Itinerary
Day 1: Paris-Dijon-Lucerne
Stop At: Eglise Notre-Dame, 2 Place Notre Dame, 21000, Dijon France
The Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon is a Roman Catholic church in Dijon. Considered a masterpiece of 13th-century Gothic architecture, it is situated at the heart of the preserved old centre of the city. It is located in Place Notre-Dame, near the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy and opposite the rue Musette.
Work on the church began around 1230.[1] The church contains the statue of Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir, formerly called the Black Madonna. The church's decorations also include two symbols of Dijon: the jacquemart (bell-striking automaton) and the owl. The church was classified as a Monument Historique in the List of historic monuments of 1840. The chapel of the Assumption, the sacristy, and the gallery that links them have been listed as Monuments Historiques since 5 July 2002.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Palais des Ducs et des Etats de Bourgogne, 1 Place de la Liberation, 21000, Dijon France
Palace of the Dukes Dijon is a remarkably well-preserved architectural assemblage in Dijon. The oldest part is the 14th and 15th century Gothic ducal palace and seat of the Dukes of Burgundy, made up of a logis still visible on place de la Liberation, the ducal kitchens on cour de Bar, the tour de Philippe le Bon, a "guette" overlooking the whole city, and tour de Bar. Most of what can be seen today, however, was built in the 17th and especially the 18th centuries, in a classical style, when the palace was a royal residence building and housed the estates of Burgundy. Finally, the 19th façade of the musée on place de la Sainte-Chapelle was added on the site of the palace's Sainte-Chapelle, demolished in 1802. The Palace houses the city's town hall and the musée des Beaux-Arts.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Place de la Liberation, 21000, Dijon France
The semi-garden-shaped square designed by Chou Monsart in 1685 to welcome the statue of King Louis XIV on horseback is one of the most spectacular royal squares in France, set against the backdrop of the magnificent palace. The sculpture was melted down and turned into a cannon during the Revolution of 1792.
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: One night hotel accomodation
Day 2: Lucerne-Milan-Venice
Stop At: Chapel Bridge, Kapellbruecke, Lucerne 6003 Switzerland
Chapel Bridge is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the river Reuss diagonally in the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel,the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge.It serves as the city's symbol and as one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Lake Lucerne, Lucerne Switzerland
Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. The lake has a complicated shape, with several sharp bends and four arms. It starts in the south–north bound Reuss Valley between steep cliffs above the Urnersee from Flüelen towards Brunnen to the north before it makes a sharp bend to the west where it continues into the Gersauer Becken.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Lion Monument, Denkmalstrasse 4, Lucerne 6006 Switzerland
The Lion Monument, or the Lion of Lucerne, is a rock relief in Lucerne, Switzerland, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. It is one of the most famous monuments in Switzerland, visited annually by about 1.4 million tourists.In 2006, it was placed under Swiss monument protection.
American humorist and author Samuel Clements (Mark Twain) praised the sculpture of a mortally wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Castello Sforzesco, Piazza Castello, 3, 20121 Milan Italy
The Castello Sforzesco is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Extensively rebuilt by Luca Beltrami in 1891–1905, it now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Piazza del Duomo, 20123 Milan Italy
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (Italian: [ɡalleˈriːa vitˈtɔːrjo emanuˈɛːle seˈkondo]) is Italy's oldest active shopping gallery and a major landmark of Milan in Italy. Housed within a four-story double arcade in the centre of town,[1] the Galleria is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. It was designed in 1861 and built by architect Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Duomo di Milano, Piazza del Duomo, 20122 Milan Italy
Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (Italian: Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of St Mary (Santa Maria Nascente), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbishop Mario Delpini.
The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete: construction began in 1386, and the final details were completed in 1965. It is the largest church in the Italian Republic—the larger St. Peter's Basilica is in the State of Vatican City, a sovereign state—and possibly the second largest in Europe and the third largest in the world (its size and position remain a matter of debate).
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: One night hotel accomodation
Day 3: Venice-Rome
Stop At: Piazza San Marco, 31024 Venice Italy
Piazza San Marco (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjattsa sam ˈmarko]; Venetian: Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as la Piazza ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma) are called campi ("fields"). The Piazzetta ("little Piazza/Square") is an extension of the Piazza towards San Marco basin in its southeast corner (see plan). The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are commonly considered together. This article relates to both of them.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Ponte dei Sospiri, Piazza San Marco, 1, 30100 Venice Italy
The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri, Venetian: Ponte de i Sospiri) is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino, whose uncle Antonio da Ponte designed the Rialto Bridge. It was built in 1600.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: One night hotel accomodation
Day 4: Rome-Florence
Stop At: Colosseum, Piazza del Colosseo, 00184 Rome Italy
Of all the monumental buildings in Rome, the Colosseum is the most breathtaking. It was the place where gladiators fought for their lives, where prisoners on death row battled hungry lions, and where the great symbols of eternal Rome stood. The British historian Beda Venerabilis wrote: "When the Colosseum stands, Rome will exist; when it collapses, Rome will perish." The Colosseum was built by the emperor Vespasian on the site of the tyrant Nero's opulent Golden Palace (Dumus Aurea) and was completed in 80 AD. But as the Roman Empire declined in the 6th century, the Colosseum was gradually abandoned and became overgrown. In the years that followed, the Colosseum was damaged by several earthquakes and even became a stone and marble extraction site for builders. Now the Colosseum is only a broken skeleton, but it can still be seen in its former glory.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Arch of Constantine, Via di San Gregorio, 00186 Rome Italy
Located between the Colosseum and the ruins, the Triumphal Arch of Constantine, with its three arches, was built to commemorate the victory of Constantine I (i.e., Constantine the Great, Costantino I) at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. It is the closest of Rome's existing triumphal arches to the present. The Arch of Triumph, with its reliefs of angels, bears witness to Constantine I's rejection of the old Roman religion and the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of Rome.
