24 Days,
London to London
A winter tour of Europe to warm your spirit
Visiting 10 countries: France, Switzerland, Italy, Vatican City, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands
This epic tour of Europe in all its wintry glory uncovers the spirit of a continent that’s famous for its seasonal splendour. Marvel at all the Pinterest-worthy sights (sans the summer crowds) and make memories to last a lifetime in iconic cities like Paris, Rome, Venice, Budapest, Vienna, Krakow, Berlin and Amsterdam (just to name a few). Go on, wrap yourself in your favourite scarf and feel the winter spirit. You won’t regret it!
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Day 1:
London, England to Paris, France (or join in Paris)
Leave London for dust as we jump over the English Channel to France for a beauty smackdown. Brush up on your bonjours when you meet the rest of the group and wrap your lips around your first real French meal at our included dinner. See the City of Light at its best on a driving tour and play landmark bingo with the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.
Included today:
-English Channel ferry ticket
-Driving tour of Paris
Meals:
-Dinner
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Day 2:
Paris
A free day in Paris to get involved with pastries, paintings and the Centre Pompidou. Bike along the Seine on an optional tour or just flâner (stroll) around and drink it in. Check out L'éclair de Génie in le Marais (don't ask questions), get your obligatory Eiffel Tower #selfie then explore the world's largest grave at the Catacombs. Tonight, experience the razzle dazzle of a cabaret show or hop on a boat down the river to crank the romance dial to 11.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Traditional cabaret show in Paris
-Seine River cruise
-Bike tour of Paris
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Day 3:
Paris to Swiss Alps, Switzerland
The vistas out your window today are gorgeous. Unlike the Toblerone box, the Swiss Alps aren't all lined up perfectly, so we weave up through the breathtaking valleys and peaks to reach our destination.
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
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Day 4:
Swiss Alps
Hop on board the optional excursion to Jungfrau ('The Top of Europe'), which takes you to the highest train station in Europe. The view is so beautiful it'll probably make you cry. Seriously. Want more adventure? Up the adrenaline by skydiving out of a helicopter, then head back down to earth for some snow angels and hot chocolate.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Scenic excursion to Jungfrau ('The Top of Europe')
-Scenic helicopter ride in the Swiss Alps
-Skydiving in the Swiss Alps
-Schilthorn cable car ride
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Day 5:
Swiss Alps to Florence, Italy
If you're going to make something wrong it better be good looking. Failures don't come any more beautiful than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Snap a pic (you know the one) then get ready to roll into the land of Tuscan cuisine and birthplace of gelato: Florence.
Included today:
- Visit Pisa & the Leaning Tower
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
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Day 6:
Florence
Get schooled on the Medici family, stroll the Ponte Vecchio and learn about leather (new handbag, anyone?) on a morning walking tour. Use the afternoon to meet a guy named David doing his best Blue Steel in the Accademia Gallery, shop the markets and hunt down the best aperitivo spreads.
Included today:
-Walking tour of Florence with local guide
Meals:
-Breakfast
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Day 7:
Florence to Rome
We're Romeward bound today for a rendezvous with ancient architecture's biggest players. Make like Caesar (the emperor, not the salad) and work up a colossus hunger as you pass by the Pantheon, throw your two cents in the Trevi Fountain and sit on the Spanish Steps. Tonight, you're in Disneyland for foodies. Have fun.
Included today:
-Visit the town of Orvieto
-Walking tour of Rome
Meals:
-Breakfast
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Day 8:
Rome including Vatican City visit
Create the ultimate Roman Holiday in one day with a whirlwind of Vespas, espresso, two-cheek kisses and pizza the way it's supposed to taste. Pop in on the Pope on an optional tour of the Vatican City, then play I spy with two-and-a-half millennia worth of history. Shop 'til you drop on Via Condotti, head to Capitoline Hill for awesome views of the Roman Forum and Colosseum or just kick back in Piazza Navona for some dolce far niente (delicious idleness).
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Guided tour of Vatican City
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Day 9:
Rome to Venice
Snap a selfie at Juliet's famous balcony in Verona and join throngs of lovers leaving notes on the wall (or avoid the crowds and just marvel at the ancient arena). Say ciao to Venice from across the lagoon as we check into our hotel and tuck into a yummy dinner together.
Included today:
-Walking tour of Verona
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
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Day 10:
Venice
100+ slowly sinking islands won't explore themselves. Get your bearings on this morning's walking tour before an action packed day. Soak up St Mark's Square and opt in for a quintessential gondola ride on the Grand Canal (optional activity). Corny smooching not included. This afternoon, snoop the Doge's Palace, cross Rialto Bridge and shop for Carnevale masks. There's so much going on here. Did we mention it's beautiful?
Included today:
-Walking tour of Venice
-Vaporetto ride in Venice
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Gondola ride in Venice
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Day 11:
Venice to Salzburg, Austria
Today, it's off to Mozart's birthplace: Salzburg. Enjoy a walking tour of his birthplace and then play I spy with Salzburg Castle overlooking the city. There's lots to explore here, so hop to it!
