European Charm with London (HBT) - 2013

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15 days from Amsterdam to London

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Visit the iconic Matterhorn in the heart of the Swiss Alps

Vacation Overview

This vacation consists almost entirely of two-night stays in a variety of famous cities and picturesque towns. Experience Amsterdam through the guided sightseeing and a canal cruise. Enjoy a romantic cruise on the Rhine River, and stop in Cologne, Heidelberg, medieval Rothenburg, and Munich. Stay two nights in Ettal, near the Passion Play village of Oberammergau, and visit beautiful Ettal Abbey, founded in 1330, followed by a liqueur tasting in the company of the abbey monks. Also included is a visit to nearby King Ludwig’s Castle in Neuschwanstein, the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. Next, drive through the Alps via Innsbruck to Italy. Stay overnight in Bolzano in the Dolomites, the “Rocky Mountains of Europe,” and join a Prosecco wine tasting in Conegliano before arriving in Venice, where guided sightseeing includes St. Mark’s Basilica and Doges’ Palace with its Bridge of Sighs. From Venice, drive to Lake Maggiore and stop in Stresa, with the possibility to visit enchanting Isola Bella. Enter Switzerland and arrive in car-free Zermatt for an overnight at the foot of the Matterhorn. In the morning, an optional ride on Europe’s highest rack-railway to the Gornergrat is available. Next is French-speaking Montreux, of festival fame, for an overnight stay, before boarding the high-speed TGV train from Lausanne to Paris, where guided sightseeing features a visit to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and a full day at leisure offers the possibility to visit the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre Museum. Finally, hop aboard the high-speed Eurostar train and head north to London for two overnights, guided sightseeing of the major attractions, and free time to enjoy yourself in jolly old England!

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Receive a $200 per couple air credit on all 2013 Globus air-inclusive Europe vacations.*

*Book a 2013 Globus air-inclusive Europe (excluding Jordan) vacation to receive the $100 per person air credit. Must be booked, under deposit and discount applied between January 9 and June 25, 2013 for travel between January 9 and December 31, 2013. Not applicable on instant purchase air. Applies to coach class only. Air must be purchased through Globus in conjunction with a Europe tour. Air credit will apply to the per person air price and is non-transferable. Offers not valid with any other offer except Journeys Club Repeat Traveler benefit. Applies to new 2013 bookings only, and offer will not be applied to pre-existing bookings. An additional $300 non-refundable deposit is required for air booked in conjunction with a land vacation. Once airfare is confirmed and Globus has received your full air and land deposit, your air-inclusive price is guaranteed. Globus reserves the right to ticket passengers upon receipt of full land and air deposit; Any subsequent changes and/or revisions to airline reservations at your request after receipt of full land deposit are subject to revision fees and/or airline-imposed change or cancellation fees. These fees are a minimum of $300, and in some instances may be up to 100% of the ticket price. In addition, promotional discounts do not carry forward on changed air bookings. However, promotions in effect at the time of the change will apply. Total air price includes all government-imposed taxes and fees applicable at the time of booking. Air price, air tax and security fees are non-commissionable. Additional airline fees for baggage may apply. For the most current airline-imposed baggage fees, please check the following website, www.iflybags.com. Offer reliant on space availability. Full cancellation penalties will apply. Additional restrictions may apply.

Similar Vacations that may interest you:

European Charm (HB)

AMSTERDAM
Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing; canal cruise; visit a major diamond center

COLOGNE
Visit the cathedral

RHINE CRUISE

HEIDELBERG
Take pictures of the castle

ROTHENBURG
Walking tour of the walled town

MUNICH
Orientation including Marienplatz

OBERAMMERGAU AREA
Ettal Benedictine Monastery and liquor tasting

NEUSCHWANSTEIN
Visit King Ludwig’s castle

INNSBRUCK
Walk through the Old Town to the Golden Roof

DOLOMITES
Prosecco wine tasting in Conegliano; walking tour in Bolzano

VENICE
Private boat ride; guided walking tour, visit St. Mark’s Square, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs; glassblower demonstration

LAKE MAGGIORE
Stop in the town of Stresa

TASCH–ZERMATT–TASCH
By mountain train

LAUSANNE–PARIS
By high-speed TGV train (first-class)

PARIS
Guided sightseeing, ascend the Eiffel Tower

PARIS-LONDON
By high-speed Eurostar train

LONDON
Guided sightseeing, visit St. Paul's Cathedral and see the Changing of the Guard, if held

Headsets throughout the tour

NOTE:

In the rare event that the TGV train or the Eurostar train is unavailable, alternative services will be provided.

