APT Tour 2011 – 13 Day Europe’s Heartland – Paris to Prague
APT Tour – 13 Day Europe’s Heartland – Paris to Prague
Overview
Paris • Luxembourg • Trier • Bernkastel • Koblenz • Frankfurt • Würzburg • Nuremberg • Prague
Tour Code EUH13
Itinerary Valid 1 Mar. 2011 – 31 Dec. 2011
Trip Duration 13 days
Accomodation Luxury Cruise Ship and Hotels
Meals 25 meals included
Itinerary
Day 1. Arrive Paris
On arrival, be met at the airport in Paris and transferred to your hotel. After checking in, the remainder of the day is then at leisure for you to explore or relax.
Three Night Stay: Paris, Le Méridien Etoile or similar
Day 2. Paris Sightseeing
This morning see Paris’ famous sights during a guided tour. Visit Notre Dame Cathedral, see the Louvre Museum, the commemorative Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, Champs Élysées and much more. The remainder of the day is yours to explore. Perhaps visit one of the many museums, galleries or other attractions that the city has to offer.
Daily meals included • Breakfast
Day 3. Paris at Leisure
Enjoy a full day at leisure in the City of Light today. You might like to go strolling along the boutique-lined boulevards or ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You may like to sip coffee in the Latin Quarter, go shopping at Rue Mouffetard, with its eclectic shops or chat with one of the many artists along the banks of the Seine River.
Daily meals included • Breakfast
Day 4. Paris, Luxembourg, Remich
Travel by high-speed train into the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, one of the world’s smallest countries. On arrival in the World Heritage-listed city of Luxembourg, enjoy a tour, then head for Remich. Board your river ship and tonight enjoy the Captain’s Gala -Welcome Dinner on board.
Seven Night Stay: one of APT’s luxurious, custom-designed Aria Class river ships
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Dinner
Day 5. Trier – Bernkastel
Having entered Germany, this morning, you’ll arrive in Trier and enjoy a tour that highlights the city’s rich Roman past, including the Roman Baths and the Roman Amphitheatre. Then continue cruising along the Moselle to Bernkastel. Strategically located in the middle of the Moselle wine-producing region, Bernkastel boasts over 500 years of documented wine history. On arrival here, disembark and enjoy a tour followed by a wine tasting.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 6. Cochem/Koblenz – Rüdesheim
Today, disembark and take a guided tour of Cochem including a visit to Reichsburg Castle, which offers fascinating views of the river valley. Alternatively, travel Koblenz, host of Germany’s Federal Horticulture Show in 2011, and take in the different colours and landscapes of the show†. Afterwards, both groups rejoin your ship and cruise along the most beautiful part of the Rhine. Arrive in Rüdesheim and visit Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum. In the evening, explore the Drosselgasse, a narrow alley lined with wine taverns and restaurants. Your ship remains moored overnight in Rüdesheim.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 7. Mainz/Heidelberg – Frankfurt
Once again today, you’ll select from two different excursions. On a tour of Mainz, see the Gutenberg Museum, home of the world’s first printed bible. Alternatively, travel by coach from Mainz to Heidelberg to visit the red-walled castle. Enjoy views of the Neckar Valley and see the Great Vat, a 49,000 gallon, 18th century wine cask. Both groups then head to Frankfurt for an afternoon tour of the historic Old Town Square. Your ship moors overnight in Frankfurt.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 8. Miltenberg – Freudenberg, Wertheim
Still in Germany, arrive in Miltenberg and enjoy a tour of this lovely Franconian town. Then re-board your ship and cruise to Freudenberg. On arrival, travel by coach to Wertheim, located where the Main and Tauber rivers meet. After free time to explore, relax back on board your ship as it cruises through the valleys of the Main River heading for Würzburg.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 9. Würzburg
Following breakfast, arrive this morning in Würzburg, sur-rounded by green sloping hills covered with vineyards. Würzburg is the capital of Lower Franconia and an important centre of wine and trade. During a guided sightseeing tour here, see the impressive Resi-dential Palace and churches ranging in styles from Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque to Modern. This afternoon, enjoy some time at leisure or perhaps take an optional excursion to medieval Rothenburg, a beautiful walled town on the Romantic Road overlooking the Tauber River (own expense).
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 10. Bamberg
Relax on board this morning then, after breakfast, disembark and travel by coach to World Heritage-listed Bamberg, one of the very few cities in Germany that wasn’t destroyed by bombs during World War II. Here, a guided sightseeing tour reveals to you the attractions of this lovely city, before you’ll return to your ship, which then enters the Main-Danube Canal. Enjoy another delicious dinner on board as you cruise towards Nuremberg, the capital of Franconia.
Daily meals included • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Day 11. Nuremberg, Disembark Ship, Prague
This morning following breakfast on board, disembark your ship for the last time and take a guided sightseeing tour of Nuremberg, a city that played a central role to Hitler’s Nazi Party during World War II. Systematically bombed by the British and US air forces during World War II, Nuremberg went on to become the symbolic host of the infamous Nuremberg Trials. On your tour, you’ll visit 900 year-old ramparts that surround the city, the Imperial Castle, Kaiserburg Fortress and more. Afterwards, board a coach and leave Germany behind as you head into the Czech Republic and on to its capital city, Prague. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy the afternoon free to familiarise yourself with this beautiful city. You might like to wander along the banks of the Vltava River, relax at an outdoor restaurant, or shop for unique local handicrafts and artwork.
Two Night Stay: InterContinental Prague, Hilton Prague Old Town or similar
Daily meals included • Breakfast
Day 12. Prague Sightseeing
This morning’s sightseeing reveals why Prague is known as one of Europe’s most attractive cities. On a tour, visit 1,000 year-old Hradcany Castle courtyard and St Vitus, then walk over the Charles Bridge to the Old Market Square. Afterwards, the evening is then free for you relax or further explore.
Daily meals included • Breakfast
Day 13. Depart Prague
After breakfast today, your tour draws to its conclusion as you are transferred to the airport for your onward flight.
Daily meals included • Breakfast
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Europe