9-day European Easter Cruise

SHORE EXCURSIONS (Lisbon - Dover)
April 4 - April 9, 2010

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LEIXOES

April 4, 2010

Oporto Sights & River Cruise

Code: E-LEI1
Duration: approx. 4.5 hrs
Price: $45
Oporto is the second largest city in Portugal located near the mouth of the Douro River. You'll begin your tour with a panoramic drive to Oporto's center, passing Foz do Douro. Enjoy a photo stop at Clerigos Tower, once the tallest structure in Portugal (exterior only) which was designed by the architect Nicolau Nasoni. Continue to the Ribeira quarter, well known by its inhabitants for its brightly tiled or pastel-painted façades many in faded glories. You will embark in a typical Rabelo Boat that was designed specifically to the Douro River characteristics, once used to transport the barrels of wine from the Douro region down to the wine cellars in Gaia margin. The discovery of Port wine dates back to the 17th century when British merchants came to build up trade with Portugal. The wine of the Douro was fortified with brandy to prevent it from turning sour while in transit. It was found that the stronger and sweeter the wine, the better flavor it acquired. Over the years methods of maturing and blending were refined and continue today in the port lodges. Croft was one of the first big shippers followed by other English and Scottish firms. After your cruise along Douro River continue visit to a Port wine cellar where you can taste and learn more about the production of this famous wine.
Note: Bank holiday Sexta-Feira Santa, only few shops will be open.

Oporto & Guimarães

Code: E-LEI2
Duration: approx. 6 hrs
Price: $61
This is the ideal tour for those who would like to have a general view of Oporto and also get in touch with the culture and history of the North of Portugal. Oporto has carefully preserved its architectural treasures, including monuments in the Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Neo-classical style. After a panoramic view of the city you will visit a prestigious Port Wine Cellar to taste some of the famous Port wine. Continue to Guimaraes - the cradle of the nation. The first capital of Portugal has a wealth of magnificent buildings and history to discover. Visit the Palace of the Dukes of Braganca (15th century) which houses a museum and art gallery with portraits, tapestries, fine furniture and porcelain. A walking tour through the old city reveals quiet corners and narrow streets, a former manor house situated in the square and a 10th century church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Before you return to your coach to drive back to Oporto, see the Customs Tower emblazoned with the slogan "Portugal was born here."
Note: Guimarães guests need to walk close to 1 mile on cobblestone and uneven terrain. Not advised for people with difficulty walking.

VILLA GARCIA / LA CORUñA

April 03, 2010

Santiago de Compostela & La Coruña

Code: E-VIG1
Duration: approx. 11.5 hrs
Price: $173
May be combined with excursion E-VIG2
Guided bus tour to Santiago de Compostela, the city where, according to the legend, the remains of the apostle Saint James was found. Just like at the best times of the pilgrimages in the Middle Ages, Santiago de Compostela continues to be a magnificent place and one of the best examples of a medieval town building. Upon arrival in Santiago, you will make a panoramic city tour continued by a walk to the famous cathedral at Plaza del Obradoiro. You will be able to see the great Romanesque architecture of the cathedral and the surrounding buildings. Lunch at the well-known Hostal de Los Reyes Catolicos, a former pilgrim's hospital which is now a luxurious hotel. After lunch you will enjoy a typical Galician Musical group. Free time before departing to La Coruña. The city is well-known for its characteristic glazed window balconies, called galeias. Originally, this type of structure came about as a naval architecture solution for the challenging weather, particularly designed for rainy days. The sightseeing tour in La Coruña includes a stop at the old prison which has been converted into the city museum, a photo stop at the Roman lighthouse "Torre de Hercules" and a walk in the old town, dominated by the Town Hall Square and once surrounded by walls on three sides and the sea on the other, stretching along the Fisherman's Quarter.
Note: Cobblestone and quite a lot of walking. This tour is not suitable for people with difficulty walking. In the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela all guests must cover shoulders and no shorts or short skirts are allowed.

La Coruña Walking Tour

Code: E-VIG2
Duration: approx. 1.5 hrs
Price: $34
May be combined with excursion E-VIG1
We will start walking from the port to the beach on the Atlantic coast On our walk via Plaza del Orzan and Plaza Maria Pita we will pass by many conservatories and beautiful old houses. The city is also well known for its characteristic glazed window balconies, called galerías. Originally, this type of structure came about as a naval architecture solution for the challenging weather, particularly designed for rainy days.

