1° Day: Italy –
Strasbourg
Arrive in the evening in Strasbourg, the capital of
the departmentBas-Rhin and the region Alsace, is the
seat of The European Court of Human Rights. The name Strasbourg in German
means “intersection of roads”. It’s situated on the river Ill, near its confluence with the Rhine,
in an area with enchanting panoramic landscapes where both rivers are divided
in several branches. The historic center is enclosed within Grand Ile, an area
almost entirely pedestrian, rich with picturesque alleys, bridges, canals, on
which overlook stores, bistros and corners which become postcards at sunset and
with the evening lights. Dinner and overnight
2° Day: Strasbourg- Luxembourg
Breakfast and panoramic bus tour of Strasbourg. The city symbol is the
impressive the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, a
masterpiece of gothic art which stands out from the city center with its
asymmetric pin sandstone facade, the polychrome glass windows and the
astronomical clock.
Depart for Luxembourg. Guided visit in the afternoon of the last remained Grand Duchy of
the world. La Gran Rue crosses along the
historic center of the city of Luxembourg and represents the city
lounge, with its numerous clubs and elegant stores, which are a shopping
paradise. Accommodate in a hotel, dinner and overnight.
Curiosity: the most peculiar attraction of
Luxembourg city are the Bock Casemates an immense labyrinth excavated directly
on the rock promontory overlooking the city. They are Site were constructed in 1644 and are
consisted of km of underground tunnels up to 40 m. deep. This ingenious
defensive system was a shelter for 35.000 people during the two world wars.
3° Day: Luxembourg – Brussels
Breakfast and depart for Brussels. Visit of the European
district and the historic center, crossing the famous Grand Place. This splendid cobblestoned square
houses the town hall of XV century, the imposing Breadhouse (where the City
Museum is situated) and numerous palaces that testify to the glory and wealth
of the city. Accommodate in a hotel, dinner and overnight.
Curiosity: Brussels is famous for being one of the irradiation
centers of the Art Nouveau, a style which precursor is (1861-1947,
an architect and artist which has revolutionized the way of conceiving the
buildings as art work as a whole: from the design of the interior and exterior
spaces, to a concept that includes also
the study and creation of the lightening, the furniture, the walls decoration,
no less than the decorative objects. From the famous architecture you can
admire: The Tassel Hotel from 1893, the Solvay Hotel built in 1895 and the Van
Eetvelde Hotel.
4° Day: Brussels – Ghent(Gent)- Bruges( Brugges)
Breakfast. Guided tour of Ghent (in French Gand) that contains ancient
and modern; houses the Opera Theater, museums, ancient churches and numerous
bridges that communicate between the two river banks with flows through the
city. The is the
river bank that runs along the canal in the city center. Unique are also the
district with its
labyrinthine cobbled streets, the Castle of the Counts (Gravensteen) and the bell tower declared as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Proceed to Bruges with a visit of the canals which flow around
the city like a string of pearl and which have earned the city the title the
most romantic Flanders city. World heritage site, its historic center is among
the best preserved ones with the Bell Tower which dominates the open-air
market.
Return to Brussels for dinner and overnight.
5° Day: Brussels-Rotterdam-The Hague-Amsterdam
Breakfast and depart
towards the Netherlands. Visit of Rotterdam
(Dam on the Rote river), a multiethnic city people-oriented. It was almost completely
razed to the ground during the World War II, nowadays is presenting itself with
an avant-garde urban structure and a skyline defined as” Manhattan of the
Meuse” regarding the three elements: air, light and space.
Curiosity: The Cubic Houses(Kubuswoningen)in the central district of OudeHaven,
are one of the most iconic city attractions. A residential complex designed by
the Dutch architect Piet Blom in the
late ’70s, a cube shaped 45 degrees inclined houses that are forming a
pedestrian bridge over a busy street. You can learn more about these houses in
the House Museum Kijk-Kubus.
Proceed toward The Hague
and visit of the Netherland’s political center and The Binnenhof the world’s oldest Parliament Building. Among the most
famous city attractions is The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of
Justice.
Curiosity: The'Mona Lisa of the
Netherlands” as called” the Girl with a pearl earring” is one of the most
world’s famous and expensive paintings. We can admire the Johannes Vermeer’s
masterpiece at the Museum Mauritshuis. It dates back to 1665 was put up for an
auction in 1881 and was bought for only 2 florins and 30 cents (approximately 2
Euros)!
Arrive in the evening in the Netherlands capital
Amsterdam for a dinner and an overnight.
6° Day: Amsterdam Breakfast and a full
day dedicated to the visit of Amsterdam” The Venice of the Nord” with 165
canals and 1.281 bridges. The name means” a dam on the Amstel River”, 31 km.
long. During the day you can include the visit of some of the most requested
destinations like the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House or a typical diamond
cutter. We are advising also a boat excursion among the city canals (the
excursion can be organized also in the evening, with a wine and typical cheese
tasting on a candlelit). Dinner and overnight.
Curiosity: Amsterdam is the capital of the tulipsbeing among theworld’s biggest growers. Despite
of this primate, these have Turkish origins: Tulip from Turkish tullband means turban, because of the
flower shape.
7° Day: Amsterdam - Volendam - Marken- Enclosure Dam (Afsluitdijk)
Breakfast and a whole
day dedicated to discover the Nord of the Netherlands. Stop at the ancient fishermen
villages of Vollendam on the lake IJsselmeer of Marken a
small peninsula of Markenmeer. In the
afternoon we will get to the Enclosure Dam (Afsluitdijk), colossus of
architecture that unites two strips of land crossing the sea. It was constructed between 1927 and 1932
32 km long, 90 m wide and height of 7.25 meters above the sea level and is crossed
by a highway. Return to Amsterdam. Dinner and overnight.
8° Day: Amsterdam - Cologne
Breakfast. Depart to
Germany, with a stop at the enchanting Cologne for a short guided visit. We advise
you the visit of the Cologne Cathedral and along the Rhine River. Curiosity: the dialect is“Kolsch”, a little bit funny to the ears of the others Germans but
don’t tell this in front of person from Cologne. Kolsch is also the name of the
local beer. Until 1830 there were around 360 craft breweries, nowadays we can
find 24 that are producing the Kolsch. In the evening, accommodate dinner and
overnight in hotel in the Koblenz area.
9° Day: Cologne - Boppard - Bingen - Switzerland
Breakfast and depart for Boppard founded
by Julius Cesar to ensure the control over the left bank of Rhine during the
Gallic wars, Bopard later became free imperial city. From we embark on a boat
cruise on one of most suggestive river sections of the Rhine. Disembarkation in Bingen, proceed towards Switzerland.
Dinner and overnight in an ideal location based on the travel times.
Enological curiosity: It’s a must to taste the white wine and cheerful
at the same time, the excellent Riesling produced with local grapes, grow in
vineyards which are among the steepest along the Rhine.
10° Day: Return
Breakfast and depart for the return to Italy.