The Best of Italy & France 2012

Tours | Globus family of brands | Rome | Florence | Venice | Paris | Europe | Italy | France

Itinerary:

Day	Description	View All +
Day 1	Arrive in Rome, Italy. Time to rest or start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)	View Details +
Day 2	Rome. Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Then, time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (B)	View Details +
Day 3	Rome–Assisi–Venice. Morning break in peaceful Assisi. Visit the massive 13th-century BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above the saint’s grave. A kaleidoscope of Italian landscapes parades past the coach windows on the way to the Adriatic coast and across the Po Delta to Venice. Tonight, why not join an optional dinner, Venetian style? (B)	View Details +
Day 4	Venice. Start morning sightseeing in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional cruise to Burano Island. (B)	View Details +
Day 5	Venice–Ferrara–Florence. First stop this morning is Ferrara. Stroll past imposing Este Castle to the marble cathedral before continuing through the wooded Apennine Mountains into Tuscany to Florence, “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Time to wander at whim or to check out the enticing shops with Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry. (B)	View Details +
Day 6	Florence. Enjoy a walking tour with your Local Guide and visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise.” Also visit sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Afternoon and evening at leisure. Exciting optional excursions are available. (B)	View Details +
Day 7	Florence–Pisa–Nice, France. Focus on Pisa this morning for pictures of its amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Then, a scenic drive past a string of Italian and French Riviera resorts towards the Principality of Monaco. Here, leave the highway for the panoramic Moyenne Corniche. Before arriving in Nice, visit one of the PERFUME FACTORIES for which the area is famous. (B)	View Details +
Day 8	Nice. Excursion to St. Paul de Vence. This morning, enjoy a highlight visit to the picturesque hilltop town of St. Paul de Vence. Then, a lazy afternoon to dabble in the blue Mediterranean or to stroll along the elegant Promenade des Anglais. An optional outing is available tonight to Monte Carlo. (B)	View Details +
Day 9	Nice–Paris. Transfer to the railway station and board the high-speed TGV TRAIN to Paris. Meet your Local Guide and take the elevator to the second floor of Paris’ most famous landmark: the EIFFEL TOWER. This evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Afterwards, why not join an optional drive through the “City of Light?” (B,D)	View Details +
Day 10	Paris. Discover the world capital of chic and style with a Local Guide and admire its most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Notre Dame Cathedral, and more. Optional excursions to the Louvre Museum and the lavish baroque Palace of Versailles are available. Tonight, a lively cabaret show might just be the ticket. (B)	View Details +
Day 11	Paris. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)	View Details +

Highlights: RomeWelcome dinner at a local restaurant; guided sightseeing, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Colosseum and Roman ForumAssisi Visit the Basilica of St. FrancisVenicePrivate boat ride; guided walking tour, visit St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs; glassblowers’ demonstrationFerrara Walk along Este Castle to the cathedralFlorence Guided walking tour, visit Michelangelo’s David, and Signoria SquarePisa Marvel at the legendary Leaning TowerNiceVisit a perfume factory; excursion to St. Paul de VenceNice–Paris By high-speed TGV train (first-class)Paris Ascend the Eiffel Tower; dinner at a local restaurant; guided sightseeingHeadsets throughout the tourNote: In the rare event that the TGV train is unavailable, alternative services will be provided. Notes: PRICE DETAILS: Dates and prices do not include international air travel. When planning your trip, allow one extra day before tour date for travel between the USA and Europe.Prices based on double room occupancy.Single room supplement: $791, $922 (May 13-May 27)Triple room reduction: $105Extra nights per person in Rome:in single room $226, in twin room $165, in triple room $138Extra nights per person in Paris:in single room $345, in twin room $180, in triple room $180What's Included: MEALS: Full buffet breakfast daily (B); 2 three-course dinners (D): a special welcome dinner with wine in Rome and a special dinner with wine in ParisHOTELS: Full buffet breakfast daily (B); 2 three-course dinners (D): a special welcome dinner with wine in Rome and a special dinner with wine in Paris