Included today:
-Walking tour of Salzburg
Meals:
-Breakfast
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Day 12:
Salzburg
If adventure is your middle name then carve out your day shredding in the Alps. But if you're down for something a bit more chilled out, there's plenty to go and explore in Salzburg. Tonight, check out the rest of the city's breweries. Prost!
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Skiing in the Alps
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Day 13:
Salzburg to Vienna
Roll into Vienna and get your bearings on a driving tour. Top off your day with a schnitzel and apple strudel at Café Central, the regular hangout of Freud, Trotsky and Lenin. Let the Vienna Chamber Orchestra serenade you later (optional).
Included today:
-Driving tour of Vienna
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-A night at the Viennese Chamber Orchestra (dinner optional at an additional expense)
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Day 14:
Vienna to Budapest, Hungary
Today, we've got a pit stop in Bratislava to get the low-down on Slovakia's capital city. While checking out Bratislava Castle, see if you can spot the city's quirky bronze statues in the Old Town. Then, your house in Budapest awaits. A driving tour will help you get your bearings. Budapest is situated on the banks of the mighty River Danube and is home to Heroes' Square, Parliament House, Buda Castle and the swanky boulevard, Andrássy Avenue.
Included today:
-Walking tour of Bratislava
-Driving tour of Budapest
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
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Day 15:
Budapest
Free day! Indulge in a spa treatment at the world famous Gellért Baths and visit the Buda Castle or House of Terror Museum. Tonight, hang with the hipsters and drink local fruit brandy at one of the original ruin bars. Opt in for a dinner cruise on the river for some epic sightseeing and selfie taking.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Dinner cruise in Budapest
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Day 16:
Budapest to Krakow, Poland
Legend has it a dragon had to be smited in order for Kraków to be built (with a sulphur stuffed lamb as bait). Bit tougher than the usual council approvals, no? Meet Poland's beating heart - and the largest medieval town square in Europe - on a walking tour. Buff up on history at Wawel Castle, feed the ducks amongst the slushy snow on the bank of the Wisla and after dinner, slay a few glasses of mead.
Included today:
-Walking tour of Kraków
Meals:
-Breakfast
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Day 17:
Krakow
Get all up in the streets of Kraków today and let the statement, "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire" really sink in at Oskar Schindler's factory. Go 327-metres underground to see hundreds of shades of rock salt in the Wieliczka Salt Mine, visit a centuries-old synagogue in the Jewish district and shop for amber in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Cloth Hall. Your day, your choice.
Meals:
-Breakfast
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Day 18:
Krakow to Prague, Czech Republic
First, a sobering visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp for a lesson in the resilience of humanity. Then, fuel up on trdelník (pastry deliciousness) before a walking tour to get us started in Prague. Suss out the castle deemed worthy by Guinness World Records as being the largest ancient castle in the world, cross medieval Charles Bridge and watch 'Death' toll the hour on an astronomical clock that's over 600 years old. After dinner, get cosy in a café with hot chocolate.
Included today:
-Guided tour of former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau
-Walking tour of Prague
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
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Day 19:
Prague
Channel your inner bohemian and seek out the John Lennon memorial wall to start your free day. Soak up some more Czech history at the National Museum or Communist Museum or get a taste of the quirky local culture at a marionette puppet opera (you gotta see it to believe it). Snap a selfie at Prague's own Eiffel Tower, visit The Museum of Miniatures, eat roast pork from one of the street vendors lining Old Town Square and drink beer. Really. Good. Beer.
Meals:
-Breakfast
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Day 20:
Prague to Berlin, Germany
Get acquainted with 800-year-old Dresden - a city virtually destroyed in WWII and then rebuilt. Then: Berlin, we're coming for ya. We'll drive you around to see the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building.
Included today:
-Walking tour of Dresden
-Driving tour of Berlin
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
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Day 21:
Berlin
Join the optional Third Reich walking tour for an insight into what the city was like under Nazi rule during WWII, go on a museum crawl or head to the zoo. More culture awaits on Museum Island, with creative types and memorable meals available in the Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg neighbourhoods. Tonight, no curfew at clubs = get ready for a night to remember.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Third Reich walking tour
-Berlin Alternative Tour & Nightlife tour
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Day 22:
Berlin to Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amster-DAM it's going to be a good day! Start dreaming of cheese and clogs as we roll through tulip and windmill dotted fields to Amsterdam. Get your bearings on a walking tour of the vibrant capital and see the Dam Square, Royal Palace and National Monument. End the night with a cone of hot chips with mayo. Mmm.
Included today:
-Dutch cheese & clogs demonstration
-Walking tour of Amsterdam
Meals:
-Breakfast
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Day 23:
Amsterdam
Get on your bike and ride! Do as the locals do and join the 881,000 bicycles on an optional city bike tour to soak up the wintery canal vistas before retreating with hot chocolate, poffertjes and stroopwafels. Take on the city's 51 museums (must-dos: Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House). Still thirsty for more? Check out the Heineken Experience for an interactive visit and tasting at the brewery. Top it off with a dinner cruise on the canal.
Included today:
-Canal dinner cruise in Amsterdam
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Optional activities:
-Bike tour of Amsterdam
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Day 24:
Amsterdam to London, England
Today it's back on the ferry as we journey back to London. Start planning the next adventure. Facebook friends?
Included today:
-English Channel ferry ticket
