EUROPEAN TAPESTRY

DAY 1 ARRIVE IN AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND.

Welcome to Amsterdam! At 6pm, meet your Tour Director and Traveling companions for a welcome dinner with wine at your hotel.

DAY 2 Amsterdam.

See the main sights of the 700-year-old capital with a local guide. Royal Palace, Mint Tower, the original Heineken Brewery, the Rijksmuseum are the main attractions. Highlight is a leisurely CANAL CRUISE along the patrician mansions and gabled facades. Also visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. Later, you may join an optional excursion visit to a cheese farm. A clog maker, and a working windmill, followed by dinner in the pretty fishing village of Volendam.

DAY 3 Amsterdam-Heidelberg, Germany-Rhineland.

On the way to Germany, pass the Dutch region best known as the locale o 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 picture 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.

Stop in the lush valleys and pain-clad hills of the BLACK FOREST, renowned for its cuckoo clocks. Hear about the art of WOODCARVING from a local woodcarver, Adolf Herr. On the Swiss border, admire thundering RHINE FALLS, then continue 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 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. In Innsbruck, walk through the Old Town and take picture of Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF.

DAY 6 Innsbruck-Venice, Italy.

Cross the 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 with wine 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.

Enjoy Globus’ unique guided sightseeing, including inside visits to all highlights of religious and ancient Rome: the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL with Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment, monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA to admire Michelangelo’s Pieta, the amazing COLOSSEUM, and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. 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-Tuscany.

Arrive in Florence, and follow your Local Guide for a pleasant walk to admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze“ Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE.  End in PIAZZA SANTA CROCE and enjoy a gelato. Time to shop for gold and leather before continuing to the peaceful spa resort of Montecatini for your overnight stay.

DAY 10 Tuscany-Pisa-Eze, France-Nice.

In Pisa, marvel at the amazing Learning Tower, 180 feet high and 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Then, enjoy spectacular views of Italian and French Riviera resort. Leave the highway for the panoramic Moyenne Corniche and before arriving in Nice, stop in EÌ€ze to visit the Fragonard perfume factory, and learn about PERFUME-MAKING.

DAY 11 Nice. Excursion To St. Paul De Vence.

A highlight visit this morning to the picturesque hilltop town of St. Paul de Vence. Explore the many art galleries, enjoy the spectacular view, or relax at a local café, where you may see the locals play peÌ€tanque (lawn bowling). Return to Nice for a lazy afternoon to dabble in the blue Mediterranean or to stroll along the elegant Promenade des Anglais. An optional outing is available tonight to Monte Carlo.

DAY 12 NICE-PARIS.

Transfer to the railway station and board the high-speed TGV train to Paris. This evening, a special dinner with wine has been included at a local restaurant where you can try out local specialties like escargots (snails), soupe aÌ€ l’oignon (onion soup), boeuf bourguignon (beef Burgundy), followed by a drive through the “City of Light.”

DAY 13 Paris.

Discover the world capital of chic and style with a Local Guide and admire its most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and more. For a bird’s-eye view, take the elevator to the second floor of the EIFFEL TOWER. An optional excursion is available to the lavish baroque Palace and Gardens Versailles. Tonight, dinner and a lively cabaret show at one of the Paris’ nightclubs might just be the ticket!

DAY 14 PARIS.

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.