This vacation consists almost entirely of two-night stays in a variety of famous cities and picturesque towns. Experience Amsterdam through the guided sightseeing and a canal cruise. Enjoy a romantic cruise on the Rhine River, and stop in Cologne, Heidelberg, medieval Rothenburg, and Munich. Stay two nights in Ettal, near the Passion Play village of Oberammergau, and visit beautiful Ettal Abbey, founded in 1330, followed by a liqueur tasting in the company of the abbey monks. Also included is a visit to nearby King Ludwig’s Castle in Neuschwanstein, the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Next, drive through the Alps via Innsbruck to Italy. Stay overnight in Bolzano in the Dolomites, the “Rocky Mountains of Europe,” and join a Prosecco wine tasting in Conegliano before arriving in Venice, where guided sightseeing includes St. Mark’s Basilica and Doges’ Palace with its Bridge of Sighs. From Venice, drive to Lake Maggiore and stop in Stresa, with the possibility to visit enchanting Isola Bella. Enter Switzerland and arrive in car-free Zermatt for an overnight at the foot of the Matterhorn. In the morning, an optional ride on Europe’s highest rack-railway to the Gornergrat is available. Next is French-speaking Montreux, of festival fame, for an overnight stay, before boarding the high-speed TGV train from Lausanne to Paris, where guided sightseeing features a visit to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and a full day at leisure offers the possibility to visit the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre Museum.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in Amsterdam, Holland. Welcome to Amsterdam! At 6 pm, meet your traveling companions and Tour Director for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)
Day #2 Amsterdam. Guided sightseeing features a CANAL CRUISE aboard a glass-roofed launch, which is the best way to get a good impression of how this city was built and how much still remains from the Golden Age. Next, visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. Later, maybe an optional excursion to visit a cheese farm, a clog maker, a working windmill, and dinner in the pretty fishing village of Volendam at the former Zuiderzee? (B)
Day #3 Amsterdam–Cologne–Heidelberg, Germany. In Cologne, visit the awesome twin-spired gothic CATHEDRAL. Time to shop for the traditional “4711” Eau de Cologne before the afternoon’s highlight: a RHINE CRUISE along the prettiest part of the Rhine River past castle-crested cliffs and terraced vineyards. Arrive in Heidelberg, and take pictures of its castle. (B,D)
Day #4 Heidelberg–Rothenburg–Munich–Oberammergau Area. Admire the ramparts, towers, and 16th-century houses in picture-book Rothenburg, famous for Christmas ornaments. Hear why this town was spared during the Thirty Years War. Next is Munich, capital of Bavaria. Drive by the Olympic Stadium with its 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, walk to MARIENPLATZ with its Old and New Town Halls, and see the famous Hofbräuhaus, dating back to 1589, before continuing to the peaceful village of Ettal. (B,D)
Day #5 Oberammergau Area. A special highlight today: visit beautiful [LF] ETTAL ABBEY, nestled at the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. Founded in 1330 by Benedictine monks, the original structure was destroyed by a fire in 1744 and later rebuilt in the baroque style. See the beautiful frescoes that adorn the ceilings and walls, and the marvelous altars. Also on the agenda: a TASTING of the LIQUOR produced by the abbey monks. Later, free time in Oberammergau to get acquainted with the history and traditions of this Passion Play village. To round off your stay in this area, maybe join the exciting optional excursions to Linderhof Castle with its beautiful terraced gardens, and a Bavarian dinner to try out traditional dishes and enjoy local entertainment. (B)
Day #6 Oberammergau Area–Neuschwanstein–Innsbruck, Austria–Dolomites, Italy. In the heart of the Bavarian Alps you will see two castles practically facing each other. Hohenschwangau is the castle where King Ludwig II grew up, but the most famous one is [LF] NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE, built by Ludwig and later copied by Disney. Next is Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian Tyrol. Stroll through the Old Town to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Time to shop for crystal, for which the city is famous, before continuing across spectacular Brenner Pass into Italy. Your overnight is in Bolzano, which used to be part of Tyrol until the end of World War I and where street signs in two languages still remind you of its Tyrolean past. (B,D)
Day #7 Dolomites–Venice. Drive through the impressive Dolomites, the “Rocky Mountains of Europe,” and stop in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy’s most famous ski resort. Before arriving in Venice, stop in Conegliano, where [LF] a Prosecco WINE TASTING awaits you. (B)
Day #8 Venice. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT and meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the Byzantine basilica, the Clock Tower, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (B)
Day #9 Venice–Lake Maggiore–Zermatt, Switzerland. A comfortable drive to the Italian-Swiss Lake District. In elegant Stresa at Lake Maggiore, an optional boat ride to enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged before crossing lofty Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its excellent wines and great mountain resorts. To reach the most famous of them, leave the coach behind in Täsch and board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn. (B,D)
Day #10 Zermatt–Montreux. Morning at leisure. A suggestion: ride Europe’s highest rack railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps. Next, motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley and arrive at Lake Geneva in Montreux, of festival fame. (B,D)
Day #11 Montreux–Lausanne–Paris, France. Drive along the coastline of Lake Geneva, the “Swiss Riviera,” to Lausanne, home to the International Olympic Committee. Here, board the high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. On arrival, sightseeing with a Local Guide features the most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and more. For a bird’s-eye view, take the elevator to the second floor of Paris’ most famous landmark: the EIFFEL TOWER. (B)
Day #12 At Leisure in Paris. Another day to enjoy what this extraordinary metropolis has to offer. To enhance your stay, choose from our list of optional excursions: the magnificent Louvre Museum with the Mona Lisa, the lavish baroque Palace and Gardens of Versailles, built by the Sun King, Louis XIV, and for tonight, maybe a lively cabaret show, the best way to say, “Au revoir, Paris?” (B)
Day #13 Paris. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Hotels:
AMSTERDAM NH Carlton (F)
HEIDELBERG Leonardo (F)
OBERAMMERGAU AREA Klosterhotel Ludwig der Bayer (F) at Ettal
DOLOMITES Four Points (F) by Sheraton at Bolzano
VENICE Carlton on the Grand Canal (F)
ZERMATT Walliserhof (F)
MONTREUX Eurotel Riviera (F)
PARIS Radisson Blu Boulogne (SF)