Europe Explorer Tour with Flights

Board your overnight flight to Europe!

Arrive Amsterdam and please catch a taxi to your hotel. Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades, legacies of the city’s 17th-century Golden Age. Its Museum District houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. Cycling is key to the city’s character, and there are numerous bike paths. 

Welcome to the beginning of an epic tour through Europe! Meet your tour leader and group at the Amsterdam hotel in the morning. Once everyone arrives, it’s time to set off! Today’s first stop is Ghent in Belgium. You’ll have free time to explore this charming city and grab some lunch. This evening, the tour arrives in Paris and tonight you can look forward to a spellbinding driving tour of the “City of Lights”! After you have seen the sights, it’s time to sit down for the first group dinner of the tour before turning in for the night.

Paris is yours to explore today! Optional excursions include a River Seine cruise - the perfect way to see some of the city’s main sights. You can also opt for a trip up Montparnasse. Towering high above Paris, it offers sweeping views of the City of Lights. Make your way to the Eiffel Tower to see the spectacular hourly light show. There’s even an optional cabaret show in the evening! Alternatively, head to the Eiffel Tower, visit the world-famous Louvre Museum, stroll around the streets of La Marias, wander down the Champs Elysees, or head to famous monuments like Notre Dame Cathedral, see Oscar Wilde’s gravestone at Père Lachaise Cemetery or venture underground into the infamous catacombs.

Today we travel from Paris to Toulouse with wine tasting in a small medieval town along the way. Drive past rolling crop fields, forests, pastoral landscapes and pretty towns. The wine tasting will showcase some of the region's robust red wines. Then it's onto Toulouse, the fourth largest city in France. Situated along the Compostela Pilgrimage route, it’s known for incredible Renaissance buildings. It's also home to a beautiful 17th-century canal and more. Dinner is included this evening - be sure to try something local.

Au revoir Toulouse! Today we head south, crossing the border into Andorra from the North. Grab lunch and then travel onward to Barcelona. Next stop is the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region. Barcelona is renowned for its art and architecture, such as the fantastical Sagrada Família church and other modernist landmarks designed by Antoni Gaudí. Our driving tour will introduce you to a few of the city's top visitor attractions.

Today is yours to spend as you like! Stroll Las Ramblas and take a peek at Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece: the glorious La Sagrada Familia. You could also go shopping, eat tapas (which the city is famous for), relax on the beach or head into one of the city’s many parks. With its distinctive Catalan ambience, Barcelona is an incredibly rewarding city to explore on foot, filled with hidden cantinas, intriguing boutiques and winding walkways – particularly in the old town. Seek out the food markets too – the perfect place to introduce yourself to the distinctive taste of Catalan cuisine!

Adiós Barcelona! Today we travel to Avignon! Enjoy a stopover at the centuries-old Pont du Gard. The ancient Roman aqueduct bridge was built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 kilometres to the Roman colony of Nemausus. Situated in the heart of picturesque Provence, Avignon used to be the centre of the Roman Catholic world. This has left it with impressive architecture, of which the Palais des Papes is the most iconic. Enjoy an orientation tour around town. See the Palais, the ancient town walls, Notre-Dame des Doms and Pont d’Avignon.

A real highlight of the tour and trips to France is on the itinerary today! Departing Avignon, head along the French Riviera towards Nice. On the way, enjoy a scenic drive along the seaside road, with a stop at one of the glamorous seaside destinations. Explore Monaco with your tour leader later in the afternoon. Explore Monaco in the afternoon. Discover top attractions like the Prince's Palace, Oceanography Museum, Cathedral of Monaco and the Casino de Monte-Carlo. The evening is yours to relax or enjoy as you wish.

Travelling back inland, we head for nearby Italy. Have your cameras ready as we visit the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa! Next up is Florence. Here, we’ll learn about the city’s history and see landmarks dating back to the Renaissance and even the Roman times on a guided walking tour of the city. Snap photos of Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, the Basilica of Santa Croce, the Florence Baptistry and Michelangelo’s famous statue of David – a replica of which stands in the Palazzo della Signoria (the original can be seen in the nearby Accademia Gallery.) After exploring, we make for the hills of Tuscany, arriving at the ancient Tuscan spa town of Montecatini Terme where we’ll spend the night.

We make our way to the country’s capital, Rome. You’ll be taken on a walking tour of the city, which will introduce you to the incredible history of this unique city, which reigned supreme as the focal point of the Roman Empire. Highlights today include the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the Roman Forum and of course the Colosseum. On the way to our accommodation for the evening, you can start to plan what to do with your free day tomorrow - the Vatican City is unmissable!

