Europe in Depth with London

Day 1

ARRIVE IN LONDON, ENGLAND. Welcome to London! Uniformed Globus Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Day 2

LONDON. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the Thames River, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. Visit ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece built between 1675 and 1708. (B)

Day 3

LONDON–BRUSSELS, BELGIUM–AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND. Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and board the high-speed EUROSTAR TRAIN to Brussels. Walk to the GRAND’PLACE and admire its baroque guild houses and the gothic Town Hall. You cannot leave Brussels without rubbing the statue of Everard t’ Serclaes, a 14th-century hero, for good luck, and taking pictures of the tiny but world-famous statue of Manneken Pis. Continue to Amsterdam, capital of Holland. (B,D)

Day 4

AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND. See the main sights of the 700-year-old capital with a Local Guide, like the original Heineken Brewery, the Rijksmuseum, and more. A highlight is a leisurely CANAL CRUISE past the patrician mansions and gabled façades. Also visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. Later, you may wish to join an optional excursion to visit a cheese farm, a clog maker, and a working windmill, followed by dinner in the pretty fishing village of Volendam. (B)

Day 5

AMSTERDAM–HEIDELBERG, GERMANY. Pass the locale of A Bridge Too Far on the way to Germany and enjoy this afternoon’s highlight: a romantic RHINE CRUISE along the prettiest part of the Rhine River. Arrive in Heidelberg and take pictures of its castle. (B,D)

Day 6

HEIDELBERG–BLACK FOREST–RHINE FALLS, SWITZERLAND–LUCERNE. Morning stop in the BLACK FOREST, renowned for cuckoo clocks. Hear about the art of WOODCARVING from a local woodcarver, Adolf Herr, and enjoy a taste of the local fruit wine. Next, take pictures of the thundering RHINE FALLS and continue to picturesque Lucerne. Tonight, you may wish to join an optional folklore dinner party. (B)

Day 7

LUCERNE. During your walking tour, admire the emotional LION MONUMENT, dedicated to the fallen Swiss Guards who protected the Royal House of France during the French Revolution, and cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Choose from our optional activities: climb Mount Pilatus by cable car, or take a cruise on the fjord-like lake. (B,D)

Day 8

LUCERNE–VADUZ, LIECHTENSTEIN–INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA–SALZBURG. A short stop in Vaduz, capital of the pocket-sized Principality of Liechtenstein. Next is Innsbruck, Austria’s Olympic resort in the Tyrolean mountains. Walk through the Old Town to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF, and shop for crystal, for which Innsbruck is famous. Continue to Salzburg, where a [LF] special dinner awaits you at Farmhouse Lenzenbauer. (B,D)

Day 9

SALZBURG–VIENNA. A pleasant stroll with your Local Guide takes you through the historic center. Admire exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, and RESIDENZ SQUARE. Then, drive past the lovely Salzkammergut Lake District, made famous by the movie The Sound of Music, and along the Danube Valley to Vienna, capital of Austria. (B)

Day 10

VIENNA. Guided sightseeing features the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, HELDENPLATZ, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and a stop at Hofburg Palace. Also admire the unusual Hundertwasserhaus. To make the most of your stay, you may wish to join an optional excursion to magnificent Schönbrunn Palace and later, an optional evening concert is available at one of Vienna’s famous concert halls. (B)

Day 11

VIENNA–ZAGREB, CROATIA–LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA. A scenic drive through Carinthia brings you to Zagreb, proud capital of Croatia. Guided sightseeing features all important landmarks of the Lower Town and medieval Upper Town, such as the Parliament, Stone Gate, the Archbishop’s Palace, and a visit to the majestic CATHEDRAL. Continue to Ljubljana, the elegant capital of Slovenia. (B,D)

Day 12

LJUBLJANA. Meet your Local Guide and admire Ljubljana’s medieval castle, the impressive City Hall, and visit magnificent ST. NICHOLAS’ CATHEDRAL. Later, why not join an optional excursion to wonderful Lake Bled? (B)

Day 13

LJUBLJANA–POSTOJNA–VENICE, ITALY. Enjoy an exciting visit to the spectacular [LF] POSTOJNA CAVES by MINI-TRAIN. The caves were discovered in the 17th century, and opened to the public in 1819. Then, follow the Adriatic coast to romantic Venice. Tonight is your chance to try out the city’s fine restaurants. (B)

Day 14

VENICE. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. Highlights of your guided walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and its BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also enjoy a GLASSBLOWER DEMONSTRATION. The afternoon is free to explore the maze of little streets, bridges, and canals on your own or to join an optional gondola serenade. (B,D)

