Discover Europe with your family! Start in Rome with a welcome dinner, and enjoy sightseeing featuring St. Peter’s Square, the Pantheon, and the Colosseum, where you get a family picture with a gladiator (if available). Next, travel via Pisa to take pictures of the Leaning Tower, and to the spa resort of Montecatini, where a special highlight dinner at a local agriturismo awaits you. In Florence, visit the Palazzo Vecchio and admire sculpture-studded Signoria Square. Travel to Venice, enter in style by private boat, and have a pizza dinner at a local restaurant. The following day, enjoy a unique experience: create your own Venetian carnival mask! Also enjoy a glassblower demonstration and a private family gondola ride. On to charming Stresa at Lake Maggiore for your overnight stay, then cross the Simplon Pass, ride a cogwheel mountain train, and arrive in car-free Zermatt at the base of the Matterhorn. Before continuing to Lake Geneva, you may wish to join an optional ride up the open-air railway on Gornergrat Mountain. From Lausanne, ride the famous high-speed TGV train to Paris, where visits to Notre Dame Cathedral and to the top of the Eiffel Tower are included. You can also try out a freshly made crêpe. Finally, travel to London on the high-speed Eurostar train, and enjoy sightseeing and a ride on the London Eye, the world’s tallest observation wheel.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in Rome, Italy. Benvenuti a Roma! Welcome! Enjoy free time today to rest or to start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 5 pm, meet your Tour Director and fellow traveling companions for a festive WELCOME PARTY & DINNER. (D)
Day #2 Travel Back in Time to Ancient Rome. Your day begins with a stop at the smallest country in the world—the Pope’s Vatican City, with time to admire monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE. Then, step back in time at the [LF] interactive 3D REWIND ROME museum to learn about the ancient city and life as a gladiator. Visit the imposing COLOSSEUM and take a FAMILY PICTURE WITH A GLADIATOR (if available). This afternoon, a guided walking tour shows off the Spanish Steps, famous Trevi Fountain, the PANTHEON, and Navona Square. (B)
Day #3 Straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa & Relax in Montecatini. Say arrivederci to Rome and make your way into Tuscany. Stop in Pisa and see if you can straighten its amazing Leaning Tower. This afternoon, relax by your hotel pool in the spa town of Montecatini, or maybe go exploring. A special HIGHLIGHT DINNER at a local agriturismo lets you taste the region’s famous specialties. (B,D)
Day #4 Renaissance Florence & Real Italian Pizza. This morning, explore Florence, the “Cradle of the Renaissance,” on a guided walking tour. Visit the fortress palace of PALAZZO VECCHIO, and see SIGNORIA SQUARE with its many famous statues, like the Fountain of Neptune, and a reproduction of Michelangelo’s David. On to magical Venice, where you’ll enter the city in style—by PRIVATE BOAT! Admire St. Mark’s Square, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. This evening, dig in to an authentic Italian PIZZA dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)
Day #5 Decorate Your Own Carnival Mask & Take a Private Gondola Ride. Walk through the narrow streets of Venice to an original mask workshop, and decorate your very own [LF] VENETIAN CARNIVAL MASK. When you’re finished, you can use your included vaporetto ticket to return to the hotel or to find a cozy trattoria for lunch. An amazing GLASSBLOWER DEMONSTRATION and a [LF] RIDE ON A PRIVATE GONDOLA with your family rounds out your Venetian experience. (B)
Day #6 Relax in Stresa on Lake Maggiore. Travel to the heart of the Italian Lake District, the beautiful resort town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore. Explore on your own this afternoon, or maybe relax at the hotel pool or join an optional excursion to the baroque palace and peacock gardens of enchanting Isola Bella. (B,D)
Day #7 Take a Cogwheel Train to Zermatt, at the Foot of the Matterhorn. High in the Alps, drive over Simplon Pass to the Swiss village of Täsch, where you’ll board the COGWHEEL MOUNTAIN TRAIN that takes you to Zermatt. You may choose to explore this car-free mountain town on your own, or you can join an optional excursion to Gornergrat mountain, at 10,269 feet above sea level for fantastic views including the world-renowned Matterhorn. In the late afternoon, continue on to your hotel on Lake Geneva. (B,D)
Day #8 Ride the TGV Train & See Paris from Atop the Eiffel Tower. In Lausanne, board the high-speed TGV TRAIN (first-class) and zoom north across France to Paris, the “City of Light.” Upon arrival, take the elevator to the TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER, the tallest structure in Paris, for an unforgettable experience overlooking the city. (B)
Day #9 Explore Paris. Meet your Local Guide and explore this haute couture city to see what makes Paris so captivating. Admire the most famous sights along the way: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and visit NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, setting for The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Try counting the many gargoyles, or marvel at its beautiful stained-glass Rose Window. Later, [LF] sample one of France’s specialties—a freshly made CRÊPE. The afternoon is free to maybe join an optional excursion to the Louvre Museum, home to the legendary Mona Lisa. This evening, enjoy a SEND-OFF CELEBRATION DINNER at a local restaurant. (B,D)
Day #10 Travel the "Chunnel" to London. All aboard the high-speed EUROSTAR TRAIN! You’ll zoom up to 150 miles per hour, traveling through the undersea Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) and arriving in London in the afternoon. The evening is free—why not take in one of London’s West End theater shows? (B)
Day #11 See Big Ben & Ride on the London Eye. Hop aboard a traditional London double-decker bus for a memorable morning of sightseeing that includes all the famous landmarks: Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Prime Minister’s home and office at Number 10 Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. Then, a ride on the LONDON EYE, Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel! (B)
Day #12 London. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Hotels:
ROME Starhotels Michelangelo (SF) or UNA Hotel (F)
TUSCANY Settentrionale Esplanade (F) at Montecatini or Grand Hotel Tettuccio (F) at Montecatini
VENICE All’Angelo (F)
LAKE MAGGIORE Grand Hotel Bristol (F) at Stresa
LAKE GENEVA Alpha-Palmiers (F) at Lausanne
PARIS Novotel Paris Tour Eiffel (SF) or Concorde Montparnasse (F)
LONDON Park Plaza Westminster Bridge (SF)