BORDEAUX

April 5, 2010

Bordeaux City Tour

Code: E-BOR1
Duration: approx. 2.5 hrs
Price: $41
May be combined with excursion E-BOR2
The city has been officially included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage. This distinction recognizes the beauty and unity of style of Bordeaux's architectural heritage. You will see the WWII German submarine base, the Chartrons river front where the wine trade started, the 18th century Place de la Bourse, the Cailhau Gate and the Big Bell. You will stop at the Palais Rohan, and walk to the 13th-century Cathedral of St. Andrew, where Alienor d'Aquitaine married Louis VII plus enjoy a "Canele" cake (the cake from Bordeaux) tasting during walking tour. You continue by coach through the Gambetta and Tourny squares. Stop at the monument to the Girondins of the French Revolution at the Quinconces square. From here you walk to the close by Grand Theatre. The theatre was built by Victor Louis in 1773, and is one of the most beautiful in Europe; a pure work of art from the 18th century. After this you stroll through the Old Bordeaux area with the Parliament and St. Pierre squares.

Médoc Vineyards

Code: E-BOR2
Duration: approx. 4 hrs
Price: $69
May be combined with excursion E-BOR1
After driving along the famous Quai des Chartrons, cradle of the Bordeaux wine trade, your tour of the Médoc starts just north of the city. The Médoc wine road, located between the Gironde estuary and the Landes forest provides magnificent views of vine-covered gravelly rises as far as the eye can see. You will have the opportunity to take photos of some of the most famous Chateaux of the area i.e. Margaux, Pichon Longueville. Médoc vineyards are orderly and well-kept almost to the point of fanaticism, and the region's world famous châteaux produce wine that are nothing short of divine. Moulis, Listrac, Saint Julien, Saint Estèphe, Pauillac, Médoc, Haut Médoc and Margaux (with the celebrated châteaux of the same name). You will be able to visit the cellars of a famous château such as: Giscours, Lynch Bages, Siran, Beychevelle, Lascombes, Palmer, Issan, Kirwan, Prieuré Lichine, Rausan Ségla, d'Arsac and you will learn the techniques of wine making during the visit of the cellars and before a wine tasting.

Pyla Sand Dune and Oyster Tasting

Code: E-BOR3
Duration: approx. 4.5 hrs
Price: $89
May be combined with excursion E-BOR2
Your coach drives west of Bordeaux and across the Landes de Gascogne forest before arriving in the Arcachon Bay region, famous for its weather and oyster culture. A fragrant oasis surrounded by an immense forest of pine trees; a subdued ocean which nestles up against the wild sand-dunes; a long wreath of fine golden sand. This is Arcachon Bay with clean waters constantly renewed by the tide and flights of thousand of migratory birds. Stop in Le Pyla to climb the highest sand dune in Europe with 344 ft. A wooden staircase allows an easier climb for the first half. From the top, you'll discover a fantastic view over the entire Arcachon Bay in the North, over the Ocean in the West, and over the never-ending Landes pine tree forest in the East. Then transfer to one of the oyster farming port to enjoy an oyster tasting served with Bordeaux white wine and bread & butter.

SARK AND GUERNSEY

April 7, 2010

Horse and Carriage Island Tour

Code: E-SAR1
Duration: approx. 2 hrs
Price: $52
A visit to Sark, the smallest independent feudal state in Europe, is a step back in time. There are no cars, no metal roads, no high-rise developments; only superb scenery giving Sark a unique enchantment. Transfer by a tractor-bus for the ride up to the center of the village. The slow and graceful lifestyle of Sark is evident as you climb aboard a horse drawn carriage for a tour of the island. As we set out from the village, we see the small Post Office, the Island's prison (a small stone structure with just two cells) and Sark's parish church. Our carriage journey continues with more scenic sightseeing as we move towards the Island's west coast and along the Rue de la Moinerie to a vantage point overlooking the cliffs and coastline. Sark's extraordinary degree of independence and its rigorous attachment to laws and institutions which have long since been abandoned by other countries of the western world certainly seems to justify the title "A Feudal State in Modern Times."
Note: Requires the physical ability to get on the tractor and the carriage.

Guernsey Island Drive

Code: E-GUE1
Duration: approx. 3 hrs
Price: $56
Guernsey is a green, beautiful Island belonging to the British Crown situated within sight of the Normandy coast of France. Its French influence is everywhere - in street names, its Patois, which is a mixture of Norman-French and English, and its love of fine cuisine. We will cross the center of the island, where we see large areas of the countryside with greenhouses. On the way to the West Coast we see a contrast of cliffs and stretches of beautiful sandy beaches. We will travel along almost the entire length of the west coast before turning inland again along the narrow country lanes to arrive for a visit to the gold and silversmiths, situated in an attractively converted barn which dates back to 1582. You can watch the work being carried out at close quarters. Their exquisite craftsmanship is on display in the showroom where you have time to browse and maybe purchase that special gift. You will also visit the Little Chapel - a miniature church. Made of simple materials, it is beautifully decorated with pebbles, shells and a mosaic of broken china. As you climb the steps around the Chapel, and perhaps enter the tiny interior, you will truly appreciate the dedication shown in creating this unique religious symbol.

