Explore Vatican City with a Local Expert, visiting the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel to see works assembled by the popes and Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica to view the Pietà and Bernini’s papal altar.

This experience brings together centuries of art, faith and papal patronage. Access to the museums or basilica may be restricted on some departures; if museum tickets are unavailable, the visit instead includes Rome’s Capitoline Museums.

• 8 Dinner (D)
• 25 Breakfast (B)

• Vatican City: Visit the Vatican Museums and witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

Join a Local Expert for a guided walk through San Sebastián’s Old Quarter, including Plaza de la Constitución. Explore the compact streets at the heart of the city’s social life, close to its celebrated pintxos bars.

The square’s numbered balconies recall its former use as a bullring, while the surrounding lanes reveal the convivial character of Basque urban life. It is an introduction to the neighbourhood beyond the city’s famous bay.

Stroll through Innsbruck’s Old Town with your Travel Director, seeing the Golden Roof and Imperial Palace against a backdrop of Tyrolean mountains. Notice the Gothic and Baroque details along its historic streets.

The Golden Roof’s gilded tiles recall Emperor Maximilian I and Innsbruck’s imperial connections. Here, the closely built centre and surrounding peaks make the relationship between Alpine landscape and urban history especially clear.

Insight Vacations

• Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

• Business class coach with extended leg room
• Top-rated dining, from farm-to-table to local restaurants
• 4 & 5-star stays

Explore Paris with your Travel Director, taking in the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral and Louvre facades. Follow the Seine’s bridge-lined banks and see Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

This sightseeing introduction brings together the city’s monumental avenues and intimate riverside views. Hear the stories behind landmarks that have shaped Paris, from its medieval heart to its grand public spaces.

Visit Château de Chenonceau, whose graceful gallery stretches across the River Cher in the Loire Valley. Explore a château celebrated for its elegant 16th-century design and its close association with influential women of the French court.

Known as the Ladies’ Château, Chenonceau reflects the tastes of figures including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici. Its river setting and gardens capture the refined estate culture for which the Loire Valley is renowned.

Walk through Bordeaux with a Local Expert to see its pale quayside facades, the Grand Théâtre and the refined streets of the Triangle d’Or. Continue to the broad Esplanade des Quinconces.

Discover how commerce and 18th-century urban planning gave this former port its harmonious appearance. Much of Bordeaux’s historic centre forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making the streets themselves a record of the city’s trading past.

Experience a progressive pintxos dinner in San Sebastián’s Old Town. Move between local bars in small groups, choosing snack-sized savoury dishes displayed at the counter and sharing the lively atmosphere with residents.

Pintxos are central to the Basque tradition of gathering over food and conversation. Each bar offers its own combinations and presentation; you may also wish to try Txakoli, the lightly sparkling wine produced in the region.

Explore Plaza del Castillo in Pamplona and step inside Café Iruña, where tiled floors, ornate mirrors and dark wood preserve an early-20th-century atmosphere. See a gathering place in the historic capital of Navarre.

The café is closely associated with Ernest Hemingway’s visits to Pamplona. Its period interiors offer a tangible connection to the city he portrayed, while the plaza remains a focal point of everyday local life.

Explore Barcelona with a Local Expert, viewing the Gothic Quarter and cathedral before travelling along La Rambla and Passeig de Gràcia. See the ordered streets of the Eixample and the striking exterior of La Sagrada Família.

The route reveals the contrast between medieval Barcelona and its Modernista expansion. Look for expressive facades and changing street patterns as Gaudí’s still-evolving basilica rises above the city. Interior entry is not specified for this experience.

Stroll along Nice’s Promenade des Anglais and take in the sweep of the Bay of Angels. Enjoy the seafront atmosphere that has long drawn visitors to this stretch of the Côte d’Azur.

Named for the English visitors who helped establish the promenade in the 19th century, the broad waterfront remains one of Nice’s defining public spaces. Its Mediterranean views and grand coastal setting offer a direct introduction to Riviera life.

Follow part of Monaco’s Grand Prix circuit by vehicle and explore the old town with your Travel Director. See the Prince’s Palace overlooking the principality and take in views towards its yacht-filled harbour.

Formula 1 has raced through Monaco’s streets since 1929, giving familiar roads an unusual sporting history. The old town offers another perspective: a compact historic quarter set high above one of the Mediterranean’s most recognisable ports.

Choose to step inside the Prince’s Palace of Monaco and admire its State Apartments and Italian Renaissance frescoes. This visit is one of two included Insight Choice experiences offered in Monaco.

The palace remains the residence of Monaco’s princely family, giving its ceremonial rooms a living role as well as historical significance. The frescoes and interiors reveal a more intimate side of the principality than its harbour and racing circuit.

Choose to visit the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, with aquariums devoted to Mediterranean and tropical marine life and exhibits exploring polar research. This is one of two included Insight Choice experiences offered in Monaco.

