Globus

All the favourites in one comprehensive tour

Name of Tour:Traditional Grand European
Duration: 19 Days
Exclusive Price Discounts are shown below

Itinerary

Day 1 LONDON-BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Meet your Tour Director and travelling companions and transfer from your London joining hotel to the railway station to board the EUROSTAR TRAIN to Brussels, headquarters of the European Union. Your orientation tour focuses on GRAND'PLACE with its baroque guild houses and famous Manneken Pis. Tonight enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 2 BRUSSELS-AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND.
Past Antwerp and into the Netherlands. In Amsterdam visit a major DIAMOND CENTRE to appreciate how a rough mineral is transformed into a sparkling jewel. Next, enjoy a CANAL CRUISE, the best way to see the 700-year-old capital. Afternoon at leisure or join an optional excursion to Volendam. (BB,D)

Day 3 AMSTERDAM-HEIDELBERG, GERMANY-RHINELAND.
A passing glance at the Dutch region best known as the locale of A Bridge Too Far on the way to Cologne. Here you will visit the awesome twin-spired gothic CATHEDRAL. Then the afternoon's highlight: a romantic RHINE CRUISE past castle-crested cliffs, terraced vineyards, and trim, half-timbered towns. Next stop is Heidelberg, famous for its red-walled castle. (BB,D)

Day 4 RHINELAND-LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND.
A scenic day! Morning stop in the lush valleys and pine-clad hills of the BLACK FOREST, renowned for its cuckoo clocks. On the Swiss border take your pictures of the thundering RHINE FALLS, then continue to picture-book Lucerne. (BB,D)

Day 5 LUCERNE
Admire Thorwaldsen's LION MONUMENT and the ornate patrician houses lining the cobbled streets of the Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Afterwards, shop for Swiss watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car, take a cruise on the fjord-like lake, or sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking. (BB)

Day 6 LUCERNE-LIECHTENSTEIN-OBERAMMERGAU, GERMANY-MUNICH
Morning stop in Vaduz, capital of the pocket-sized Principality of Liechtenstein. Next is a panoramic drive through the Bavarian Alps, with picture stops at Mad King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle and the Passion Play town of Oberammergau. On arrival in Munich an orientation tour of major landmarks: Olympic Stadium, 305 metres (1,000-foot-high) Television Tower, and 17th-century Nymphenburg Palace. How about a stein of beer at the Hofbräuhaus tonight? (BB,D)

Day 7 MUNICH-SALZBURG, AUSTRIA-VIENNA
Through the forested landscape of southern Bavaria to the Austrian border and on to Salzburg. A pleasant stroll with your Local Guide takes you through the historic center of Mozart's hometown. Admire exquisite MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, ST. PETER'S CHURCHYARD, and the monumental Domplatz. Then browse in the shops of the charming Getreidegasse or visit the birthplace of the musical genius, if you wish. Afternoon drive along the Danube Valley to Vienna. (BB)

Day 8 VIENNA
Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide features vistas of Prater Park with its Ferris wheel and the United Nations City on the Danube. Pass the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, and stop at the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Austrian Imperial family. Marvel at the impressive courtyards and famous Heldenplatz, and visit awesome ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL. An optional excursion to Schönbrunn Palace is available. Tonight you may want to visit Grinzing for a taste of Heurigen and the merry wine village atmosphere. (BB)

Day 9 VIENNA-VENICE, ITALY
Scenic Semmering Pass, stately Styrian crossroad towns, Carinthian lakes and resorts provide the ever-changing Alpine backdrop to today's journey through the loveliest parts of Austria to Venice. Tonight is your chance to sample the city's fine restaurants. (BB)

Day 10 VENICE
Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT to 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. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (BB,D)

Day 11 VENICE-FERRARA-ROME
A comfortable drive to Ferrara. Time to stroll along the imposing Este Castle to the marble cathedral before continuing through the Apennine Hills to the Eternal City. (BB)

Day 12 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. Then time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (BB)

Day 13 ROME-TUSCANY
An easy morning drive back north to Florence, cradle of the Renaissance. Follow your Local Guide to visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo's celebrated David, the magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry's heavy bronze "Gate of Paradise," and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Afterwards, check out the shops with Florentine leather goods and gold jewellery. (BB,D)

Day 14 TUSCANY-PISA-NICE, FRANCE
Focus on Pisa this morning for pictures of its amazing Leaning Tower, 55 metre high (180 feet high) and 3.7 metres (12 feet) out of the perpendicular. Then a scenic drive past a string of Italian and French Riviera resorts towards the Principality of Monaco. Here leave the highway for the panoramic Moyenne Corniche. Before arriving in Nice, visit one of the PERFUME FACTORIES for which the area is famous. This evening you might want to sample some French cuisine. (BB)

Day 15 LEISURE IN NICE.
Full day to enjoy this enchanting resort on the Côte d'Azur at your own pace. Take your pick from fine museums, elegant shops, or stroll along the elegant Promenade des Anglais. You could also join a relaxed included walk with your Tour Director through the historic Old Town. In the late afternoon there's an exciting optional outing to Monte Carlo. (BB)

Day 16 NICE-AVIGNON-LYON.
Along the Côte d’Azur and past Cannes to Van Gogh's beloved Provence. Stop in Avignon, an important spiritual centre in the Middle Ages and the residence of several Popes and antipopes. Take your pictures of the gothic papal palace and the bridge of the popular song before proceeding through the orchards of the Rhône Valley to Lyon, the country's second-largest city. (BB,D)

Day 17 LYON-PARIS
Follow the valley of the River Saône into Burgundy where road signs read like the wine list of an expensive restaurant on your way to Paris, the traditional climax of a European vacation. This afternoon, sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the most famous sights: the Opéra, Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Elysées. For a bird's-eye view take the elevator to the second floor of the EIFFEL TOWER. Tonight, a lively cabaret show might just be the ticket! (BB)

Day 18 LEISURE IN PARIS
Another day to enjoy what this extraordinary metropolis has to offer. Explore the world capital of chic and style at your own pace: shop for perfume and fancy fashion accessories, take your pick from many fine museums or stroll through the magnificent parks. Optional excursions are available to the Louvre Museum and the lavish baroque Palace of Versailles. (BB)

Day 19 PARIS-LONDON, ENGLAND
Board the Eurostar train to London, arriving in the late afternoon, where the vacation ends. (BB)

BB= Buffet Breakfast
D = Dinner

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About Globus

The international Globus group began as a small family company, led by the father of current President, Sergio Mantegazza, in 1928. The company originally offered scenic motorcoach rides around Lake Lugano, in the southern part of Switzerland. Following the success of this operation, Mantegazza quickly expanded the business by purchasing a fleet of motorcoaches, and soon pioneered the concept of escorted 'first class' touring around Europe.

Globus continued to introduce successful touring packages to new markets in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada and in 1981 Globus launched its 'first class' packages of the United States and Canada. The combination of popular and innovative destinations, flawless service, and integrity, have earned Globus an enviable record in the travel industry. Customer loyalty is such that seven out of ten Globus customers have travelled with Globus before or have been recommended by past travellers - a notable achievement in a highly competitive industry. When it comes to escorted touring, 'no one opens more doors to the world' than Globus

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