Your heart-pounding adventure kicks off today. Meet up with your Contiki posse & share notes on London town before hitting the road to Amsterdam. Shortly before we find our ferry for Europe, we'll be taking in the English coastline beauty of the White Cliffs of Dover. They owe their gorgeousness to their composition of chalk - you're learning and we haven't even left the UK! Off the ferry, we arrive in the port town of Calais - French soil! We travel north via Belgium before reaching... Amsterdam!Tonight, after an included dinner, the fun-famed Amsterdam is yours to explore in all its glory.
Amsterdam is as cute as it comes & sure to win your heart with its cobbled main streets, canalside views, obscure museums & a cafe culture like no other. Today, you're free to use your time to get local, bar hop, museum crawl, or sign up to check out the STRAAT museum (located in a former NDSM shipyard), or just explore! If you're hungry to taste your way through the local culture, this place is famous for Dutch pancakes, frites, cheese, stroopwafels and coffee – or you can take the opportunity to visit the small Dutch fishing village of Volendam for an optional dinner. Tonight, you have the option to sign up for an iconic cruise through Amsterdam, complete with an onboard bar.
Amsterdam, it's been lovely, but it's time to say 'tot ziens!' because this afternoon we're setting off for our next country, Germany. After the scenic journey of fairytale castles, vineyards and valleys, you'll be charmed before we even arrive in Germany's famous Rhine Valley. There's a river cruise up for grabs, and this back-in-time town is our host for the optional wine-tasting experience this evening.
Too much grape juice last night? Not to worry, the prospect of this Bavarian hidden gem should lift your spirits as we travel south & swap wine culture for beer. Quintessential German experiences don't get much better than visiting this charming medieval town. We'll stroll the cobblestoned streets, checking out vibrant market squares and picturesque half-timbered houses along the way. Today our eyes will be treated to a famous Gothic clock, a charming old town & traditional Bavarian culture. You'll have the option to explore the side streets by foot and afterwards why not choose to explore one of the city's many beer halls, where you can try a stein of beer or even a pork knuckle!
Goodbye Munich, hello mountains. Today we're crossing the Bavarian Alps and hitting the road for Italy. And just like that, we're in a new country and a whole new vibe. Ah, Venice! Fresh pasta, lilting accents & romantic architecture - we've arrived in one of Italy's most famous cities. Your jaw will hit the floor over hidden lanes, story book bridges & a private Motoscafo ride. What next? There are a bunch of optional experiences lined up to help you experience this city - gondola rides, venetian dinners, all the good stuff.
Farewell floating city, but Italy, we're not done with you yet, our next destination the Eternal City of Rome is just around the corner. But first, we have an epic, included MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience to enjoy. Casale Polegri is set within the gorgeous town of Baschi, where we'll meet the Polegri family. These guys have run their vineyard and olive orchard for generations, and after giving us the grand tour, will serve us lunch. As we overlook the Umbrian landscape, enjoying some of the most authentic Italian food we've ever tasted (topped off with the Polegri's very own wine, naturally), we might reflect that we've never had it so good. It's the kind of local travel experience you don't encounter every day. The afternoon will really take it up a notch as we uncover Italian icons in the country's capital of Rome as you get a glimpse of it's glory by night. Gelato, pizza and ancient monuments - perfetto!
Rome wasn't built in a day - so get up and get going early to make the most of this ancient city. Hit the streets for your own discoveries. Or choose to take a guided tour of the Colosseum. Throw coins in fountains and sip espresso in a pretty street watching Italian life float by. And even join the optional food tour we've got planned in the city!
We may be hitting the road again, but we're not done with Italy just yet. We have one more city to lust over… The dome of Duomo Cathedral sits above the city, making certain we know we have arrived in Florence. Take a moment to take in the unique beauty of this beautiful city, where culture and la dolce vita is evident in every direction you look. We'll become history buffs on a guided walking tour, before we learn the art of leather. Tonight you can choose to begin your Tuscan love affair at an optional dinner.
Say a fond farewell to Italy, and hello to the land of creamy chocolate, cheese and not to mention watches. Hello Switzerland! Swans float under wooden bridges, snowcapped mountains stand regally behind us & chocolate tastes like heaven on earth. You're in the Swiss Alps & you cannot wipe the smile off your face. Eeek!!!
It's been sweet, but our time in Lucerne is up this morning. We're Paris-bound! Out with the altitude, in with the inner-city Parisian bliss. We'll jump back onto our coach to cross the border out of Switzerland and (back) into France. Lamp-lit bridges, a sparkling Eiffel Tower, & evening coffee haunts, tonight we fall in love with everything Paris. Our Trip Manager fills us in on the city's secrets as we celebrate our first night in the city.
It's time to stroll the dreamy streets of Paris, admire over haute couture you can't afford, snap a picture of the Notre Dame Cathedral whilst juggling coffee and crêpes, & get artsy at the many rooms of the Louvre. Just don't wear yourself out, you will probably want to get involved with an optional ticket to an iconic cabaret show and dinner. With your last night looming, make it one to remember in the city of lights.
Soak up your last dose of Paris this morning over a coffee and croissant and marvel at how much you've seen. And, how close you've grown to your new Contiki pals. Sob! Hop back on the coach for a complimentary transfer to CDG airport this morning, or stay onboard for the ride back to London. Plenty of time to start planning the next reunion...This concludes our 12-day Europe itinerary. What a journey! Say a fond farewell to the group as you wrap up the trip on arrival in London.
