24 DAY Spirit of Europe EECELL-8

Transcription

1 24 DAY Spirit of Europe EECELL-8 This tour visits: France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands Uncover the real spirit of this magnificent continent as you soak up the splendour of Western Europe - while also discovering the gorgeous yet less familiar treasures of Central and Eastern Europe. From the charismatic canals of Venice and the glitzy coastlines of the French Riviera to the uber-cool bars of Budapest and the fairytale-like vibes of Prague, your holiday dreams will be well and truly made on this trip of a lifetime.

2 The Bucket List More Inclusions Walking tour of Amsterdam Driving tour of Berlin Walking tour of Krakow Guided tour of former concentration camp Auschwitz- Birkenau Walking tour of Venice Driving tour of Vienna Canal dinner cruise in Amsterdam Walking tour of Bratislava Walking tour of Rome Visit Pisa & the famous Leaning Tower Walking tour of Verona Walking tour of the restored city of Dresden Walking tour of Prague Walking tour of Florence with local guide Driving tour of Budapest Visit a traditional French perfumery Vaporetto ride in Venice Dutch cheese & clogs demonstration Walking tour of Monaco Driving tour of Paris & gourmet picnic by the Eiffel Tower 23 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 10 dinners 17 nights in hostel accommodation & 6 nights in bungalows at European campsites English Channel crossings Modern air-conditioned coach with free Wi-Fi Guided tours of all major cities Awesome Trip Leader + Driver + On-Site Chefs Trip Itinerary Day 1 - London, England to Paris, France Spot French poodles on an epic driving tour as we roll into Paris. Pinch yourself and Instagram your first selfie before we dig into a gourmet picnic under the Eiffel Tower. Kick back under the Eiffel Tower and watch Paris sparkle. Ooooh you pretty thang! -Driving tour of Paris & gourmet picnic by the Eiffel Tower Day 2 - Paris This morning: free time en Francais. From the Louvre and Musée d'orsay to the l'arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysées, you'll be sure to make a solid dent in your bucket list. Then: hop on an optional bike tour of Paris. End your day with an optional Seine River cruise or a #throwback bohemian cabaret show.

3 -Traditional cabaret show in Paris -Scenic river cruise on the Seine -Bike tour of Paris Day 3 - Paris to Swiss Alps, Switzerland Trade in Parisian streets for handsome peaks. Urban charm ain't got nothing on Swiss scenery. Upon arrival, chow down on Swiss cuisine. -Lunch Day 4 - Swiss Alps Scenic hikes and jaw-dropping views are on today's agenda. Go low key with a mountain walk or hop on board the Jungfraubahn railway for an optional visit to the Jungfrau Mountain summit. Expect fairytale villages en route and sky-diving out of a helicopter upon arrival (if heights don't scare you). And if one hulking mountain isn't enough? Another local feast awaits your return, regardless of how you make your way back down. -Lunch -Scenic excursion to Jungfrau ('The Top of Europe') -Scenic helicopter ride in the Swiss Alps -Skydiving in the Swiss Alps -Schilthorn cable car experience Day 5 - Swiss Alps to French Riviera, France Don your fanciest attire and follow in Napoleon's footsteps downwards to the glamorous French Riviera. Try your hand at celeb spotting as you explore the world's most lavish waterfront property and take in some of the most Pinterest-worthy views in the world. -Lunch Day 6 - French Riviera including Monaco visit Bring your paparazzi posse to the beach or let loose among the designer boutiques in Nice's Old Town. Later: roll with the jet set as we hit up the Monaco for a walking tour and the chance to see how the 1% live (hint: it involves Ferraris and bathing in caviar). Feeling lucky? Hit the tables at the Monte Carlo Casino and make it rain (or not). -Walking tour of Monaco

4 Day 7 - French Riviera to Florence, Italy This morning, swap your 'bonjour' to a 'buongiorno' as it's on to the renaissance romance of Florence. Take THAT shot at the Leaning Tower of Pisa before trucking on to Florence to eat, sleep, repeat in the foodie capital of the world. -Visit a traditional French perfumery -Visit to Pisa & the famous Leaning Tower Day 8 - Florence to Rome Step back to 753 BC in one of the world's oldest open-air museums on an in-depth walking tour and give that bucket list a workout. Make like Caesar and work up a colossus hunger as you pass by the Pantheon, throw your two cents in the Trevi Fountain, sit on the Spanish Steps and visit ancient history's version of the Hunger Games set at the Colosseum. -Walking tour of Florence with local guide -Walking tour of Rome Day 9 - Rome including Vatican City visit Create the ultimate Roman Holiday in one day with a whirlwind of Vespas, espresso, two-cheek kisses and pizza the way it's supposed to taste. Count your blessings on an optional tour of the Vatican City to see how Michelangelo messed around and created the High Renaissance, then play eye spy with two-and-a-half millennia worth of history. Shop 'til you drop on Via Condotti, head to Capitoline Hill for awesome views of the Roman Forum and Colosseum or just kick back in Piazza Navona for some dolce far niente (delicious idleness). -Guided tour of Vatican City Day 10 - Rome to Venice Hark! Maketh haste to whence the lady Juliet was wooed in Verona. Say ciao to Venice from across the lagoon as we check into our accommodation, have an Eat Pray Love-worthy relationship with an irresistible Italian (meal) and get pumped for living out your own version of The Italian Job tomorrow.

