Day 2 BRUSSELS-LUXEMBOURG-LAKELUCERNE, SWITZERLAND.

Enjoy ever-changing scenery on your southbound drive: the Duchy of Luxembourg; then through fertile French farmlands southwards, bypassing Strasbourg to the vineyards of Alsace on the way to the Swiss border near Basle. Finally, pass the foothills of the Alps as you approach Lake Lucerne. (B,D)

Day 3   LAKE LUCERNE-INNSBRUCK AREA, AUSTRIA. This morning take advantage of the Lucerne sightseeing walk and maybe join the optional excursion to Mount Titlis. Later head for the tiny but very wealthy principality of Liechtenstein. To the east lie the picture-postcard villages of Austria’s Voralberg, and once you’re through the Arlberg Tunnel, the scenic splendor of the Inn Valley. Overnight in the Innsbruck area with time to see its Golden Roof. (B,D)

Day 4   INNSBRUCK AREA-VENICE AREA, ITALY. Early morning departure on the comfortable highway by way of the Europa Bridge to the Venice area. This afternoon’s sightseeing includes a boat ride followed by a visit to St. Mark’s Basilica and a chance to watch Venetian glassblowers fashion their delicate objects as they did centuries ago. Don’t miss out on the optional gondola trip, gliding along the picturesque canals with a local troubadour to serenade you. (B,D)

Day 5   VENICE AREA-ASSISI-ROME. A long but interesting drive southward, cutting across the Po Delta, then joining the motorway which skirts the Adriatic coast. After crossing the Apennines, stop in Assisi, where St. Francis was born in 1182. Visit the Basilica, then head for Rome. (B)

Day 6   ROME. Included sightseeing with Local Guide starts in St. Peter’s Square, followed by a visit to the Roman Forum and the mighty Colosseum. (B)

Day 7   ROME-FLORENCE AREA. An easy drive this morning on the Highway of the Sun to Florence. This Renaissance gem and city of the Medicis will keep you enthralled for a whole day. Traffic is banned in part of the historic center so visitors can wander at leisure and admire the city’s timeless beauty in relative peace and quiet. Don’t miss out on the included walking tour with a Local Guide that features most of the city highlights. You will see the Piazza Santa Croce; the beautiful Piazza Signoria; the Palazzo Vecchio and its courtyard; the Loggia dei Lanzi; and, to top it all, the Piazza del Duomo and its cathedral with the Giotto Campanile, and the magnificent East Door of the Baptistry known as the “Gate to Paradise.” (B)

Day 8   FLORENCE AREA-PISA-FRENCH RIVIERA, FRANCE. Stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and the Square of Miracles. Bypassing the great port of Genoa, you drive northwest, getting glimpses of the Italian and French Rivieras. Visit a perfume factory before reaching your overnight on the lovely French Riviera. (B)

Day 9   FRENCH RIVIERA-LYON. Take the opportunity today to enjoy all the amenities of the French Riviera rightly known as one of Europe’s loveliest regions. In the afternoon, your coach takes the inland road, crossing sun-drenched Provence into the vineyards of the Rhône Valley. Overnight in Lyon. (B,D)

Day 10   LYON-BEAUNE-PARIS. Drive through the neat vineyards and fields of Burgundy to visit Beaune, famous for wines such as Chambertin and Nuits St. Georges. Its Hotel-Dieu is one of the oldest hospitals in Europe. Head for the final excitement of Paris, the most sparkling city in the world. Time to enjoy an optional cabaret show. (B)

Day 11   PARIS. One full day to explore the city that’s known throughout the world for its fashions, art and museums, delicious food, and joie de vivre. Included sightseeing with a local expert of many of the best-known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre, the Invalides, and Champs Elysées. Optional excursions are also available to the Palace and Gardens of Versailles and, to celebrate the success of your tour, a French farewell dinner might be just the ticket. (B)

Day 12   PARIS-LONDON, ENGLAND. Relax and let the countryside whiz by on the road north to the coast, where you board your Channel ferry. Through Kent return to London for an evening arrival. (B)

Day 1   LONDON-AMSTERDAM AREA, HOLLAND. Leave in the early morning from your London joining hotel (see your travel documents) and head through the lush English countryside to the Channel port, where you embark on your ferry for the Continent. Meet your Tour Director and board your luxury coach for the drive to the Amsterdam area.

