Cultural Capitals
Length: 15 days. Group educational tours for 12 or more students or adults. Self-designed custom tours typically led by teachers of high school juniors and seniors.
Highlights: Windsor Castle, London City Tour, British Museum, Covent Garden Dinner, Paris City Tour, Notre Dame, Bateaux Mouches, Castle of Chillon, Gruyéres Cheese Dairy Tour, Venice City Tour, Doges' Palace, Murano Glass-Blowing Demonstration, Florence City Tour, Accademia, Siena, Pompeii Tour, Rome Evening Walking Tour, Rome City Tour, Colosseum
Itinerary: London (3), Paris (2), Montreux (2), Venice (2), Florence (2), Sorrento (2), Rome (2)
Day 1 – Depart
Fly overnight to London.
Day 2 – London
Welcome to London! Your motorcoach and representative awaits you to escort you to Windsor Castle, a country retreat of Queen Elizabeth and the royal family. Return to the city and check in to your hotel.
Day 3 – London
A guided London City Tour shows you Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and more. Tour Westminster Abbey, the site of royal weddings and coronations. Visit the British Museum with its tributes to cultures both ancient and modern. Option: Attend a West End theatre production this evening.
Day 4 – London
Today is free for discovery. Option: Travel to Stratford-upon-Avon and visit Shakespeare's birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. Tonight you will dine in Covent Garden, a lively spot that is home to many of London’s trendiest shops.
Day 5 – Paris
Take the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) to Paris, the magical "City of Lights."
Day 6 – Paris
Bon jour! A guided Paris City Tour takes you to see the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde, the Eiffel Tower and more. Visit Notre Dame, a cathedral of radiant beauty. Option: Tour the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. "
Day 7 – Montreux
Travel to Switzerland through the Rhône Valley and the vineyards of Burgundy. Arrive in Montreux, a magnificent resort on Lake Geneva, surrounded by mountains, gardens and Alpine meadows.
Day 8 – Montreux
Visit the Castle of Chillon, a fortress built on a rocky islet in Lake Geneva. Continue to Gruyéres in the scenic Sarine Valley and enjoy a tour of the Gruyéres Cheese Dairy, samples included.
Day 9 – Venice
Travel through the stunning Italian Lakes District amidst alpine landscapes and arrive in Venice, an extraordinary romantic city built on water.
Day 10 – Venice
Today's guided Venice City Tour shows you the Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal, St. Mark’s Square, the Basilica and more. Visit the Doges’ Palace, then cross the Bridge of Sighs. Also see a Murano Glass Blowing demonstration. Option: Take a trip along the Grand Canal in a gondola.
Day 11 – Florence
See the ancient cities of Padua and Bologna on today's journey. Arrive in Firenze, the city where the Renaissance began.
Day 12 – Florence
Your Florence City Tour includes the Piazza del Duomo, the Bargello, the Church of San Lorenzo, and a visit to the Accademia, home of Michelangelo’s marble sculpture, David. Option: Visit the Uffizi Gallery to see its collection of masterpieces
Day 13 – Sorrento
Transfer with a stop in the medieval walled city of Siena. Arrive in beautiful Sorrento. The perfumed gardens, orange and lemon groves, gleaming white houses and rugged cliffs make this pretty tree-shaded resort the most popular in Italy.
Day 14 – Sorrento
Today is free for discovery in this ancient resort above the Bay of Naples. Option: Cross the sparkling blue sea to the Isle of Capri by steamer.
Day 15 – Rome
Tour the stunning ruins of Pompeii to observe the destruction wrought by Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The city is the finest example of a Roman town and its way of life, presented to modern eyes by excavation. Then on to the Eternal City of Rome, where your courier will lead you on a walking tour to Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and Piazza di Trevi, site of the famous fountain. Be sure to toss in a coin!
Day 16 – Rome
View the best of the Eternal City on a guided Rome City Tour. Visit the Colosseum, and see the Arch of Constantine, the Imperial Forums, the Pantheon, and more. Continue to Vatican City to visit St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel with its ceiling paintings by Michelangelo.
Day 17 – Depart
Board your flight home with enough cultural memories to last a lifetime.