5 -Walking tour of Verona Day 11 - Venice You know it as the floating city, but this place is actually sinking (slowly). Check out St. Mark's Square, Accademia Bridge and a who's who of Venice's usual suspects on a guided walking tour then jump on a vaporetto and explore the Grand Canal. Also on the schedule: an optional gondola ride through the maze of marble bridges and gelato shops we call Venice. Throw away your map in the afternoon and try to find the world's most epic little bookshop, Libreria Acqua Alta, or just go on a mission to find the perfect gelato. -Walking tour of Venice -Vaporetto ride in Venice -Gondola ride in Venice Day 12 - Venice to Vienna, Austria More stunning scenery out the window today as we cross from from Venice to Vienna. Wave hello to the President as we go past the Hofburg Palace. And because one palace isn't enough, we also take peek at the Schonbrunn. Three things you need to know about Vienna: famous musicians, grand coffee houses and, of course, apple strudel. Also invented the croissant. Sorry, France. Top off your day with a schnitzel if you can find one. -Driving tour of Vienna -Lunch Day 13 - Vienna Vienna is yours for the day. Walk the grounds of the Schönbrunn Palace or feed your brain exploring the Museum Quarter. Primp your pinkie for an optional Schnapps Museum visit to taste the local aperitif. Classical music fans, opt in for a night out to hear the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Strauss at the Viennese Chamber Orchestra.

6 -A night at the Viennese Chamber Orchestra (dinner optional at an additional expense) -Visit a Schnapps Museum Day 14 - Vienna to Budapest, Hungary via Bratislava, Slovakia Hungary for more? First a pit stop in Bratislava to get the lowdown on Slovakia's capital city. While checkin' out Bratislava Castle, see if you can spot the city's quirky bronze statues in the Old Town. Then, your house in Budapest awaits. A driving tour will get you down and Danube (that be the river) with twin cities, Buda and Pest. Check out Hero's Square, Parliament House, the National Palace, Fisherman's Bastion and swanky Andrássy Ave. -Walking tour of Bratislava -Driving tour of Budapest Day 15 - Budapest Free day = put down your Rubik's Cube and take on a city with enough baroque, neoclassical and art nouveau architecture to keep you puzzled for hours. Tonight, hang with the hipsters and drink local fruit brandy at one of the original ruin bars. cruise on the Danube Day 16 - Budapest to Krakow, Poland Legend has it a dragon had to be smited in order for Krakow to be built (with a sulphur-stuffed lamb as bait). Explore Poland's beating heart - and the largest medieval town square in Europe - on foot. Buff up on history at Wawel Castle, feed the ducks amongst the bank of the Wisla and after dinner, slay a few glasses of mead. -Walking tour of Krakow -Nightlife tour of Krakow Day 17 - Krakow

7 Today is free to do as you wish. Visit a centuries-old synagogue and discover the city's inner-hipster in the Jewish district and shop for Amber in the UNESCO-listed Cloth Hall. Your day, your choice. Day 18 - Krakow to Prague, Czech Republic First up, a sobering visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Then onto Prague and its Disney-inspiring castle spires. Fuel up on trdelník (pastry deliciousness) before a walking tour amongst the spires and cobblestone streets. Sus out the castle deemed worthy by Guinness World Records as being the largest ancient castle in the world, cross medieval Charles Bridge and watch 'Death' toll the hour on an astronomical clock that's over 600 years old. -Guided tour of former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau -Walking tour of Prague Day 19 - Prague Another free day for the win. Channel your inner bohemian and seek out the John Lennon memorial wall, then soak up some more Czech history at the National or Communist Museum or get a taste of the quirky local culture at a marionette puppet opera (you gotta see it to believe it). Snap a selfie at Prague's own Eiffel Tower, visit a miniatures museum, eat roast pork from one of the street vendors lining Old Town Square and drink beer. Good beer. -Local beer tasting in Prague Day 20 - Prague to Berlin, Germany Get acquainted with 800 year-old Dresden - a city virtually destroyed in WWII and then rebuilt - and ogle the Frauenkirche before making your beard all the more ironic in Berlin. Prep yourself for currywurst and more hipsters per capita than anywhere else. We'll drive you around to see (what's left of) the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building before making your food baby sing with a hearty German meal. -Walking tour of the restored city of Dresden -Driving tour of Berlin

