Romantic European Start Amsterdam

Welcome to Amsterdam. Spend the day at leisure before meeting your Travel Director this evening. Cruise the city’s charming, tree-lined canals to explore the heart of the Old City, then gather with your fellow travellers for a delightful dinner with wine at a local restaurant.

Depart the Dutch capital this morning and journey into the heart of Germany’s romantic Rhine Valley. In Boppard, board a river cruise and glide past vineyard-covered slopes, turreted castles and the legendary Lorelei rock. Among the sights, admire the silhouettes of Burg Rheinfels, Burg Katz and Burg Maus. Later, arrive in Würzburg, a city celebrated for its baroque charm and wine-making heritage.

In the morning venture to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the most well-preserved town on the Romantic Road. Continue east to the Czech border, passing the town of Pilsen renowned for its beer, before reaching the Golden City of Prague. In the evening, perhaps take a river cruise through the heart of the city?

Explore Prague with your choice experience. Choose to walk the courtyards of the castle and visit the imposing St. Vitus Cathedral. Alternatively, join your Local Specialist through the Jewish Quarter and hear about the history, traditions and legends of the Jewish people while you visit the Old‑New Synagogue and the Jewish cemetery. Then, the city is all yours to explore. Perhaps rummage through the antique stores or shop for Bohemian crystal?

Travel to Hungary, following the River Danube to Budapest. In the evening, enjoy a scenic dinner cruise, gliding past UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city’s spectacular night-time beauty earns it the nickname 'Pearl of the Danube’.

Drive along the beautiful Andrassy Avenue to Heroes' Square. Stroll through the alleys of the Old Town of Buda and admire sweeping views from the Fisherman’s Bastion with a Local Specialist. Marvel at extensive panoramic views as you look out over the famous river dividing Buda and Pest - the two sides linked by the mighty Chain Bridge and the elegant, newer Elizabeth Bridge.

This morning enjoy a tour of the Liszt Music Academy with a student, followed by an enchanting recital. The university was founded by the piano virtuoso and composer Franz Liszt in 1875. Continue your travels, past the Turul Monument, a large eagle statue overlooking the town of Tatabanya, to the Austrian border and through pleasant farming country to the imperial capital of Vienna.

In the morning, there is the option to join a private tour of Maria Theresa's Schönbrunn Palace and formal gardens. Get your camera ready for a drive around the famous Ring Road. This grand boulevard, built along the lines of the old city walls, showcases many of the capital's architectural masterpieces, including the Opera House, magnificent Hofburg Imperial Residence and Parliament building. Later, join your Local Specialist for a walk through Innere Stadt, the first district and historic core of Vienna. Sit down for traditional coffee and cake and mingle with locals at a cosy cafe.

This day's route takes you past quiet villages, through Styria's forested mountains and into the Carinthian Lake District. Continue past Europe's warmest lake, the Wörthersee, to cross into Italy near Tarvisio. Then follow mountain valleys and cascading streams down to the Veneto Plain en route to the unique city of Venice. Arrive by private boat to your hotel. In the late afternoon and early evening, sip a cocktail on the corner of Piazza San Marco, whilst you are serenaded by an ensemble of talented musicians. Afterwards, stroll past the Doge's Palace and the famous 'Bridge of Sighs' to a local restaurant in the heart of the historic centre for a magical dinner.

In the morning, prepare to embrace this awe-inspiring city. Visit St. Mark's Square, dominated by its magnificent Basilica and overlooked by the great Clock Tower. Also in the square stands the immense Campanile and Doge's Palace, which is connected to the ancient prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. Join a visit to a traditional Venetian glassblowing workshop, where you’ll see how beautiful, handcrafted glass is made by expert artisans, preserving centuries-old skills. The rest of the day is free. Perhaps shop in the small arcades or why not cruise the Venetian lagoon to the island of Burano for a meal of local specialities and wine?

