Itinerary

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN PARIS, FRANCE.
Welcome to Paris! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and travelling companions and leave the hotel for a welcome dinner at one of Paris' lively restaurants. (D)

DAY 2: PARIS.
Morning guided sightseeing of the world capital of chic and style features the Opera, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, and a relaxing CRUISE on the River Seine. An optional excursion is available to the magnificent Louvre Museum with the famous Mona Lisa. Tonight, dinner and show at the world-famous Moulin Rouge may just be the ticket! (B)

DAY 3: PARIS-LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND.
Leave Paris, drive past Fontainebleau Forest, and enjoy views of chateaux and the Burgundy vineyards on your way to the Swiss Alps and to picturesque Lucerne. (B,D)

DAY 4: LUCERNE.
During your walking tour, admire Thorwaldsen's impressive LION MONUMENT, dedicated to the fallen Swiss Guards who protected the Royal House of France during the French Revolution, and cross the CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Afternoon and evening are at leisure. (B)

DAY 5: LUCERNE-LUGANO-VENICE ISLAND, ITALY.
Have your cameras ready for thrilling views along the St. Gotthard highway, which leads straight through the Swiss Alps to the Swiss- Italian Lake District. Stop in Lugano, beautifully situated at the lake, then, cross the Italian border and drive through the flat Po area to the Adriatic coast. Arrive in Venice, a magnet for romantics and art lovers from all over the globe. This evening you may wish to join an optional outing to try local specialties at one of Venice's excellent restaurants. (B)

DAY 6: VENICE ISLAND.
Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT to ST. MARK'S SQUARE. Meet your Local Guide for a walking tour including visits to the Byzantine-style BASILICA, lavish DOGES' PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Watch a skilled GLASSBLOWER fashion delicate objects in an ageold traditional manner. Balance of the day is at leisure. (B)

DAY 7: VENICE ISLAND-FLORENCE.
Drive across the Apennine Hills to Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance. Your guided walking tour features visits to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS to see Michelangelo's David and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Time to shop for leather and gold for which the city is famous. This evening, an optional dinner outing is available. (B)

DAY 8: FLORENCE-ROME.
Arrive in the "Eternal City," Rome. Guided sightseeing features visits to the amazing COLOSSEUM, where gladiators once fought, and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. (B)

DAY 9: ROME.
Look forward to a unique experience and enjoy a guided visit of the impressive PAPAL PALACE in Castel Gandolfo, former summer residence of the popes and, since October 2016, a museum open to the public. Also visit the magnificent BARBERINI GARDENS, where ruins of the residence of Roman Emperor Domitian are still visible. Then, return to Rome, and visit with a Local Guide the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL with Michelangelo's ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment. Visit monumental ST. PETER'S SQUARE and the BASILICA to admire Michelangelo's Pieta. This evening, a farewell dinner awaits you at one of Rome's lively restaurants. (B,D)

DAY 10: ROME.
Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)