Transport

Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available). If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport. Enjoy the comfort of Insight’s luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.

Accommodation

2 nights stay at Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel or similar 2 nights stay at Hotel Astoria, Lucerne or similar 1 night stay at AC Hotel Innsbruck or similar 2 nights stay at BW Premier Collection Venice or similar 2 nights stay at Hotel Adler Cavalieri, Florence or similar 2 nights stay at Kolbe Hotel Rome or similar

Hygieneprotocol

All guests travelling with Insight Vacations through December 31, 2022 are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which may include a booster shot to keep the vaccination status current and valid, depending on the travel destination. Children not eligible for vaccination and/or booster at the time of travel must provide a verifiable and negative Covid-19 test result, taken within 72 hours prior to the start of the tour (taking time zones into consideration) for all tours departing until December 31, 2022. While highly recommended, COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters are no longer required for guests traveling with us from January 1, 2023 onward. It is your client’s responsibly to comply with specific vaccine and/or booster requirements imposed by airlines and/or authorities in the destinations visited, as well as requirements for accessing restaurants and venues, which may be more restrictive than the above. No refunds will be given if they are unable to undertake some or all of their vacation due to failure to comply with these requirements.

Others

Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert’s fascinating commentary. Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you’ll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels. We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door. Rome: Enjoy an exclusive visit to the oldest pharmacy in Europe, Rome’s Antica Spezieria di Santa Maria della Scala, also known as the ‘Pharmacy of the Popes.’ Discover this hidden gem during a private audience with a friar of the Carmelite order, who reveals the historic curiosities of this 16th-century pharmacy. Stanserhorn: Journey to the top of Mount Stanserhorn on a panoramic, open-top cable car powered by solar energy, and enjoy spectacular views from the summit. Walk along beautiful scenic pathways, keeping an eye out for marmots and other native animals, with the chance to hear a conservation talk by a Swiss ranger, to learn about local wildlife and flora. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 7 & 15: Affordable and Clean Energy & Life on Land. Venice: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop’s master craftsmen teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft. This workshop directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Visit the Basilica of St. Francis with a Local Expert in Assisi. Stanserhorn: Journey to the top of Mount Stanserhorn on a panoramic, open-top cable car powered by solar energy, and enjoy spectacular views from the summit. Lucerne: See the emotive Lion Monument, Jesuit Church and Chapel Bridge. Vaduz: Admire the Royal family’s residence, Vaduz Castle, which overlooks the capital and is surrounded by year-round snow peaked mountains. Pisa: Your Local Expert will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, and the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the 11th-century cathedral - the famous Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles. Florence: Join a Local Expert to view the Multi-coloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square. See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods. Assisi: With a Local Expert, find out why the Basilica of St. Francis is considered one of the crowning achievements of Europe. Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Guide

From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination. Innsbruck: Nestled amidst majestic mountains, Innsbruck is a beautiful city offering a unique combination of nature, history, and culture. Stroll the streets of the picturesque Old Town, with your Travel Director, learn about its history and admire the Baroque and Gothic architecture. Venice: With your Travel Director cruise to St. Mark’s Square and see the Doge’s Palace, Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark’s Basilica. Rome: During your orientation with your Travel Director see the medieval buildings, including Renaissance palaces and Baroque churches, scattered throughout the city.

Meals

4 Dinner with Wine (DW) 11 Breakfast (B) 1 Lunch with Wine (LW) Paris: Join your Travel Director and fellow guests at a local restaurant in the heart of the city for a delightful dinner served with wine. Paris: Join an avid local food lover on a walk through the streets of Paris. Visit a variety of patisseries, boulangeries and chocolatiers and sample local treats and delicacies along the way. Lucerne: Choose from a selection of restaurants on your Dine-Around Evening and hand-pick your preferred ambience, cuisine and drinks for an intimate culinary experience. Veneto: Visit a local winery and delight in a tasting of their magnificent prosecco. Meet the vignerons and learn how this local drink has come to rival its well-known counterpart in France. Tuscany: Visit Il Poggio to learn about organic olive and grape farming. Then enjoy a tasting as you sit down to a fabulous lunch of Tuscan specialities, complimented by stunning views. Rome: Savour a four-course Celebration Dinner complete with wine, to the rich tremolo of some of Italy’s best loved opera.

Not included:

Insurance

Insurance is not included.

