Enjoy a leisurely vacation with two-night stays in Rome, Venice, Florence, Nice, and Paris. A special welcome dinner with wine is included at a lively Roman restaurant, as well as guided sightseeing including St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Forum in Rome. In Assisi, visit St. Francis’ Basilica, and a private boat ride is the perfect way to reach St. Mark’s Square with its Basilica and the Doges’ Palace in Venice. Stop in Ferrara, and admire de Este Castle. In Florence, a light lunch with Tuscan specialties has been prepared for you. And, of course, you will admire Michelangelo’s David. Enjoy a scenic drive along the Mediterranean via Pisa and its Leaning Tower, then follow the famous Moyenne Corniche and stay two nights in Nice on the French Riviera. A highlight visit to the famous artist town of St. Paul de Vence has been included—walk along the quaint street with its art galleries, and enjoy a glass of the local Pastis. Travel to Paris by high-speed TGV train, where a special dinner at one of Paris’ attractive restaurants awaits you. During sightseeing, a visit to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower has been included for a spectacular view of this amazing city.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in Rome, Italy. Welcome to Rome! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a welcome dinner with pasta and wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)
Day #2 Rome. Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. To make the most of your stay, join our optional Roman Highlights excursion and see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the sites and squares of medieval Rome made famous in the movie Angels and Demons. (B)
Day #3 Rome–Assisi–Venice. Morning break in peaceful Assisi. Visit the massive 13th-century BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above the saint’s grave. Continue to the Adriatic coast and arrive in romantic Venice. Tonight is your chance to join an optional evening featuring a taxi boat ride along the Grand Canal followed by a traditional Venetian dinner. (B)
Day #4 Venice. Start sightseeing in style by PRIVATE BOAT and meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the Byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Later, you may wish to join an optional cruise to colorful Burano Island. (B)
Day #5 Venice–Ferrara–Florence. In Ferrara, stroll through imposing Este Castle to the marble cathedral, before continuing across the wooded Apennine Mountains into Tuscany to Florence, “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Enter Piazza Santa Croce, where a [LF] light lunch with traditional Tuscan specialties and wine awaits you at Casa Toscana restaurant. Then, time to check out the enticing shops with Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry. (B,L)
Day #6 Florence. Your guided walking tour features a visit to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and visit sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Choose from our exciting optional excursions to enhance your stay. (B)
Day #7 Florence–Pisa–Nice, France. In Pisa, marvel at the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Then, drive past a string of Italian and French Riviera resorts towards the Principality of Monaco. Leave the highway for the panoramic Moyenne Corniche to arrive in Nice. (B)
Day #8 Nice. Excursion to St. Paul De Vence. A highlight visit this morning to the picturesque hilltop town of [LF] St. Paul de Vence. Marvel at the many art galleries, and relax with a glass of pastis at a local terrace, where you may see the locals play pétanque (lawn bowling). Return to Nice for a lazy afternoon to dabble in the blue Mediterranean or to stroll along the elegant Promenade des Anglais. An optional outing is available tonight to Monte Carlo. (B)
Day #9 Nice–Paris. Transfer to the railway station and board the high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. Meet your Local Guide and take the elevator to the second floor of Paris’ most famous landmark: the EIFFEL TOWER. This evening, a special dinner with wine has been included at a local restaurant where you can try out local specialties like escargots, soupe à l’oignon, boeuf bourguignon, and others. Afterwards, why not join an optional drive through the “City of Light?” (B,D)
Day #10 Paris. Discover the world capital of chic and style with a Local Guide and admire its most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and more. Optional excursions to the magnificent Louvre Museum to admire the Mona Lisa, and the lavish baroque Palace and Gardens of Versailles are available. Tonight, an optional evening out for dinner and a show at the Moulin Rouge may be the best way to say, “Au revoir, Paris.” (B)
Day #11 Paris. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Hotels:
ROME Grand Hotel Beverly Hills (F)
VENICE Carlton on the Grand Canal (F)
FLORENCE Starhotels Michelangelo (SF)
NICE AC Hotel Nice (F)
PARIS Marriott Paris Rive Gauche (SF)