Climbing into the Apennines, you arrive at Fattoria di Bagnolo, a historic Tuscan estate watched over by the Bartolini Baldelli family for generations. A family member welcomes you personally, sharing how the estate moved from Machiavelli’s era to its revival in 1852 as the Marquis’ summer residence. Inside the villa and atmospheric cellars, cool stone, oak barrels and the scent of olive oil anchor you in Tuscan country life before you walk among the vines with the Chianti hills stretching in folds beyond. You taste the estate wines with the family’s own olive oil, then follow the Tiber towards Rome, where the Eternal City waits at the end of the road.

With fast-track entry, your Local Specialist guides you into the Vatican Museums, where long galleries lead you past Raphael’s works and classical sculptures collected by the Popes. In the Sistine Chapel, its sweep of biblical scenes from Genesis to David and Goliath spreads out above you in intricate colours and immense detail. Continuing to St. Peter’s Basilica, the world’s largest church, you may pause before Michelangelo’s Pietà to notice the detail carved into marble, from the folds of Mary’s robe to the stillness of her face. Across the Tiber, ancient Rome lies in all its ruined glory. You might trace the Colosseum's tiers of arches and weathered stone before enjoying free time to follow your own curiosity through Rome. On some departures, access to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums may be restricted. You'll still enjoy the atmosphere of St. Peter's Square during your visit to the Vatican City, and if tickets are unavailable to the Vatican Museums, you'll instead explore the Capitoline Museums, home to iconic Roman art and archaeology.

At Lorenzo’s family farm in Umbria, you join the chef in the kitchen, where flour dusts the table and pasta dough is pressed, folded and cut by hand. His demonstration leads straight into lunch. You sit down to pasta served with Orvieto Classico, the wine cool in the glass and warm steam rising from the plate. Afterwards, you’ll continue to your hotel in Florence, the taste of Umbria still lingering on your tongue.

Begin the morning by joining a Local Specialist in Florence to view the multicoloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery adorned by Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. You also visit the open-air gallery of Renaissance masterpieces in Piazza della Signoria, the political heart of the city. In the afternoon, enjoy free time to explore the Renaissance capital. Perhaps take the opportunity to visit Pisa and see the famous Leaning Tower?

Head north towards the Italian Lake District via Lake Lugano. Continue into the heart of the Swiss Alps, passing through the Saint Gotthard Tunnel, one of the longest road tunnels in the world, before travelling alongside towering mountains and past rushing torrents, down to scenic Lake Lucerne. Upon arrival to Lucerne, see the town's proud Lion Monument, carved into a limestone cliff and dedicated to the heroic Swiss Guards who died defending King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. Then, take some time to stroll across the covered Chapel Bridge and see the baroque Jesuit Church.

On your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, you ride the solar-powered open-top cable car towards Mount Stanserhorn’s summit, open to the alpine air as cowbells sound from the slopes and the mountains spread wide around you. If the skies are clear, you may look as far as Alsace and the Black Forest in Germany before following the summit pathways in search of marmots and native wildlife. Back in Lucerne, you wander the traffic-free Old Town, passing chocolate shop windows stacked with pralines, truffles and gold-wrapped bars. You could also join today’s Optional Experience into the countryside, travelling by horse-drawn carriage before meeting local farmers. For your Dine-Around Evening, choose from a selection of restaurants and settle in for dinner.

Crossing rural Burgundy, you watch vine rows comb the countryside on the way to Paris, one of France’s great wine regions slipping past the window. During your time in Paris, you look up through the Eiffel Tower’s ironwork, pass Notre-Dame on the Île de la Cité and follow the Louvre’s long stone façades along the river. Beside the Seine, you’ll travel past bridges arcing over the water before reaching Place de la Concorde, where the obelisk cuts a clean line through the square. Drive along the Champs-Élysées towards the Arc de Triomphe, then claim the evening for yourself, perhaps slipping into a world-famous cabaret show where velvet seats, stage lights and music carry Paris late into the night.

With your Local Specialist, you'll cross Paris on a panoramic tour, taking in the iron lattice of the Eiffel Tower, the broad sweep of the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. At Place de la Concorde, you'll see one of Paris’s grandest squares and hear how this elegant setting became the site of the guillotine during the French Revolution. Later, settle in at a local restaurant, where good cheer and aromas from the kitchen accompany a dinner of French cuisine.

Share your goodbyes with your travelling companions before your transfer takes you to Charles de Gaulle Airport.