DAY 1 – DEPARTURE

Depart your home city for Europe.

DAY 2 – BERLIN

Arrive in Europe this morning and connect with a flight to Berlin.  Welcome to Germany. Upon arrival at Berlin Tegel Airport your tour representative will greet you. After checking in at the hotel and time to freshen up, meet your Learning Through Travel guide for a panoramic tour of the city. Berlin is in the heart of modern Germany and since unification in 1990 has evolved into a dynamic, creative City of Europe. See the Philharmonic, the Cultural Forum, the State Library, and the National Gallery. Pass Potsdamer Platz to the new Memorial for “The Murdered Jews of Europe”, a Holocost memorial. Proceed to the Nicolai Quarter, a reconstructed medieval area of Berlin, with beautiful houses, little pubs and nice shops.  The tour continues along the famous boulevard “Unter den Linden” a tree lined avenue and once Berlin’s premier promenade. Many classical buildings line the street and part of Humboldt University is located here. See the State Opera House, the Museum of German History and the Red City Hall.  Pass the Bradenburg Gate, an iconic landmark; it appears on three different Euro coins. Continue to the Reichstag, seat of the German Parliament, on to the Tiergarten District, with its beautifully landscaped Zoo and Aquarium to Bellevue Palace, the residence of the President of the Federal Republic.  See the Victory Column (commemorate of Prussia’s victories), crowned with the golden Goddess of Victory. See the Berlin Airlift Monument and have a look at Schoneberg City Hall, where John F. Kennedy made his famous speech, “Ich bin ein Berliner”. Continue to Kurfuerstendamm, lined with luxurious stores and elegant cafes. See the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, destroyed in World War II now the symbol of the city, preserved as a ruin.

DAY 3 – BERLIN

After breakfast visit "Museumsinsel".  This Museum Island ranks as one of the world’s most significant museum complexes worldwide. Visit the Pergamon Museum whose magnificent collection includes the famous Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate of ancient Babylonia, the gate of Milet and antique sculptures. There is a possibility to arrange a meeting with the curator of the museum for a special lecture.  After lunch a short visit is made to the "Staatliche Porzellanmanufaktur KPM", the second oldest porcelain factory in Germany. The best is saved for last. A visit to the Egyptian Museum which owns one of the world’s most important collections of Ancient Egypt, with art of the time of King Akhenaton (1340 BC) from Tell el Armarna the museum has reached world niveau. Famous works such as the bust of the beautiful Egyptian Queen Nefertiti with its original color is preserved without restoration since the Armarna period and other pieces such as the sculptured portraits of the royal family and members of the royal court. If it is possible you will have the opportunity to meet with the curator of the museum for a special lecture. This evening is at your leisure. 

DAY 4 – BERLIN

Today is at your leisure. Try to visit any of the museums in the city with a 3- day pass.  

DAY 5 – BERLIN/PARIS

After breakfast transfer to the airport for a short flight to Paris, the “City of Light”.  Upon arrival your Egyptologist guide will take you on an orientation tour. See the Arch de Triumph at the Etoile which commands a magnificent view down the splendid avenue of Champ-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde with its granite Obelisk of Luxor (Egypt), which originally came from the porch of a Temple at Thebes.  See the old market quarter, Les Halles and continue to the student's quarter, the Latin Quarter.  Pass by the beautiful Botanical Gardens and the Mosque.  View the Val de Grace whose plans were carefully drawn up by the renowned architect Mansart.  See the Pantheon, the final resting place of many of France's most illustrious figures.  Cardinal Richelieu is buried in the Sorbonne Church.  Proceed past the Luxembourg Gardens with its great palace built for Queen Marie de Medici and the churches of St. Suplice and St. Germain-des-Pres. In the western part of Paris see the most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower, at the Champs de Mars. An elevator ride takes you to the top for a wonderful panoramic view of the city. Continue to your hotel for check-in. This evening enjoy dinner and a cruise on the River Seine. 

