Day 1
After arrival in London, guests are picked up at the airport and transferred to the hotel. In the evening there is an introduction to the tour. Dinner at the hotel follows.
Day 2
In the morning we visit Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, and the official residence of Her Majesty the Queen. Built over 900 years ago, the castle covers a massive 480,000 square feet. After lunch we discover Hampton Court Palace, former home of the flamboyant King Henry VIII, who extended and developed this grand palace after acquiring it in the 1520’s. Its many royal occupants have ensured that the palace has fabulous furnishings, tapestries and paintings. Set on 60 acres of formal gardens, which include the famous maze and Great Vine, this palace is well worth a visit.
Day 3
We start the day with a visit to the Tower of London, which is one of the world’s most famous fortresses and has seen service as royal palace, prison, armory, and even a zoo. The ancient stones reverberate with dark secrets, priceless jewels glint in fortified vaults and pampered ravens strut over the grounds. The group also visits Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, among other sights.
Day 4
Travel day to Paris via ferry over the English Channel.
Day 5
After breakfast we are guided through one of the most visited monuments in the world, the Palace of Versailles. Wanting to escape the busy life in Paris and to keep the nobility under his control, Louis XIV built this chateau in which he set up home and installed the government. Louis Le Vau was commissioned to renovate and extend an old hunting lodge, Le Notre created the gardens from swamp land and Mansart masterminded the hydraulic display of the fountains. After lunch the group visits the Eiffel Tower and the Arch of Triumph. Free time and shopping opportunities on the Champs Élysées are offered in the evening.
Day 6
In the morning we visit the Palais du Louvre, known first and foremost as a museum housing one of the most impressive collections of artwork in the world. For almost seven hundred years the buildings constituted one of the principal residences of the kings and emperors of France. We visit Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, arguably the most stunning, and undoubtedly the most famous, Gothic cathedral in the world. Conceived in the 12th Century and completed in the 14th, Notre Dame Cathedral was the very heartbeat of medieval Paris. In the afternoon we discover Montmartre. Topped by the 19th Century Sacré-Cœur white basilica, Montmartre is the highest hill in Paris at 427 feet. Very rural until a century ago, Montmartre is nowadays the last village in the big city of Paris. It keeps a subtle and unique atmosphere in spite of the influence of tourists from all over the world.
Day 7
After breakfast we travel to Lyon, the gastronomy capital of the world and the second biggest city in France.
Day 8
After breakfast we depart from Place Bellecour and walk across Pont Bonaparte to the right bank of the Saône River and Vieux Lyon. Covering about a square mile, Old Lyon contains an amazing collection of medieval and Renaissance buildings. After years of existence as a slum, the area is now very fashionable, attracting antiques dealers, artisans, weavers, sculptors, and painters who depict scenes along the Rue du Bœuf, one of old Lyon’s most interesting streets, worthy of exploring. Our stops on this day are Cathédrale Primatiale St-Jean, Maison Thomassin, and the 16th-Century Hôtel du Chamarier. In Lyon we enjoy the special flavors of the gastronomy capital, including a wine-tasting event.
Day 9
After breakfast in Lyon, the group departs for Venice.
Day 10
In the morning we visit St Mark’s Square, the epicenter of tourist activity in Venice and a landmark location housing the city’s main church and citadel. The Basilica di San Marco and Palazzo’s foundations were laid on this buzzing Venice hotspot. The Basilica features a Byzantine relief molded in gold and embellished with expensive stones. After lunch we take a guided walking tour along the Canale Grande and discover, among other sights, the Rialto, a destination that plays to a largely tourist population. The foremost bridge on the Grand Canal was built at this commercial hub and has been reinstated by a fine-looking arch design of the Antonio da Ponte. The place played host to a lively fruit and vegetable market in the 11th Century which, though not in existence today, has left its spirited and bustling appeal intact.
Day 11
Travel to the Eternal City of Rome, which is not only represented by its masterpieces of art and breathtaking architecture, monuments and museums, but also by its typical streets and alleyways where one can discover traits of Italian lifestyle, tradition and culture.
Day 12
After breakfast we visit the Vatican Museums and a large part of the Vatican City, one of the microstates of Europe, situated in the west-central part of Rome. Its borders closely follow the city wall, constructed to protect the Pope from outside attack. In the Vatican Museums and the Vatican Galleries we will stop to admire the Sistine Chapel, seat of the Conclave, with the famous frescoes of Michelangelo. Passing inside the Vatican Museums we will arrive into Saint Peter’s Basilica. After lunch we discover the Castel Sant’Angelo, which is one of the town’s most famous landmarks. Its appearance today is the result of a long series of transformations which, in reality, have left no traces of the glorious Roman “Hadrianeum,” the mausoleum that Emperor Hadrian had built for himself and his successors.
Day 13
In the morning we visit Forum Romanum and the Colosseum. The Temple of Venus and Roma is just one example of the massive scale at which the Romans executed their public projects. A huge temple designed and built by Hadrian, it sits atop a plateau facing the Colosseum. After lunch we take a guided walking tour in the center of Rome and see world-famous sights like the Trevi-Fountains of Michelangelo or the Pantheon. Farewell dinner in the evening.
Day 14
After saying goodbye, our guests are transferred to the International Airport of Rome for their return flights.
