Day 4 Amsterdam – Zaanse Schans – Amsterdam

 Hotel: Tulip Inn City West / Radisson Blu Amsterdam Airport or similar

After breakfast at the hotel, we will tour all the major attractions in Dam Square, including the Royal Palace and the National Monument. You will have the option of hopping onto a glass-topped boat for an hour-long cruise through the storied canals. We will then visit Coster Diamond Factory to see how diamonds are cut and prepared for market, using techniques that have been in use since the 16th century. Our first stop in the afternoon will be Zaanse Schans, the windmill capital of Holland. There we will visit the Wooden Shoe Workshop & Museum and the Cheese Farm to see how clogs and cheese are made. Back at the hotel, you might be interested in an optional tour of Amsterdam’s world-famous Red Light District.

Day 5 Amsterdam – Brussels – Paris

 Hotel: Campanile Paris Est-Bobigny / Ibis Paris Orly Rungis or similar

After breakfast we’ll head to Brussels, the Belgian capital and political center of the European Union. Our first stop will be the Atomium monument, a cell-shaped structure of stainless steel spheres and tubes built for the 1958 World’s Fair. Then it’s on to Grand Place and Town Hall, the crowning achievement of Gothic civil architecture. After a look at Manneken Pis, the famous tinkling cherub, we’ll head to the French border and make a beeline for Paris.

Day 6 Paris – Versailles – Paris

 Hotel: Campanile Paris Est-Bobigny / Ibis Paris Orly Rungis or similar

We’ll begin our Paris adventure with a drive along the famous Champs Elysees to the Place de la Concorde, which played a key role in one of darkest chapters of the French Revolution. You’ll also get to see the iconic Arc de Triomphe. Next we’ll head to L’Hotel National des Invalides, which houses Napoleon’s tomb and a number of other monuments relating to the military history of France.

Next we’ll travel on coach through the Parisian suburbs to the splendid Palace of Versailles, residence of the royal family until the start of the revolution in 1789. We’ll return to Paris in the evening. After dinner you may want to avail yourself of the optional cruise along the river Seine.

Day 7 Paris

The day of our Paris experience begins with a visit to the Louvre, the grande dame of art museums. Here you will set your eyes upon some of the highest-valued masterpieces of the Western world, including the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Mona Lisa. After lunch we’ll head to Boulevard Haussmann, a shopper’s paradise in the heart of Paris, where you will be free to shop till you drop. Accommodations for the evening will either be in Paris or a neighboring city. Before you leave this captivating city don’t miss the world-famous cabaret shows at Lido and Moulin Rouge (optional).

Tips:

Drop-off time and place: Approximately 7:00pm at Opera House