Rome boasts ancient ruins, historical landmarks, religious buildings and a buzzing atmosphere like no other. The Colosseum is spectacular, offering fabulous views of the city, and an unbelievable feeling of drifting backwards in time, to when gladiators, chariots and lions dominated the arena. Later this afternoon you'll have the opportunity to take advantage of an optional excursion to visit the Vatican City - the smallest country in the world! Inside the walls you can visit the Sistine Chapel and see for yourself the famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo, as well as numerous other famous art pieces dotted around the buildings.  

Our first stop is the Tuscan town of Siena - famous for its cuisine, wine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year. Explore town before we continue on our journey. In the early evening we arrive in Venice, a city immortalised in literature, film and art for centuries! Its timeless waterways and artistic masterpieces (more per square kilometre than anywhere else on earth) make it truly unique – Venice is sure to capture your heart and imagination. There is no shortage of incredible food and culture either! You have the evening free to relax at the hotel, or opt to join your tour leader on a twilight water taxi cruise along the Venetian canals.

Get to know Venice during an orientation tour led by your tour leader, followed by free time to explore this unforgettable city at your leisure. Want a classic Venetian experience? Add the optional gondola ride to your to-do list today! Explore more of the city on  an optional trip further out into the lagoon to visit Murano and Burano. These islands are famous for their glass-blowing and lace-making crafts respectively, and rows of beautiful multi-coloured houses. For a sample of the city’s culinary delights, join the optional Venice food tour. Stroll through the city, see the top attractions and sample delicious local dishes as you go! Why not enjoy all three optional excursions to experience the best that Venice has to offer?

Crossing the border into Switzerland, we drive on to the Swiss Alps, climbing higher into the mountains to our accommodation in a typical Swiss mountain village in the Jungfrau region. One of the most popular alpine destinations, it’s a great introduction to the magic of the mountains – and makes for a memorable drive too. Enjoy dinner with the group at the hotel this evening and get some rest tonight before tomorrow’s free day which is sure to be filled with adventures in the Alps!

The splendour of the Alps is yours today – don’t miss the chance to join our optional excursion up to Jungfraujoch, also known as the top of Europe! The trip to Europe’s highest train station is a real highlight; you might find yourself pressed up against the windows as the picture-perfect Swiss countryside rolls beneath you. Look out for quaint villages nestled in the valleys beneath snow-capped peaks and tumbling mountain waterfalls. Once we’ve reached the top, enjoy the year-round snow and breath-taking views of the surrounding glaciers and craggy mountaintops. Once you’ve had a chance to explore and capture as many photos as possible, it’s back down to lower altitudes for the rest of the afternoon.

Departing the Interlaken region, we make our way to Germany through the spellbinding Black Forest. This scenic drive is unlike anything you've encountered before. The beautiful forest scenery seems to be from fairytales. Tall pine trees, ambling brooks and rivers, and low-lying hills. Stopover at a few of the small towns along the way, including Freiburg, where we'll have lunch. Our hotel in the Black Forest region awaits at the end of our travels for the day, and dinner is included this evening.

Leaving the Black Forest behind, travel into the heart of the world-renowned Rhine Valley. Stop in Saint Goar and enjoy a ride aboard a cruise vessel to Boppard. The scenery along the river is something truly amazing. Keep an eye out for the vineyards, impressive castles and towers, and thick groves of the forest along the riverbanks.  Afterwards, treat your taste buds to a Rhine Valley wine tasting experience and enjoy famous Rhine Valley wines like Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Next, travel onwards to the bustling city of Amsterdam. Enjoy an included group dinner and the rest of the night is free to explore Amsterdam as you wish!

Start today with a cruise along the iconic canals of Amsterdam. This is a great way to get to know the city! The rest of the day is free to further explore Amsterdam. Marvel at the artworks in the city’s famous museums, hire a bicycle, visit the cafes or simply stroll along the canals and see what the next corner brings! Alternatively, opt for a Dutch countryside tour with your tour leader. This excursion will take you to a nearby fishing village, Volendam, the famous historic windmill neighbourhood of Zaanse Schans and a local cheese farm and clog factory. An excursion to the MOCO Museum & House of Bols is also available. Finally, choose to enjoy a farewell dinner with the group tonight.

The tour comes to an end this morning. Enjoy one last breakfast with the Europe Explorer group in Amsterdam before everyone continues with their journeys. Now is the time to swap details with your travel friends before you make your own way to the airport by taxi or shuttle bus. We hope to welcome you to Europe again soon!