DAY 1Arrive in Amsterdam, Holland

Welcome to Amsterdam! At 6 pm, meet your traveling companions and Tour Director for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (Dinner)

Boats along the beautiful canals of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands

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DAY 2Amsterdam

Guided sightseeing features a CANAL CRUISE aboard a glass-roofed launch, which is the best way to get a good impression of how this city was built and how much still remains from the Golden Age. Next, visit a major DIAMOND CENTER. Later, maybe an optional excursion to visit a cheese farm, a clog maker, a working windmill, and dinner in the pretty fishing village of Volendam at the former Zuiderzee? (Breakfast)

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DAY 3Amsterdam–Cologne–Heidelberg, Germany

In Cologne, visit the awesome twin-spired gothic CATHEDRAL. Time to shop for the traditional “4711” Eau de Cologne before the afternoon’s highlight: a RHINE CRUISE along the prettiest part of the Rhine River past castle-crested cliffs and terraced vineyards. Arrive in Heidelberg, and take pictures of its castle. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Pay a visit to Cologne’s awesome gothic cathedral

A Short Wine Guide

"Historically, Germany’s wine has suffered with an “inferiority complex” fueled by the reputation of wine powerhouses France and Italy. And in modern times, they’ve tacked of “how to compete with a Bordeaux or a Chianti” by improving quality, while keep prices reasonable. Finally, German vintners are starting to reap the rewards. The world famous Riesling region, centered on the Rhine and its tributaries and in eastern Germany near Dresden, is the biggest success story to come out of Germany’s 13 wine growing regions. White grapes form 80 percent of the harvest, but reds are on the rise, as well as the general reputation of German wines."

Mark Twain's Heidelberg

"“One thinks Heidelberg by day – with its surroundings – is the last possibility of the beautiful; but when he sees Heidelberg by night, a fallen Milky Way, with that glittering railway constellation pinned to the border, he requires time to consider upon the verdict.” Mark Twain wrote this ode to Heidelberg in his humorous travel book, “A Tramp Abroad” (1880). During the three months that Twain spent in the city in 1878, many of his recorded experiences aren’t entirely dissimilar from activities that travelers and residents still enjoy today. He gazed out over the Nektar River; strolled across the Old Bridge; and watched university students dueling in a tavern."

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DAY 4Heidelberg–Rothenburg–Munich–Oberammergau Area

Admire the ramparts, towers, and 16th-century houses in picture-book Rothenburg, famous for Christmas ornaments. Hear why this town was spared during the Thirty Years War. Next is Munich, capital of Bavaria. Drive by the Olympic Stadium with its 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, walk to MARIENPLATZ with its Old and New Town Halls, and see the famous Hofbräuhaus, dating back to 1589, before continuing to the peaceful village of Ettal. (Breakfast, Dinner)

"Munich, Germany's Secret Capital"

"Munich is the only German metropolis that seems to have everything – wealth, beauty, prominence, fame. Some even call it Germany’s “secret capital.” Unlike Berlin, which some dub “architecturally challenged,” Munich bursts with historical buildings reconstructed after the devastation of World War II. Its grand Residenz, the former home of Bavarian kings, dominates the city center, which also boasts the flamboyant, gilded Cuvillié Theater. Nearby, the neo-gothic Neues Rathaus gives a medieval touch to the Marienplatz, the heart of Munich. "

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DAY 5Oberammergau Area

A special highlight today: visit beautiful ETTAL ABBEY, nestled at the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. Founded in 1330 by Benedictine monks, the original structure was destroyed by a fire in 1744 and later rebuilt in the baroque style. See the beautiful frescoes that adorn the ceilings and walls, and the marvelous altars. Also on the agenda: a TASTING of the LIQUOR produced by the abbey monks. Later, free time in Oberammergau to get acquainted with the history and traditions of this Passion Play village. To round off your stay in this area, maybe join the exciting optional excursions to Linderhof Castle with its beautiful terraced gardens, and a Bavarian dinner to try out traditional dishes and enjoy local entertainment. (Breakfast)

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Oberammergau

"Promises to God are notoriously hard to keep. The townspeople of Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps have not only kept their renaissance promise, they’ve turned it into euros and cents. Flashback to 1633. Oberammergau was a stop on the market road between Augsburg and Venice. When the plague hit, the town elders swore to heaven: Protect us and we’ll do a play about Jesus’ crucifixion every ten years. The first began in 1634. Today the village of Oberammergau lives because of theater. Half of the 5,400 residents break a leg in the Passionsspiel, performed in years ending in zero from May to October."

