Day 1  London / Calais / Brussels / Nemur (Belgium)

 

Assemble at Euston rail station, right in front of the Burger King shop. Our tour managers will be ready to take attendance and prepare for boarding. Soon, it is southward we go, towards the port of Dover where P/O Ferry will bring us across the English channel to Belgium. At the Calais port, your European coach captain is ready to take you on your vacation through Europe, as we set off for the Capital of Belgium - Brussels. The city and its surrounding has much to offer for lovely picture stops before we enjoy a welcome Chinese dinner, later we settled in the township of Namur .

 ( Dinner)

Day 2  Greatest Flower show on earth / Heidelberg / Rhine area (Germany)

 

After breakfast, north bound we go. We visit the greatest flower show on earth ?Floriade. This flower fair, only held once in every 10 years, is bound to attract millions of visitors from all over. In Floriade (ticket to pay on the spot)there will be an exciting programme for young and old alike, filled to the brim with music, dance, theatre, literature and graphic art. A theatre you’ll experience with all your senses, because you’ll be playing the leading role alongside nature, you’ll learn about nature and find out just how important flowers, plants, trees, vegetables and fruit are in our daily lives. A cable car, 1.2 km, which is the longest ride in the country as you hover above the park will give you an idea, how vast this area is. In the late afternoon, we head towards the Rhine valley. The landscape is punctuated by some 40 hill top castles and fortresses erected over a period of around 1,000 years. The later 18th century saw the growth of sensibility towards the beauties of nature, and the often dramatic physical scenery of the Middle Rhine Valley, coupled with the many ruined castles on prominent hilltops. This is one of the world's great rivers, from Koblenz to Bingen, where our route will be, has over the centuries fostered a cultural landscape of great beauty which has strongly influenced artists of all kinds - poets, painters, and composers. As we skirt pass quaint villages where wine growing, we then enter the township of Heidelberg, the Student Prince city of Germany. Time is spent on the Hauptstrasse for window browsing and to enjoy the view, especially on the old twin tower bridge, a 13C old red sandstone castle and its huge balcony. Our final destination of the day is the charming township of Bretten located in the Rhine area.

(Continental Breakfast)

All departure after the Floriade show is well-over, our programme for Day 2 will revert back to the following:

Day 2  Nemur / Luxembourg / Trier / Rhine area (Germany)

Entering Luxembourg after breakfast, it is a Grand - duchy, an independent country with a population of about 400,000 and an area of 2586 sq. km. We visit the city, which occupies a dramatic and commanding site on a high bluff above the narrow valleys of the Aklzette and the Petrusse. Because of its strategic location, it was for many centuries one of the strongest fortresses in Europe, with ramparts and casemates lining the rim of the precipitous cliffs. Here it offers a fine view of over the city. Stroll along the Rue Notre Dame and the Hotel de Ville, to Place Guillaume with many churches and also the Biblio Nationale and Cathedral. If you are a coin or stamp collector, here is your chance to get some of the latest stamp designs. Soon we come to the city of Trier, also reputed to be the oldest city in Germany, She is the finest example of a Roman city at the time of Augustus in 17BC.

There are still is an abundant of Roman traces about, starting from the walk through the Port Nigra and its city wall, the streets are all laid out in block form, a typical system perfected by the Romans.  There are lots for you to explore, have your pick during the stop over and marvel at the Cathedral and the Basilica, the Imperial Baths and the Forum, indeed, this city is undoubtedly one of the finest in Roman remains outside Italy. Continue to Bruckenstrasse, home of the great philosopher Karl Marx. Born on 5th May 1818, the house on numbers 10 is where the third child of the advocate Heinrich Marx and his wife lived. It was then bought by the Social Democratic Party and open today as "House of the Workers". On entering, one could see permanent exhibitions on the works of Marx, such as the Manifesto of the Communist Party and Das Capital; letter, manuscripts and photographs of his time, it is a museum that attracts countless international visitors annually. Continue to Germany, our final destination of the day is the charming township of Bretten located on Rhine area.

(Continental Breakfast)

 

Day 3  Romantic route / Weis village / Fussen / New Swan Castle / Lake Lucerne area (Switzerland)

 

Summer route A You enter the Romantic Road. Wends its way from Ulm to Fussen and Honhenswangau, it offers what is simply the most beautiful and engaging melange of scenery, cuisine and ambience Germany can offer. Short stop at the remarkable church of Weis. See the master creation of Dominikus Zimmermann, whose work is today is included in the UNESCO's list of Cultural Heritage Buildings and achieves international recognition. Later, we continue to the end of the Romantic Route, coming face to face with the diamond on the crown, that fantastic New Swan Castle. This seemingly a pendant made from ivory onto the Alps, is spectacular just to view from afar, let alone to wander amongst its grounds and walls. You will have the entire afternoon to enjoy an outdoor hike, we promise you lungs of fresh air and exhilarating views. In the evening, we settled in near the township of Flulen by Lake Lucerne, one of the 5 major lakes in Switzerland.

Day 3  Black Forest / Drubba cuckoo clock village / Rhine Falls / Zurich / Lake Lucerne area (Switzerland)

Winter route Nov. onwards departure will run   Depart Bretten township, we enter the Black Forest area, through the most attractive and scenic parts around Titisee. The southern and central areas of the Black Forest have especially varied scenery and traditions going back a very long way. The famous cuckoo clock - are recognised all over the world. The route is the perfect introduction to the Black Forest clockmaking tradition and it has fascinating places of interest all along its length. Clock factories, clockmaking workshops and clockface painting studios all offer an informative insight into their daily work. Be sure to sample the delicious local specialities ?pure mineral waters, fruit schnapps, fine wines, hearty rye bread baked over wood and of course, genuine Black Forest cake.  Across the Bavarian alps, we descend to Switzerland's Schaffhausen. One of the best excursions is to the Rhine falls, Europe’s largest waterfall. They are truly magnificent, not so much for their height (a mere 23m) as for their impressive breadth (150m) and the sheer drama of the place, with the spray rising in a cloud of rainbows above the forested banks. The turreted castle Schloss Laufen on a cliff directly above the falls to the south completes the spectacle. In the evening, see the main Railway station of Zurich. It was opened in 1871, this superb building ranks amongst Europe's most beautiful railway stations. Here is also the famous Bahnhofstrasse, the city 's  main shopping zone and ideal for pedestrians, is the most beautiful shopping area. Stop by the banks near the Limmat River Quai, we see also the Grossmunster and the Fraumunster, two of the most spectacular churches in town by the Limmat river.

This evening we check in at our hotel by Lake Lucerne in the canton or Uri.

 

(Continental Breakfast / Western Dinner)

Day 4 Lake Lucerne area / Zurich / Lucerne old town (optional Mt. Titlis)

Day 5   Lake Lucerne area / Leukerbad hot-spring resort

Day 6   Geneva / Beaune / Paris (France)

Day 7   Paris

Day 8   Departure for UK