European Tapestry (HA) Tour

Welcome to Amsterdam! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner with wine at your hotel.

See the main sights of the 700-year-old capital with a Local Guide, like the Royal Palace, Mint Tower, the original Heineken Brewery, the Rijksmuseum, and more. Highlight is a leisurely CANAL CRUISE along the patrician mansions and gabled façades. Also visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. Later, you may wish to join an optional excursion to visit a cheese farm, a clog maker, and a working windmill, followed by dinner in the pretty fishing village of Volendam.

On the way to Germany, pass the Dutch region best known as the locale of A Bridge Too Far. Highlight of the day is a romantic RHINE CRUISE past castle-crested cliffs, terraced vineyards, and half-timbered towns. Stop in Heidelberg and take pictures of the famous red-walled ruins of the castle before continuing to Karlsruhe for your overnight stay.

Stop in the lush valleys and pine-clad hills of the BLACK FOREST, renowned for its cuckoo clocks. Hear about the art of WOODCARVING from a local woodcarver, Adolf Herr. On the Swiss border, admire thundering RHINE FALLS, then continue to picture-book Lucerne. Tonight is your chance to enjoy an optional Swiss Folklore Party.

Admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT, walk through the Old Town, and cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Time to shop for Swiss watches or climb lofty Mount Pilatus. On your way to Austria, stop in the Principality of Liechtenstein, then drive through Austria’s most famous ski area. In Innsbruck, walk through the Old Town and take pictures of Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF.

Across spectacular Brenner Pass to Italy. Enter Venice in style by PRIVATE BOAT to ST. MARK’S SQUARE and admire the byzantine basilica, lavish Doges’ Palace with its Bridge of Sighs, and watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects. You may wish to join an optional gondola ride, and later, [LF] a special dinner with wine awaits you at Rossopomodoro restaurant.

A scenic drive across the Apennine Hills and through vine- and olive-clad Tuscany brings you to the “Eternal City.”

Enjoy Globus’ unique guided sightseeing, including inside visits to all highlights of religious and ancient Rome: the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL with Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment, monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA to admire Michelangelo’s Pietà, the amazing COLOSSEUM, and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. To make the most of your stay, join our optional walking tour to see the Spanish Steps, and the sites and squares of medieval Rome made famous in the movie Angels & Demons.

Arrive in Florence, and follow your Local Guide for a pleasant walk to admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. End in PIAZZA SANTA CROCE and [LF] enjoy a light lunch with bruschetta and local specialties, accompanied by local wines in Casa Toscana restaurant. Time to shop for gold and leather before continuing to the peaceful spa resort of Montecatini for your overnight stay.

[LF] A highlight visit this morning to the picturesque hilltop town of St. Paul de Vence. Explore the many art galleries, enjoy the spectacular view, or relax at a local café, 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.

Transfer to the railway station and board the high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. Afternoon at leisure. You may wish to join an optional excursion to the magnificent Louvre Museum to admire the Mona Lisa. Tonight, dinner and show at the famous Moulin Rouge might be the ticket.

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. For a bird’s-eye view, take the elevator to the second floor of the EIFFEL TOWER. An optional excursion is available to the lavish baroque Palace and Gardens of Versailles. This evening, a farewell dinner with wine has been included at a local restaurant where you can try out local specialties like escargots (snails), soupe à l’oignon (onion soup), boeuf bourguignon (beef Burgundy), and others, followed by a drive through the “City of Light,” the perfect way to say, “Au revoir, Paris!”.

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.