European Breakaway 8 Day tour from $1700     an Insight Vacations luxury tour

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Tour Highlights

Hotels

All four hotels on this tour are modern & well appointed. They range from  the Inntel in Amsterdam, situated on a quiet traffic free street, to the Sofitel  in Paris on one of the many tree lined boulevards of the city.

Fellow Passengers

This tour attracts many first time visitors to Europe who want to see the contrasts  of Europe in one week. This tour whets the appetite for more extensive tours in the future.

Highlights

The canal cruise & Highlight Dinner on a floating restaurant in Amsterdam  contrasting with the scenic cruise along the Rhine; the ascent of Mount Pilatus  contrasting with the ascent of the Eiffel Tower in Paris but both reveal spectacular  views!

 Excursions & Sights

• Visit the pretty Dutch fishing village of Volendam
• Enjoy demonstrations of cheese-making, clog-making and diamond cutting in Holland
• See Amsterdam's Dam Square, Royal Palace and Mint Tower
• See the 'Bridge too far' in Arnhem
• See  the soaring Gothic cathedral in Cologne
• Relax on a scenic highlight cruise along the most romantic stretch of the Rhine River
• See Heidelberg's red sandstone castle
• Scenic Black Forest drive
• Cuckoo clock making demonstration in the Black Forest
• Visit the Rhine Falls
• See Lucerne's Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument & Jesuit Church
• Drive past the Louvre and along the Champs Elysees to the  Arc de Triomphe in Paris
• See Notre Dame Cathedral, the Place de la Concorde & Opera House in Paris
• See the White Cliffs of Dover

Guided City Tours

In depth sightseeing tour with expert local guide in Paris

Orientation  tours in Amsterdam, Cologne, Heidelberg & Lucerne

Insight's First Class Services

• Escorted by a professional Tour Director
• Luxury air-conditioned coach with onboard toilet
• First Class hotels with all service charges, taxes and porterage
• Free Airport transfers when booking our London hotel

Quality Dining

Highlight Dinner aboard a floating restaurant in Amsterdam Harbour

7 enhanced or buffet breakfasts and 3 three course table d'hote dinners, or buffets, plus tea or coffee

Tour Itinerary

Tour Pace

This is a well paced tour with two night stays in Amsterdam, Lucerne and Paris,  allowing plenty of time for in depth sightseeing. The only one night stay is in  the delightful Rhineland town of Bingen.

DAY 1 SUN - LONDON - AMSTERDAM

We meet our Tour Director this morning and drive to Dover for our short channel  crossing to Calais. We pass historic Dunkirk, famous for its Second World War evacuations, and follow the coast north into Belgium. We enter our fourth country today, the  Netherlands and see the first of the windmills on the way to the cultural capital  of Amsterdam - 'City of Canals'. This evening we enjoy a welcome drink with our  Tour Director before boarding our canal cruise. We glide past high gabled houses  and under low bridges to alight at a floating restaurant on Amsterdam's magnificent  harbour, for our highlight dinner. Hotel: Golden Tulip Inntel Centre. (HD)

DAY 2 MON - AMSTERDAM SIGHTSEEING

Our orientation tour this morning shows us the Mint Tower, Dam Square and Royal  Palace. We then leave Amsterdam and drive through the typical Dutch countryside  with its windmills and canals to the old, traditional village of Volendam, situated on what was once the Zuider Zee. Later we make a photo-stop beside one of the picturesque  windmills and then visit a cheese farm and a 'Klompenhuis', where wooden clogs are  made. We return to Amsterdam for the visit to a renowned diamond cutting factory, an industry dating back to the 16th century. After dinner this evening, perhaps visit the famous Sailors' Quarter? (BB)

DAY 3 TUE - AMSTERDAM - RHINELAND

We leave Amsterdam today, en route for Germany. We pass the border town of Arnhem, renowned for its 'Bridge Too Far' - the Rhine bridge which was the object of bitter  fighting at the end of the 2nd World War, then across the extensive Ruhr Basin to Cologne. This city was also badly damaged in the war, but its superb Gothic Cathedral  survived. We have time to marvel at the soaring vaults and spires, and to stroll in the bustling pedestrian malls of the city centre. Now on through the little market  town of Bonn, birthplace of Beethoven and for over 40 years capital of Germany until  the reinstatement of Berlin. Soon we come to the picturesque Rhine Gorge where we board our highlight cruise at Boppard. We glide past medieval hill top castles and steep leafy vineyards to the legendary Loreley Rock. We rejoin our coach at St Goar, and continue to our hotel in the river port of Bingen, with its ancient stronghold  built by the bishops of Mainz. Hotel: NH Bingen. (BB,D)

DAY 4 WED - RHINELAND - LUCERNE

Today we visit Heidelberg, city of the 'Student Prince', on the banks of the River Neckar, where we view the ruined clifftop castle. Now we take the scenic route along the Rhine Valley to the ancient city of Freiburg, before climbing into the heart of the Black Forest, home of the cuckoo clock industry. After a stop to see how these clocks are made, we continue past Lake Titisee and across the Swiss border  to Schaffhausen. Here we admire the Rhine river thundering over the Rhine Falls with an awe-inspiring roar, before driving on via Zurich, to lakeside Lucerne. After  checking in to our hotel, perhaps shop for chocolate or that special timepiece?  Tonight you may wish to join an optional Swiss Fondue Party? Hotel: Astoria.  (BB)

DAY 5 THU - LUCERNE SIGHTSEEING

In Lucerne today we see the proud Lion Monument carved into a limestone cliff, dedicated to the Swiss Guards massacred defending the King during the French Revolution. We also have time to stroll across the Chapel Bridge and see the baroque Jesuit church. Now we enjoy an exciting Premium Highlight - an exhilarating ride  by cog-wheel train and cable car to the summit of Mount Pilatus. Admire the stunning panorama of snow-capped peaks including the Eiger and Jungfrau, before descending over mountain crags and pine forests back to terra firma. (BB,D)

DAY 6 FRI - LUCERNE - PARIS

Leaving the Alpine region, we cross the Rhine at Basel, and continue into France.  Our route takes us past the fortified town of Belfort, gateway to Alsace, and alongside  the forested ridges of the Jura Mountains into Burgundy. We continue on through the leafy vineyards and past the forests of Fontainebleau, to arrive in the elegant  city of Paris for our two night stay. Tonight, why not sample the fabulous cuisine  for which the French are renowned? Hotel: Sofitel Forum Rive Gauche. (BB)

DAY 7 SAT - PARIS SIGHTSEEING

This morning our tour, with a local guide, takes us by the Ile de la Cite, where we see Notre Dame Cathedral with its memories of the tale of Quasimodo, the  hunchback of Notre Dame. We then pass the immense facades of the Louvre and marvel  at Garnier's splendid Opera House. We see the Obelisk in the centre of the Place  de la Concorde and then drive along the elegant Champs Élysées to the  Arc de Triomphe. Now a Premium Highlight takes us up to the viewing platforms of  the famous Eiffel Tower for spectacular panoramas over the city! We then visit the  magnificent gilded Eglise du Dome where we see the imposing tomb of the Emperor Napoleon. This afternoon we are at leisure to explore Paris at our own pace. Perhaps take an optional tour to magnificent Versailles? By night, why not join  in the fun at a world famous cabaret show? (BB)

DAY 8 SUN - PARIS - LONDON

We cross the World War I battlefields of the Somme, before arriving at the port  of Calais for our channel crossing back to England. The white cliffs of Dover welcome us as we near the shore to alight at the port. From here it's a short drive through  Kent countryside before we arrive back in London where we bid farewell to our Tour Director. (BB)