Cosmos

Highlights include - New York, Boston, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Lancaster, Washington DC & Philadelphia.

Name of tour: Eastern U.S & Canada Grand Vacation
Duration: 14 days
Exclusive Price Discounts are shown below

Itinerary:

Day 1 NEW YORK CITY
Welcome to the Big Apple! Enjoy some time at leisure to relax or do some independent exploring. Your Cosmos Tour Director is on hand this evening to answer any questions.

Day 2 NEW YORK CITY-BOSTON
This morning explore the Big Apple, one of the world's most exciting cities. On the included sightseeing tour, visit Broadway, the Empire State Building, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, City Hall, Wall Street and Trinity Church. This afternoon, head for Boston - the 'Cradle of American Liberty' - an elegant city which combines early colonial history with modern innovation. The city has many historic landmarks, reflecting the important part it has played in the history of the United States.

Day 3 BOSTON
On your guided morning tour of Boston, see Faneuil Hall, the Old North Church (where Paul Revere was signaled for the departure of British troops to Lexington), and Boston Common. This afternoon is free for you to explore on your own. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for additional sightseeing and shopping. This evening, why not join your travelling companions for dinner at a popular downtown restaurant?

Day 4 BOSTON-QUEBEC CITY
Journey north through New Hampshire, passing the state's capital dome at Concord and on to the scenic White Mountains. Capture inspiring views of mountain scenery, vast forests and innumerable lakes as we drive through northern New Hampshire and Vermont. Then it's on to the Canadian border, where you'll notice a sudden change in language and tradition as you enter the French-Canadian province of Quebec. Overnight in historic Quebec City on the banks of the mighty St. Lawrence River.

Day 5 QUEBEC CITY
Begin the day with a guided tour of Canada's only walled city, crowned by the great turrets of the Chateau Frontenac. Until the British victory of 1759, Old Quebec was the centre of New France and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within the walls reside the Place d'Armes, the Laval Seminary, the star-plan Citadelle with grand vistas from its bastions, and ancient Place Royale. Also see the old-world houses crowding narrow streets in Lower Town and the historic Plains of Abraham, where General Wolfe stormed the slopes. The afternoon is at leisure. Tonight join our optional outing to an old-world French restaurant with time afterward to stroll through historic Old Town and take pictures of the Chateau Frontenac at night.

Day 6 QUEBEC CITY-MONTREAL
Today drive to cosmopolitan Montreal, one of the world's largest French-speaking cities. Home of Expo '67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics, the city blends historic architecture with modern skyscrapers, many enhanced with public sculpture displays. Major attractions on this afternoon's optional sightseeing tour include St. Joseph's Oratory, the lookout atop Mount Royal, once-walled Old Montreal, Notre Dame Church, the Seminary of St. Sulpice built by the first missionary settlers, and modern Montreal.

Day 7 MONTREAL-OTTAWA
Drive west to Ottawa, Canada's beautiful capital. Your city sightseeing includes Parliament Hill with its crest of Gothic buildings, the Canadian Mint, the Rideau Canal, the hexagonal National Arts Centre, and stately residences and embassies. With your free afternoon you might want to visit the Canadian Museum of Civilization, housed in a modern building of graceful flowing lines, with panoramic views of Parliament Hill across the Ottawa River.

Day 8 OTTAWA-KINGSTON-TORONTO
Trace the Rideau Canal south to the amazing St. Lawrence Islands National Park. Enjoy many wooded islands along the St. Lawrence River, sprinkled with beautifully simple to opulent summer homes on your included scenic cruise.

Day 9 TORONTO
City Hall; the downtown banking district; the ultra-modern Skydome stadium; and stunning CN Tower, more than one-third of a mile high, all set Toronto's exciting architectural pace. See these and more on your morning city sightseeing tour. Spend the remainder of the day exploring the city sights on your own, including Harbourfront, Ontario Place, and Chinatown.

Day 10 TORONTO-NIAGARA FALLS
Travel south along the lakeshore and through the rich farmlands and vineyards of Ontario to Niagara Falls. Stop at Table Rock and hear the fury of the raging waters. Then board the MAID OF THE MIST for amazing close-ups at the base of the falls. Tonight join our optional fun-filled musical outing all about Canada. This entertaining evening includes a five-course dinner served family-style. Note: The operation of the Maid of the Mist cruise is subject to favourable weather conditions. Usually favourable conditions exist from mid-May to late October. When weather is unfavourable, a walking tour through the scenic tunnels will be substituted.

Day 11 NIAGARA FALLS-LANCASTER
Leave Canada today and head southeast through the Appalachian Mountains and along a portion of the winding Susquehanna River into the rich Pennsylvania Dutch farm country. An optional excursion this evening combines a traditional Amish dinner with a film about growing up in an Amish community.

Day 12 LANCASTER-PENN DUTCH COUNTRY-WASHINGTON D.C
Lancaster County is the home of the religious Amish and Mennonite sects. This morning stop at the AMISH FARM AND HOUSE. A Local Guide explains the faith, culture, and way of life of these people, for whom tradition forbids the use of electricity or telephones in the home. Note the distinctive style of dress and the horse-drawn buggies in place of motor vehicles. Then on to Washington D.C. for an afternoon arrival.

Day 13 WASHINGTON D.C
The nation's capital is a sightseeing treasure-trove, and your half-day tour features the KOREAN and VIETNAM WAR VETERANS MEMORIALS, and many other well known sights. You'll also stop for photos at the White House and Capitol Hill. Then cross the Potomac River and see the graves of American heroes, including John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, in beautiful ARLINGTON CEMETERY. For the free afternoon why not visit the museums of the Smithsonian? Your Tour Director will also suggest a number of independent activities that explore different facets of this splendid city.

Day 14 WASHINGTON DC.-PHILADELPHIA-NEW YORK CITY
This morning drive to Philadelphia, the birthplace of the U.S., where sightseeing focuses on the historic significance of the city. Major attractions to see on your own include the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. Afterward head back to New York City via Newark International Airport for those with homebound flights. (Please schedule flights after 6 p.m.) The trip ends at the Ramada New Yorker in the late afternoon.

Images

(PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYPLANET EXCLUSIVE EARLYBIRD COACH TOUR DISCOUNTS)

Cosmos-Introduction

More than three decades ago, Cosmos virtually invented the European budget vacation. Since then, the team of experts have developed and refined the concept of low-cost travel. Although others have jumped on the budget-travel bandwagon, Cosmos prices are still the lowest by far, and the choice of budget tours is unique. 

With Cosmos, low prices don't mean "cheap tours". More than a million people have come back to Cosmos for a second or third vacation. Their clients' repeat business is the best testimony to the incredible value they offer.

EARLYBIRD COACH TOUR DISCOUNTS-COSMOS-2008

BOOK EARLY SAVE HUGE $'S 

EARLY PAYMENT DISCOUNT/INCENTIVES
Book/pay at least 4 months in advance save 2.5%

AIRPORT TRANSFERS
Available from $60 pp return

TRAVEL INSURANCE
Save 10% on QBE Travel Insurance of 5% or HBF Insurance member rates if taken out at time of booking.

SECOND TOUR DISCOUNT
Receive $50 Discount of the shortest tour

TRIPLE ROOM
Great Discounts-please call for details

CHILD DISCOUNTS
Up to 10% (Conditions apply)

SINGLE ROOM
Can offer share accommodation at no extra cost

What's Included