EUROPEAN WINTER SAMPLER - 2009

16 days incl. travel, or 15 days from London to Paris (XL)

Return to European Winter Vacations

Vacation Overview

As the name implies, this vacation is a sample of some of the major highlights of Europe. Start with London, then travel by Eurostar train to Brussels and continue by motorcoach to Amsterdam. Stay one night at the Rhine and enjoy a Rhine River cruise (weather depending) before entering the Alps. Explore Lucerne and Lugano in Switzerland, then enter Italy across spectacular Brenner Pass and arrive in Venice. Sail by private boat to St. Mark’s Square. In Rome, guided sightseeing includes visits to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. After admiring Michelangelo’s David in the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, follow the Mediterranean coast to Nice, from where you will travel the next morning on a high-speed TGV train to Paris. In the “City of Light,” guided sightseeing includes a ride to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

Special Departure:
December 11 - Christmas Eve in Paris

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Extend Your Vacation in London by Eurostar Train (XLL)

Things to see on your vacation: View Vacation Photo Slideshow

A Vacation Story La Piazza Della Signoria

"What’s the best vantage point to ponder the most illustrious town square in Florence, the Signoria? An outdoor table in the venerable Caffè Rivoire – preferably over a delicious, if not painfully expensive cioccolata con pane, a dark and mud-thick hot chocolate. Late at night, when the crowds have gone, you can search the long shadows and imagine that very little has changed here since the 1400s. The Signoria is the most elegant sculpture garden in Europe. Masterpieces include the splendid Neptune Fountain by Ammannati, Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli and a precise copy of Michelangelo’s David, all strategically poised in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. This grand public space has been the centerpiece of Florence since the 15th Century, the golden age when the city was established as the most beautiful in Europe. Eminent merchants in their ostentatious finery met here to discuss business in the midst of Florence’s raucous daily life."