Three Capitals without Disney

Day 1

London – Calais – Bruges or Madurodam – Holland (Distance: 560 Kms)
Today morning join up with your coach and depart towards Dover for your crossing to Calais or Dunkerque; you will require your passports at hand as we will cross the UK and French immigration, as well as security. The crossing on the ferry will last approx. 90 Minutes; 40 minutes if the crossing is from the Euro Tunnel train. Once we are in mainland Europe, we make our way towards Belgium.
The lunch services throughout this tour will only sell continental food, and there will be no fast food restaurants located within the services so make sure you are prepared.
Depending on the time of year you are travelling the day’s itinerary will be different. If you are travelling within the Keukenhof season then today you will head towards Madurodam model village, which is a miniature park and tourist attraction. It is home to a range of 1:25 scale model replicas of famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities and large developments. It is located in Scheveningen district of The Hague in the Netherlands.
If you are travelling after the closure of Keukenhof in mid-May, then we will proceed towards Bruges. Once we reach Bruges, we will be meeting up with our local guide at the Bargeplein. The tour will commence on foot as Bruges is a UNESCO heritage site that is not accessible by commercial vehicles. The guide will immerse you in the rich history of Bruges and explain the key sights of what is regarded as the “Venice of the North”. You will see the “Markt” of Bruges, which is a bustling plaza in the heart of the city, featuring historic buildings & the Belfry of Bruges. Admire, the capital of West Flanders, distinguished by its numerous canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings.
To summarise during Keukenhof season today will be Madurodam, followed by Keukenhof on day two. During the non-operation of Keukenhof, today will be Bruges and Madurodam will be done on day two.
We will then proceed in the evening to enjoy our Indian meal before we settle down for two nights at the Hotel.

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Day 2

Keukenhof Tulip Gardens or Madurodam – Amsterdam (Distance: 190 Kms)
Today morning after breakfast, we visit the world renowned Keukenhof Tulip Gardens; famed for its breathtaking displays of flowers, Keukenhof has over six million bulbs that form a sea of flowers, between March and May, it is spread amongst 32 Hectares and is one of the world’s largest flower gardens, situated in Lisse, South Holland. (After 19th May departures Keukenhof will be closed for the season, and instead will be replaced by Madurodam model village – Madurodam is a miniature park and tourist attraction. It is home to a range of 1:25 scale model replicas of famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities and large developments).
At the Cheese and Clog farm enjoy a briefing on the cheese making process and the uses of clogs in Dutch history and modern times from a local.
Later afternoon we head towards Amsterdam, the capital of Netherlands. Famous for its artistic heritage, and elaborate canal system and narrow houses with gabled facades. Enjoy this magnificent city from the Canal as the cruise that will take you through the intricate canal networks of Amsterdam.
We will then proceed in the evening to enjoy our Indian meal before we settle down for the final night in Holland, as the following day we check out and continue our tour towards Paris, France.

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Day 3

Holland – Brussels – Paris (Distance: 420 Kms)
Today morning after breakfast, we check out of the hotel and board the coach heading to Belgium, where we visit the capital city of Brussels.
On arrival in Brussels, we depart the coach and make our way on foot through the charming cobbled streets of Brussels to the Old Town. Here marvel at the “The Grand Place” or Grote Markt, which is the central square of Brussels. The Square provides wonderful opportunities to photograph the opulent guildhalls and the two larger and imposing edifices of the city’s Town Hall, and the King’s House or Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. You can then continue down the adjacent street to see the Manneken Pis, an iconic 17th-century bronze fountain, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain’s basin. The Manneken Pis can often be found dressed in costume during festivals. Before departing Brussels, we board the coach and do a photo stop at a giant stainless steel atom, known as the “Atomium”; originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair.
After Brussels, we make our way directly towards Paris. We will be crossing through Northern France, whilst we make our way towards Paris. The lunch services today will only sell continental food, and there will be no fast food restaurants located within the services or city so make sure you are prepared.
We expect to arrive in Paris, in the early evening. We then make our way back to the centre of Paris, where we embark on the famous “Bateaux” cruises of Paris for our one-hour cruise along the River Seine, we cover the stunning architecture that Paris has to offer on sights such as the Grand Palais, Petite Palais, Pont Alexandre 3rd bridge, National Assembly, Invalides and of course the spectacular Eiffel Tower. The glass-covered boat is at your disposal, choose to sit inside or outside whilst listening to the commentary of the sights.
We enjoy a delicious Indian meal at the restaurant before boarding our coach and making our way to the hotel for our two-night stay. Get a good night’s sleep as more wonders await you tomorrow.

