ESSENTIAL EUROPE FOR GRADUATING SENIORS ITINERARY

DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

DAY 1
The Essential Europe tour begins with an overnight flight to “Merry Old England.”

DAY 2
London. Free afternoon, followed by our welcome orientation and London Pub Crawl and dinner.

DAY 3
London. Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Piccadilly Circus: these familiar names become familiar places on our morning tour. Afternoon at leisure, take in the city’s monuments or embark on a Harrod’s shopping spree. Why not attend a West End theater show tonight?

DAY 4
London/English Channel/Paris. Travel to southeast England today and board our ship to the continent. Motor through northern France and arrive in Paris, “City of Lights”. We’ll dine together at our French Bistro Dinner, then enjoy our romantic Seine River Cruise.

DAYS 5 & 6
Paris. Morning tour of Paris, see the hunchback “Quasimodo’s” Notre Dame Cathedral, Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine once stood, and the Eiffel Tower’s steel lacework. Free time in the afternoon – visit Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum, or shop the chic boutiques of Paris. Optional Cabaret Show tonight. Enjoy the next day at leisure, browsing at left bank bookstalls or sampling sinful pastries.

DAY 7
Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam. Motor to Belgium and Brussels, and see the Grand’ Place, a perfect medieval square and the statue of naughty Mennekin-Pis. Continue to Amsterdam and enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure.

DAY 8
Dutch Countryside. Go biking through 13th-century Dutch fishing villages along the IJssel Lake beaches today, watch wooden shoes being carved and sample Edam cheese at a cheese farm. Free time this afternoon in Amsterdam to tour the Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum, or visit Anne Frank’s house. This evening we invite you on a boat cruise on the cancals of Amsterdam followed by our Dutch-Indonesian “Rice Table” dinner.

DAY 9
Cologne/Rhine River Cruise/Heidelberg. Cross the German border into Cologne, famous for the world’s largest Gothic cathedral. Embark on a cruise along the fabled Rhine River, passing ancient castles, and the legendary Lorelei Rock. Continue to Heidelberg, the City of the Student Prince and climb to the ruins of the Castle of the Palatine Elector for a bird’s-eye view of the city and the Neckar River; later we’ll dine on traditional German fare.

DAY 10
Black Forest/Rhine Falls/Swiss Alps. Journey south into the mysterious Black Forest. Stop deep in the forest, with free time to watch cuckoo clocks being made, enjoy lunch or try some delicious Black Forest Cake. The Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest waterfalls, come into view as we cross the Swiss border. Our route through Zurich brings us to William Tell Country and the world-famous resort areas surrounding Lucerne.

DAY 11
Lucerne. Roam the picturesque old town of Lucerne this morning and catch up on your Swiss watch and chocolate shopping. In the afternoon consider taking an excursion up on one of the highest mountains in central Switzerland to enjoy panoramic Alpine views. Optional Swiss Folklore and party dinner tonight.

DAY 12
Lucern/Liechtenstein/Munich. Drive to the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein, then on to the fun-filled Oktoberfest city of Munich. After our authentic Bavarian dinner check out the oom-pah-pah bands at the famous Hofbräuhaus.

DAY 13
Munich/Alpine Center. This morning, we continue to Salzburg, Mozart’s birthplace. Explore the narrow streets lined with colorful wrought iron signs and shops before we continue our journey to Europe’s largest alpine sports region. Be our pampered guest for two nights of fitness and fun while nestled in the snow-capped Austrian mountains at our Alpine Center.

DAY 14
Alpine Center: Optional Horseback Riding and Whitewater Rafting. Al day today is at our leisure; go for a hike in the Alps, take a ride on horseback through alpine meadows or join the fun and excitement of whitewater rafting.

DAY 15
Austrian Lake District/Venice. The picturesque landscape of the Austrian Lake District brings us to sunny Italy’s Venice--”Sinking City in the Sea.” Walk to St. Mark’s Square, stop at a Murano glass-blowing workshop and watch famous Venetian glass being made. Leisure time may find us on a romantic gondola gliding through the intricate maze of canals beneath arched bridges passing 12th and 18th-century marble palaces.

DAY 16
Venice/Florence. Through the fertile Po Valley we approach Florence, Golden City of the Renaissance and birthplace of Michelangelo. Florence Art Tour including the Gates of Paradise, the marble Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral and Giotto’s bell tower. Visit the Florentine leather workshop before free time for shopping, museums. Dinner at a lovely Florentine trattoria.

DAY 17
Florence/Rome. Travel past Chianti vineyards along the Highway of the Sun to the Eternal City of Rome. After check-in we have time to relax or explore baroque Rome: Stop to toss three coins in Trevi Fountain, see the Pantheon and sample the famous ‘gelati’ ice cream at Piazza Navona.

DAY 18
Rome/Vatican City. Today’s city tour takes us to the Colosseum, where gladiators were thrown to the lions and the historical ruins of Caesar’s Forum. Then to Vatican City – the world’s smallest state. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica housing Michelangelo’s magnificent “Pieta.” We follow the Via Appia to dinner tonight at our mouth-watering Roman Banquet complete with Italian specialties. On the way back drive by the illuminated monuments hailing from over 20 centuries ago.

DAY 19
Rome/Sorrento Peninsula. Motor through sunny olive groves lining the way south to the Sorrento peninsula. Perched on the cliffs above the blue gulf of Naples, this is where Ulysses resisted the call of the Sirens in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Explore the city of Sorrento on your own or join our optional excursion to the famed isle of Capri, once the playground of Roman Emperors. Tonight enjoy local delicacies at our seafood dinner.

DAY 20
Pompeii/Overnight Ship to Greece. Travel to Pompeii, the city buried in 79 A.D. by 20 feet of ashes and lava after Mt. Vesuvius’ volcanic eruption. Afterwards we cross the Italian ‘boot’ and board our overnight ship to Greece.

DAYS 21, 22, & 23
Greek Island Center. Cruising through aquamarine waters, our ship docks at Patras. Motor along the Corinthian Sea across the Peloponnese to Galatas and the island Poros. Relax with three days of living like a Greek god - swim, sunbathe, or take part in optional activities such as waterskiing, wakeboarding, parasailing, banana-boating or tubing. We invite everyone to our Farewell Toga Party on the last night.

DAY 24
Athens. In the morning we board our hydrofoil to Athens. See the 2,400-year-old Parthenon, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Constitution Square. A free afternoon may find us wondering the paths of Plato, Socrates and Sophocles or trying our bargaining skills at the markets of Monastiraki. Tonight, enjoy our Farewell Dinner with traditional bouzouki music and dancing at a typical taverna in the Plaka District - Athen’s oldest neighborhood at the foot of the Acropolis.

DAY 25
Reluctantly we say farewell to Europe and new-found friends. Jet back home with thoughts of planning the next European Adventure!