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DAY 6Oberammergau Area–Neuschwanstein–Innsbruck, Austria–Dolomites, Italy

In the heart of the Bavarian Alps you will see two castles practically facing each other. Hohenschwangau is the castle where King Ludwig II grew up, but the most famous one is NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE, built by Ludwig and later copied by Disney. Next is Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian Tyrol. Stroll through the Old Town to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Time to shop for crystal, for which the city is famous, before continuing across spectacular Brenner Pass into Italy. Your overnight is in Bolzano, which used to be part of Tyrol until the end of World War I and where street signs in two languages still remind you of its Tyrolean past. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Enjoy some time exploring the beautiful Innsbruck

Neuschwanstein Castle

"As it rises from its alpine backdrop, Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen has all the drama of a well-planned stage scene. And so it is. The late 19th century dream castle joins various architectural styles with the eccentric fancy of Ludwig II, Bavaria’s most peculiar sovereign. From afar he adored the anorexic Austrian Empress Elisabeth, he wrote about suicide in his diaries and he bankrolled the composer Richard Wagner. He also loved building castles. In the process, he nearly bankrupted his government. Today, he’s the equivalent of a pop star in Bavaria for giving Germany its most popular tourist attraction."

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DAY 7Dolomites–Venice

Drive through the impressive Dolomites, the “Rocky Mountains of Europe,” and stop in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy’s most famous ski resort. Before arriving in Venice, stop in Conegliano, where a Prosecco WINE TASTING awaits you. (Breakfast)

Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world

A majestic view of the famous Italian Dolomites

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DAY 8Venice

Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT and meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the Byzantine basilica, the Clock Tower, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (Breakfast)

Venice

"It is no accident that one of history’s greatest explorers, Marco Polo, came from Venice. His hometown had been Europe’s gateway to the East long before he set sail in 1271; the influence of the Orient could be seen in its art, its fashion and its architecture, creating, in the words of one historian, “the most colorful, sumptuous, and sensually bewitching civilization that history has ever known.” Thanks to Venetian conquests in the eastern Mediterranean, the 17-year-old Marco had the first leg of his travel route mapped out for him – he was able to island-hop through friendly territory as far as Constantinople, from there he was seduced by China for more than 20 years. When Polo returned to Venice in 1295 as a bearded and vaguely Eastern middle aged man, even his relatives did not believe he had been in China the entire time."

Bridge of Sighs

"The world’s most poetically-named bridge, Il Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, was built in 1614 so that prisoners of the Venetian state could be transferred in secret from the Doge’s Palace to the so-called Nuovi Prigioni, or New Prisons. The wistful name was actually conceived by the English poet Lord Byron in the early 1800s that imagined the horror of prisoners taking their last glimpse of Venice before going underground to captivity. "

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DAY 9Venice–Lake Maggiore–Zermatt, Switzerland

A comfortable drive to the Italian-Swiss Lake District. In elegant Stresa at Lake Maggiore, an optional boat ride to enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged before crossing lofty Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its excellent wines and great mountain resorts. To reach the most famous of them, leave the coach behind in Täsch and board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Isola Bella

"Isola Bella. Beautiful Island. Rising out of the waters of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, a gardener’s paradise awaits. When Count Carlo Borromeo decided to give his wife, Isabella, a gift back in 1632, he was thinking big. The expansive island villa and garden he planned for her are considered the epitome of Baroque-style architecture and garden design. With terraces built straight to the water’s edge, the island appears as if it is a floating flowering ship. Many of the rooms are of notable historical interest, like the Music Room, where Mussolini hosted the Stresa Conference in 1935 that should have ensured peace in Europe, and Napoleon’s Room, where he often stayed in the company of Giuseppina Beauharnais."

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DAY 10Zermatt–Montreux

Morning at leisure. A suggestion: ride Europe’s highest rack railway to 10,272-foot Gornergrat for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps. Next, motor through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley and arrive at Lake Geneva in Montreux, of festival fame. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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Lake Geneva

Stretching along Switzerland’s southern border with France, Lake Geneva (also called Lac Leman by the Swiss) is the largest lake in Europe. It’s pristine shores support a strong fresh water fishing industry. Some would argue that it offers the most beautiful views of any waterway. They are jaw-droppingly amazing; especially the snow capped Jura Alps across the lake from Montreux and Vevey. The temperatures are moderate along the lake in winter; most of the weather takes place in the mountains. In summer numerous music festivals and artistic events are held in towns along the lake, especially Lausanne, the third most popular city for travelers in Switzerland, next to Zurich and Geneva. It is a sophisticated artist’s haven and the city where T.S. Eliot lived when he wrote “The Wasteland.”