Day 15

VENICE–ASSISI. Through the Apennine Mountains to peaceful Assisi. Visit ST. FRANCIS’ BASILICA, the hub of a religious order devoted to the ideals of humanity, forgiveness, simplicity, and love for all God’s creatures. (B,D)

Day 16

ASSISI–AMALFI COAST–SORRENTO. Enjoy a comfortable drive along the Highway of the Sun past Rome to Sorrento. Here, continue by mini-bus along one of Italy’s most beautiful coastlines, the [LF] world-renowned Amalfi Coast, and top off the experience in Positano with a tasting of the area’s celebrated LIMONCELLO LIQUOR. Then, return to Sorrento, where you will stay for the next two nights. (B)

Day 17

SORRENTO. EXCURSION TO CAPRI. Speed across the bay by JETFOIL to the Isle of Capri. Ride the FUNICULAR to Capri Village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the piazzetta before returning to Sorrento. (B)

Day 18

SORRENTO–POMPEII–ROME. In POMPEII, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, follow your Local Guide past patrician homes, public baths, and commercial districts that strikingly recall day-to-day life when Rome was at the apex of her power. Continue to Rome, the “Eternal City.” (B)

Day 19

ROME. Guided sightseeing includes inside visits to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL with Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment, and monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA to admire Michelangelo’s Pietà. Then, drive to the Roman Forum, and marvel at the amazing Colosseum, where gladiators once fought. For those who wish to see it all, an optional walking tour with a Local Guide is available to further explore famous sites, like the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and more. (B)

Day 20

ROME–FLORENCE–TUSCANY. In Florence, the “Cradle of the Renaissance,” enjoy a walking tour with a Local Guide and admire the cathedral, the Baptistry’s “Gate of Paradise,” visit sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE, and see Ponte Vecchio. Time to shop for leather and gold before continuing to Montecatini, your peaceful Tuscan resort. (B,D)

Day 21

TUSCANY–PISA–ÈZE, FRANCE–FRENCH RIVIERA. Marvel at the Leaning Tower in Pisa before driving along the spectacular Italian and French Rivieras. Leave the highway in France, and join the Moyenne Corniche. In Èze, visit a PERFUME FACTORY and hear about the history and production of perfume. Continue to your hotel on the Côte d’Azur. (B)

Day 22

AT LEISURE ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA. Full day to enjoy this enchanting French Riviera resort at your own pace. Exciting optional excursions are available to the picturesque artist village of St. Paul de Vence and to famous Monte Carlo. (B)

Day 23

FRENCH RIVIERA–ARLES–BARCELONA, SPAIN. In Arles, walk to the impressive Roman Amphitheater before continuing to the Spanish border and splendid Barcelona. (B,D)

Day 24

BARCELONA. Sightseeing with a Local Guide features the spectacular Sagrada Familia Basilica, Gaudi’s masterpiece, and a panoramic view of the city and harbor from Montjuïc Hill. Also visit the GOTHIC QUARTER. Exciting optional excursions are available. (B)

Day 25

BARCELONA–MADRID. Enjoy rustic Catalonian and Aragonian landscapes on your journey to Madrid, the capital of Spain since 1561. (B)

Day 26

MADRID. Guided sightseeing features the highlights of Madrid and a special visit to the palatial PRADO MUSEUM with its priceless art treasures. Afternoon and evening at leisure. (B)

Day 27

MADRID–BILBAO–BIARRITZ, FRANCE. A highlight today is a stop in Bilbao to visit the spectacular GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, designed by architect Frank Gehry in 1997. Continue to picturesque Biarritz, an ancient fishing village turned trendy seaside resort, for your overnight stay. (B)

Day 28

BIARRITZ–BORDEAUX. Leave the coast and travel through the Landes region to Bordeaux and enjoy an orientation drive. (B,D)

Day 29

BORDEAUX–PARIS. Travel by high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. Afternoon at leisure with the possibility to join an optional excursion to the magnificent Louvre Museum with the Mona Lisa. This evening, why not join an optional evening out for dinner and show at the world-famous Moulin Rouge? (B)

Day 30

PARIS. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and a SEINE CRUISE with spectacular views of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower. An optional excursion is available to the lush Palace and Gardens of Versailles. Tonight, [LF] a farewell dinner at Les Noces de Jeannette restaurant, followed by a drive through the “City of Light” is the best way to say au revoir, Paris. (B,D)

Day 31

PARIS–LONDON, ENGLAND. Board the high-speed EUROSTAR TRAIN to London, arriving in the afternoon. (B)

Day 32

LONDON. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)