14 Day Tour from Amsterdam to Paris
You’re welcome to sample beer at a local café in Heidelberg, take a romantic Rhine cruise past castle-crested cliffs and terraced vineyards, learn about woodcarving from a local woodcarver in Germany’s Black Forest and taste the traditional Black Forest Cake, enjoy a special dinner to try out local specialties in Venice, and a highlight of this European tour is an overnight stay in Monte Carlo. Also included is an overnight stay in Lyon – France’s second-largest city where you will enjoy a panoramic view of the old town from Fourvière Hill.
You’ll have VIP access in this guided tour of Europe to eliminate waiting in long lines at places such as the Vatican Museums in Rome. Instead, you’ll be inside the attractions and enjoying this amazing vacation. It’s just one more way this European guided tour is sure to delight!
Destinations & Sightseeing
AMSTERDAM
Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing and a canal cruise; visit a major diamond center
RHINE CRUISE
HEIDELBERG
Take pictures of the castle; enjoy a beer at the Kulturbrauerei Heidelberg
BLACK FOREST
Woodcarving demonstration; enjoy Kaffee und Schwarzwaldkuchen (coffee and Black Forest Cake)
RHINE FALLS
LUCERNE
Walking tour including the Lion Monument and the Chapel Bridge
VADUZ
Visit the capital of Liechtenstein
INNSBRUCK
Walk through the Old Town to the Golden Roof
VENICE
Private boat ride; visit St. Mark’s Square; glassblower demonstration; a special dinner at Rossopomodoro restaurant
ROME
Guided sightseeing, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica
FLORENCE
Guided walking tour, visit Michelangelo’s David and Signoria Square
PISA
Marvel at the legendary Leaning Tower
NICE
Drive along the Promenade des Anglais
LYON
Panoramic view from Fourvière Hill
PARIS
Guided sightseeing, enjoy a Seine cruise
Meals
Full buffet breakfast daily; 5 three-course dinners with wine, including a welcome dinner in Amsterdam and a special dinner in Venice
Itinerary
Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description.
Day 1 ARRIVE IN AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND
Welcome to Amsterdam! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel.
Day 2 AMSTERDAM
During a leisurely CANAL CRUISE your Local Guide will tell you about the fascinating history of the 700-year-old capital. Admire the patrician mansions and the gabled façades, the "Golden Bend", the most prestigious part of the Herengracht and a monument to the Golden Age, the Stopera, Amsterdam's proud concert hall, the Hermitage, a branch museum of the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg, and much more. Also visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. For those who wish to experience Dutch life in the countryside, an optional excursion is available to picture-book Volendam, a fishing village at the former Zuiderzee, including visits to a working windmill, a clogmaker, and a cheese farm.
Day 3 AMSTERDAM–HEIDELBERG, GERMANY–RHINELAND
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 castle ruins. Then, enjoy a beer at the famous Kulturbrauerei Heidelberg.
Day 4 RHINELAND–BLACK FOREST–RHINE FALLS, SWITZERLAND–LUCERNE
Enter the lush valleys and pine-clad hills of the BLACK FOREST, famous for cuckoo clocks, where another highlight awaits you: be welcomed by a local woodcarver, Adolf Herr, watch a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION, and see samples of his work. Then, enjoy Kaffee und Schwarzwaldkuchen (coffee and the traditional homemade Black Forest Cake). On the Swiss border, stop at thundering RHINE FALLS before continuing to picturesque Lucerne. Tonight is your chance to enjoy an optional Swiss folklore party.
Day 5 LUCERNE–VADUZ, LIECHTENSTEIN–INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA
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 and enter Tyrol. In Innsbruck, walk through the Old Town and take pictures of Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF.
Day 6 INNSBRUCK–VENICE, ITALY
Cross 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, a special dinner awaits you at Rossopomodoro restaurant.
Day 7 VENICE–ROME
A scenic drive across the Apennine Hills and through vine- and olive-clad Tuscany brings you to the “Eternal City.”
Day 8 ROME
Guided sightseeing includes inside visits to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL with Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment, and monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA to admire Michelangelo’s Pietà. Then, drive to the Roman Forum and marvel at the amazing Colosseum, where gladiators once fought. For those who wish to see it all, an optional walking tour with a Local Guide is available to further explore famous sites, like the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and more.