Duration: 50 minutes
Stop At: Piazza Venezia, 00187 Rome Italy
Piazza Venezia is a central hub of Rome, Italy, in which several thoroughfares intersect, including the Via dei Fori Imperiali and the Via del Corso. It takes its name from the Palazzo Venezia, built by the Venetian Cardinal, Pietro Barbo (later Pope Paul II) alongside the church of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. The Palazzo Venezia served as the embassy of the Republic of Venice in Rome.
Piazza Venezia is adjacent to the ancient Roman Forum, where the massive marble Vittoriano monument and a huge statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of united Italy, on horseback tower over the square. Although the style of the white palace seems out of place in the surrounding ancient ruins, it is still a magnificent structure, and travelers can take a free tour of the palace's interior, which contains an exhibit chronicling Italy's recent unification. Every year, a military parade is held in Piazza Venezia on June 2, Italy's national day.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Trevi Fountain, Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Rome Italy
The Trevi Fountain is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing 26.3 metres (86 ft) high and 49.15 metres (161.3 ft) wide,it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Piazza di Spagna, Rome Italy
Piazza di Spagna itself does not have many highlights, but the scene in the movie "Roman Holiday" where Audrey Hepburn plays the princess eating ice cream on the steps of Piazza di Spagna (Scalinata di Trinità deiMonti) has become so popular that it has become a household name. To the left of the steps facing the square is the home of the poet John Keats. At the top of the steps, in front of the Trinità dei Monti Catholic Church, there are often artists selling their work. The fountain of broken boats (Fontana della Barcaccia) below the steps is the work of the Baroque sculptor Bernini. For female travelers, Via Condotti, across the steps, is the place to go crazy, with flagship stores of many luxury brands and big names, and the original Bulgari store located in this neighborhood.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: One night hotel accomodation
Day 5: Florence-Pisa-San Remo
Stop At: Duomo - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Via della Canonica, 1 Piazza del Duomo, 50122, Florence Italy
Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Italian pronunciation: [katteˈdraːle di ˈsanta maˈriːa del ˈfjoːre]; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy (Italian: Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi.The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.
Duration: 50 minutes
Stop At: Piazza della Signoria, 50122, Florence Italy
Piazza della Signoria is a w-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the main point of the origin and history of the Florentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political focus of the city.It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piazza del Duomo Piazza dei Miracoli, 56126, Pisa Italy
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is one of three structures in the Pisa's Cathedral Square, which includes the cathedral and Pisa Baptistry.
The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183 feet 3 inches) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 m (185 ft 11 in) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes (16,000 short tons).The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.
The tower began to lean during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground which could not properly support the structure's weight. It worsened through the completion of construction in the 14th century.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Piazza del Duomo, 50122, Florence Italy
Piazza del Duomo is a walled 8.87-hectare area located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognized as an important centre of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes in the world.Considered sacred by the Catholic Church, its owner, the square is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistry, the Campanile, and the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery). Partly paved and partly grassed, the Piazza dei Miracoli is also the site of the Ospedale Nuovo di Santo Spirito (New Hospital of the Holy Spirit), which houses the Sinopias Museum (Italian: Museo delle Sinopie) and the Cathedral Museum.
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: One night hotel accomodation
Day 6: San Remo-Monaco-EZE-Cannes-Leon
Stop At: Palais Princier de Monaco, Place du Palais, Monaco-Ville 98015 Monaco
The Prince's Palace of Monaco (French: Palais princier de Monaco) is the official residence of the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and besieged by many foreign powers. Since the end of the 13th century, it has been the stronghold and home of the Grimaldi family who first captured it in 1297. The Grimaldi ruled the area first as feudal lords, and from the 17th century as sovereign princes, but their power was often derived from fragile agreements with their larger and stronger neighbours.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Palais des Festivals et des Congres of Cannes, 1 boulevard de la Croisette, 06414 Cannes France
The first Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built in 1949 to host the Cannes Film Festival. The original building was located on the boulevard of Promenade de la Croisette on the present site of the JW Marriott Cannes. That building hosted the 4th and 6th Eurovision Song Contests in 1959 and 1961.
Duration: 50 minutes
Stop At: Fragonard Parfumeur, 1 B rue Tardieu Boutique de Montmartre, 75018 Paris France
[Fragonard Perfume Factory]
Fragonard is a king of perfume brand, founded in 1926 in the city of Grasse in the south of France, is a very famous handcrafted perfume brand in France, all using plants and flowers as raw materials, and not blindly pursuing the efficacy of the addition of any harsh chemicals.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: One night hotel accomodation
Day 7: Leon-Paris
Stop At: Arc de Triomphe, Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris France
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the étoile or "star" of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues. The location of the arc and the plaza is shared between three arrondissements, 16th (south and west), 17th (north), and 8th (east). The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Eiffel Tower, 5 Avenue, 75007 Paris France
The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Locally nicknamed "La dame de fer" (French for "Iron Lady"), it was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair. Although initially criticised by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, it has since become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world.The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world: 6.91 million people ascended it in 2015. It was designated a monument historique in 1964, and was named part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site ("Paris, Banks of the Seine") in 1991.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris, 6 Parvis Notre-Dame Place Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris France
Notre-Dame de Paris is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the island in the Seine River, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely completed by 1260, though it was modified frequently in the centuries that followed. In the 1790s, during the French Revolution, Notre-Dame suffered extensive desecration; much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. In the 19th century, the coronation of Napoleon I and the funerals of many of the French Republic's presidents took place at the cathedral.
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.