Cruise the River Seine as the City of Light glows to life. Slip past Île de la Cité, the Louvre, and glittering quays while bridges arch overhead in golden reflection.

Audio commentary shares anecdotes of artists, architects, and revolutions etched into the riverbanks. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable with your Travel Director while on tour.

Pause at a vantage point to admire the Monte Cassino Abbey, founded by Saint Benedict in 529 and rebuilt after fierce WWII battles. The hilltop silhouette commands sweeping views across Lazio’s rolling countryside.

Hear how this cradle of monastic learning became a wartime symbol of resilience, linking faith, scholarship, and twentieth-century history.

Explore the Rhine’s cultural powerhouse with a pause beneath the Cologne Cathedral, whose twin spires soar above the old town skyline. Learn about its shrine reputed to hold the relics of the Three Kings and admire the intricate Gothic stonework that took centuries to complete.

Wander cobbled lanes near the Rhine promenade, where pastel-fronted houses, Brauhauses, and the river breeze reveal Cologne’s blend of medieval heritage and lively modern life.

Cruise the River Rhine through a storied gorge where turreted castles crown vine-striped slopes and villages cluster along the water’s edge. Cameras come out as the boat rounds the bend toward the fabled Lorelei Rock, the siren-shrouded cliff immortalized in German legend.

Slip past terraced vineyards and watch barges ply ancient trade routes, tracing a landscape that inspired poets, painters, and Romantics. Commentary en route brings centuries of river lore into focus.

Walk the flower-decked lanes of Colmar, where half-timbered houses and canal-side balconies evoke a fairy-tale Alsace. Meander through the petite canal district known as Little Venice, pausing to admire brightly painted facades mirrored in still water.

Discover how French and German influences shaped the town’s cuisine, wines, and architecture, and hear why artists and winemakers have long favored this mellow, sun-drenched corner of the Upper Rhine.

Explore lakeside Lucerne’s medieval core with its painted guild houses and arcaded squares, then pause at the moving Lion Monument, commemorating Swiss Guards who died in 1792. Stroll the flower-lined Chapel Bridge across the Reuss River, its 17th-century paintings telling the city’s story.

As you wander, your guide brings to life Lucerne’s role on alpine trade routes and its enduring craft traditions, from woodcarving to ornate clockmaking.

Take a short orientation in Europe’s micro-monarchy, framed by mountain peaks and the Rhine. Look up to hilltop Vaduz Castle and learn about the Principality of Liechtenstein, its postage-stamp heritage, and centuries of princely rule.

Compact streets, public art, and tidy cafés reveal a distinctive Alpine identity where Swiss precision meets Austrian warmth—all in a capital you can cross on foot.

Connect With Locals at a family farm where generations have worked the land. Share a Be My Guest experience over a traditional Tyrolean lunch featuring alpine flavors—think mountain cheeses, speck, and orchard-fresh strudel—served with heartfelt hospitality.

Stories of transhumance, handcrafted tools, and village customs open a window onto rural life in the Austrian Alps, framed by meadows and snow-dusted peaks.

Walk arcaded lanes in Imperial Innsbruck to the glittering Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl), its copper shingles shimmering above colorful facades. Continue to the Swarovski Crystal Worlds Store to admire artful installations and browse Tyrol’s most famous sparkles.

Between Baroque palaces and mountain backdrops, hear how Habsburg pageantry and alpine trade forged this elegant crossroads of the Brenner route.

Trace imperial and merchant routes across the Alps on a panoramic journey over the Brenner Pass. Cross the soaring Europa Bridge, suspended high above the Wipp Valley, with cameras ready for misty mountain passes and pine-clad slopes.

Commentary en route reveals feats of engineering and the strategic lifeline that has linked northern and southern Europe since Roman times.

Witness the centuries-old craft of Venetian glassblowing as masters coax molten glass into fluid forms. Afterwards, cross the lagoon by private launch to St. Mark’s Square, stepping into a theatre of marble arcades and café orchestras.

Hear tales of merchants and doges while viewing the Doge’s Palace and the sigh-laden bridge that once led to the prisons. Venice’s gilded history gleams in every reflection.

Survey the Eternal City’s antiquity as you cross the Tiber toward the Forum valley to see the mighty Colosseum and enjoy views across the vast Circus Maximus, once thunderous with chariot races.

Context from your guide connects emperors and spectacles to today’s lively piazzas, showing how millennia of history underpin Rome’s irresistible street life.

Sail across the shimmering Bay of Naples to the fabled island of Capri. On arrival, ascend by funicular to Capri Town for a guided walk through whitewashed lanes and café-lined squares.

Learn how emperors, artists, and the 1950s jet set fell for bougainvillea-framed terraces, sea-spray vistas, and lemon groves perfuming the breeze. Free time invites a gelato or a peek into chic boutiques.

Walk with a Local Specialist through cobbled streets halted in time by the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. See villas with frescoed walls, the Forum, and bathhouses that reveal everyday Roman life in astonishing detail.

Insightful commentary brings residents’ stories to life, from bakeries with carbonized loaves to grooves worn by ancient cart wheels.

Join a Local Specialist to view Brunelleschi’s Duomo, the statues of Piazza della Signoria, and river views from the Ponte Vecchio. Step inside a studio for a leathercraft demonstration, learning how Florence’s artisans cut, tool, and finish fine hides.

As you explore the “Cradle of the Renaissance,” stories of Medici patronage and guild rivalries bring the city’s artistic revolution vividly to life.

Visit the grassy expanse of the Piazza dei Miracoli to admire Pisa’s white-marble ensemble. Take in postcard views of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then study the ornate Duomo and the round Baptistery that complete this Romanesque masterpiece.

Your guide shares how soft subsoil, proud rivalries, and maritime wealth conspired to tilt a campanile into global fame.