Paris
- Paris city tour
- Paris by Night tour
- Notre Dame Cathedral
- Sainte-Chapelle
- Eiffel Tower (2nd or 3rd Level)
- Bateaux Mouches river cruise
- Seine River dinner cruise
- Louvre Museum
- Musee d’Orsay
- Rodin Museum
- Opera Garnier
- Pere Lachaise Cemetery
- Montmartre dinner
- Moulin Rouge show
- Sacre-Coeur Basilica
- Paris Catacombs
- Paris Sewers Tour
- Latin Quarter tour
- Le Marais tour
- Centre Pompidou
Saint-Malo
- Saint-Malo city tour
- Musée du Château
- Jacques Cartier Manor House
- Le Grand Aquarium
- Fort National
- St. Vincent Cathedral
Lyon
- Lyon city tour
- Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière
- Gallo-Roman Museum and Ruins
- St-Jean Cathedral
Aix-en-Provence
- Aix city tour
- Cézanne’s Studio
- Cathedral of the Holy Saviour
Nice
- Nice city tour
- Monaco city tour
- Eze perfume factory
- Language homestay
- Matisse Museum
- Le Chateau
- Theatre de la Photographie et de l’Image
- Russian Cathedral
- Nice Archaeology Museum
Caen
- Caen city tour
- Abbaye aux Dames
- Abbaye aux Hommes
- Musée de Normandie
- Musée des Beaux-Arts
Tours
- Tours city tour
- Tours Cathedral
- Musée des Beaux-Arts
- Château d’Amboise
- Château de Chambord
- Château de Chenonceau
- Château de Chantilly
Normandy
- D-Day tour
- Mont Saint-Michel
- Bayeux Tapestry
Marseille
- Marseille city tour
- Notre Dame de la Garde
- Mediterranean Archaeology Museum
- Longchamp Castle
- Château d’If
Rome
- Rome city tour
- Ancient Rome tour with Colosseum
- Vatican City tour with Sistine Chapel
- St. Peter’s Basilica
- Basilica of St. John Lateran
- Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
- Evening walking tour – Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona
- Borghese Gallery
- Pantheon
- Appian Way and the Catacombs
- Castel Sant’Angelo
- Nero’s Palace
- Baths of Caracalla
- Capitoline Museums
- National Roman Museum
- National Gallery of Roman Art
Florence
- Florence city tour
- Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo)
- Campanile
- Baptistery of San Giovanni
- Basilica di Santa Croce
- Basilica di San Lorenzo
- Pitti Palace
- Uffizi Gallery
- Galleria Dell’Accademia
- San Miniato al Monte
- Bargello
- Medici Riccardi Palace
Bologna
- Bologna city tour
- Torre degli Asinelli
- Archaeological Museum
- Jewish Museum
- National Picture Gallery
- University Museums
- Lamborghini Museum
- Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca
Naples
- Naples city tour
- Duomo
- Santa Chiara Monastery
- San Lorenzo Maggiore
- Castel Nuovo
- Capodimonte Museum
- Teatro San Carlo
Cinque Terre
- Cinque Terre tour
Venice
- Venice city tour
- Doges’ Palace
- St. Mark’s Bascilica
- Galleria Dell’Accademia
- Ca’ d’Oro
- Museo Correr
- Ca’Rezzonico
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection
- Murano glass-making demonstration
- Burano
- Torcello
Genoa
- Genoa city tour
- Aquarium of Genoa
- Palazzo Bianco Gallery
- Palazzo Rosso Gallery
- Galata Seafaring Museum
- National Gallery
- Palazzo Ducale
- Museum of Sant’Agostino
Sorrento
- Sorrento city tour
- Teatro Tasso tarantella show
- Correale di Terranova Museum
- Isle of Capri
- Pompeii archaeological site
- Herculaneum archaeological site
- Amalfi
- Positano
Milan
- Milan city tour
- Duomo
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Castello Sforzesco
- Teatro alla Scala
- Santa Maria della Grazie (The Last Supper)
Pisa
- Pisa city tour
- Leaning Tower
- Duomo and Baptistery
- Museo dell’Opera del Duomo
Siena
- Siena city tour
- Duomo
- Pinacoteca Nazionale
- Torre del Mangia
- Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana
