Western Europe: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam & Cologne

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Arrival in Paris

   Arrive in Paris and meet your tour leader, who travels with you through four countries. After check-in at a central hotel, take a first walk along the Seine from Notre-Dame through the Latin Quarter, past the green bookstalls of the bouquinistes and the Sorbonne. In the evening the group gathers for a welcome dinner in a classic Parisian brasserie with onion soup, steak frites or a crème brûlée, and your tour leader explains the days ahead.

   
2. Day 2 Classic Paris

   A full day of classic Paris. In the morning your guide leads you through the Louvre to the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory, with reserved entry to avoid the queues. Walk through the Tuileries Garden to the Place de la Concorde and up the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. In the evening ride up the Eiffel Tower to watch the lights come on, then board a boat for a cruise on the Seine past the illuminated bridges and monuments.

   
3. Day 3 Montmartre and Versailles

   In the morning climb the hill of Montmartre, by foot or funicular, to the white Sacré-Cœur Basilica with the widest view over Paris. Wander through the Place du Tertre, where painters work at their easels, and the quiet lanes where Picasso and Van Gogh once lived. In the afternoon join the optional excursion to the Palace of Versailles, with its Hall of Mirrors, royal apartments and immense gardens, or spend free time shopping under the glass dome of the Galeries Lafayette.

   
4. Day 4 Bruges and Brussels

   The coach crosses into Belgium and reaches Bruges, a medieval town of canals and brick gables. Take a boat ride along the canals, walk past the Belfry on the market square and taste Belgian chocolate in a family shop. In the afternoon continue to Brussels: your guide shows you the Grand-Place with its gilded guild houses and Gothic town hall, the elegant Royal Galleries and the little Manneken Pis. Dinner is a Belgian classic of mussels and fries with a local beer.

   
5. Day 5 Amsterdam

   Drive north into the Netherlands, past flat green polders and dykes, and arrive in Amsterdam at lunchtime. In the afternoon your guide walks with you through the canal ring, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Jordaan quarter with its narrow houses, little bridges and hidden courtyards. See the floating flower market and Dam Square with the Royal Palace. In the evening glide along the illuminated canals by boat, when the gabled houses are reflected in the dark water.

   
6. Day 6 Amsterdam and Zaanse Schans

   In the morning choose between the Rijksmuseum, home of Rembrandt's Night Watch and Vermeer's Milkmaid, and the Anne Frank House, where the young diarist hid during the war, with tickets booked in advance. In the afternoon the coach takes you to Zaanse Schans, a village of green wooden houses and working windmills on the Zaan river. Visit a clog workshop and a cheese farm, taste Gouda and climb a windmill to see how it still grinds spices and paint.

   
7. Day 7 Cologne and the Rhine

   The coach drives into Germany and reaches Cologne in the late morning. Visit the Cologne Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece that took more than 600 years to complete and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and walk through the old town to the Rhine promenade. In the afternoon drive south for a short cruise on the Rhine past castles and vineyards. The farewell dinner takes place in a Cologne brewery tavern, where waiters serve Kölsch beer in small glasses and keep refilling until you place a coaster on top.

   
8. Day 8 Departure

   After breakfast, transfer to Cologne/Bonn or Frankfurt Airport, or to Cologne central station for your train home. If your flight leaves later in the day, there is time for a visit to the Chocolate Museum on the Rhine or a climb up the 533 steps of the cathedral tower. Eight days, four countries and four great cities: our team in Germany stays in touch after the trip and will gladly help you plan your next European journey.