DAY 1 – SUN – LONDON – AMSTERDAM.
Meet your Tour Director and drive to Dover for the short Channel crossing to Calais. Pass historic Dunkirk, famous for its Second World War evacuations, and follow
the coast into Belgium. Stop a while in medieval Bruges to walk through the cobbled streets to the old market square. A perfect introduction to Europe! Now enter your fourth country, the Netherlands, passing windmills on the way to lively Amsterdam, ‘City of Canals’. Tonight, enjoy a Welcome Drink with your Tour Director before boarding a special sightseeing boat. Cruise under low bridges and past high gabled mansions before disembarking to enjoy a traditional Dutch ‘Rijsttafel’ (literally ‘rice table’) dinner at a local restaurant. Your meal is complemented by an informative presentation on the origins, ceremony and contents of this colonial-style feast. Hotel: Moevenpick City Centre. (HD)

DAY 2 – MON – AMSTERDAM SIGHTSEEING.
An orientation tour reveals the Mint Tower, Dam Square and Royal Palace. Leave Amsterdam and drive through the Dutch countryside, with its windmills and canals, to the old, traditional village of Volendam, situated on what was once the Zuider Zee. Later, make a photo-stop beside one of the picturesque windmills and then visit a cheese farm and a ‘Klompenhuis’, where wooden clogs are made. Return to Amsterdam for a visit to a diamond cutting factory, whose industry dates back to the  16th century. This evening, consider a visit to the famous Sailors’ Quarter. (BB)

DAY 3 – TUE – AMSTERDAM – RHINELAND.
Leave Amsterdam bound for Germany. Pass the border town of Arnhem, renowned for its ‘Bridge Too Far’ (the Rhine bridge which was the object of bitter fighting at the end of the Second World War), then cross the extensive Ruhr Basin to Cologne. This city was also badly damaged in the war, but its superb Gothic Cathedral survived. Take time to marvel at the soaring vaults and spires, and to stroll in the bustling pedestrian malls of the city centre. Then it’s on to Bonn, birthplace of Beethoven and capital of West Germany for more than 40 years until Berlin was reinstated as capital of a reunified Germany after the fall of the wall. Travel to the picturesque Rhine Gorge to board a Highlight Cruise at Boppard, and glide past medieval hill-top castles and steep leafy vineyards to the legendary Loreley Rock. Rejoin the coach at St Goar and continue to Bensheim, the ‘town of flowers and wine’ on the Bergstrassse (literally ‘Mountain Road’). Hotel: Clarion Collection Park Hotel Krone. (BB,D)

DAY 4 – WED – RHINELAND – LUCERNE.
Visit Heidelberg, city of the ‘Student Prince’, on the banks of the River Neckar and view the ruined clifftop castle. Take the scenic route along the Rhine Valley tothe ancient city of Freiburg, before climbing into the heart of the Black Forest, home of the cuckoo clock industry. Enjoy an informative presentation on their origins and see how these clocks are made, then continue past Lake Titisee and cross the Swiss border. See the Rhine River thundering over the Rhine Falls before driving via  Zurich to lakeside Lucerne. Check into your hotel, shop for chocolate or a special timepiece, and consider joining an optional Swiss Fondue Party in the evening. Hotel: Astoria. (BB)

DAY 7 – SAT – PARIS SIGHTSEEING.
A sightseeing tour with a local guide takes you by the Île de la Cité to see Notre Dame Cathedral with its famous tale of Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame. Pass the immense facades of the Louvre and marvel at Garnier’s splendid Opera House. See the Obelisk in the centre of the Place de la Concorde and drive along the elegant Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. A Premium Highlight takes you up to the viewing platforms of the wonderful Eiffel Tower for spectacular views of the city. Spend the afternoon exploring Paris at your own pace. Perhaps take an optional tour to magnificent Versailles and, by night, why not join in the fun at a world famous cabaret show? (BB)

DAY 8 – SUN – PARIS – LONDON. Cross the World War One battlefields of the Somme to arrive at the port of Calais for your return Channel crossing to England. The white cliffs of Dover will welcome  you as you sail back into England. From here it’s a short drive through the Kent countryside to London, where the tour ends a short time later. (BB)