Day 9 ROME–FLORENCE
Arrive in Florence, where your guided walking tour features a visit to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and visit sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. End in PIAZZA SANTA CROCE with time to shop for gold and leather.
Day 10 FLORENCE–PISA–MONTE CARLO, MONACO
In Pisa, marvel at the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Then, follow the Italian Riviera and arrive in Monte Carlo for your overnight stay. Tonight, you may wish to join an exciting optional excursion to see the palace and the church that houses the tombs of the rulers of Monaco, have dinner, and visit the casino.
Day 11 MONTE CARLO–NICE, FRANCE–LYON
Join the panoramic Moyenne Corniche, with spectacular views to Nice as you drive along the famous Promenade des Anglais. Then, turn north along the scenic Route du Soleil on your way to Lyon, former capital of the Gauls. Enjoy a panoramic view of the Old Town, beautifully located between the Rhône and the Saône Rivers, from FOURVIèRE HILL.
Day 12 LYON–PARIS
A smooth drive through Burgundy, with its vineyards, impressive castles, and views of Fontainebleau Forest, brings you to Paris, “City of Light.” An optional excursion is available to the magnificent Louvre Museum to see the Mona Lisa; tonight, you may wish to join an exciting optional evening at one of Paris’ lively cabarets!
Day 13 PARIS
Guided sightseeing features Paris’ main highlights, such as the Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Champs-Elysées, and a SEINE CRUISE with spectacular views of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. An optional excursion to the lavish baroque Palace and Gardens of Versailles is available. Later, an optional outing to the artists’ area of Montmartre with dinner at one of its lively restaurants is the perfect way to say au revoir, Paris.
Day 14 PARIS
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
Excursions
Amsterdam
Rhineland
Lucerne
Venice
Rome
Florence
Monte Carlo
Paris
Amsterdam
Volendam, its Windmill and Cheese Farm
Enjoy a visit to the quaint fishing village of Volendam, where many inhabitants still wear traditional costumes.
Price Range: $$
Rhineland
Keukenhof Flower Exhibition
Historical Keukenhof with over 7 million tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and all the other spring bulbs, is a must. The floral displays in the park and the flower shows in the various pavilions are a glorious visual feast.
Price Range: $
Lucerne
Swiss Folklore Party and Dinner
Toast your Swiss evening while experiencing a traditional show with alphorns and yodeling.
Price Range: $$
Mount Pilatus Ascent with Lucerne Discovery
Grab your camera and prepare for indescribable panoramic views on this thrilling full-day excursion that climbs soaring Mount Pilatus by cable car and descends via the world¿s steepest cogwheel railway for free time in dazzling lakeside Lucerne.
Price Range: $$
Venice
Gondola
When in Rome, do as the Romans-and when in Venice, head right for the gondolas! Hop aboard a traditional gondola for a ride through the magical Venetian canals
Price Range: $
Rome
Evening Drive & Roman Dinner
Enjoy an unforgettable drive through the "Eternal City" followed by a delicious dinner at a popular Roman restaurant.
Price Range: $$
Roman Highlights
Join your Local Guide for a tailor-made itinerary featuring some of the citys authentic jewels. A life-time experience!
Price Range: $
Florence
Tuscan Dinner
Enjoy a wonderful dinner with regional dishes prepared using the finest local ingredients.
Price Range: $$
Monte Carlo
Unforgettable Monte Carlo by Night and Dinner
Enjoy a delicious French dinner, with wine in Monte Carlo followed by a walking tour of the Old Town.
Price Range: $$
Paris
Mona Lisa's Smile and the Louvre Museum
Once a royal palace and now a museum housing one of the most famous art collections in the world, the Louvre is yours on a guided tour.
Price Range: $$
An Evening at the Moulin Rouge
Enter the exhilarating Belle Époque world of champagne, fine French cuisine, music, lights, thousands of glittering costumes, and an evening of Moulin Rouge cabaret you will never forget!
Price Range: $$$$
The Palace of Versailles
Spend some hours like a French aristocrat, strolling through the halls and gardens of Louis XIV's opulent Palace of Versailles.
Price Range: $$
Excursion to Montmartre
Experience Montmatre, one the of most artistic and picturesque district in Paris.
Price Range: $$