Sample Tours:: |
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Paris & The Benelux
DAY 1: Toronto – AmsterdamDepart Toronto this evening on a wide-bodied overnight flight bound for Amsterdam. DAY 2: Amsterdam (D)Arrive in Amsterdam. This is a gem of a city, small densely packed with fine buildings, many of which date back to the 17th century. The old heart of the city consists of canals with streets radiating out like spokes of a wheel. This afternoon, enjoy a canal cruise around the city. There are 160 canals and 75 miles of waters. This evening there will be a group welcome dinner. DAY 3: Amsterdam (B)After breakfast, there will be a city tour that is highlighted by Ann Frank’s house. Anne Frank was one of the Jewish victims of Nazi persecution during the Second World War. After Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, increasingly severe anti-Jewish measures began here as well. The Frank family tried to escape by going into hiding. On July 1942, Otto Frank, Edith Frank-Hollander and their daughters Margot and Anne hid in this building on the Prinsengracht. They where later joined by Mr. and Mrs Daan, their sun Peter and Mr. Dussel. The building consists of two parts: a front house and a back annex. Otto Frank's business was located in the front house. The uppermost floors of the back anexe became the hiding place. After more than two years the group was betrayed and deported. Anne and Margot died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen in March 1945, only a few weeks before this concentration camp was liberated. Otto Frank, the only member of the group to survive, returned after the war. After the tour, prepare for your evening performance. DAY 4: Amsterdam – Delft – Brussels (B/D)This morning we leave Amsterdam for Brussels. En route, you will be taken to Delft for a visit to a pottery factory. “Delftware”, as the pottery had become known as dates back to the sixteenth century and the hand painted craft has become widely popular around the globe. After the visit, continue to Brussels for a city tour. Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union. It has been transformed into a modern city, yet it maintains its historical roots. Brussels has inspired Art Nouveau and prides itself on handmade lace and chocolate. After the tour, there will be a group dinner. DAY 5: Brussels (B)Today there will be a full day excursion to Bruges. Bruges is a city of interlaced canals overhung with hump-backed bridges and weeping willows. This morning you will go on a guided sightseeing tour of Bruges taking in all it’s major points of interest; the old market square, Burg (the city’s main square), Basilica of the Holy Blood (Heilig Bloed Basiliek), Jerusalem Church built in the 15th century, Minnewater (a man made lake created in the 13th century to expand the city harbour), Town Hall, etc… This afternoon, you will perform a concert. After the concert, return to Brussels for overnight. DAY 6: Brussels – Luxembourg (B/D)After breakfast we will depart for Luxembourg and upon arrival there will be a city tour. Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romantic Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. Because of its size and strategic importance, Luxembourg has historically been a target for occupation. You will have a performance this evening after your group dinner. DAY 7: Luxembourg – Reims – Paris (B/D)Today you will travel to Paris via Reims. In Reims, you will visit the famous Notre-Dame-De-Reims. This is the Cathedral where all of the French Kings were crowned. This 13th century Cathedral was damaged during the First World War but has since been restored. After the visit, continue to Paris for dinner and overnight. DAY 8: Paris (B)After breakfast, you will be taken on a guided walking tour of the city. You will be able to take in the magnificent scenery, culture and history first hand. No other city possesses night-time attractions as varied or as numerous, nor do they lavish such energy and attention upon its music-halls and cabarets: such names as "Opéra Comique", "Folies Bergère" and "Casino de Paris" are famous around the world. Indeed it may only be a slight exaggeration to state that no one has fully lived until they have sampled the variety of attractions and spectacles available in the capital of France. The twenty arrondissements (districts) of Paris are in the form of a clockwise spiral around the Hôtel de Ville. There are very few places in Paris which are further than 400 metres from a Métro station. Sixteen lines serve 273 stations on a network of nearly 200 kilometres, open from 5 in the morning till 12:30 at night; a single ticket is valid for a journey anywhere on the inner Paris network. In the afternoon, there will be a concert at Luxembourg Garden. DAY 9: Paris (B/D)Depart Paris this morning and travel to Versailles, the creation of the French monarchy at the time of its greatest splendor. Consisting of the great palace, the gardens and the Trianons, it is a wonderful harmonious composition of building and landscape, a unique expression of the vitality of French art during the 17th-18th century. Between 1682 and 1789, Versailles was the seat of government and France's political capital. Today the chateau of Versailles seems outrageously large, but in 1682 when Louis XIV took up residence, it housed about 15,000 noblemen, servants, and hangers-on who moved in with Louis. Built between 1662 and 1690 it took 26,000 labourers and soldiers to construct. See the Grand Apartment, Hall of Mirrors, King's and Queen's suites, as well as many other sights. Tonight, there will be a farewell dinner. DAY 10: Paris – Toronto (B)After breakfast at the hotel, board the coach and transfer to the airport for your flight back to Canada INCLUSIONS:
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