Founded by Prince Albert I in 1910, the museum reflects his commitment to ocean science. Its collections connect the seas visible from Monaco’s coast with wider questions of exploration, marine biodiversity and conservation.

Taste the flavours of the French Riviera at a farm-to-table dinner in Nice. Enjoy seasonal cooking inspired by the Côte d’Azur, with ingredients sourced from the region and dishes reflecting local Nicoise traditions.

The area’s food draws on Mediterranean produce and the flavours of nearby Provence and Italy. Rather than a standard restaurant meal, this hosted dining experience places the region’s ingredients and culinary character at the centre of the evening.

See the Leaning Tower of Pisa with a Local Expert in the Square of Miracles. Admire the neighbouring cathedral and baptistery, whose marble decoration makes this monumental group one of Tuscany’s most distinctive sights.

The tower is the freestanding bell tower of the medieval cathedral and is associated with stories of Galileo’s experiments. Viewing the buildings together reveals the religious and civic ambition behind Pisa’s celebrated architectural ensemble.

Walk through Florence with a Local Expert to see its marble-clad cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, including the celebrated replicas of Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. Continue to Piazza della Signoria, the city’s historic political heart.

Outside the Palazzo Vecchio, view sculptures including Neptune and the replica of David. The square’s open-air art and imposing civic buildings show how Renaissance creativity and public life became closely intertwined in Florence.

Discover Rome with your Travel Director, observing a city where ancient remains, medieval streets and Renaissance palaces sit alongside Baroque churches. This orientation introduces the layers that give the Italian capital its distinctive streetscape.

Rome’s buildings reflect centuries of change rather than a single architectural period. Seeing these styles together helps place its celebrated monuments in context and offers a useful foundation for exploring the Eternal City.

Sip cocktails at sunset in Venice while an ensemble of musicians performs. Enjoy a hosted moment in the city as its waterways and historic buildings take on the softer light of evening.

Venice’s squares and waterside settings have long been places to gather and listen to music. This experience pairs that atmosphere with a drink before dinner at a local restaurant, making the city itself the focus of the occasion.

Visit a traditional Venetian glassblowing workshop and watch skilled artisans shape molten glass into delicate objects. Learn how specialised tools, heat and practiced movements sustain a craft closely associated with Venice.

Venetian glassmaking developed over centuries and became especially renowned through the workshops of Murano. Seeing the process firsthand reveals the precision behind each piece and the importance of passing these techniques between generations.

Cruise through Venice by boat as your Travel Director introduces the city from the water. Pass historic palazzi and see the Doge’s Palace before reaching St. Mark’s Square and the exterior of its richly decorated basilica.

Venice’s canals were its principal thoroughfares, so arriving by water offers a perspective shaped by the city’s maritime past. The palace and basilica recall the wealth and political influence of the former Venetian Republic.

Walk through Slovenia’s capital with a Local Expert, following the Ljubljanica towards Prešeren Square and the Triple Bridge. See the hilltop castle, City Hall, the cathedral dedicated to St. Nicholas and the riverside Franciscan Church.

The compact centre brings Baroque buildings together with the distinctive urban designs of architect Jože Plecnik. Its bridges and pedestrian-friendly riverbanks show how Ljubljana’s civic spaces remain part of daily city life.

Explore Maribor with your Travel Director, taking in the blend of older streets and newer architecture in Slovenia’s second-largest city. Discover an urban centre set beside the Drava River, away from the country’s better-known capital.

Maribor’s long history as a university town gives it a distinct local character. A hosted exploration offers a closer look at the city’s evolving streetscape and its place in the cultural life of northeastern Slovenia.

Tour Vienna with a Local Expert, seeing the Hofburg, Opera House and Parliament along the Ringstrasse, as well as Karlskirche. Walk through the Innere Stadt, the capital’s historic first district.

The Ringstrasse replaced the old city walls with a boulevard designed to display imperial-era ambition. Its monumental buildings contrast with the older streets of the centre, offering two complementary views of Vienna’s Habsburg heritage.

Choose to visit the Capuchin Crypt, the historic burial place of the Habsburg dynasty in central Vienna. This is one of two included Insight Choice experiences offered in the city.

The imperial tombs provide a solemn perspective on the family that ruled vast parts of Central Europe for centuries. Their inscriptions and elaborate funerary art tell a different story of Habsburg power from Vienna’s palaces and grand boulevards.

Choose to visit a traditional Viennese coffeehouse for coffee and a slice of Sachertorte. This is one of two included Insight Choice experiences offered in Vienna.

Vienna’s coffeehouses are longstanding places for conversation, reading and unhurried social life. Enjoying the city’s chocolate-and-apricot cake in this setting offers a taste of a cultural tradition as recognisable as its imperial architecture.

