Discover Europe without Disney

Day 1

London – Calais – Brussels – Holland (Distance: 550 Kms)
Today morning join up with your coach and depart towards Dover for your crossing to Calais or Dunkerque; you will require your passports at hand as we will cross the UK and French immigration, as well as security. The crossing on the ferry will last approx. 90 Minutes; 40 minutes if the crossing is from the Euro Tunnel train. Once we are in mainland Europe we make our way towards Belgium.
After Lunch, we continue to drive towards Brussels, the Capital of Belgium. On arrival in Brussels, we depart the coach and make our way on foot through the charming cobbled streets of Brussels to the Old Town. Here marvel at the “The Grand Place” or Grote Markt, which is the central square of Brussels. The Square provides wonderful opportunities to photograph the opulent guildhalls and the two larger and imposing edifices of the city’s Town Hall, and the King’s House or Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. You can then continue down the adjacent street to see the Manneken Pis, an iconic 17th-century bronze fountain, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain’s basin. The Manneken Pis can often be found dressed in costume during festivals. Before departing Brussels, we board the coach and do a photo stop at a giant stainless steel atom, known as the “Atomium”; originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair.
We then proceed towards our hotel and restaurant in the Netherlands. Depending on the hotel location we either go to the restaurant for our Indian dinner, or we head towards the hotel, where dinner will be served in one of the conference rooms by our very own caterers.

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Day 2

Keukenhof Tulip Gardens or Madurodam – Amsterdam (Distance: 190 Kms)
Today morning after breakfast, we visit the world renowned Keukenhof Tulip Gardens; famed for its breathtaking displays of flowers, Keukenhof has over 7 million bulbs that form a sea of flowers, between March and May, it is spread amongst 32 Hectares and is one of the world’s largest flower gardens, situated in Lisse, South Holland. (After 12th May departures Keukenhof will be closed for the season, and instead will be replaced by Madurodam model village – Madurodam is a miniature park and tourist attraction. It is home to a range of 1:25 scale model replicas of famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities and large developments).
In the early afternoon we make our way North of Amsterdam heading towards the Cheese and Clog farm. At the Cheese and Clog farm enjoy a briefing on the cheese making process and the uses of clogs in Dutch history and modern times from a local.
Later afternoon we head towards Amsterdam, the capital of Netherlands. Famous for its artistic heritage, and elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades. Enjoy this magnificent city from the Canal as the cruise that will take you through the intricate canal networks of Amsterdam.
We will then proceed in the evening to enjoy our Indian meal before we settle down for the final night in Holland, as the following day we check out and continue our tour towards Germany.

B, L, D

Day 3

Holland – Cologne – River Rhine Cruise (Distance: 530 Kms)
Today morning after breakfast, we check out of the hotel and board the coach heading South-East through the Netherlands and making our way into Germany heading towards Cologne (Also known in German as Koln). We disembark the coach in Cologne and walk towards the Cologne Cathedral (Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) It is well renowned for its gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. It is also Germany’s most visited landmark. Inside you can admire the vast naïve, which itself is impressive, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day. Don’t forget to take to picture the Cathedral from the outside; the 157 meters Cathedral is truly a masterpiece; taking over six hundred years to construct and is one of the best-known architectural monuments in Germany. We then meet up and continue to walk towards our Indian restaurant for our lunch, before we board the coach again.
We continue our drive deeper into Germany before we board our boat for a tranquil and scenic board ride on the River Rhine. Here marvel at the amazing vineyards and national parks along the way, as well as the historic castles as you cruise along the longest river in Germany. Whilst aboard your cruise, enjoy a cup of tea to accompany the wonderful scenery, as you wind down the afternoon.
We then re-join our coach and make our way toward the Hotel. We enjoy a delicious Indian meal before we get our head down for the night, getting ready to check out tomorrow morning.

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Day 4

Heidelberg – Black Forest – Lake Titisee – Rhine Falls (Distance: 480 Kms)
After breakfast, we load our luggage on the coach. Today morning you may have a change of coach, seats and tour manager, as our combination tours will merge today morning. Your tour continues with new friends.
We then continue to the town of Heidelberg sitting on the footbed of the River Necker in Southwestern Germany. We carry out our short orientation tour of the small town taking in the views and history of the Old Bridge, which has picturesque views of Heidelberg Castle perched on the hill as well as the Old Church in the main town. Our short trip to Heidelberg concludes with a quick photo stop at the Old Town Square, before boarding the coach and head towards the Black Forest.
We continue our drive into South East Germany. Whilst we drive through the Black Forest, enjoy the tree-lined alpine views, and be fascinated by the deep gorges along the way. We then arrive at the small town of Titisee-Neustadt in the middle of the Black Forest, among dark fir trees, high hills, spectacular cliffs and gentle valleys sits the largest natural lake in the Black Forest, Titisee, which stretches for some 2 km (over 1 mile). Here enjoy some free time to wonder the quaint streets and relax by the lake or shop for locally made cuckoo clocks as well as a varied selection of souvenirs. After your shopping trip, we have our Indian lunch, before we head towards Switzerland.
We continue our journey heading South of Germany and into Schaffhausen a city in north-eastern Switzerland on the river Rhine, next to the German border. On arrival why not take the time to admire the prime tourist attraction of the Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest open-plain waterfalls. You have the time to enjoy a quick trip to the centre of falls on the erosion resistant rock or simply bide the short time we have here admiring the beauty from the banks of the River Rhine with the Wörth Castle in the backdrop.
Today you have an opportunity to conduct an optional tour of Zurich. Spend the one-hour free time that your tour representative gives you in the city centre to discover Zurich city by foot, with the main highlights including – The Fraumünster Church, renowned for its stunning stained-glass windows created by Chagall. The Grossmunster evangelical protestant church in the medieval old town, or simply admire the beautiful lake of Zurich. The free-time given to you to check out a snap shot of Zurich city centre.
We continue our journey from the Rhine falls toward Central Switzerland. We have our Indian meal either at the restaurant or the hotel before we settle in for our two nights at the hotel.