Day 2   AMSTERDAM AREA-THE RHINELAND, GERMANY. A morning to enjoy Holland’s busy metropolis. After your included visit to a famous diamond center, it’s time for morning sightseeing with a Local Guide pointing out the city highlights; finally a canal cruise to see Amsterdam at water level. In the afternoon travel southward to the Rhineland area for overnight. (B,D)

Day 3   THE RHINELAND-INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA. A choice today of the included scenic drive along the shores of the Rhine or, even more thrilling, the optional Rhine cruise with vistas of the Lorelei Rock, hilltop castles,half-timbered wine villages, and terraced vineyards. In the afternoon ride along the comfortable Autobahn to Austria. Overnight in Innsbruck. (B,D)

Day 4   INNSBRUCK-VENICE AREA, ITALY. Early morning departure on the comfortable highway to the Venice area. This afternoon’s sightseeing includes a boat ride followed by a visit to St. Mark’s Basilica and a chance to watch Venetian glassblowers fashion their delicate objects as they did centuries ago. Don’t miss out on the optional gondola trip, gliding along the picturesque canals with a local troubadour to serenade you. (B,D)

Day 5   VENICE AREA-ASSISI-ROME. A long but interesting drive southward, cutting across the Po Delta, then joining the motorway which skirts the Adriatic coast. After crossing the Apennines, stop in Assisi, where St. Francis was born in 1182. Visit the Basilica, then head for Rome. (B)

Day 6   ROME. Included sightseeing with a Local Guide starts in St. Peter’s Square, followed by a visit to the Roman Forum and the mighty Colosseum. (B)

Day 7   ROME-FLORENCE AREA. An easy drive this morning on the Highway of the Sun to Florence. This Renaissance gem and city of the Medicis will keep you enthralled for a whole day. Traffic is banned in part of the historic center so visitors can wander at leisure and admire the city’s timeless beauty in relative peace and quiet. Don’t miss out on the included walking tour with a Local Guide that features most of the city highlights. You will see the Piazza Santa Croce; the beautiful Piazza Signoria; the Palazzo Vecchio and its courtyard; the Loggia dei Lanzi; and, to top it all, the Piazza del Duomo and its cathedral with the Giotto Campanile, and the magnificent East Door of the Baptistry known as the “Gate to Paradise.” (B,D)

Day 8   FLORENCE AREA-PISA-LAKE LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND. Start the morning by driving to Pisa to visit the Square of Miracles and admire the Leaning Tower. Next journey northwards through Tuscan hills across the River Po into the Lombardy Plains crossing into Switzerland for a stop in lovely Lakeside Lugano. In the afternoon travel through some of Europe’s most splendid Alpine scenery through the San Gotthard tunnel to descend to Lake Lucerne for overnight. (B,D)

Day 9   LAKE LUCERNE-INTERLAKEN-LAUSANNE. Lucerne is one of Switzerland’s finest cities nestled amid its snow-capped Alps, surrounded by its lake, and embellished by the clear mountain waters of the River Reuss. Your sightseeing takes in the impressive city walls, a covered wooden bridge, ornate patrician houses lining cobblestone streets and the Lion Monument. Next to nearby Stans for an optional excursion by funicular and cable car to the 6,227 foot summit of the Stanserhorn. Later Interlaken for a stop. Follow the shoreline of Lake Thun to the delightful hilltop village of Gruyère. A few more miles to Lausanne overlooking Lake Geneva. (B,D)

Day 10   LAUSANNE-PARIS, FRANCE. Vistas of famous vineyards on the way to Beaune. Visit the medieval Burgundian town, known the world over for its wine production. Later via the comfortable autoroute to Paris. Tonight maybe an optional cabaret show? (B)

Day 11   PARIS. Two days in which to explore the city that’s known throughout the world for its fashions, art and museums, delicious food, and joie de vivre. Included sightseeing with a local expert of many of the best-known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre, the Invalides, and Champs Elysées. Optional excursions are also available to the Palace and Gardens of Versailles and to the Louvre Museum. (B daily)

Day 12   PARIS. Two days in which to explore the city that’s known throughout the world for its fashions, art and museums, delicious food, and joie de vivre. Included sightseeing with a local expert of many of the best-known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre, the Invalides, and Champs Elysées. Optional excursions are also available to the Palace and Gardens of Versailles and to the Louvre Museum. (B daily)

Day 13   PARIS-LONDON, ENGLAND. Relax and let the countryside whiz by on the road north to the coast, where you board your Channel ferry. Through Kent return to London for an evening arrival. (B)