Here’s a sneak peek at one of our new tours dropping this fall! Our product team is hard at work polishing the final details, and this itinerary will be available for pricing in August.
Travel fans of history, art, cuisine, and beauty will love our Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris tour. Spend your time exploring what some of Europe’s top cities have to offer. Your days will be filled with culturally rich museums and attractions, and evenings will be spent sampling (and cooking!) the delicious foods these destinations are known for. From canal cruises and cathedral visits, to opera houses and waffle making, this tour gives students a full European experience!
Day 1: Start tour
Day 2: Hallo Amsterdam!
Meet your tour director and visit the Rijksmuseum, where you will learn about the arts and history of Amsterdam. There’s no better place for a history lesson, as the Rijksmuseum features pieces from the Middle Ages all the way up to present day.
Pancakes anyone? End the day with a meal of authentic Dutch pannenkoeken. Pannenkoeken is like a cross between a pancake and a crepe, and they typically are large enough to cover an entire plate, so bring your appetite!
Day 3: Amsterdam landmarks
A day of director-led sightseeing! Experience a canal cruise and visit a diamond factory. Then, have an eye-opening experience at the Anne Frank House, where you will see where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis during WWII, and where she wrote in her famous diary. Did you know? Anne rewrote her diary after illegally listening to a BBC broadcast while in hiding. She kept two versions or her thoughts – one she viewed being published in the future, and one more personal and private version.
After the Anne Frank House, a delicious Rijsttafel dinner will be enjoyed by all. The Indonesian Rijsttafel, is a Dutch word that translates to “rice table.” It is an elaborate (and yummy!) meal experience of small plates that was adapted by the Dutch during the colonial era.
Day 4: Travel to Brussels via Bruges
Make a pit stop on your way to Brussels for a sightseeing tour of Burges, and city of cobblestone streets and impressive medieval buildings. Visit the Market Square and several historic churches where the architecture is sure to astound. Market Square is more of a circle than a square, and it has been used as marketplace since 958!
Next, take Bruges by water when you hop on a canal cruise through the city! The canals of Bruges are part of the personality of the city. They are one of the main attractions in Bruges, so much so that the city is often referred to as the “Venice of the North.”
Day 5: Brussels landmarks
Your Brussels tour will include Grand Place, where you will marvel and the vast beauty that marks the city’s central square. In fact, the Grand Place is considered as one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it was registered on the UNSESCO World Heritage list in 1998, making it a must-see!
Then, visit the famous and…unique bronze sculpture, Manneken Pis, and wrap up the day with a waffle making class – yum!
Day 6: Brussels to Paris
Travel to Paris where your first stop will be to freshen up at Fragonard’s Perfume Museum. This is a one-of-a-kind, fun and instructive museum, where you can learn the history of perfume manufacturing and packaging from ancient times, and how natural ingredients are combined with other substances to create modern perfumes. Ever wonder why good perfume is so expensive? Consider facts like this one: It takes 440 pounds of lavender flowers to produce 2.2 pounds of lavender extract for use in perfume!
Next, take to the streets of Paris the way they should be – for a city walk on which you will see Île de la Cité, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Île St. Louis. Dinner in Latin Quarter will end your day in a delicious way!
Day 7: Paris landmarks
The ultimate day in Paris needs no explanation! Your guided sightseeing tour will include the iconic Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, École Militaire, Les Invalides, Conciergerie, Tuileries Garden visit, Place Vendôme, and the Opera House. What a day of alllllll the highlights!
Day 8: More Paris
Because two days in Paris just isn’t enough. The last day in the City of Light will be spent exploring the Louvre (bonjour, Mona Lisa!), Sacré Coeur, Place du Tertre, and Moulin Rouge. Fun fact! Moulin Rouge was the first electric building in Paris. Opening in 1899, it was the first building to have electric lights. The iconic red lights were the first bulbs to light up the City of Light!
Escape the tourists and have a memorable dinner in Montemartre, the cutest little picturesque village in the heart of Paris that is sure to give you even more of an authentic French experience.
Begin your travel home, or extend your European adventure by spending a few days in London. London highlights include Buckingham Palace, and visits to the National Gallery and the Tower of London. Cheers!