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Day 5

Mt. Jungfrau – Interlaken (Distance: 230 Kms)
We have an early breakfast today and head out on the coach towards Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen. Depending on the train reservation we will either do Interlaken or Mt Jungfrau first.
When we head towards Lauterbrunnen Valley, the deepest U-shaped valley in the world with either side rising a sheer 1000 meters. We have a jaw-dropping train journey on a cogwheel that takes us up to the top of Mt. Jungfrau at 3454 meters above sea level. At the top, have free time to explore the Ice Palace to view life-sized ice sculptures carved from the Glacier, visit the Sphinx observation tower for spectacular views of the Aletsch glacier and surrounding peaks, often said you could see as far as Italy on a clear day. Then spend your remaining time buying souvenirs and chocolates before we meet up at our meeting point at the top and go for our Indian lunch with spectacular views.
Today also spend time in Interlaken, a small town nestled between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The Höheweg is Interlaken’s main street which runs between Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost Railway Stations, spend the time shopping away for souvenirs along the high street or simply admire the rich views of the Bernese Alps. Why not wander through the Kursaal Garden, where you can see a 350 Kg statue of the renowned Indian filmmaker, the late Yash Chopra.
Today you also have an opportunity to conduct an optional tour of “Trummelbach Waterfalls”. This unique Spectacle in the Lauterbrunnen Valley comprises various Glacier fed Waterfalls inside a mountain. The impressive falls are floodlit and accessible by a special tunnel. The falls carry up to 20,000 litres of water every second. The Trümmelbach Falls are accessible underground by galleries, tunnels, paths and platforms. This is a payable optional, so please speak your tour rep if you have any concerns regarding the optional.
After a jam-packed day in Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen, we make our way back for our Indian meal and hotel. With a day full of memories get in a good night sleep for another adventurous day tomorrow.

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Day 6

Mt. Titlis – Lucerne – Geneva (Distance: 90 Kms)
After breakfast today we ascend 10,000ft to the summit of Mt. Titlis. We take a small cable car or funicular depending on the time of the year before we take the world’s first revolving cable car, the Titlis Rotair. The Rotair makes one full revolution whilst we ascend to the top of Mt Titlis giving you a 360-degree view of the Uri Alps. Once we reach the top you can not only enjoy the breath-taking panoramic views of the surrounding Swiss landscapes, but you will have ample time to take pictures in traditional Swiss outfits, buy souvenirs and walk the highest Cliff Walk, a suspended pedestrian bridge along the cliff of Mount Titlis 3,000 m above sea level, it is believed to be the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe (subject to operation). Spend the morning playing in the snow and visit the ice caves.
On Mt Titlis, you can also enjoy the optional Ice Flyer (subject to operation). The Ice Flyer chairlift sweeps you smoothly and safely over crisp, virgin snowfields and icy depths. Some of the crevasses are up to twenty metres deep. Only on Mt Titlis can you expect such a fantastic glacier experience, and don’t forget to smile as you can purchase a perfect souvenir of your picture from the photo studio shop.
We make our way down in the early afternoon for our well-deserved Indian lunch from all the activities of the morning. Once our energy levels are back up from our lunch, we board our coach and make our way down from Engelberg to the beautiful city of Luzern (Lucerne).
In Lucerne spend the time admiring Lake Luzern, the fourth largest lake in Switzerland, with Mt Pilatus, Mt Rigi and the Swiss Alps in the background, or take a wonderful walk around the Old Town in the pretty cobbled streets. Don’t forget to walk and view the Chapel Bridge also known as Kapellbrücke, the famous 204 meters long wooden covered bridge originally built in 1333, regarded as the oldest covered bridge in Europe. We later visit the Lion Monument, or the Lion of Lucerne, a rock relief, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The carving has often been heralded as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world”.
We transfer back to our coach heading towards the city of Geneva.
We then head towards the United Nations of Geneva (UNOG) for our second photo stop, the UNOG is the second-largest of the four major office sites of the United Nations and situated in the Palais des Nations building constructed for the League of Nations between 1929 and 1938. Capture an amazing picture containing all the flags of the countries of the United Nations.
Once we reach Geneva in the evening, we make a couple of short photo stops. We make our way to the “Jardin Anglais”, known as the English Gardens. Here we stop for photos of the National Monument, which features lady Geneva and Lady Helvetica; also see the Flower Clock an iconic outdoor flower clock designed in 1955, made with colourful blooms that change seasonally, and finally of the Jet d’Eau (subject to operation), a fountain, lit up at night, pumping half a cubic meter of water per second 140m into the air.
We then finish our quick trip to Geneva by heading towards the restaurant and hotel. We have our buffet Indian dinner before we pack in for the night.

