European Jewels & Oberammergau 2010

Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 - ARRIVAL IN LONDON, ENGLAND. 
Check into your hotel. Uniformed Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Day 3 - LONDON. 
A full day to savor our rich program of optional activities: take a panoramic tour of London’s landmarks, visit the Tower of London, or choose an excursion to Windsor Castle. Tonight, maybe a leisurely cruise on the River Thames? (B)

Day 4 - LONDON-AMSTERDAM AREA, HOLLAND. 
Leave London in the early morning and head through the lush English countryside to the Channel port, where you board your ferry for the Continent. Here you meet your Tour Director and join your luxury coach for the drive to the Amsterdam area. (B)

Day 5 - AMSTERDAM AREA-THE RHINELAND, GERMANY. 
A morning to enjoy Holland’s busy metropolis. After an interesting visit to a famous diamond center, it’s time for sightseeing with a Local Guide pointing out the city highlights. Finally, a canal cruise to see Amsterdam from water level. In the afternoon, travel southwards to reach the Rhineland for an overnight. (B,D)

Day 6 - RHINELAND-ROMANTIC ROAD-MUNICH. 
Start the day with a scenic drive along the shores of the Rhine or opt for a Rhine cruise. Admire the pretty villages, the castles perched high above the river, and the numerous terraced vineyards. Next, a drive along the Romantic Road, through towns and villages protected by medieval towergates and battlements, with squares of half-timbered houses and richly decorated fountains. A fine example of this architecture is the centre of Rothenburg where you stop awhile. Overnight in Munich. (B)

Day 7 - MUNICH-OBERAMMERGAU AREA. THE PASSION PLAY. 
Depart Munich this morning and travel to the Oberammergau area for an overnight stay. The quaint alpine resort of Oberammergau enjoys an idyllic location and is world renowned for its spectacular Passion Play, which is performed by its inhabitants every 10 years. The play begins in the afternoon and continues into the evening, with a break for dinner. (B,L,D)

Day 8 - OBERAMMERGAU AREA-INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA-VENICE AREA, ITALY. 
Leave the Oberammergau area this morning and continue to Austria for a stop in the capital of the Tyrol, Innsbruck. Drive over the Brenner Pass to Italy through the stunning scenery of the Dolomites to Cortina for a short visit, before reaching the Venice area for an overnight. (B,D)

Day 9 - MORNING IN VENICE-FLORENCE AREA.  
The included orientation tour starts with a boat ride and is followed by a chance to watch Venetian glassblowers fashion their delicate objects as they did centuries ago. Southwards into the hilly Tuscan countryside to reach the Florence area for two overnights. (B)

Day 10 - FLORENCE. 
This Renaissance gem and city of the Medicis will keep you enthralled all day. Traffic is banned in part of the historic center, so visitors can wander at leisure and admire the city’s timeless beauty in relative peace and quiet. Don’t miss out on the included walking tour with a Local Guide that features most of the city highlights. You will see the Piazza Santa Croce; the beautiful Piazza Signoria; the Palazzo Vecchio and its courtyard; the Loggia dei Lanzi; and, to top it all, the Piazza del Duomo and its cathedral with the Giotto Campanile, and the magnificent East Door of the Baptistry known as the “Gate of Paradise.” (B,D)

Day 11 - FLORENCE AREA-LAKE LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND. 
Across the Lombardy plains this morning to Canton Ticino’s subtropical resort of Lugano. Here you take a break to stroll along the lakeside promenade before climbing towards the St. Gotthard Tunnel. Emerge on the German-speaking side of Switzerland and then descend into the gentle landscape around Lake Lucerne. (B,D)

Day 12 - LAKE LUCERNE-PARIS, FRANCE. 
This morning, visit the Lion monument and the wooden bridge before joining an optional boat trip. Then vistas of green pastures and attractive chalets with rustic timbering and luxuriant flowers. Enter France via the comfortable highway, past some of its most famous vineyards, to Paris. Arrive in time to enjoy an optional cabaret show. (B)

Day 13 - PARIS. 
Included sightseeing with a local expert of many of the best-known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre, the Invalides, and Champs Elysées. Optional excursions are also available to visit some of the highlights and, to celebrate the success of your tour, a French farewell dinner might be just the ticket. (B)

