DAY    3            LONDON (THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND)
We begin today with a visit to Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066.  A highly trained “Blue-Badge” Guide will lead our tour, which will include the Royal Chapels, holding the tombs of the monarchs, as well as Poets’ Corner, featuring memorials to famous British literary figures.  Our morning continues as we walk past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, before taking a Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of London’s most magnificent sights.
 

· Your First Concert Performance will be today

DAY    4            LONDON – EUROSTAR TO PARIS (2 NIGHTS)
This morning we will board a Eurostar speed train and travel through the “Chunnel” to Paris, “The City of Lights.”   Upon our arrival, we will visit the cathedral of Notre Dame, begun in 1163 on a spot that had already been a religious shrine since Roman times.  Over the centuries, the cathedral has been the scene of some of France’s most momentous occasions, including the coronation of Napoleon.  This evening we will ascend to Montmartre, an area of Paris made famous in the late 19th century as an artist’s haunt.  We will spend time in the Place du Tertre, a square known for its local artwork, before visiting the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, a huge white church that dominates the Parisian skyline.

DAY    5            PARIS (THE REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON)
We will begin our morning with a beautiful look at Parisian life and architecture as we stroll along the Champs Elysees, Paris’ most spectacular street.  Next we will return to the Place de la Concorde before strolling through the Jardin des Tuileries, the beautiful Neo-Classical gardens which lead to the entrance of the Louvre.  We will enjoy a specialist-guided tour through the museum, which will include: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and many of the finest paintings and sculpture from Western Civilization.

DAY    6            PARIS (PARIS OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS) - OVERNIGHT

                          TRAIN (1 NIGHT) TO ROME
This morning we will visit to the Musee D’Orsay, dedicated to the rich diversity of visual arts from 1846 to 1914, and featuring masterpieces by: Delacroix, Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin and Lautrec. Next we will ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris’ most recognizable landmark, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889. This evening we board our overnight train for Rome.

DAY    7            ARRIVE ROME (3 NIGHTS)
This morning we arrive in “The Eternal City.”  We will take an introductory Walking Tour, commencing outside Castel Sant’ Angelo.  We will then cross the Tiber River and walk to Piazza Navona, which was built on the foundations of Domitian's Circus.  This magnificent square, designed in the 17th century by Bernini, is full of life and is highlighted by one of Rome’s most spectacular fountains, the fountain of the Four Rivers.  The square is often filled with local artists, and the surrounding neighborhood is one of the best places in Rome to get a tasty tartufo or gelato ice cream.  We will visit the Capitoline Museums, which house some of the greatest pieces of classical sculpture in the world.  Also featured is the Picture Gallery with works from the 16th and 17th centuries, including paintings by Caravaggio, Rubens and Titian.  Not to be missed is the entrance courtyard lined with the remains (head, hands, a foot, and a kneecap) of an ancient colossal statue of Constantine the Great.  Our day continues with a Walking Tour past the Temples of Apollo, Fortuna and Virilis and the Theater of Marcellus, to the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.  We will visit this interesting church, which is famous for the Mouth of Truth in the porch.

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DAY    8        ROME (THE CITY OF THE CAESARS)

Today we will explore Rome’s most spectacular remains from the powerful Roman Empire, commencing with a specialist guided tour of the Colosseum, considered the symbol of Rome's eternity.  Completed under Titus in 80 A.D., over 55,000 spectators could watch the gladiatorial games.  We continue with a walk through the ruins and excavations of the Roman Forum, featuring the remains of magnificent temples, basilicas and triumphal arches, which once formed the heart of the Empire.  Our tour concludes with a brief visit to the Mamertine Prison, once reserved for those that posed a threat to the security of Rome, before viewing Trajan’s Column and Markets and the grandiose Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument.  Our afternoon includes a visit to the Pantheon, one of the grandest and the best-preserved Roman monuments, which today houses the tombs of Raphael, Vittorio Emmanuelle II, and Queen Margherita.

DAY    9       ROME (THE CITY OF THE POPES)

Today we will explore the Vatican, the world’s smallest independent nation and the center of the Catholic world.  Our day begins with a specialist-guided tour of the Vatican Museums, which contains one of the most impressive collections of art in the world.  Our tour will include the map rooms, the tapestry rooms, and the magnificent Raphael Rooms, as well as the spectacular Sistine Chapel, highlighted by Michelangelo’s Ceiling and Last Judgment.  We continue with a visit to St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the western world and the most important point of pilgrimage for Catholics.  Highlights of our visit will include: The Pieta by Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter and Bernini’s magnificent Baldacchino.  On our final evening in Rome, we will walk to the Spanish Steps, the stairway of the Church of Trinita dei Monti, and “the sitting room” of the city.  Our evening concludes at the spectacular Trevi Fountain, where it is traditional to toss a coin into the fountain to ensure a return to the Eternal City.

DAY    10       DEPARTURE FROM ROME
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your tour manager/guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home.