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Day 7

Geneva – Paris (Distance: 580 Kms)
Today after breakfast check out of the hotel, and we make our way towards Paris. You will not be reaching Paris until late in the afternoon, and we will be stopping on route for Lunch. The lunch stop will only sell continental food, and there will be no fast food restaurants located within the services.
On arrival in the “City of Lights” – Paris, we make our way to the renowned, and world recognised the Eiffel Tower. Your journey will take you to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It should be noted that as the Eiffel Tower is the worlds most visited paid monument you should expect long security and ticket queues as reservations are not always available. Additionally, you will be provided tickets for the highest floor possible, should the top floor ticket not be available or closed then the ticket difference will be reimbursed to you on the completion of your tour. On instances we may conduct Montparnasse Tower, where the Eiffel Tower is closed due to national holidays, Bastille day parades etc., or non-operational due to any other reason, an advanced warning will not be given in relation to the change of monument.
In the evening we will then make our way to the restaurant for our group buffet meal, on the allocation of our entry time enjoy your Indian dinner and then settle back in your seats on the coach for a night tour of Paris.
We then commence the Paris Illumination Tour , which lasts 90 Minutes and takes you around the key sights of Paris at Night, see the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Concorde and Invalides from the comfort of your coach, with the magnificent street lights and monumental lights gravitating you towards the wonderful sights and monuments. See the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour, for five minutes immersing you in the city of Paris, and truly recognise why it has been nicknamed the “City of Lights”.
We then late in the night make our way to the hotel for our two-night stay. Get a good night’s sleep as more wonders await you tomorrow.

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Day 8

City Tour with Versailles Gardens (Distance: 90 Kms)
After your continental breakfast, we board the coach for our full day city tour. We start the day by making our way 27 Kms out of Paris and head towards the town of Versailles.
On arrival at Versailles make your way to the Garden of Versailles, a fine example of 17th-century French landscaping covering an area of more than 800 hectares. Use this free time to take mesmerising photos, souvenir shopping or simply relax admiring the Royal Lawns with the Grand Canal in the background. The gardens are landscaped in the classic French Garden style perfected here by André Le Nôtre.
We then make our way back towards Paris, where we go to the restaurant for our Indian lunch, after our meal we continue to the city centre of Paris, heading towards the Arts-et-Métiers quarters of Paris.
We then visit the Fragonard Perfume Museum and get a brief insight into the origins of the different type of fragrances and the history of the Fragonard brand, you then have a chance to purchase some unique French fragrances, soaps, candles and more.
We then visit famous ”Carrousel du Louvre” home to the famous glass pyramid, here you can buy your own ticket to visit Louvre museum and view some of the famous artefacts and sculptures housed here. Why not take the short time we have here to see the ‘Mona Lisa’ or Marley horses, or simply bide the time shopping for loved ones.
In the evening we will then make our way to the restaurant for Indian dinner, on the allocation of our entry time enjoy your meal and then we continue back to the hotel, getting ready to check out of the hotel tomorrow.

B, L, D

Day 9

Paris – Calais – London (Distance: 460 Kms)
Today morning we check out of the hotel after breakfast and load the luggage depending on your final drop off point.
We then make our way back to the centre of Paris, where we embark on the famous “Bateaux” cruises of Paris for our one-hour cruise along the River Seine, we cover the stunning architecture that Paris has to offer on sights such as the Grand Palais, Petite Palais, Pont Alexandre 3rd bridge, National Assembly, Invalides and of course the spectacular Eiffel Tower. The glass-covered boat is at your disposal, choose to sit inside or outside whilst listening to the commentary of the sights.
Whilst travelling around Paris you would have covered various other sights including the Vendome, home to the Ritz Hotel; Concorde square made famous during the French revolution and Avenue des Champs Élysées, the largest tree-lined boulevard in Paris.
We then depart Paris and make our way towards Calais, not before stopping at an Indian restaurant for our last meal together. After Lunch, we continue to make our way back to London.
The journey back we say goodbye to friends we have made along the way as we drop off those getting off on the route.
Once we reach Calais, we cross over back into Dover or Folkestone depending on our crossing schedule for the tour on the day. We continue our journey towards Wembley and dropping passengers off at their respective drop-offs.

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Important Notes

On occasions, due to large events, traffic, logistics and availability of reservations, it may be necessary to change the above itinerary. However, all aspects of the itinerary will be covered. Please note on occasions during peak season maximum occupancy per room will be 2 persons, in which case an alternative room configuration will be provided.
In the event of the Eiffel Tower restricting access the price difference for the restricted floor will be reimbursed. Eiffel Tower when closed during national holidays or events may be substituted by Montparnasse tower or will be refunded.