Mediterranean Journey

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. In the evening, join your Travel Director for a fabulous welcome dinner at a local brasserie.

Your Travel Director will introduce you to Paris with an orientation, taking in the Arc de Triomphe, the tree-lined Champs-Élysées and the grand Place de la Concorde. The afternoon is yours to explore – perhaps linger over a cafe crème at a pavement bistro, browse the boutiques of the Marais or stroll through the Tuileries Gardens towards the Louvre's glass pyramid. Art lovers may wish to step inside to admire masterpieces from the Mona Lisa to the Winged Victory of Samothrace, while others might cross the Seine to the literary heart of the Left Bank.

As evening falls, there's the opportunity to join an Optional Experience at one of Paris' celebrated cabarets, combining dazzling costumes, live music and a sumptuous dinner.

Head southwards towards Châteaux Country. Take a scenic drive along the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region is known as the Jardins de France for the beautifully maintained gardens created on vast estates as outdoor living areas. Visit the majestic Chenonceau Castle, an elegant French château spanning the River Cher. Continue on to the bustling in-land port of Bordeaux with its unique 18th-century character.

You'll join a Local Specialist for a walking tour through Bordeaux, where pale 18th-century façades line the quays and the Grand Theatre stands at the heart of the Triangle d'Or. Continue to the Esplanade des Quinconces and learn why much of the city is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spend the rest of the day exploring Bordeaux at your own pace or join an Optional Experience to Saint-Émilion. Travel through the vineyards to a Bordelaise château for a tour of the cellars and a tasting of local wines. You'll also visit Saint-Émilion and its UNESCO-listed monolithic church, carved directly into the limestone.

Leave Bordeaux behind and travel south to San Sebastián, where you'll have the chance to dine across the city's Old Town. In small groups, move between local bars for a progressive dinner of pintxos, choosing from snack-sized dishes served at the counter. You may also want to try a glass of Txakoli, the lightly sparkling wine produced in the Basque Country.

You have a full day to explore San Sebastián at your own pace, whether you spend it beside the bay, among the Old Town's pintxos bars or simply enjoying time in the city. Alternatively, join an Optional Experience across the border into Basque France with a Local Specialist. Visit Biarritz, long known for its grand hotels and spa culture, then continue to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Here, visit the church where Louis XIV married the Spanish princess Maria Theresa in 1660.

Leave San Sebastián and travel along the western Pyrenees to Pamplona, the historic capital of Navarre. Explore Plaza del Castillo and step inside Cafe Iruña, where tiled floors, ornate mirrors and dark wood recall the 1920s and Ernest Hemingway's visits to the city. Continue past Zaragoza and across the plains of Aragón, stopping for lunch along the way before arriving in Barcelona in the late afternoon.

Join your Local Expert to explore the heart of the Gothic Quarter. See the cathedral and walk through the Roman gate to tour the narrow lanes and old squares. Travel by the Ramblas and along the Passeig de Gràcia. Continue through the Eixample district to see Gaudi's extraordinary masterpiece, the mesmerising Sagrada Família.

Journey around the Mediterranean Sea to the elegant French Riviera. Arrive in Nice and glory in the unforgettable moment you see the Bay of Angels. Stroll along the Promenade des Anglais and take in the atmosphere of the Côte d'Azur of one of Europe's popular, cosmopolitan playgrounds.

Wake up ready to rub shoulders with the jet set on the glamorous Côte d'Azur, a stretch of coastline long favoured by artists, aristocrats and film stars. Enjoy a drive along part of Monaco's famous Grand Prix circuit, where the roar of Formula 1 cars has echoed through the principality since 1929.

With Insight Choice, take your pick; step inside the Oceanographic Museum, founded by Prince Albert I in 1910 and home to over 6,000 marine species, or visit the Royal Palace of Monaco and see the 19th-century Monaco Cathedral, final resting place of Princess Grace. The remainder of the day is yours to soak up the sun-drenched elegance of the French Riviera.

Cross into Italy and follow the arc of the Italian Riviera before arriving in Pisa. In the Square of Miracles, stop to see the incredible Leaning Tower of Pisa with a Local Expert, from which Galileo is said to have conducted experiments on velocity and gravity. Also see the splendid 11th-century cathedral and baptistery, decorated with mosaics and designs in solid marble. Continue through Tuscany to the captivating city of Florence.

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 Vecchi, this afternoon there's free time to shop or perhaps continue exploring.

Relax and enjoy the grand landscapes of the Chianti hills and Umbria, before passing the Apennine Mountains to arrive at the Eternal City, filled with classic antiquities, medieval buildings, Renaissance palaces and Baroque churches. In the evening, what better way to toast the culmination of your Mediterranean journey, than with delicious Italian cuisine and wine.

A Local Expert introduces you to Vatican City, the world's smallest country and home to the Holy See. Explore the Vatican Museums, filled with treasures collected by the Popes. In the Sistine Chapel, admire Michelangelo's ceiling fresco, then visit St. Peter's Basilica to view the Pietà and Bernini's ornate Papal Altar.

This afternoon is free for you to explore — shop in nearby boutiques or relax at a cafe in one of Rome's vibrant piazzas. On some departures, access to St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums may be restricted. You'll still enjoy the atmosphere of St. Peter's Square during your visit to the Vatican City, and if tickets are unavailable to the Vatican Museums, you'll instead explore the Capitoline Museums, home to iconic Roman art and archaeology.

Enjoy Rome at your own pace today. Perhaps take an optional experience to the ill-fated town of Pompeii, frozen in time when it was engulfed by an eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Alternatively, spend some time in the boutiques of the Via del Corso, the Via Nazionale or the elegant designer stores near the Spanish Steps.

Bid farewell to the glories of Italy.