ENCHANTING EUROPE - 2010

14 days incl. travel, or 13 days from London to Amsterdam (HM)

Return to Holland Vacations & Belgium Vacations

Vacation Overview

If you’re looking for an in-depth Western Europe travel experience, this vacation is ideal with 2-night stays in London, Paris, Lucerne, Munich, Germany’s Rhineland, and Amsterdam. Begin with guided sightseeing in London and visits to St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Changing of the Guard (if held). Next, a fast Eurostar train whisks you to Paris for a welcome dinner with wine at a fine restaurant. Get a bird’s-eye view of the city from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and take in the major landmarks on a guided sightseeing tour. On to Lucerne for a guided walking tour that features the Lion Monument and Chapel Bridge, then stop in the Principality of Liechtenstein and in Innsbruck to see the opulent Golden Roof. In charming Munich, sightseeing with a Local Guide shows off the Olympic Stadium, Nymphenburg Palace, Marienplatz, and the gothic Frauenkirche. Pause along the Romantic Road in Rothenburg before enjoying a Rhine River cruise and Riesling wine tasting. Continue to Cologne’s twin-spired gothic cathedral and to Amsterdam for guided sightseeing, a scenic canal cruise, and a visit to a major diamond center.

Similar Vacations that may interest you:

Things to see on your vacation: View Vacation Photo Slideshow

A Vacation Story Lion Monument

“The Lion of Lucerne” (Lowendenkmal) is a compelling statue in the north section of Old Town dedicated to the 42 members of the Swiss Guard who were assigned to protect Louis the XVI, Maria Antoinette and their family at the Royal Palace. When the Tuileries was stormed on August 10, 1792 by rioting Parisians at the start of the French Revolution, the king ordered the soldiers to lay down their arms. They were subsequently slaughtered by the crowd and the royal family was captured. Louis had made a big mistake. In 1821 Danish sculpture Berthel Thorwaldsen finished the sculpture, a 30-foot likeness of a wounded and dying lion with a broken lance in its heart and his paw resting atop the fleur-de-lys shield of the Bourbon king. The Latin inscription translated “To the bravery and fidelity of the Swiss.”