Explore Salzburg with a Local Expert, visiting the Mirabell Palace gardens and Residence Square, both associated with The Sound of Music. See the cathedral, the fortress above the city and Mozart’s birthplace on Getreidegasse.

The walk connects Salzburg’s Baroque setting and musical heritage with familiar film locations. Formal gardens, grand squares and the lively old-town street offer varied views of the city that shaped Mozart’s early life.

Spend time in Vaduz and look up towards Vaduz Castle, the residence of Liechtenstein’s princely family. Its elevated position provides a striking focal point above the small capital and the surrounding Rhine Valley landscape.

The castle is a working royal residence rather than a public museum, so this is an exterior view. Seeing it above the town offers an introduction to the principality’s continuing monarchy and Alpine setting.

Visit Lucerne’s Lion Monument, then see the covered Chapel Bridge and the Baroque Jesuit Church. Explore a compact lakeside city whose landmarks span medieval, religious and 19th-century history.

Carved into a rock face, the wounded lion commemorates Swiss Guards killed during the French Revolution. The timber bridge and riverside church offer a contrasting view of Lucerne’s everyday setting beside the Reuss.

Ride a solar-powered, open-top cable car towards the summit of Mount Stanserhorn and take in wide Alpine views. Walk scenic paths, watch for marmots and other native wildlife, and, if available, hear a Swiss ranger discuss local conservation.

On clear days, the panorama extends towards Germany’s Black Forest and France’s Alsace region. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience links mountain scenery with an understanding of the habitats and species that share it.

Choose from a selection of restaurants for an included dine-around evening in Lucerne. Pick the setting and cuisine that suit you, enjoying a more personal dining experience in the lakeside city.

Rather than a single group venue, this format lets you shape the evening around your preferences. It is an opportunity to experience Lucerne’s restaurant scene and savour conversation in the atmosphere you find most appealing.

Cruise the Rhine between Boppard and Sankt Goar with a glass of local wine. Watch terraced vineyards, riverside villages and stone castles pass by, including the stretch around the legendary Lorelei Rock.

This section of the Rhine has inspired generations of stories and songs. Travelling by water reveals how its steep slopes shaped winegrowing and how castles once watched over one of Europe’s important trading routes.

Cruise Amsterdam’s UNESCO-listed canals while enjoying a special dinner on board. Pass beneath bridges and alongside historic merchant houses as the city’s gables and churches become illuminated in the evening.

The canal district was laid out during Amsterdam’s 17th-century Golden Age, when trade helped shape its elegant waterside streets. Seeing the architecture from a boat connects the city’s trading history with the waterways that still define it.

Experience an evening at a Paris cabaret, combining dinner with live music, elaborate costumes and staged performances. It offers a lively alternative way to spend an evening in the French capital.

Cabaret has long been part of Parisian entertainment culture, bringing music, theatrical spectacle and dining together under one roof. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the specific venue is not stated.

Travel through Bordeaux’s vineyards to tour the cellars of a château and taste local wines. Visit Saint-Émilion to see its remarkable monolithic church, carved directly into limestone.

The village lies within a UNESCO-listed winegrowing landscape where vineyards and historic buildings have developed together over centuries. This Optional Experience combines a closer look at winemaking with the area’s unusual underground heritage. It is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the French Basque coast with a Local Specialist, visiting Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Discover Biarritz’s grand resort heritage and visit the church where Louis XIV married the Spanish princess Maria Theresa in 1660.

The two towns offer contrasting perspectives on the coast, from Biarritz’s historic spa culture to Saint-Jean-de-Luz’s royal connection. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Choose an excursion to Pompeii, the Roman town buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. Explore an archaeological site where streets and surviving buildings offer a rare picture of ancient urban life.

The volcanic deposits that devastated Pompeii also preserved remarkable evidence of its homes, public spaces and daily routines. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the itinerary does not specify a particular route through the site.

Visit Lake Bled and ride a traditional wooden pletna across its glacial waters towards the small island at its centre. Take in the lake’s mountain setting from a boat designed for this distinctive local crossing.

Pletna boats are closely associated with Bled and offer a quieter perspective on one of Slovenia’s most recognisable landscapes. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Join a private tour of Schonbrunn Palace and its formal gardens in Vienna. Explore a residence associated with Empress Maria Theresa and the Habsburg court, and see the carefully ordered landscape surrounding it.

The palace served as a centre of imperial family life and ceremony, making it a revealing complement to Vienna’s public monuments. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Choose an excursion to the Eagle’s Nest in the mountains near Salzburg. Visit a site known for its elevated Alpine setting and its association with the Nazi era.

Built as the Kehlsteinhaus above Berchtesgaden, the building invites both reflection on its difficult history and attention to the surrounding mountain landscape. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; specific access arrangements are not stated.