FRANCE & SWITZERLAND

Departures

Paris, Rhone River Cruise on the ms Swiss Pearl, Geneva, Interlaken and Oberammergau.

Itinerary

Day 1, Wednesday: DEPART CANADA
Tour members from across Canada gather in Toronto for the overnight flight to Paris.

Day 2, Thursday: ARRIVE PARIS
Arriving in Paris this morning, we will be met and transferred to our hotel. This evening, we gather for our Welcome Dinner. Paris Novotel Eiffel (2 nights)
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Day 3, Friday: PARIS
Highlights of our city tour include the famous Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum and the commemorative Arc de Triomphe. Enjoy free time this afternoon. This evening, we’ll experience the city’s spectacular nighttime illumination while cruising through the heart of the city, along the Seine.
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Day 4, Saturday: PARIS / LYON
Departing Paris by TGV train, we head south, passing through some of France’s most beautiful countryside. We arrive in Lyon later this afternoon, where we embark on the beautiful ms Swiss Pearl to begin our week long cruise. This evening, enjoy a sumptuous welcome dinner onboard.
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Day 5, Sunday: LYON
Located at the meeting of the Saône and Rhône Rivers, Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stretching back almost 2000 years the city’s relics include Roman ruins as well as early Christian, Medieval and Renaissance sites. Our afternoon excursion will take us on a city tour, including a walking exploration of the Old Town, with its cobblestone streets, traditional City Hall and the magnificent Cathedral of St Jean. Following our tour, we sail for Trevoux.
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Day 6, Monday: TREVOUX
Arrive today in the village of Trevoux; here we’ll enjoy a wine tour at a Beaujolais vineyard, hopefully with opportunities to sample the world famous Beaujolais Nouveau. The area is known as the land of the "golden stones," named for the ochre-yellow limestone of its houses and castles. The rolling landscape covered in vineyards makes the region extremely beautiful.
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Day 7, Tuesday: VIENNE
Situated between the wine regions of Burgundy and Beaujolais, and surrounded by steep hills, Vienne is the gateway to the Lyon countryside, the Rhone River’s rich agricultural area and its marketing centre. We will see the town’s lovely Cathedral and Cybele Gardens during our walking tour. The region’s long history can be seen in the Roman ruins at the Temple of Augustus and Livia.
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Day 8, Wednesday: TOURNON / LEPOUZIN / VIVIERS
Today we will explore the Boucieu-le-Roi featuring a visit to a small village with picturesque scenery situated on the former steam train line. We will experience a small market, play petanque (French bowling game) with the locals, sample wine, tour the village and visit a local farm where we can taste local produce. We will also visit Grignan, a pretty hilltop village with a large castle. Later this evening (after dark) we will experience the Ghost walk in Viviers, a medieval village with lots of deserted houses, led by guides wearing medieval costumes.
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Day 9, Thursday: CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE / AVIGNON
Wine tasting will be the highlight of our visit to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a delightful medieval village, guarded by the ruins of its ancient chateau after which the very famous wine is named. During lunch, we sail to Avignon, home to the infamous bridge, Pont D’Avignon. Our tour of the "City of Popes" will take us through narrow streets and elegant squares en route to the Papal Palace, which served as fortress, church and residence to the Popes that once governed the Christian world.
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Day 10, Friday: ARLES
At one time, the second wealthiest city in the Roman Empire, Arles boasts many reminders of its ancient past, including Les Arenes, an ancient amphitheatre that can seat 20,000 (still used today for theatrical events). Another highlight of the region is the Church of St Triomphe. We will enjoy a city tour, a visit to St Remy de Provence, whose unique quality of light inspired Vincent Van Gogh and the village of Les Baux, whose first traces of human presence on the plateau of Les Baux-de-Provence is archaeologically attested from the Neolithic period 6,000 years BC.
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Day 11, Saturday: GRENOBLE / GENEVA
Saying farewell to our friendly crew, we leave the Swiss Pearl this morning and begin our drive north and eastwards, stopping in Grenoble for lunch and continuing through the French Alps to Geneva. Hotel Cornavin (1 night)
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Day 12, Sunday: SWISS ALPS / INTERLAKEN
Following a brief introduction to Geneva, we journey through some of the most beautiful Swiss countryside, passing Alpine meadows and towering peaks en route to Interlaken, ideally located in the heart of the Alps between two lakes. Hotel Metropole Interlaken(3 nights)
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Day 13, Monday: BRIENZ / INTERLAKEN
This morning we follow the shore line to the village of Brienz where we will visit the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum, an extensive collection of historic Swiss buildings which were gathered from around the country and transported to be reconstructed on this site. After our visit, we will enjoy a relaxing cruise by lake-steamer back to Interlaken where we will have the afternoon free to enjoy this delightful resort town.
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Day 14, Tuesday: ALPINE WONDERS
A day of Alpine splendour awaits as we board our coach for the drive up to the mountain village of Grindelwald, set at the foot of the most beautiful of the Swiss Alps. From here, we travel by rail to the village of Kleine Scheidegg, located in the high mountain pass (6,700 feet) in the shadow of the famous Eiger north face. Our spectacular rail journey continues as we descend over a different route passing through the alpine villages of Wengen, Muerren and Lauterbrunnen, before returning to Interlaken by coach.
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Day 15, Wednesday: LICHTENSTEIN / OBERAMMERGAU
Our journey today will take us via Zurichsee and Walensee en route to the Bavarian Alps. Visit the tiny principality of Lichtenstein and across the Deutsche Alpenstrasse, the scenic highway that runs through the foothills of Allgau and the Bavarian Alps to the beautiful alpine village of Oberammergau and the highlight of our tour, the Passion Play. Hotel Schillingshof (2 nights)
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Day 16, Thursday: PASSION PLAY
Today is the day we have been waiting for! This small town of peasants and artisans, encircled by the wooded foothills of the Ammergau, owes its fame to the internationally renowned Passion Play. Performed only once every ten years, and involving 1,100 amateur actors from the local population, this play, re-enacting the final days of Christ’s life, lasts an entire afternoon and evening. This is sure to be a day we will never forget.
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Day 17, Friday: MUNICH
This morning, enjoy some final alpine vistas as we head north to Munich. On arrival a local guide will introduce us to the sights of Bavaria's capital, the Nymphenburg Palace, Marienplatz, Frauenkirche and the Olympic Stadium. This evening, we celebrate our journey, sharing stories and memories at our Farewell Dinner. Hotel Marriott Munich Airport (1 night)
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Day 18, Saturday: MUNICH / CANADA
We make our way to Munich Airport where we join our flights back to our homes across Canada.
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Based on Category D - Emerald Deck. All categories are subject to availability at time of booking. Single rate includes single rooms at hotels – singles are extremely limited.

Supplements For Superior Cabin Categories

Prices from other cities on request - please call our office. Cruise cost is per person based on sharing a Standard outside twin cabin - Cat D (Cabins located on Emerald Deck - Aft).

Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure.

Inclusive Features

To enroll on this tour simply complete our online enrollment form or alternatively complete the enrollment form found at the back of our brochure and return it with your deposit of $2500 per person to Craig Travel's office.