Day 1 (Sun.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Amsterdam, Holland. (Mon.) The day is free to rest or to start exploring the Dutch capital. At 6 p.m. meet your traveling companions and Tour Director for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 3 Amsterdam. (Tue.) A Local Guide shows you the 700-year-old capital, and the highlight is a CANAL CRUISE past patrician mansions, gabled facades and humpback bridges. Next visit a major DIAMOND CENTER to appreciate how a rough mineral is transformed into a sparkling jewel. You may wish to visit one of Amsterdam’s many museums. Later an optional excursion to Volendam can be arranged. (BB)

Day 4 Amsterdam-Heidelberg, Germany-Rhineland. (Wed.) A passing glance at the Dutch region best known as the locale of A Bridge Too Far on the way to Germany. Stop in Cologne to visit the awesome twin-spired GOTHIC CATHEDRAL. Then the afternoon’s highlight: a romantic RHINE CRUISE past castle-crested cliffs, terraced vineyards, and trim, half-timbered towns. Next stop is Heidelberg, famous for its red-walled castle. (BB,D)

Day 5 Rhineland-Rothenburg-Munich-Garmisch. (Thu.) Leisurely morning break on the Romantic Road in spectacular Rothenburg with its ramparts and towers, cobbled lanes, and 16th-century houses. South towards the Danube Valley and Munich, Germany’s "secret capital." Your orientation tour features the Olympic Stadium, 1,000-foot-high Television Tower, and MARIENPLATZ with the Old and New Town Hall. Then continue into the Bavarian Alps to Garmisch, site of the fourth Winter Olympics in 1936, where you spend the next two nights. (BB,D)

Day 6 Garmisch. Bavarian Excursion. (Fri.) Focus on Neuschwanstein, Germany’s premier tourist attraction. Visit KING LUDWIG’S CASTLE on its craggy outcrop high above a sparkling lake. Afternoon at leisure in Passion Play town OBERAMMERGAU, with the chance to join an optional excursion to nearby Linderhof Castle. (BB)

Day 7 Garmisch-Innsbruck, Austria-Venice, Italy. (Sat.) Morning break in Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian Tyrol. Stroll through quaint medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Continue south on the spectacular Brenner Pass road across the mighty barrier of the Tyrolean Alps. Take a picture of the ski-jump at Cortina, Italy’s skiing and mountaineering center beneath the jagged limestone towers of the Dolomites before reaching Venice, the celebrated "Pearl of the Adriatic." Tonight is your chance to sample the city’s fine restaurants. (BB)

Day 8 Venice. (Sun.) Enter Venice in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the BYZANTINE BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE, the Clock Tower, and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace, or join an optional gondola ride. (BB,D)

Day 9 Venice-Lugano, Switzerland-Lucerne. (Mon.) Through the lush Lombardian plains, past the commercial capital of Milan into Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Free time in flower-festooned Lugano for lunch and to browse through the shops of Via Nassa. Admire the towering majesty of the Swiss Alps on the way over 6,935-foot-high St. Gotthard Pass and through William Tell country to the captivating charm of Lucerne. Why not sign up for a folklore party with yodeling and alphorn blowing for a first-hand impression of Alpine merrymaking? (BB)

Day 10 Lucerne. (Tue.) Admire Thorwaldsen’s LION MONUMENT and the ornate patrician houses lining the cobbled streets of the Old Town, then cross the famous covered CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit Church. Afterwards shop for Swiss watches and choose from our optional activities: climb a mountain by cable car or take a cruise on the fjord-like lake. (BB,D)

Day 11 Lucerne-Paris, France. (Wed.) Cross the Swiss border and enjoy a comfortable ride on the modern highway skirting the vineyards of Burgundy and Fontainebleau Forest. Tonight you are in Paris, the traditional climax of every European tour. (BB)

Day 12 Paris. (Thu.) Discover the world capital of chic and style with a Local Guide and admire its most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Notre Dame Cathedral, and more. For a bird’s-eye view take the elevator to the second floor of Paris’ most famous landmark, the EIFFEL TOWER. An optional excursion to the Louvre Museum is available. Tonight a lively cabaret show might just be the ticket. (BB)

Day 13 Paris-London, England. (Fri.) Board the EUROSTAR TRAIN for a smooth ride to London arriving in the late afternoon. Optional evening outings are available. (BB)

Day 14 London. (Sat.) Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: Knightsbridge with Harrods, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. Highlights are a visit to ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. Optional excursions are available to the Tower of London and to Windsor Castle. Tonight maybe a leisurely cruise on the River Thames? (FB)

Day 15 (Sun.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)