Optional

MOULIN ROUGE CABARET AND DINNER Enjoy dinner and cabaret, including wine and champagne, at the world-famous Moulin Rouge – the original Paris Cabaret. Immortalized by the award-winning film of the same name, this Parisian institution features 60 dancers and entertainers and over 1000 costumes! Adult Price: EUR 165.00 MONTMARTRE VILLAGE & ARTISTS SQUARE Discover the bohemian quarter of Montmartre with your local expert. Walk through the historic lower area before ascending by funicular to the Place du Tertre, a favourite haunt of Toulouse Lautrec, Picasso, and Utrillo. Browse for original art or ask a local street artist to capture your likeness in minutes - a great souvenir to take home. Close by you can appreciate the view from the steps of Sacré-Coeur Basilica. Adult Price: EUR 37.00 SEINE CRUISE AND ILLUMINATIONS The City of Light really lives up to its name when the monuments, buildings and bridges are lit up in all their glory. First, a specially designed sightseeing boat takes us for an unforgettable cruise along the Seine and beneath famous bridges to appreciate the Left and Right Banks and the Île de la Cité & St Louis. Then, with a Local Expert, we’ll enjoy an illuminations tour, when the rubies & diamonds of the Champs Élysées and the Eiffel Tower are at their magnificent best. Adult Price: EUR 38.00 NOUVELLE EVE DINNER AND CABARET One of the oldest and most elegant revue theatres in Paris, Nouvelle Eve is a hidden gem where you’ll meet the Director and two of the cast members before enjoying a four-course dinner with wine. You will then experience unparalleled Parisian entertainment – including the world-famous Can-Can. Adult Price: EUR 139.00 TYROLEAN EVENING & DINNER Enjoy a lively evening including dinner, featuring dancers in national costume, yodelling and entertainment typical of the life, crafts and traditions of the Tyrolean people. Drinks are included. Adult Price: EUR 67.00 LAKE LUCERNE CRUISE AND DRINKS Widely considered to be the loveliest of the mountain lakes, much of the shoreline of Lake Lucerne can only be fully appreciated from the water. Admire the spectacular homes of the fortunate few, privileged to live on its scenic shores, as we cruise gently by. Two drinks will be served during the trip. Adult Price: CHF 49.00 CARRIAGES & COUNTRYSIDE In a typical rural community, meet local farmers for a delightful horse-drawn ride. Clip-clop your way through bright green pasture, where the angular spire of a traditional white church shoots skyward and rickety old wooden storehouses still dot the landscape. Call in at a local farm where a wonderful spread of homemade drinks and snacks is served. Adult Price: CHF 67.00 MAGICAL VENICE Venice can be Europe’s most romantic city in the evening, offering dramatic landscapes with buildings that dazzle as the sun sets and the lights go on. Sit back and take it all in as private water taxis whisk you to the centre of it all, Piazza San Marco, where we have seats reserved outside a famous Venetian cafe, in front of a live orchestra and in view of those illuminated St Mark’s sights. Our private water taxis will also take us the length of the Grand Canal, under the Rialto Bridge and back to our hotel, having seen Venice at its most magical. Adult Price: EUR 55.00 HIDDEN VENICE To only experience Venice’s big set pieces -- St Mark’s Square; the Rialto; the Grand Canal -- is to miss out on a hidden world full of surprises! Join a Local Expert for a fascinating walk through some of the lesser known quarters of Venice. The back lanes and ‘campi’, small squares, where tourists seldom tread are full of history and great places to sample local life. Adult Price: EUR 34.00 BURANO EXCURSION & MEAL Leave the hustle of St Mark’s Square behind on a delightful private cruise around the islands of the Venetian lagoon. Alight at the island of Burano, a photographer’s paradise, famous for its candy coloured houses, artisan lace makers and leaning bell tower that would give Pisa a good run for its money. Enjoy a superb meal sampling the local specialities with wine included. An excursion not to be missed! Adult Price: EUR 72.00 SAN GIMIGNANO EXCURSION A wonderful excursion to Tuscany’s most famous hill-top town! Visit San Gimignano, considered a medieval Manhattan, due to its towers which dominate the skyline. Soak up the unique atmosphere of this ancient gem which has remained intact since the 14th century and today is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Adult Price: EUR 36.00 DINNER IN THE TUSCAN HILLS A fabulous dinner of Tuscan specialities awaits you. We drive into the hills surrounding Florence for a delicious typical Florentine meal complete with Chianti wine, music and lots of fun! An evening to remember. Viva Italia! Adult Price: EUR 65.00 ILLUMINATIONS DRIVE & PIZZA DINNER Tonight enjoy a pizza dinner in a typical Roman restaurant, before rounding off the evening with a sparkling illuminations tour of Rome. Our journey will take us past floodlit ancient monuments, classical buildings, palaces and churches; including the Colosseum, Castel St Angelo, the Circus Maximus and more. A night not to be missed. Adult Price: EUR 49.00 GUIDED VISIT TO THE COLOSSEUM With our local expert, step back in time to explore the glorious history of the Roman Empire. Admire the Arch of Constantine and tread in the footsteps of Gladiators and Roman Soldiers. Enjoy priority reserved entrance ahead of the crowds and once inside the mighty Colosseum hear tales of deadly gladiatorial combat and the mighty Roman Empire. Please note: This optional is subject to availability and involves reservations and entrance prepayments. If you decide to cancel this optional, a 50% cancellation fee will be incurred. Adult Price: EUR 53.00 PIAZZAS & FOUNTAINS With our local expert, let’s take a "passeggiata" (stroll) to enjoy the backstreets and secrets of Pedestrian Rome. Be amazed at sights such as the fascinating Pantheon and the beauty of 17th-Century fountains and beautiful Piazzas. Come and enjoy the Rome of the Romans. Adult Price: EUR 33.00

