Tauck tours - All Tauck specials on Tauck Escorted tours, Tauck River Cruises & Small Ship Sailings. Pavlus Travel is the World's Largest seller of Tauck tours. We feature the latest prices on Tauck European Vacations. Tauck is number one on the list of Top 10 tour companies. Our entire staff have graduated from the Tauck Academy. Pavlus Travel are simply Tauck experts and can answer all questions including Tauck Guest Protection Plan. Never any service fees. You will find every European Tour of your dreams with Tauck.
Arrive Toronto
Tour begins: 5:00 PM, Fairmont Royal York or Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. A transfer is included from Lester B. Pearson International Airport to your choice of two premium hotels in the heart of downtown, Fairmont Royal York or Four Seasons Hotel Toronto. Settle in and join us for a welcome reception and dinner at Casa Loma, located in midtown Toronto.
Discover Toronto
Take your choice of sightseeing excursions in Toronto today. A visit to the Royal Ontario Museum offers you the world under one roof, with 40 galleries and a collection of 6 million artifacts of art, culture, and natural history, from dinosaur fossils to African art, Egyptian treasures, South Asian culture, meteorites, giant totem poles, and Canadian history. Visit the Ontario Art Gallery, housing 90,000 works of art from the first century to the present, including major works by Rodin, Picasso, Goya, Tintoretto, Degas, Rothko, and many more; not limited to paintings and sculpture, its collection includes historic objects, architecture, ship models, medieval illuminations, and video art. Or, enjoy a stop at St. Lawrence Market, Toronto's culinary focal point, followed by a visit to the city's distillery district, Canada's premier cultural and entertainment district. Return to your hotel in Toronto, and the evening is yours. The city is hip, vibrant, and some of its best restaurants and nightlife are close by.
Niagara Falls & Embark ship
Drive to Niagara Falls to see the awesome power of the falls up close by boat (rain pancho provided). The falls on the border between the US and Canada – Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls – pour 6 million cubic feet of water over their crests every minute, cascading down 170 feet and churning clouds of mist with a roar that can be heard for miles, a stirring experience you'll never forget. Then a tour, tasting, and lunch await you at a local winery. Enjoy free time to explore Toronto on your own then embark on Le Bellot, your home for the next seven nights. This evening, sail Lake Ontario, bound for Cleveland.
Sailing on the Welland Canal
At Port Weller, Le Bellot enters the Welland Canal, which links Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, for a day spent at sea. The 27-mile canal is a marvel of engineering which allows ships to bypass the Niagara River and Niagara Falls. Through a series of eight locks, your ship rises to a level high enough to cross over the Niagara Escarpment, sometimes called the Backbone of North America, a passage that takes about 11 hours. An onboard lecture on the canal and its history will be provided by an expert on the locks. After passing through the cities of Welland, Thorold, and St. Catherines, the ship emerges at Port Colborne, and sails the length of Lake Erie towards Detroit.
Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame & a choice of activities in Cleveland
Spend a day in Cleveland, Ohio, including an early opening visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Created by combining different elements of jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel and country music, rock and roll has transformed the musical world since its origins in the mid 1950s and helped create some of the biggest acts and musical innovators the world as ever seen including; The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, Prince, Nirvana, The Foo Fighters and so many more. Explore the halls of this historic and culturally-defining building and learn about the many inductees forever immortalized. Later this morning, you're off on a choice of excursions. One option explores Cleveland's Gilded Golden Age with a coach tour along Millionaire's Row on Euclid Ave, a visit to Severance Hall, a walk through Heinen's downtown and a tour at Playhouse Square. Another offers a walking tour of Ohio City followed by a visit to the city's "Little Italy;" A third focuses on the history & utopian vision of a nearby village as well as the urban planning and movement of infrastructure from Cleveland proper on a visit to Shaker Heights Village and Van Sweringen & Parkland Demonstration Homes. Your final choice introduces you to the "Spirits of Cleveland" with stops at the city's numerous religious monuments followed by a visit to Western Reserve Distillers, Ohio's only organic distillery. Following the conclusion of your exucrsion, the rest of your day is free to explore Cleveland as you wish. Tonight, your ship continues its voyage toward "The Motor City" - Detroit.
Detroit sights & The Henry Ford
After arriving in Detroit midday, you'll have a choice of activities in and around the city today. Get a guided tour of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village – a.k.a. The Henry Ford – in Dearborn (subject to seasonal closures)... an amazing, award-winning, state-of-the-art museum with interactive exhibits dedicated to innovation, not just in machines, but in trailblazers who shaped the world we live in. In 9 acres of exhibition space you can step aboard the bus where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat; make yourself at home in Buckminster Fuller's autonomous Dymaxion House; discover the science behind Pixar animation and motors that moved the nation; see the Wright Brothers' bicycle shop; Thomas Edison's laboratory, Igor Sikorsky's prototype helicopter, the house Henry Ford was born in, and the courthouse where Lincoln practiced law. Attached to the complex is Greenfield Village, a living museum with costumed interpreters, historic structures, and working steam locomotives. Alternatively, take a guided sightseeing tour of Detroit's famous landmarks, including the Motown Historical Museum, a pair of modest houses where the record company was born in 1959; the Guardian Building, an art deco masterpiece; an eclectic art alley called the Belt; and the award-winning Campus Martius Park, "crossroads of downtown Detroit." Dine aboard ship this evening and depart across Lake Huron, bound for Mackinac Island.