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DAY 11Montreux–Lausanne–Paris, France

Drive along the coastline of Lake Geneva, the “Swiss Riviera,” to Lausanne, home to the International Olympic Committee. Here, board the high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. On arrival, sightseeing with a Local Guide features the 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 Paris’ most famous landmark: the EIFFEL TOWER. (Breakfast)

The Arc de Triomphe standing in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle

Lake Geneva

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DAY 12At Leisure in Paris

Another day to enjoy what this extraordinary metropolis has to offer. To enhance your stay, choose from our list of optional excursions: the magnificent Louvre Museum with the Mona Lisa, the lavish baroque Palace and Gardens of Versailles, built by the Sun King, Louis XIV, and for tonight, maybe a lively cabaret show, the best way to say, “Au revoir, Paris?” (Breakfast)

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Louvre

Today, a thick pane of bullet-proof security glass keeps artlovers a safe distance from the most famous painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, Wife of Francesco Giacondo,” known in French as “La Joconde” and English as the “Mona Lisa.” But back in 1911, it was simply hung on the walls of the Musée du Louvre like any other canvas. That was until a former museum employee named Vincenzo Perrugia strolled into the gallery before opening hours on August 21, noticed the room was empty, took down the Mona Lisa and walked out of the Louvre with it under a painting smock. When the loss was finally noticed, the police were mystified. For two years, the whereabouts of the masterpiece was unknown, while French detectives made various wild guesses. (It had been stolen by the Germans. By anarchists. By evil geniuses. By lunatics.) They actually arrested the country’s top art critic, Guillame Apollinaire, then let him free. Then, out of the blue in 1913, an Italian art dealer in Florence was contacted by a man calling himself “Leonardo” who claimed to have the Mona Lisa and wanted to see it hang in the Uffizi, Italy’s top art museum. Although he found it hard to believe that the thief could be so reckless, the dealer tipped off the police and agreed to meet the strange Leonardo in a Milan hotel room. There, the nondescript fellow opened his suitcase, emptied out his socks and underwear, opened up a false bottom in the case to reveal the Mona Lisa – and was immediately arrested.

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DAY 13Paris–London, England

You will be transferred by high-speed EUROSTAR TRAIN to London, arriving in the afternoon. (Breakfast)

London’s Tower Bridge over the River Thames

Ride the iconic double decker bus in London

The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel

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DAY 14London

Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the most famous landmarks, a visit to ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, and the Changing of the Guard, if held. Optional afternoon excursions to Windsor Castle or the Tower of London are available. And tonight, maybe a leisurely cruise on the River Thames? (Breakfast)

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Changing of the Guard

"Changing the Guard dates to Henry VII (reigned 1485-1509) and was designed to show military discipline as well as ceremony. The tall bearskin hats were introduced in the 18th century to make the soldiers look taller and thus more frightening, and they were adopted for ceremonial use in 1832. The ceremony we know today started in the late 1800s and involves real soldiers who fulfill all military duties, guarding the Queen being just part of their service."

Tower of London

"Since its founding in the 11th century, the Tower of London has served many roles: impregnable fortress, royal residence, armory, treasury, home of the famed Crown Jewels, and a prison for those who offended the monarchy. To this day it is guarded by the “Beefeaters,” a name that likely originates from when Tower guards were paid part of their salary with chunks of beef, a practice that continued until the 1800s."

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DAY 15London

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)

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Transportation

Motorcoach with free Wi-Fi; canal cruise in Amsterdam; Rhine River cruise; private boat in Venice; mountain train in Zermatt; high-speed first-class TGV train; high-speed Eurostar train

AMSTERDAM NH Carlton (F)
HEIDELBERG Leonardo (F)
OBERAMMERGAU AREA Klosterhotel Ludwig der Bayer (F) at Ettal
DOLOMITES Four Points (F) by Sheraton at Bolzano
VENICE Carlton on the Grand Canal (F)
ZERMATT Walliserhof (F)
MONTREUX Eurotel Riviera (F)
PARIS Radisson Blu Boulogne (SF)
LONDON Park Plaza Westminster Bridge (SF)

Full buffet breakfast; 6 three-course dinners, including a welcome dinner in Amsterdam

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Receive a $200 per couple air credit on all 2013 Globus air-inclusive Europe vacations.*

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The following UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be seen or visited on the European Charm with London:

Paris Banks of the Seine
Cologne Cathedral
Upper Middle Rhine Valley
The Dolomites
Venice and its Lagoon
17th Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam

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OPTIONAL EXCURSIONS