8-Nights Iconic Culture: Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris — CALL

Itinerary Details

Avanti Destinations: Iconic Culture

Day 1 Amsterdam
After clearing customs, meet your driver in the arrival hall, who will take you to your centrally located Amsterdam hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure so either relax or start exploring, today is a perfect day to get accustomed to the city and its main attractions. Amsterdam has an excellent network of trams and busses that you can use to get around. We suggest you begin your day's activities with a visit to the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. The completely renovated Rijksmuseum tells the story of the Netherlands from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Franz Hals, and more! Maybe find a cozy café for lunch and then walk to the Anne Frank House Museum. Visit the hiding place where Anne Frank wrote her diary during the Second World War. For more than two years, Anne Frank lived secretively with the other people in hiding in the back part of her father's office building. For dinner, we suggest that you head for Leidseplein, the center of nightlife, where you can choose from hundreds of bars, clubs and restaurants.

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Day 2 Amsterdam
Begin your adventure by using your Canal Bus Pass to get an overview of the city from the canals. Your Pass is good on three different routes of the Canal Bus, which allows you to hop-on/hop-off at any of 16 stops located close to museums, attractions, and shopping venues. Your Pass also includes entrance into one of three museums. For example, the Van Gogh Museum, which contains the world's largest collection of paintings, drawings, and letters by the artist. It also contains works by Van Gogh's peers, both Impressionists and post-Impressionists, so you can compare their work with his.

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Day 3 Amsterdam
After breakfast, your day is free to explore this quirky city. Maybe a leisurely canal ride or a stroll through the flower market. This evening, experience Amsterdam's traditional pub culture with a local! This Tour is conducted in English and is only offered to Avanti Destinations clients. You'll meet your guide at a designated location and spend approximately 2 hours walking around a city center neighborhood (if there is a certain area that you would like to walk, please let your guide know). Beyond the breweries and coffee shops that Amsterdam is known for there are many charming pubs tucked in the corners of the historic city center. These pubs are frequented mostly by the locals and not by tourists, giving you an authentic experience. You'll learn not only about the history of Amsterdam and the daily life of the Dutch, but also the history of Dutch beer brands and their local spirit Jenever (also known as Dutch gin). You'll visit two local pubs and have two drinks at each pub (your choice of local beer, wine, soft drink or a local spirit). After the walking tour your guide will escort you to the restaurant De Kroonprins and leave you there to enjoy a 3 course dinner with choices for a starter, main dish, and dessert. The restaurant is located a few blocks opposite the Centraal rail station for easy access to the trams to get back to your hotel, or if it's a lovely evening you can enjoy a stroll along the various canals.

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Day 4 Amsterdam, Brussels
After breakfast, head for Centraal station to catch your train to Brussels, a 3 hour 15 minute journey. You'll arrive in the early afternoon. After checking in, take a stroll to admire the interesting architecture. Brussels is a city full of museums; you can sample modern or historic art at the Museum of Fine Arts.

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Day 5 Brussels
After breakfast, return to the Central Station to begin your 24 hour hop-on/hop-off bus. This tour will show you many of the main sights of Brussels, including the Place Royale, the Parc Leopold, and the Royal Palace. Tours come every 30 minutes, so you can get off your bus and re-board another later. Don't forget that Brussels is internationally famous for chocolate - you'll find shops in almost every neighborhood. Belgians have also perfected the art of brewing interesting-flavored beers; you should check out one or more cafés to find the varieties that appeal to you. Finally, don't miss the Grand Place - one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, surrounded by step-gabled guild houses and famous shops. Then stroll north to the glass-roofed Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a trio of Art Nouveau malls harboring cafés and specialty boutiques selling everything from handmade Belgian lace to leather gloves.

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Day 6 Brussels, Paris
After breakfast, head for the South Train Station to catch your morning train to Paris Gare du Nord (a 90-minute ride). The Paris Métro is by far the most efficient way to get around the city; use your 3-day Paris Visite Card to get to your hotel.

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Day 7 Paris
At 8:15 AM, meet your driver in the hotel lobby for a small group morning Paris city tour and cruise. You will be able to see most of the major sites of the capital, such as the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Le Pantheon and many others. The city tour will finish in Montmartre and you will have about 20 minutes to walk around the Sacre Coeur Basilica before heading out to Les Bateaux Mouches dock, where you will board a boat for the one hour cruise on the charming Seine River. English commentary will be available for the historical and architectural sites, as you pass under the famous bridges that connect the two banks. You will dock next to the Pont de l'Alma where you will have easy access to the Metro and RER stations. After the tour, we suggest you stop for lunch and plan the rest of your day. You could take the Metro to the Varenne stop and visit the Rodin Museum (admission not included). The beautiful garden contains several of Rodin's famous sculptures, including The Thinker, as does the beautiful mansion, which contains such famous works as The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais and The Age of Bronze. From the Rodin Museum you can take a short walk to the Hôtel Des Invalides, which contains Napoleon's Tomb.

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Day 8 Paris
The city is full of great museums and we suggest that you visit one or two. The Louvre is one of the world's great museums, but it takes several hours to see it properly. There are several small museums that are worth seeing: The Musée de l'Orangerie, in the Tuileries Gardens, contains an impressive room full of Monet's paintings of water lilies. On the Left Bank, the Cluny Museum, housed in an outstanding medieval building that was the home of the Abbots of Cluny, has excellent stained glass and sculpture from the Middle Ages. Its most famous work of art is the 15th century tapestry cycle called The Lady and the Unicorn.

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Day 9 Paris
After breakfast, head for the airport or train station to continue on to your next Avanti adventure!

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