London
- London city tour
- Westminster Abbey
- St. Paul’s Cathedral
- Buckingham Palace
- Changing of the Guard
- Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour
- West End play
- Shakespeare’s Globe tour
- Globe theatre performance
- Behind the Stage tour
- Thames River cruise
- Tower of London
- Covent Garden
- Greenwich
- London Eye
- Madame Tussauds
- Afternoon tea at Harrods
- London Dungeon
- Jack the Ripper tour
- British Museum
- The National Gallery
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Imperial War Museum
- Churchill War Rooms
- Charles Dickens Museum
Edinburgh
- Edinburgh city tour
- Edinburgh Castle
- Holyrood Palace
- The National Museum
- The National Gallery
- Scottish folk dinner show
- Witchery tour
- The Writers’ Museum
- The Royal Yacht Britannia
- Our Dynamic Earth science museum
Dublin
- Dublin city tour
- Dublin Castle
- Trinity College – Book of Kells
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral
- Dublin Writers Museum
- Guinness Storehouse
Limerick
- Rock of Cashel
- Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
- Adare Village
- Glenstall Abbey
Killarney
- Ring of Kerry
- Blarney Castle
- Muckross Abbey
- Ross Castle
- Torc Waterfall
Geneva
- Geneva city tour
- Natural History Museum
- Cathédrale de St-Pierre
- Russian Church
- Maison Tavel
- Palais des Nations
- Patek Philippe Museum
- Fondation Martin Bodmer
- Voltaire Institute & Museum
- International Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum
- Museum of the History of Science
- Lake Geneva cruise
- Le Salève cable car
- CERN
- Montreux & Château de Chillon
- Chamonix & Mont Blanc
- Gruyère
Bern
- Bern city tour
- Einstein Museum
- Paul Klee Center
- Münster-Cathedral
- Swiss Alpine Museum
Lucerne
- Lucerne city tour
- Alpineum Museum
- Swiss Transport Museum
- Glacier Garden
Zermatt
- Zermatt bike tour
- Klein Matterhorn & Glacier Grotto
- Gornergrat mountain train
- Glacier Express train to St. Moritz
Zurich
- Zürich city tour
- Grossmünster tower
- Swiss National Museum
- Kunsthaus Zürich
- Rhine Falls by train
- Zürich Zoo
- Uetliberg Planet Walk
Interlaken
- Interlaken village tour
- Alpin Raft white water rafting
- Jungfraujoch Railway
- Lake cruise
- Niederhorn bike tour
- Trümmelbach Waterfalls
- Gimmelwald
- Grindelwald
- Wengen
- Lauterbrunnen
Montreux
- Montreux city tour
- Château de Chillon
- Steamboat cruise
- Musée du Vieux-Montreux
- Vevey
Lausanne
- Lausanne city tour
- Olympic Museum
- Art Brut Collection
- Musée de l’Elysée
- Gruyère
Paris
- Normandy WWII sites
- Arromanche 360 cinema
- Monet’s Gardens at Giverny
- Chartres Cathedral
- Palace of Fontainebleau
- Palace and Gardens of Versailles
- Disneyland Paris
- Loire Valley chateaux
- Intensive Language Classes
- Provins
Rome
- Rome city tour
- Ancient Rome tour with Colosseum
- Vatican City tour with Sistine Chapel
- St. Peter’s Basilica
- Basilica of St. John Lateran
- Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
- Evening walking tour – Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona
- Borghese Gallery
- Pantheon
- Appian Way and the Catacombs
- Castel Sant’Angelo
- Nero’s Palace
- Baths of Caracalla
- Capitoline Museums
- National Roman Museum
- National Gallery of Roman Art
Florence
- Florence city tour
- Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo)
- Campanile
- Baptistery of San Giovanni
- Basilica di Santa Croce
- Basilica di San Lorenzo
- Pitti Palace
- Uffizi Gallery
- Galleria Dell’Accademia
- San Miniato al Monte
- Bargello
- Medici Riccardi Palace
Bologna
- Bologna city tour