Flights

International flights are not included.

Others

Other activities and services are not included.

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Day 1 Day 1: Welcome To Paris
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Welcome To Paris

Welcome to Paris, enjoy time at leisure to settle into your hotel. During your time here you will see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde, the Champs Elysées and Arc de Triomphe. Later, join your Travel Director at a local brasserie in the heart of Paris for a fabulous dinner.
Day 2 Day 2: Paris, The ’City Of Light’
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Paris, The ’City Of Light’

Join an avid foodie, as you head into areas where Parisians go about their daily lives to explore small shops and sample local treats and delicacies. With the rest of the afternoon free, there are countless opportunities to enjoy the lively atmosphere of this glittering city, perhaps join an Optional Experience to see the Paris cabaret?
Day 3 Day 3: Burgundy And Lucerne
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Burgundy And Lucerne

Journey through the rural French countryside of Burgundy, famous for its vineyards and wines, pass the Jura Mountains crossing into Switzerland. Arrive in glorious lakeside Lucerne. A range of enticing options are available for your Dine-Around Evening. Choose from a selection of hand-picked local restaurants.
Day 4 Day 4: Lucerne & Mount Stanserhorn
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Lucerne & Mount Stanserhorn

Explore Mount Stanserhorn on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, as an open-top cable car powered by solar panels take you up the summit. Walk along beautiful scenic pathways, keeping an eye out for marmots and other native animals, with the chance to hear a conservation talk by a Swiss ranger, to learn about local wildlife and flora. Take in the pristine mountain air and, on a clear day, witness views as far as Alsace and the Black Forest in Germany. Upon return to Lucerne, see the town’s proud Lion Monument, carved into a limestone cliff and dedicated to the heroic Swiss Guards who died defending King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. Then, take some time to stroll across the covered Chapel Bridge to the baroque Jesuit Church. The rest of the day is at leisure to shop for delectable chocolate and glamorous Swiss watches in the traffic-free Old Town.
Day 5 Day 5: Lucerne To Innsbruck Relaxed Start
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Lucerne To Innsbruck Relaxed Start

Start the day with a journey to the heart of the Alps passing through the Principality of Liechtenstein. See its tiny capital, Vaduz, with its castle located on a hillside overlooking the city. Drive into Austria and continue to mountain-ringed Innsbruck. Your Travel Director will show you the 14th century houses of the old town, the impressive Imperial Palace and the delightful Golden Roof.
Day 6 Day 6: The Dolomites To Venice
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: The Dolomites To Venice

Leave Innsbruck to travel across the impressive Europa Bridge and through the Dolomites. Cross into Italy and stop at a local family winery in Veneto to discover the art of prosecco production. Savour a tasting of these luxurious sparkling wines and discover how to make the perfect Bellini. Continue to the romantic city of Venice, Queen of the Adriatic. Long after the day-trippers have returned to their mainland hotels, enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the islands with dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7 Day 7: The Magic Of ’La Serenissima’ Relaxed Start
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: The Magic Of ’La Serenissima’ Relaxed Start