HONFLEUR

April 08, 2009

Rouen & Giverny

Code: E-LHA2
Duration: approx. 9.5 hrs
Price: $184
This full day coach tour will take you to Rouen, the historical capital of Normandy, and to the famous Monet Museum in Giverny. The visit of Rouen starts with a guided walking tour of the historical part of the town. The Old Market Place where Joan of Arc was burned in 1431, is lined by timber framed houses, the Modern Joan of Arc Church completed in 1979, the Gros Horloge street and its belfry: a sculpted archway on which rests a 16th century Renaissance lodge decorated with clock faces still indicate the time of the day, the phases of the moon and the day of the week, the Law Courts seat of Normandy's parliament, Saint Maclou Church and the Aitre Saint Maclou: A former ossuary and the cathedral built over several centuries (from the 12th century to the 16th century) which show Gothic architecture. After the walking visit of Rouen, time at leisure will be allowed before having lunch on your own. After an individual lunch at Rouen drive to Giverny which owes its fame to the great painter Claude Monet. Monet lived in a nice house in the middle of the village, from 1883 until his death in 1926. The painter's house has attracted many artists and is today still the favorite site for impressionist lovers. We will visit Monet's house, which is now a museum showing his collection of Japanese prints, and enjoy wandering in the gardens that he made famous through his paintings, with the Japanese bridge, bamboo trees and the often painted water-lilies. After the visit, some free time will be allowed in the gardens before driving back to Honfleur.
Note: Lunch is not included.

Fécamp & Etretat, including Benedictine Liqueur Tasting

Code: E-LHA3
Duration: approx. 5 hrs
Price: $80
May be combined with excursion E-LHA1
Fécamp, like nearby Etretat, is well placed for exploring the dramatic cliffs and rock formations of the Côte d'albâtre (the alabaster coast). The town developed around fishing - herring has been fished from here since the Middle Ages - and fishing continues to be an important activity for Fécamp into the 21st century, although tourism now plays an important role. The other important claim to fame of the town is for its Benedictine liqueur - still brewed in the town - and the Benedictine Palace, linked between the town and its monastic past. Departure from Honfleur and drive to Fécamp. Your guide will escort you through the visit of the Benedictine Palace: combining both Gothic and Renaissance styles, the building dates from the end of the 19th century. Coming from the Abbey of Fécamp, the original collections have been enriched with collections of enamels and ivories. An exhibition enables you to see, touch and smell spices and plants from all over the world including the 27 different ingredients of the Benedictine liqueur. Then discover the distillery displaying the stills and the cellars where the famous liqueur matures. Next indulge yourself with a Benedictine liqueur tasting. The coach tour continues to the beautiful coastal town Etretat, famous for its white cliffs and the fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. The highlight of any trip to Etretat is a walk along the cliff tops to view the fabulous white cliffs with natural giant archways that reach out into the sea. After a short-guided visit, free time will be allowed.

DOVER

April 9, 2009

Canterbury with Cathedral

Code: E-DOV1
Duration: approx. 4.15 hrs
Price: $177
Sweeping from the White Cliffs of Dover to the pounding seas at Land's End, the south of England is an extraordinary place of legend and literature, castles and cathedrals, with a coast as dramatic as its 4,000 year history. You'll start the tour by travelling to the top of the famous white cliffs for a photo stop of Dover Castle. A medieval historian described Dover Castle as "the key to the kingdom," and when seen from the English Channel, its massive outlines etched into the sky above the famous white cliffs of Dover and the harbor, the importance of England's oldest and strongest fortress can be appreciated. Leaving Dover, you will travel to medieval Canterbury. The city, a cradle of Christianity in Saxon England, stands on a site that had already been occupied for 350 years when the Romans arrived there in 43 AD. Canterbury has preserved some of its medieval character. Long stretches of the town walls survive, built in the 13th and 14th centuries on Roman foundations. During your tour of Canterbury, you'll see how the medieval atmosphere blends with the modern amenities. The long grey cathedral that dominates the city and skyline is the Mother Church of Anglicans throughout the world. It dates from Norman times, and for 350 years after the murder of Thomas Becket in the cathedral in 1170 it was the destination of countless pilgrims. Your Guide will point out the main aspects of the cathedral before you begin your individual visit and you'll also have the chance to walk around the precincts affording fine photo opportunities, before continuing the tour. There will then be an opportunity for you to browse in the nearby shops before the return drive to Dover.