Glide through Venice by gondola, hearing the oar dip into the water as bridges pass overhead and canal-side buildings rise close to the boat. The slower pace reveals details easily missed from wider waterways.

Gondolas are a long-standing feature of Venetian water transport, shaped for navigating the city’s narrow canals. This ride is at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering a close-up view of Venice’s waterside architecture and everyday canal life.

Discover the ancient sites of Rome with a Local Specialist, moving among monumental remnants of the city’s imperial past. Broken columns, weathered stone and open arches convey the scale of buildings that once shaped Roman public life.

Guided commentary helps connect the surviving ruins with the people and power of ancient Rome. This experience centres on seeing the historic sites with a local guide; admission to a particular archaeological monument is not specified.

Cross the English Channel by ferry from Dover to Calais, watching the White Cliffs of Dover recede across the water. The chalk cliffs form one of England’s most recognisable coastal views.

From the deck, take in the open sea and the approaching French coast. This working ferry crossing is a distinctive part of the journey between Britain and mainland Europe, rather than a sightseeing cruise.

Join a panoramic tour of Paris with your Travel Director, travelling along the Champs-Élysées and past the carved stone of the Arc de Triomphe. See the Eiffel Tower’s iron lattice rise above the city’s rooftops.

The broad avenues and formal monuments reveal the scale of the French capital, while its café terraces and cream-stone facades give the city its lived-in character. This is an introduction to Paris’s celebrated sights, with views from the route rather than entry to the monuments.

Explore Lucerne with your Travel Director on an orientation that includes views of the Chapel Bridge and Old Town Hall. Visit the Lion Monument, a solemn sculpture carved into a rock face.

The monument commemorates Swiss Guards who died defending King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. Nearby, the covered bridge crosses the Reuss River beneath its timber roof, linking Lucerne’s historic streets with views of the surrounding Alpine landscape.

Cruise through Venice by private boat towards St Mark’s Square, seeing the city from its water highways. The Doge’s Palace and Bridge of Sighs come into view near the historic centre.

Arrive close to Piazza San Marco, where the basilica’s ornate exterior overlooks stone paving and shaded arcades. Approaching by water offers a perspective on a city built around canals and the lagoon; this experience does not include entry to the square’s landmarks.

Visit a traditional Venetian glassblowing workshop and watch artisans shape glowing, molten glass with practised movements. Furnace heat, turning tools and the changing colour of the glass make the craft tangible at close range.

Glassmaking has been part of Venetian cultural and commercial life for centuries, with techniques passed between generations of craftspeople. The workshop visit offers a chance to see the skill behind objects that are closely associated with Venice and its lagoon.

Discover Florence’s historic centre on a city orientation that includes Piazza della Signoria. See the civic square where sculpture, palaces and public life sit side by side amid the city’s narrow streets.

The piazza has long been a centre of Florentine political life, overlooked by the fortress-like Palazzo Vecchio. Its open-air sculptures evoke the artistic ambition of the Renaissance, offering a view of the city’s heritage without requiring entry to a museum or palace.

Explore Vatican City with a Local Specialist, crossing St Peter’s Square beneath its sweeping colonnades. Look towards the great dome of St Peter’s Basilica, which dominates the skyline above the piazza.

The square is a ceremonial gathering place at the heart of the Roman Catholic Church. Your guide brings context to its scale and significance as you experience the architecture from outside; entry to the basilica or Vatican Museums is not specified.

Cruise the River Seine on an optional outing through Paris, watching bridges, riverside facades and illuminated streets drift past. The water-level perspective offers a quieter way to take in the capital’s architectural rhythm.

The Seine has shaped Paris for centuries, with quays and bridges connecting its historic neighbourhoods. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, making it a choice for travellers who would like to see the city from the river.

Explore Montmartre with a Local Specialist, following cobbled streets uphill towards the neighbourhood’s artists’ squares. Hear café conversation and pass crêpe stalls as you discover a more intimate side of Paris.

Montmartre’s hilltop setting and artistic associations distinguish it from the city’s grand boulevards. This guided Choice Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with local insight into the streets and atmosphere that have drawn painters and visitors for generations.

Experience a Paris cabaret show, where stage lights, elaborate costumes and the quick rhythm of the French can-can bring a theatrical side of the city to life. This is a seated evening performance rather than a sightseeing visit.

Cabaret has a long association with Parisian nightlife, combining dance, music and spectacle in an intimate performance setting. The show is at additional cost and bookable on tour for travellers who want an evening of live entertainment.

Visit the lagoon island of Burano for a meal with drinks, among brightly painted houses lining narrow canals. Fishing boats and waterside lanes give the island a character distinct from central Venice.

Burano is known for its colourful streets and its traditional lace-making heritage, rooted in lagoon life. This island dining experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, combining time in a distinctive Venetian community with a shared meal.

Taste a Roman dining experience built around generous plates, simmered sauces and fresh herbs. This optional meal offers a chance to linger over food rather than simply stop for dinner.

Rome’s cooking draws much of its character from familiar ingredients and recipes shared around family tables. The experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour for travellers who want to explore the city’s food culture through a hosted meal.

Costsaver

• 9 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Dinner (D)

• Cross the Channel by ferry, leaving Dover’s chalk-white cliffs behind as you travel towards Calais and the French coast.
• Paris: With your Travel Director, you’ll wander through the heart of Paris along its grand boulevards, ornate balconies overhead as cream-stone buildings and tree-lined avenues stretch towards the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées.
• Lucerne: During an orientation with your Travel Director, see the Lion Monument, Old Town Hall and Chapel Bridge, the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe.
• Venice: Discover the ancient skill of Venetian glassblowing and play a part in preserving this traditional craft.
• Venice: As you journey along some of the water highways of the city, famous sights such as the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs come into view and introduce you to Venice before docking near St. Mark’s Square.
• Rome: Experience Rome through the eyes of a local, as a passionate Roman guides you past the city’s most iconic sites.

• See the White Cliffs
• See the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower on your sightseeing tour
• Orientation includes views of the Chapel Bridge and a visit to the Lion Monument
• Cruise by private boat to St. Mark’s Square and visit a traditional glassblowing workshop
• See Piazza della Signoria
• See the ancient sites with your Local Specialist

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase
• 3-star stays