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Day 4

Paris City Tour (Distance: 90 Kms)
After your continental breakfast, we board the coach for our full day city tour. We start the day by making our way to the city centre of Paris.
Once in the city centre, we make our way to the renowned, and world recognised the Eiffel Tower. Your journey will take you to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It should be noted that as the Eiffel Tower is the worlds most visited paid monument you should expect long security and ticket queues as reservations are not always available. Additionally, you will be provided tickets for the highest floor possible, should the top floor ticket not be available or closed then the ticket difference will be reimbursed to you on the completion of your tour. On instances we may conduct Montparnasse Tower, where the Eiffel Tower is closed due to national holidays, Bastille day parades etc., or non-operational due to any other reason, an advanced warning will not be given in relation to the change of monument.
We then visit famous ”Carrousel du Louvre” home to the famous glass pyramid, here you can buy your own ticket to visit Louvre museum and view some of the famous artefacts and sculptures housed here. Why not take the short time we have here to see the ‘Mona Lisa’ or Marley horses, or simply bide the time shopping for loved ones, and grabbing lunch at the many restaurants inside the Louvre.
We then visit the Fragonard Perfume Museum and get a brief insight into the origins of the different type of fragrances and the history of the Fragonard brand, you then have a chance to purchase some unique French fragrances, soaps, candles and more.
In the evening we will then make our way to the restaurant for Indian dinner, on the allocation of our entry time enjoy your meal and then we board the coach for our “Paris by night” tour.
The Paris Night tour, which lasts 90 Minutes and takes you around the key sights of Paris at Night, see the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Concorde and Invalides from the comfort of your coach, with the magnificent street lights and monumental lights gravitating you towards the wonderful sights and monuments. See the Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour, for five minutes immersing you in the city of Paris, and truly recognise why it has been nicknamed the “City of Lights”. The night tour may be done on day 3.
Whilst travelling around Paris over the last few days we would have covered various other sights including the Vendome, home to the Ritz Hotel; Concorde square made famous during the French revolution and Avenue des Champs Élysées, the largest tree-lined boulevard in Paris.
We then late into the night make our way to the hotel and get ready to check out tomorrow morning.

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Day 5

Paris – Calais – London (Distance: 460 Kms)
Today morning we check out of the hotel after breakfast and load the luggage depending on your final drop off point. We start the day by making our way 27 Kms out of Paris and head towards the town of Versailles.
On arrival at Versailles make your way to the Garden of Versailles, a fine example of 17th-century French landscaping covering an area of more than 800 hectares. Use this free time to take mesmerising photos, souvenir shopping or simply relax admiring the Royal Lawns with the Grand Canal in the background. The gardens are landscaped in the classic French Garden style perfected here by André Le Nôtre.
We then depart Versailles and make our way towards Calais. The journey back we say goodbye to friends we have made along the way as we drop off those getting off on the route.
Once we reach Calais, we cross over back into Dover or Folkestone depending on our crossing schedule for the tour on the day. We continue our journey towards Wembley and dropping passengers off at their respective drop-offs.

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Important Notes

On occasions, due to large events, traffic, logistics and availability of reservations, it may be necessary to change the above itinerary. However, all aspects of the itinerary will be covered. In the event of the Eiffel Tower restricting access the price difference for the restricted floor will be reimbursed. Eiffel Tower when closed during national holidays or events may be substituted by Montparnasse tower or will be refunded.