DAY 6 – PARIS

Today you have a full day to visit the magnificent Louvre, the world’s largest museum. Located on the Right Bank of the Seine River, the museum was once a palace occupied by the Kings of France and sits atop a 13th century fortress.  You are able to see a scale model of the fortress as it stood during the 13th century. During World War I and II many of the museums priceless masterpieces were secretly removed to areas outside of Paris. Enter the museum through a glass pyramid entrance added to the museum in 1981, designed by American architect I.M. Pei. The nucleus of the Louvre collections is a group of Renaissance paintings by Leonardo da Vinci including the famous “Mona Lisa” and two world famous sculptures; “Venus de Milo” and the “Victory of Samathrace”. Many other Italian artists are displayed at the museum including Raphael and Titian, and an enormous collection of French paintings ranging from the middle Ages to the early 19th century. During the reign of Napoleon many objects were taken from Egypt and brought to France.  In 1826 the Department of Egyptian Antiquities was formed to study these objects. The Louvre has an extensive and wonderful Egyptian Section including pieces from the Pharoanic Civilizations, Egyptian Religion, Pre-history Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, Roman and Coptic Egypt.  A special tour will be arranged to meet with the curator of the Egyptian section. 

DAY 7 – PARIS

This morning visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame (Our Lady), on the island called Ile de la Cite at the heart of Paris.  Notable for its elegant proportions, it was a model for the French Gothic cathedral’s of the middle Ages. The west front is a classic with three richly carved portals, or doorways.  The central doorway depicts the biblical story of the Last Judgment. The north and south areas are decorated with two rose windows, circular stained-glass windows constructed using a technique called bar tracery where thin stone bars were used to form a decorative pattern within the window opening and then the glass was inserted into the pattern. Another rose window, at the west front of the cathedral, is considered a masterpiece of Gothic engineering for its large glass surface area, which is supported by a seemingly delicate web of carved stone.  French Emperor Napoleon and the Empress Josephine were crowned at Notre Dame in 1804. Enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.

DAY 8 – PARIS

This day is at your leisure or you may join an optional tour to Versailles. 

DAY 9 - PARIS/LONDON

This morning say “Au Revoir” to Paris as you transfer to the rail station for the Euro Star train to London, England. Europeans wouldn't dream of traveling any other way across the Channel which takes less than three hours.

Welcome to London! Driving through the busy West End you view the theater district, Piccadilly Circus, the main shopping centers of Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Parliament Square and Buckingham Palace, Residence of the Queen.  Continuing to the ancient “City”, comprising London’s original one square mile, see Mansion House and the Bank of England. Visit St. Paul’s Cathedral. The original St. Paul's was severely damaged during the Great Fire of London in 1666. Continue to Thames River and past the famous Tower of London.  This former prison is a monument of Britain’s tumultuous history. Dinner this evening is on your own or you may join an optional dinner and theater excursion.

DAY 10 – LONDON

After breakfast visit the British Museum. Founded in 1753 the museum incorporates the collection of the British physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane, the Harleian Collection, formed by the statesman Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford. The museum is home to the world’s most extensive collection of Egyptian antiques including the famous Rosetta stone, papyrus, mummies and mummy cases. The Oriental Antiquities department houses collections of Oriental and Islamic art and archaeology, notably Chinese ceramics and Indian sculpture. You can also see the Research Laboratory and the Department of Conservation. This afternoon visit the Sir John Soane’s Museum, which contains examples of Soane’s genius in the use if perspective and space.  Highlights of the collection include Hograth's satirical series, The Rake’s Progress, the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Seti I found in the Valley of the Kings and numerous architectural drawings from Soane’s collection. This evening is at your leisure for theater and dinner.

DAY 11 –     LONDON

Enjoy this day at your leisure.

DAY 12 –    DEPARTURE

Farewell to Europe as you transfer to the Airport for your return. Arrive home, your hearts and minds filled with many happy memories of wonderful art and history in Berlin, Paris and London. 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• International Air 
  

• One way Euro-star train Paris/London
  

• 3 nights accommodation in Berlin at a deluxe hotel
  

• 4 nights accommodation in Paris at a deluxe hotel
  

• 3 nights accommodation in London at a deluxe hotel
  

• 10 Breakfast, 10 Dinner
  

• All sightseeing by deluxe air-conditioned motor coaches
  

• English speaking escort throughout and local guides in each city
  

• All entrance fees on days of sightseeing as per itinerary
  

• Hotel taxes and service charges
  

• Porterage of 1 piece of luggage per person
  

NOT INCLUDED

• U.S. Departure Tax and Airport security fees.
  

• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, beverages, tips to drivers, guides, escort and transfer personnel, travel insurance, etc.....
  

PLEASE NOTE: ITINERARY SEQUENCE SUBJET TO CHANGE.  

Throughout Europe, Berlin, Paris and London 12 Days/10 Nights

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