8 Day 21 - Berlin Shake off last night with a wander around the German capital. Optional: Third Reich walking tour and local insight into what the city was like under Nazi rule during World War II. Hackescher Markt is a hit for lunch. Afternoon suggestion? Have a picnic at the historic Tempelhof airport turned public park #picniconthetarmac. Tonight: hit the hotspots on an optional street art & nightlife tour of Berlin. -Third Reich walking tour -Street art & nightlife tour of Berlin Day 22 - Berlin to Amsterdam, Netherlands Cheese lovers, rejoice. Your next stop is a local Dutch farm to see how cheddar (and clogs) gets made. Next: Amsterdam, mayo-dipped fries and red lights. Get your bearings on a walking tour of the vibrant capital and see the Dam Square, Royal Palace and National Monument. Then: explore all that this notoriously liberal city has to offer. -Dutch cheese & clogs demonstration -Walking tour of Amsterdam Day 23 - Amsterdam Culture fiends, delve deeper with a visit to the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum. Still thirsty for more? Check out the Heineken Experience for an interactive visit and tasting at the brewery. Top it off with a dinner cruise on the canal. -Canal dinner cruise in Amsterdam -Bike tour of Amsterdam Day 24 - Amsterdam to London, England After all the Amster-damage has been done and dusted, it's time to hit the road and make tracks to ol' Blighty. Soak up all the happy group vibes you can possibly handle - this is your last coach ride with the gang. #sadface.

9 Accommodation Hostel Plus trips host our most eclectic types of accommodation. While modern hostels make up the majority of your overnighters you could also stay in hotels (free upgrade - yeah!) or bungalows. The 'More Inclusions' section details what type of accommodation will be used for overnight stops on your trip. The number of people to a room on Hostel Plus trips will vary. For hostels you will have multi-share rooms and usually share with between 3 and 5 others (although in some circumstances you will share with more than 5) while in hotels there will be twin or triple-shares (and the odd quad-room). Bungalows can be up to 4 people to a room. Please note: When staying on a Hostel Plus trip, multi-share accommodation is single-sex. Meals Your included meals are detailed in the 'More Inclusions' section of this document. Breakfasts are included every day (except on the first morning). Included meals will be a combination of those prepared by Topdeck On-Site Chefs, local restaurants and places in which we stay. If you have any dietary requirements we will make every effort to cater to your specific needs as long as you advise your travel agent or Customer Service Consultant when you book, or make note of this in the Topdeck app when you check in (refer below). However, please be aware that although we will do everything in our power to arrange it, we cannot guarantee that every restaurant we use will be able to cater to all dietary needs, particularly in Eastern Europe. We also cannot cater for tastes or dislikes, as most of our included evening meals feature a set menu. No Tip Necessary Your Topdeck crew never expect tips themselves and will not ask for any; that s not what friends do! We also know how much tipping can cost you. So go ahead, spoil yourself with the money you will save by travelling with Topdeck (just don t forget Mum s souvenir). Topdeck Travel App Our travel app has landed! With a range of awesome features including a Currency Converter, Budget Tracker, Check-In tool and Social Timeline you can plan your trip like a pro. Think of it like your very own Topdeck Trip Leader, always on call with the latest info, weather, maps and city guides to give you the trip of a lifetime, all in the palm of your hand. Please note: The Topdeck Travel App should only be downloaded once you have booked onto your trip. You will not be able to log in unless you have a Topdeck Booking Reference Number. Get it for iphone Get it for Android

10 Passenger safety One of the best parts of travelling is experiencing the nightlife and entertainment each city has to offer. However, amidst the fun and excitement, it s important to be aware of your surroundings and personal safety as well. Before you hit the road with us, it s important to be aware of the following: When you re on a night out, remember to avoid walking alone, particularly through deserted areas like beaches and back streets. Always stick together, take a taxi where possible, and keep a note of your accommodation details so you can find your way back to your fellow Topdeckers if you become separated. In some countries, alcoholic measures can be considerably larger than what you may be used to. Try to keep track of what you re drinking, and if you see one of your trip mates looking a little worse for wear, take them back to your accommodation. Be cautious when accepting drinks from strangers and never leave your drink unattended. It s also important to be aware that what you might consider harmless flirting may be interpreted differently in some countries. Be yourself and have fun, but don t be naïve, and be mindful of the signals you are sending out so that you don t find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.