A European Grand Tour

Take in some of the highlights of Paris as you enjoy a thrilling driving tour around the French capital city, admiring the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, Le Grand Palais, l’Opera Garnier and Palace Vendome.

The Palace of Versailles dates back to 1038 and was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790. The interior showcases beautiful examples of baroque furnishings, a rare collection of objects d’art and the famous grand Hall of Mirrors. Your tour will include exclusive access to apartments and rooms closed to the public, such as the apartments of Madame de Tourvel, secret passages and a gallery located above the Hall of Mirrors.

The Louvre is one of the most important and most visited museums in the world and extending over 210,000 square metres, it’s the largest in Paris. During your visit you’ll discover the Louvre’s three great ladies – Venus de Milo, Victory of Samothrace, and Mona Lisa, as well as other key works.

No visit to Venice would be complete without experiencing a gondola ride down the city’s iconic canals. It gives you a very special Venetian point of view and it is from the water that beautiful city offers its most spectacular side.

If you imagine landing in Venice from the sea, the first thing you see rising out of the water is the unmistakable shape of the Doge’s Palace – the city’s most famous building. Your historical walking tour will then take you through backstreets to the shimmering, mosaic-filled St. Mark’s Basilica. Its architecture is a mixture of Byzantine, Roman and Venetian.

Visit Venice’s most famous islands, Murano, Burano and Torcello. Murano has been known since the 1200s for the art of glass making, and you’ll visit a glass factory. Burano is a picturesque fisherman island known for its brightly-coloured houses and lace school. See the women who still work this antique technique of lace making by hand. The last stop is Torcello, where you will see its beautiful cathedral with its mosaics dating back to the 1100s.

Start at Piazza del Duomo with the spectacular Romanesque and Gothic cathedral. The square is surrounded by the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital, the Archbishop’s Palace, the unfinished Duomo, and Opera del Duomo museum. You’ll then reach the Piazza del Campo, a unique shell-shaped area which was paved in the 14th century. Look out for the different animals and symbols that represent the city’s 17 contradas; giraffes, dragons, owl, unicorns and caterpillars all appear on the outside of buildings.

Explore Florence’s Renaissance past on a guided walking tour of the city’s historic centre. Visit the Academia Gallery, home to Michelangelo’s ‘David’. You’ll also visit the church of Santa Maria del Fiore – the famous Duomo – to view Brunelleschi’s magnificent dome; the nearby Campanile of Giotto (bell tower); and Ghiberti’s enchanting ‘Gates of Paradise’, the door to the Baptistry. Continue to the Piazza della Signoria’s  captivating outdoor sculpture gallery. 

Discover the beautiful Chianti region with a private driver. Learn about some of the most excellent Italian wines and explore the beautiful Tuscan countryside and its scattered Medieval towns.

The Vatican City is the smallest state in the world, covering just 0.44 square kilometres. At the sprawling Vatican Museum, you’ll tour the seemingly endless collection of treasures as you make your way to the single work of art that dwarfs them all: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. This tour will end with the extraordinary St. Peter’s Basilica designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

No visit to Italy would be complete without tasting an authentic Italian pizza, but what better way to experience this iconic Italian dish than through making your own? You’ll be welcomed by a professional pizza maker and be taken through the process of pizza making. You’ll get to knead the dough, create the topping, pop it into the oven and best of all, you’ll get to eat your creation too.

Discover the great Roman Forum, for centuries the centre of civic life as the site of triumphal processions, elections, public speeches and criminal trials. Then, along the Via Sacra (Sacred Way), head to the Palatine Hill, one of the most ancient area of the city, where you’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium. Last but not least, enter the magnificent Colosseum, considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering, and capable of seating up to 50,000 spectators.

See Athens in all its glory on a panoramic tour, beginning at the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games took place in 1896. Passing the Megaron Concert Hall, you’ll admire neoclassical buildings, such as the National Library, the National Archeological Museum and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the National Bank of Greece. Continue to the renovated Omonoia Square and the neighbourhood of Kerameikos where you’ll stop for coffee.

The town of Delphi, a little over two hours from Athens, was the site of the 4th century BC Temple of Apollo. The temple’s high priestess, also known as the Pythia, were the most important and authoritative oracles in Greece, and the most powerful women of the classical world. According to mythology, it is here that the two eagles sent out by Zeus from the ends of the universe to find the navel of the world met. The sanctuary of Delphi, set within a most spectacular landscape, was for many centuries the cultural and religious centre and symbol of unity for the Hellenic world.

Be introduced to the best of Santorini’s gastronomy on this tour exploring the island’s food and wine culture. Enjoy a delicious three-course meze menu of traditional dishes with recipes that stretch back generations and visit two family-owned wineries.

This private cruise, which lasts about five hours, combines swimming and snorkelling along with dinner on board while sailing across the sea as the sun sets.

During your tour, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the hot springs, sail past the volcano and admire the beautiful coastline and beaches, and swimming at various locations at your leisure. As the sun is setting, you’ll make your way back towards the port and enjoy the dreamy view.