking tour
Meals: Breakfast
{tab Day 7}
Rome
Create the ultimate Roman Holiday in one day with a whirlwind of Vespas, espresso, two-cheek kisses & pizza the way it's supposed to taste. Pop in on the Pope on an optional tour of the Vatican City to see how Michelangelo messed around and created the High Renaissance, then play eye spy with two-&-a-half millennia worth of history. Shop till you drop on Via Condotti, head to Capitoline Hill for awesome views of the Roman Forum & Colosseum or just kick back in Piazza Navona for some dolce far niente (delicious idleness).
Meals: Breakfast
Rome to Venice
Hark! Maketh haste to whence the lady Juliet was wooed in Verona. Snap a selfie at her balcony & join throngs of lovers leaving notes on the wall (or avoid the crowds & just marvel at the ancient arena). Say ciao to Venice from across the lagoon as we check into our hotel & have an Eat Pray Love-worthy relationship with an irresistible Italian (meal) & get pumped for living out your own version of The Italian Job tomorrow.
Included today: Walking tour of Verona
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
{{tab Day 9}}
Venice
100+ slowly sinking islands won't explore themselves. Get your bearings on this morning's walking tour, then get hopelessly lost. Your GPS won't save you here. Soak up St Mark's Square (then get far, far away if you don't want to drop $40 on a coffee) & watch an intricate lace demo before a quintessential gondola ride on the Grand Canal. Corny smooching not included. This afternoon, snoop the Doges Palace, cross Rialto Bridge & shop for Carnevale masks.
Included today: Walking tour of Venice, Lace demonstration & Gondola ride.
Meals: Breakfast.
Venice to Slazburg, Austri
So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye as we set off to find The Sound of Music. Go for baroque & make a date with Mozart on a walking tour of his birthplace, & then play eye-spy with Salzburg Castle overlooking the city. We hope you saved some room for strudel, because tonight we feast in a beerhouse. Schnitz yeah!
Included today: Walking tour of Salzburg
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
{tab Day 11}
Salzburg to Heidelberg, Germany
Picture the definition of pretty & you've got Heidelberg. Have a one-day romantic affair with the city that will capture your heart with its charm. We're talking hilltop castle ruins, cobblestone quarters & a fairytale 18th century bridge crossing the River Neckar. Feast German style before taste testing steins from the local beerhouses. Heads up: Heidelberg's Vetter 33 packs a record-setting punch, so pace yourself.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Heidelberg to Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amster-DAM it's going to be a good day! Start dreaming of cheese, clogs & cheeky cafe stops as we roll through tulip & windmill dotted fields to Amsterdam. Get your bearings on a walking tour of the vibrant capital & see the Dam Square, Royal Palace & National Monument.
Included today: Amsterdam walking tour, Dutch cheese & clogs demonstration
Meals: Breakfast
Amsterdam
Get on your bike & ride! Do as the locals do & join the 881,000 bicycles on a city bike tour to soak up the wintery canal vistas before retreating with poffertjes & stroopwafels. Take on the city's 51 museums (must-dos: Van Gogh Museum & the Anne Frank House). Still thirsty for more? Check out the Heineken Experience for an interactive visit & tasting at the brewery. Top it off with a dinner cruise on the canal.
Included today: Bicycle tour of Amsterdam & Canal dinner cruise
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Amsterdam to London, UK
Gluten intolerant? We're sorry. Really. With chocolate, waffles & beer at top of the national list of pride in Bruges it makes for a damn fine walking tour stop. Stock up on the sweet stuff, climb the 366 step belfry & nip the post-holiday blues in the bud before London calls with a serving of the local specialty - chips by the cone fried in beef & horse fat. Then it's back on the ferry to ol' Blighty to start planning your next adventure. Facebook friends?
Included today: Bruges walking tour
Meals: Breakfast