- Torre degli Asinelli
- Archaeological Museum
- Jewish Museum
- National Picture Gallery
- University Museums
- Lamborghini Museum
- Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca
Naples
- Naples city tour
- Duomo
- Santa Chiara Monastery
- San Lorenzo Maggiore
- Castel Nuovo
- Capodimonte Museum
- Teatro San Carlo
Cinque Terre
- Cinque Terre tour
Venice
- Venice city tour
- Doges’ Palace
- St. Mark’s Bascilica
- Galleria Dell’Accademia
- Ca’ d’Oro
- Museo Correr
- Ca’Rezzonico
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection
- Murano glass-making demonstration
- Burano
- Torcello
Genoa
- Genoa city tour
- Aquarium of Genoa
- Palazzo Bianco Gallery
- Palazzo Rosso Gallery
- Galata Seafaring Museum
- National Gallery
- Palazzo Ducale
- Museum of Sant’Agostino
Sorrento
- Sorrento city tour
- Teatro Tasso tarantella show
- Correale di Terranova Museum
- Isle of Capri
- Pompeii archaeological site
- Herculaneum archaeological site
- Amalfi
- Positano
Milan
- Milan city tour
- Duomo
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Castello Sforzesco
- Teatro alla Scala
- Santa Maria della Grazie (The Last Supper)
Pisa
- Pisa city tour
- Leaning Tower
- Duomo and Baptistery
- Museo dell’Opera del Duomo
Siena
- Siena city tour
- Duomo
- Pinacoteca Nazionale
- Torre del Mangia
- Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana
London
- Windsor Castle
- Leeds Castle
- Hampton Court Palace
- Kew Palace
- Kensington Palace
- Stratford-upon-Avon
- Shakespeare’s Birthplace
- Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
- Warwick Castle
- Stonehenge
- Bath
- Canterbury
- Salisbury
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- White Cliffs of Dover
Edinburgh
- Stirling Castle
- National Wallace Monument
- St. Andrews
- Glasgow
- Loch Ness
- Loch Lomond
- Trossachs National Park
- Lake District National Park
Dublin
- Malahide Castle & Dublin Bay
- Blarney Castle
- Cliffs of Moher
- Aran Islands
- Galway Bay
- Connemara
- Powerscourt Estate
- Waterford Crystal Tour
Travel Resources
United Kingdom
- BBC Online
- The British Monarchy
- British Museum
- British Tourist Authority
- Cumbria-The Lake District
- Edinburgh Tourist Board
- Globe Theatre
- Guide to Dublin
- Interactive map of London
- Irish Tourist Board
- Irish Music, Museums and Heritage
- The Irish Times
- Killarney Online
- Visit London
- London Transport
- National Gallery
- Scottish Tourist Board
- Shakespeare’s Birthplace
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Westminster Abbey
- London Theatre Guide
France
- Eiffel Tower
- Franceway.com
- Giverny
- Interactive Map of Paris
- Le Monde
- Louvre Museum
- Ministry of Culture
- Musee d’Orsay
- Normandy D-Day
- Paris Pages
- Paris Virtual Guide
- Parillusion
- Provence Guide Web
- So…Nice
- Versailles
Italy
- Ancient Roman History
- Mega-Zone Florence
- Unguided Tour of Pompeii
- The Vatican
- Turismo Venezia
- Welcome to Italy
- Your Way to Florence
- Welcome to Capri Island
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Currency:Â Pound Sterling (GBP)
Time Zone:Â Â (+0)
Country Calling Code:Â 44
Capital:Â London
Official Language(s):Â English
France
Currency:Â Euro (EUR)
Time Zone:Â Â (+1)
Country Calling Code:Â 33
Capital:Â Paris
Official Language(s):Â French
Italy
Currency:Â Euro (EUR)
Time Zone:Â Â (+1)
Country Calling Code:Â 39
Capital:Â Rome
Official Language(s):Â Italian
Switzerland
Currency:Â Swiss franc (CHF)
Time Zone:Â Â (+1)
Country Calling Code:Â 41
Capital:Â Bern
Official Language(s):Â German (63.7%), French (20.4%), Italian (6.5%), Romansh (0.5%)