Day 14
Your homebound flight from Paris arrives the same day. (B)

• Visits to Rothenburg, Innsbruck, Cortina, Venice, Lugano, Lucerne, Oberammergau
• Passion Play
• Rhineland, Romantic Road, Italian Dolomites

See some of Europe’s most precious gems on this magnificent mosaic of European culture—a European vacation of a lifetime. Begin your trip in London with a full day to tour and discover the UK’s capital on your own. Then, cross the Channel by ferry and board your motorcoach to Amsterdam, where a guided sightseeing tour and canal cruise await. In Germany, travel along the castle-dotted Rhine River and join the Romantic Road as it passes by medieval fairytale towns with half-timbered houses. Overnight in Munich, one of Germany’s most popular travel destinations, and continue south to Innsbruck, Austria, and through the majestic Dolomites. Stop in the world-famous ski resort of Cortina, Italy, on your way to Venice. In Venice, a boat ride along one of the main canals takes you to St. Mark’s Square, and a Local Guide gives you a tour and tells you the stories behind famous Venetian landmarks. On to Florence, “Cradle of the Renaissance,” for a guided walking tour that features Santa Croce, Piazza Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Duomo.

Heading north, cross the Lombardy plain into Switzerland’s Canton Ticino for a stop in subtropical Lugano before climbing toward St. Gotthard Tunnel and descending to the German-speaking side of Switzerland and Lake Lucerne. Lucerne, one of Switzerland’s finest cities, offers impressive city walls, a covered wooden bridge, ornate patrician houses lining cobblestone streets, and the Lion Monument—a masterful stone sculpture in honor of the heroic Swiss Guard of Louis XVI. While in Lucerne, marvel at the surrounding Alpine peaks. Head into France and drive past some of France’s most famous vineyards. Your vacation ends in Paris, “The City of Light,” with two nights. You see the famous Paris sights with a Local Guide on your tour, including La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Eiffel Tower, and more. Enjoy time at leisure in Paris to soak up the romantic beauty. This Europe tour—including England, Holland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France—will leave you with plenty of vacation photos, memories, and stories. An unforgettable vacation experience!

Travel to Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps. Surrounded by majestic mountains and picturesque meadows, Oberammergau is famous for its Passion Play performed by locals just once a decade to fulfill the town’s promise to God in exchange for protection from the Black Death. Seeing the Passion Play is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you don’t want to miss, and you get to see it on this vacation!

• Host service in London.
• Local Guides for city sightseeing in Amsterdam, Florence, Paris.
• Professional Tour Director while touring.
• 12 buffet breakfasts (B); 1 lunch (L), 5 dinners (D)

London: Kensington Close (ST), 
Amsterdam Area: Tulip Inn Amsterdam City West (ST) or Holiday Inn (F) at Lijnden
Rhineland: Zum Anker (ST) at Andernach or Holiday Inn (F) at Cologne-Bonn Airport or Holiday Inn Stadtwald (F) at Cologne
Munich: Rivoli (ST) or Tryp (F)
Venice Area: Poppi (ST) at Mira
Florence Area: Europa (ST) at Signa or Ibis (ST) at Sesto Fiorentino
Lake Lucerne: Pilatusblick (ST) at Kriens or Hirschen (ST) at Flüelen
Paris: Campanile Berthier (ST) or Campanile Porte d'Italie (ST)
London: Thistle Euston (ST)
Oberammergau Area: To be determined

* The prices shown are U.S. dollars per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability. Prices quoted for land arrangements are subject to increase without notice. Once we have received your deposit, land prices are guaranteed. Whenever air-inclusive tour prices are displayed, these prices do not include government taxes and fees, which are additional. Air prices are subject to increase and are guaranteed only from the time that full payment is received. Air-inclusive prices include air from a major U.S. gateway; air from other U.S. airports is available at an additional cost. Sorry, we are unable to offer air from countries other than the U.S. However, for those international customers who are able to arrange their own transportation to the tour origination city, we are able to offer the land portion of the package or tour, at the price quoted.