A day on Lake Huron
Spend the day sailing Lake Huron up the scenic east coast of Michigan toward the Mackinac Straits. The eastern shore is called the Sunrise Coast, a long parade of beaches, sand dunes, inlets, small towns, and as many as 30 lighthouses. The vast freshwater lake also encompasses 30,000 islands. Enjoy the amenities aboard the ship, which include an infinity pool with a counter-current swimming system and transparent wall, fitness center, spa, sun deck, and panoramic lounge.
Timeless Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island has been a popular retreat since the 19th century when wealthy industrialists built imposing summer cottages here. The island restricts the use of motor vehicles; except in emergencies, the only way to get around is by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. It also maintains its period look so well that it feels like a small town serenely lost in time. Take your choice of a carriage ride or a bicycle tour around the island, past impeccable Victorian mansions, the picture-postcard main street of quaint shops and confectioners, out to the fringes of forest, marshes and beaches, and Fort Mackinac, a 19th century military outpost. Lunch is at the palatial Grand Hotel that boasts the longest porch in the world (660 feet); since 1887, the hotel has entertained presidents and their wives; Mark Twain was a frequent guest, as was Thomas Edison – who gave the first demonstration of his phonograph on the porch. Don't leave without sampling the Mackinac Fudge! Enjoy dinner onboard tonight en route to Muskegon.
Discover Muskegon, your way
Head out from Muskegon for a choice of activities. You may choose to travel to Saugatuck to experience the giant sand dunes that line the shores of Lake Michigan; dunes as high as 200 feet rise along an area of woods and beachfront on privately owned land, where you can ride through the scenic, wind-carved landscape in a modified Jeep vehicle on a fast-paced, exciting ride with an experienced guide*, and learn about its natural history and ecology. You can also visit the town of Holland, an enclave of Dutch culture, complete with dikes, canals, tulip gardens, and Dutch architecture, settled by Dutch immigrants in the 19th century. Its array of downtown shops even includes a wooden shoe factory. Visit Windmill Island Gardens, which feature a working 250-year-old windmill brought from the Netherlands; the historical district, and the scenic Hope College campus, established in 1851 by the Dutch Calvinists who built the town; Holland is on the National Register of Historic Places. Another option showcases the best of Muskegon on a guided tour through its historic downtown, highlighting the long lasting impact lumber baron, Charles Hackley, had on the community. Your final choice explores Muskegon's maritime history with visits to a historic passenger ship, a decorated WWII submarine and one of two remaining LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) built during World War II. Return to your ship early this evening as you chart a course for Milwaukee.
Disembark ship & Discover Chicago
In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire burned a swath through the city center, erasing thousands of buildings and leaving more than 100,000 people homeless. But the catastrophe left space for new generations of architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, and Mies van der Rohe to fire up their creativity, fueled by the city's fabulous industrial wealth. Upon arriving in Milwaukee this morning, travel by land to America's "Second City" to get a dazzling, informative look at their legacy today on an architectural sightseeing cruise along the Chicago River, with a docent from the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Learn about Chicago's role in the development of skyscrapers, as you absorb the eclectic styles and histories of its landmark buildings, like the Tribune Tower, the Willis Tower, and the Wrigley Building, and the stories of the architects who built them. Get a taste of the city's famous stuffed, deep-dish pizza at legendary Giordano's Pizzeria. Check in to your choice of downtown hotels: Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, or Four Seasons Hotel Chicago; settle in, and enjoy the evening as you please.
Art Institute or Millennium Park
You have a choice of two sightseeing tours this morning. Visit the celebrated Chicago Art Institute, a palatial Beaux Arts-style building on Michigan Avenue that houses more than 300,000 works of art and an architectural school that has had a profound influence on design in America; the landmark building debuted as part of the Chicago World Exposition in 1893, and a local guide will introduce you to its iconic features and extraordinary history. Alternatively, take a guided walking tour of Millennium Park (leisure or active pace... you choose), inside the Loop, the central business district; built to welcome the 21st century, the park has become the city's centerpiece with imaginative features like the bandshell Pritzker Pavilion, the Cloud Gate, a reflective sculpture, the Crown Fountain, an interactive video sculpture, and the Lurie Garden atop the world's largest green roof. Spend the rest of the day exploring Chicago on your own then join us tonight for a farewell reception and dinner at the hotel, complimented by live musical entertainment.
Journey home
Tour ends: Chicago. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park or Four Seasons Hotel Chicago O'Hare Airport or Chicago Union Station. Allow three hours for check-in.