France Vacations

Vacation Packages

The name already tells you that this vacation from Paris to Amsterdam is paced to give you a quick taste of Europe. Your European trip starts with a special welcome dinner with wine at a fine Parisian restaurant on your first night. Enjoy two-night stays in Paris, Rome, Venice, and Amsterdam. A guided sightseeing tour is included in each city with major sights like the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Michelangelo’s David in Florence, the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel in Rome, and St. Mark’s Basilica and Doges’ Palace in Venice. The sightseeing tours in all major cities are with a Local Guide. An overnight stay at Lake Como, a private boat transfer in Venice, a cruise down the romantic Rhine, and a canal cruise in Amsterdam have been included in this European vacation. Stop in Ferrara, Italy; Innsbruck, Austria; in picturesque Rothenburg in Germany; and enjoy an overnight stay in Munich. On the final part of your trip, travel to London on the Eurostar train. A sightseeing tour includes London’s most famous landmarks and a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Changing of the Guard, if held. This is the best way to see Europe in just a short period of time! You’ll arrive home from this European vacation with plenty of stories and photos to share.

Day 1ffff
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Paris, France
The day is free to rest or to start exploring the splendid French capital. At 6 pm meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Paris’ fine restaurants. (D)

Day 3 Paris
Sightseeing with a Local Guide features Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Champs-Elysées. For a panoramic view, take the elevator to the second floor of the EIFFEL TOWER. Afternoon at leisure. An optional afternoon excursion to the Palace of Versailles is available. Tonight, a lively cabaret show might just be the ticket. (B)

Day 4 Paris–Lucerne, Switzerland
A comfortable ride skirting Fontainebleau Forest and through the vineyards of Burgundy to the Swiss border. Enjoy vistas of the Alps as you arrive in picture-book Lucerne. (B,D)

Day 5 Lucerne–Como, Italy
 Admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT and walk through the Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Why not join an optional excursion to the top of the mountain? In the afternoon, admire the towering majesty of the Swiss Alps and St. Gotthard on the way to Lake Lugano and the Italian border. Arrive at your hotel, beautifully situated in Como, for your overnight stay. (B,D)

Day 6 Como–Pisa–Florence
Past Italy’s commercial capital of Milan reach Pisa, where you stop for pictures of its amazing Leaning Tower. Arrive in Florence, “Cradle of Renaissance” art and architecture. Time to explore the many gold and leather shops, then, enjoy dinner with Tuscan specialties at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 7 Florence–Rome
During your walking tour with a Local Guide, visit Michelangelo’s celebrated David in the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS and the magnificent CATHEDRAL. Admire Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Time to shop for Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry. Early afternoon departure for a fast and easy ride on the Highway of the Sun to the “Eternal City. (B)

Day 8 Rome
Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMEN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Then, time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (B)

Day 9 Rome–Ferrara–Venice
Morning break in Ferrara. Walk along the impressive Este Castle to the marble cathedral. Browse through the attractive little shops before continuing to the Adriatic coast. Enter Venice in style by PRIVATE BOAT. (B)

Day 10 Venice
Highlights of your walking tour with a Local Guide are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and its basilica, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS . Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects. Exciting optional activities are available. (B)

Day 11 Venice–Innsbruck, Austria–Munich, Germany
Leave Italy on the spectacular Brenner Pass, which leads through the barrier of the Tyrolean Alps to Austria. In Innsbruck, enjoy a pleasant stroll through quaint medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF before continuing through the Bavarian Alps to Munich, Germany’s “Secret Capital.” How about a stein of beer at the famous Hofbräuhaus tonight? (B,D)

Day 12 Munich–Rothenburg–Rhineland
After your orientation drive featuring Munich’s most famous landmarks: Olympic Stadium, 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, and the 17th-century Nymphenburg Palace, continue through the Swabian Jura to Rothenburg for a walking tour of this walled town. Enjoy free time before continuing to the Rhineland. (B,D)

Day 13 Rhineland–Amsterdam, Holland
This morning’s highlight is a romantic RHINE CRUISE past castle-crested hills, terraced vineyards, and the Lorelei rock. Then, continue to Cologne and visit the awesome twin-spired gothic CATHEDRAL before traveling through the Dutch region best known as the locale of A Bridge Too Far on the way to Amsterdam, capital of Holland. (B,D)

Day 14 Amsterdam
A Local Guide shows you the 700-year-old city, and the highlight is a CANAL CRUISE past patrician mansions, gabled façades, and humpback bridges. Time to visit a major DIAMOND CENTER or one of Amsterdam’s famous museums. The afternoon is at leisure, and an optional excursion to Volendam can be arranged. (B)

Day 15
Your homebound flight from London arrives the same day. (B)

4/10

Expert France Vacation Planners

Book your France Vacation Here