Climb to the Rock for a stroll through Monaco-Ville’s narrow lanes, pausing at the Prince’s Palace square and the serene Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate, resting place of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace.

From the ramparts, gaze over yacht-filled harbors and the racing curves of Monte Carlo, where Riviera glamour meets centuries-old Grimaldi tradition.

Wander the cobblestone lanes of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a fortified aerie beloved by artists and actors. Sun-splashed stone walls, vine-draped archways, and pocket-sized galleries create an intimate Riviera tableau.

Hear how Marc Chagall and his contemporaries found refuge and inspiration here, and trace ramparts that have guarded this Provencal gem since the 16th century.

Discover the medieval heart of Avignon with views of the mighty Palais des Papes and the truncated Pont d’Avignon on the Rhône. Learn why this UNESCO World Heritage city became the seat of popes and a beacon of spiritual power.

Gothic towers, frescoed chapels, and shaded squares reveal a Provencal rhythm entwined with centuries of ecclesiastical history.

Ascend to Fourvière Hill for sweeping views of the Saône and Rhône converging around France’s culinary capital. Back in the lanes of Vieux Lyon, trace silk-makers’ shortcuts through hidden traboules and admire Renaissance courtyards.

Hear how trade, textiles, and gastronomy shaped a city that balances Roman roots with modern creative energy.

See Paris in panorama—from the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Élysées to graceful bridges of the Seine. A Local Specialist reveals grand squares, hidden courtyards, and literary cafés that define the city’s esprit.

Walk the Latin Quarter, where bookstalls, Sorbonne spires, and lively bistros evoke centuries of scholarship and street-corner debate. Parisian life unfolds at every turn.

Ascend by cable car to a nearby summit—often Mount Titlis or Pilatus—for a high-alpine panorama of lakes, glaciers, and distant peaks. Step onto viewing terraces for crisp air and wide-angle photos.

Time at altitude may include short walks or a warm drink in a mountaintop lodge. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable with your Travel Director while on tour.

Glide by gondola along hidden waterways where quiet ripples lap moss-green steps and shuttered palazzi. Your gondolier guides you beneath low bridges and into sun-splashed campos for an intimate view of Venetian life.

It’s a timeless way to savor the city’s rhythm at water level. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable with your Travel Director while on tour.

Follow the sinuous Corniche roads for sweeping views of bays, capes, and Belle Époque villas before visiting the historic Fragonard perfumery to learn how essences are crafted and blended.

Sample signature scents and, time permitting, enjoy regional specialties at a local restaurant. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable with your Travel Director while on tour.

Step into the Sun King’s world at the Palace of Versailles. Walk the Hall of Mirrors, see gilded salons, and look out to fountains and parterres choreographed in André Le Nôtre’s formal gardens.

Stories of court ritual, diplomacy, and revolution animate France’s most celebrated royal residence. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable with your Travel Director while on tour.

• 7 Dinner (D)
• 18 Breakfast (B)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays

• Cologne Cathedral: The towering Cathedral of Cologne is an impressive introduction to this riverside city. 
• Rhineland: Cruise beneath semi-ruined castles and terraced vineyards. Sleepy villages slip by as you saunter upstream to the Lorelei Rock where the enchantress lured sailors to their doom.
• Colmar: Join your Travel Director to explore the heart of Colmar, where colorful half-timbered houses, canal-lined lanes and flower-filled squares give the town its storybook charm. As you walk, you’ll discover why this Alsatian gem has inspired artists, winemakers and visitors for centuries. 
• 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.
• Vaduz: Explore Vaduz, the capital city of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
• Brenner Pass: Marvel at the stunning beauty of the Brenner Pass on your scenic drive through the Alpine landscape. 
• Venice: Discover the ancient skill of Venetian glassblowing and play a part in preserving this traditional craft.
• Tuscany: View the stunning landscape of Tuscany on your drive today. 
• Rome: Experience Rome through the eyes of a local, as a passionate Roman guides you past the city’s most iconic sites.
• Capri: Join a Local Specialist for a guided walk through Capri’s elegant lanes and vibrant squares. Hear how this island has long attracted artists, writers and Hollywood icons. Visit historic landmarks and local boutiques, and discover how generations of islanders have lived alongside the glamour, from Roman emperors to the jet-set names of the 1950s and beyond.
• Pompeii: Walk with a Local Specialist through the cobbled streets of this ill-fated town, frozen in time since the 1st century.
• Monte Cassino: See the abbey on Monte Cassino, founded by Saint Benedict in 529.
• Florence: Join a Local Specialist to view the multicolored marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square.
• Florence: See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods, and witness a gold and leatherwork demonstration.
• Pisa: In the Piazza dei Miracoli, see the baptistery, cathedral and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
• Monaco City: See the cathedral where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace were married.
• Saint-Paul-de-Vence: Discover the beauty of this hilltop town and gain insight into why it became a refuge for artists.
• Avignon: View the Pont d’Avignon and walk the medieval narrow streets of the Old Town to the Palais des Papes.
• Lyon: Take in panoramic views of Lyon from Fourvière Hill and explore the city’s cobblestone streets on a sightseeing orientation. 
• Paris: Join a Local Specialist to discover the hidden squares and secret lanes of Paris.

Drift through Amsterdam’s waterways as you board a glass-topped boat for a relaxed introduction to the city. Glide along the UNESCO-listed canal ring past stepped-gable mansions and arched bridges while enjoying a light dinner and a drink during this Welcome Reception canal cruise.

Hear how Golden Age merchants shaped these elegant neighborhoods and spot iconic skinny houses tilting over mirror-calm canals. The gentle hum of the boat and lantern-lit quays set the tone for your time in the Dutch capital.

Trafalgar