In the morning, prepare to embrace this most romantic city. See the immense Campanile and Doge’s Palace on St. Mark’s Square, connected to the ancient prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you witness the skill of glassblowers on a visit to a traditional arts centre. The rest of the day is at leisure. Perhaps shop in the small arcades or why not cruise the Venetian lagoon to the island of Burano for a meal of local specialties and wine?
Day 8 Day 8: Tuscany, Pisa And Florence
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Tuscany, Pisa And Florence

Visit Il Poggio organic farm for a guided walk and learn about organic food and wine production. On the veranda, take in beautiful views of the rolling Tuscan hills, as you taste the farm’s wines and freshly produced olive oil. Enjoy an authentic Italian meal prepared with locally sourced ingredients. Explore the nearby town of Pisa with a Local Expert and see the baptistery with its intricate marble facade, the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the cathedral and of course the famous Leaning Tower. Afterwards, travel to Florence.
Day 9 Day 9: Florence Sightseeing Relaxed Start
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Florence Sightseeing Relaxed Start

Walk with your Local Expert to the marble-clad cathedral and baptistery, where Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise have been recreated in all their glory. The next stop is Piazza della Signoria, still the political heart of Florence and an open-air gallery of Renaissance masterpieces. Spend time gazing at statues such as Neptune and David along the front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The area around Santa Croce Basilica is famous for the quality of its luxury goods of gold and leather and there’s free time to shop or continue exploring.
Day 10 Day 10: Chianti Country To Assisi And Onto Rome
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Chianti Country To Assisi And Onto Rome

Journey through the vineyards of the Chianti region passing Lake Trasimeno, one of the Italian Peninsula’s largest lakes and site of a great battle in ancient times against Hannibal and his war elephants. Continue up the foothills of the Apennine Mountains to reach delightful Assisi, a stone-built town spilling over the steep hillside. With a Local Expert, visit the tomb of St. Francis and see the beautiful frescoes by Giotto in the great basilica, before continuing along the valley of the River Tiber towards the Eternal City of Rome. Enjoy a private visit to Farmacia of Santa Maria della Scala, the oldest pharmacy in Europe. Gain historic insights from a Carmelite friar as you admire the Farmacia and explore the adjoining 16th-century church. In the evening, why not throw your coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return to the city?
Day 11 Day 11: Papal And Imperial Rome
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Papal And Imperial Rome

Visit the Vatican Museums, full of priceless treasures collected by the Popes. Insight provides special priority entry to avoid the crowds and admire the Papal art collection. Next, visit the Sistine Chapel to admire Michelangelo’s famous ceiling. Next door in St. Peter’s Basilica, view another masterpiece by Michelangelo, the Pietà, as well as the splendid dome, completed after his death. Cross the River Tiber to see the Colosseum, still echoing with the ghostly cries of gladiatorial combat and see Circus Maximus, the ancient chariot-racing stadium. Gain historic insights from a Carmelite friar as you admire the Farmacia and explore the adjoining 16th-century church. Take in the vibrant atmosphere of this charming neighbourhood as you indulge in dinner with wine at a local restaurant.
Day 12 Day 12: Arrivederci Roma
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12: Arrivederci Roma

Bid farewell to the glories of Italy, savouring the memories of its enchanting cities, historic landmarks and stunning landscapes. Italy’s unique allure will linger in your heart long after you leave.

12 days tour

Road To Rome (Classic, Start Paris, 12 Days)

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Itinerary of your trip Road To Rome (Classic, Start Paris, 12 Days)

Day 1: Welcome To Paris

Day 2: Paris, The ’City Of Light’

Day 3: Burgundy And Lucerne

Day 4: Lucerne & Mount Stanserhorn

Day 5: Lucerne To Innsbruck Relaxed Start

Day 6: The Dolomites To Venice

Day 7: The Magic Of ’La Serenissima’ Relaxed Start

Day 8: Tuscany, Pisa And Florence

Day 9: Florence Sightseeing Relaxed Start

Day 10: Chianti Country To Assisi And Onto Rome

Day 11: Papal And Imperial Rome

Day 12: Arrivederci Roma

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