Trip Full & Closed

$3612
Single Room–add $1315(non-member: $3712)
 

Activity Level:
  95% Easy;
   5% Moderate
  
 

TOUR INCLUDES:

- WTT Tour Leader and local tour guides throughout the trip.

- Breakfast daily, 4 lunches and 3 dinners

- Sightseeing and admission to all sights described in the itinerary

- Airport transfers and transportation throughout the tour.

- Hotels (as listed or similar):

Paris:  Plaza Elysees

Zermatt: Alpen Resort Hotel

St Moritz: Hotel Laudinella

Venice: Hotel Ala

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Air Information
Travelers will make their own air reservations and are requested to arrive and depart as follows:

Arrival Airport:
Paris, Charles DeGaulle Airport (CDG)

Arrive: Paris (CDG) Tuesday, 13 May no later than 11:00am.  (Note: you will depart the United States on Monday, May 12).

Departure Airport:
Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)

Depart: Venice (VCE)Friday, 23 May at your convenience, but no later than 3:00pm.

Early Arrival:
If you wish to arrive a day early WTT can make your hotel reservation for you.  The room cost will be:

    $140dbl  $280sgl

- You will need a valid passport for this trip.  Check your expiration date.  It cannot expire less than 6 months after your travel completes.

- Air from your home and return to your home

- Meals and activities not specified in the itinerary

- Any personal expenses and any guide/driver gratuities

- You will be responsible for your own airport transfer(s) if you arrive or depart at times or dates other than specified above when transfers are provided.

- Transfers are not provided by WTT for early arrival.

Tuesday, May 13:  Arrive Paris, City Tour, Welcome Dinner   

Arrive Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) no later than 11:00am. Upon arrival in Paris, you will be transferred to the hotel where you may relax before we meet as a group at 1:00pm in the hotel lobby. 

This afternoon we enjoy an overview tour of Paris with a local guide showcasing Paris' amazing architecture, including Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Place Vendome and the Champs-Elysees.  Paris is a captivating city with bustling street life, cosmopolitan cafes and the some of the most spectacular buildings and monuments in Europe. This evening we will have our welcome dinner.  (D)

Wednesday, May 14:   Seine Cruise, Afternoon at leisure

An essential part of your visit to Paris is a cruise along the Seine from the glass-covered decks of the bateaux-mouches, those unique Paris excursion boats.  Since the Middle Ages, the Seine river has been the spine of the city of Paris.  Many of the most famous Paris monuments are on the riverbanks. The list includes Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel tower.

Return to the hotel where the remainder of the day is at leisure to perhaps relax in a sidewalk cafe, seek out masterpieces at the Louvre, visit the antique shops in the Latin Quarter, or stroll through the bohemian district of Montmartre. The choices are endless. In the evening, you might enjoy the glamour of a Parisian Cabaret or stroll along the tree-lined avenues and dine in an outdoor bistro. (B)

Thursday, May 15: Walking Tour
Enjoy a gourmet walking tour in an area of Paris that is well known for its high quality food shops. We visit a coffee-roasting shop that produces excellent coffee, a patisserie that takes pride in producing its high-quality mouth-watering pastries and cakes, a chocolate shop, and a meeting with a wine shopkeeper. Enjoy a walking tour with a difference - rich in tastes and flavors, with tasting stops, to introduce you to the French specialties.  (B,D)
 

Friday, May 16:  TGV Paris to Geneva, Zermatt

Transfer this morning from our hotel to the train station where we will be traveling from Paris to Geneva by the famous French TGV.  Enjoy lunch on-board.  Upon arrival at Geneva Train Station we depart immediately by motor coach for Taesch in the Swiss Alps.  From Taesch, we make the last leg of the journey by cogwheel train, as cars and coaches are not allowed into Zermatt itself.  Zermatt, at the foot of the majestic Matterhorn, is the perfect Alpine resort for rest and relaxation.  Electric-cars and horse-drawn sleighs and carriages are the only transport allowed.  (B,L)

Saturday, May 17:  Early morning at leisure, Cable Railway to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

The highest cableway in Europe will transport us past giant crevasses to the Matterhorn glacier paradise and into a breathtaking mountain landscape of glaciers and permanent snow.  The yellow-green electric bus takes us to the bottom station of Matterhorn glacier paradise then the 8-seater Matterhorn-Express cable railway takes us up to the Furi station. From here the cableway takes us further up to Trockener Steg, where we'll have lunch with an unforgettable view. (B,L)

Sunday, May 18:  Glacier Express

This morning we depart Zermatt for St Moritz on the Glacier Express! This fantastic 7 1/2 hour train journey, which runs from Zermatt to St Moritz, takes us over 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and over the Oberalp Pass at 6670 ft. We will experience the splendid beauty of the Swiss Alpine world--unspoiled mountain forests, silent Alpine pastures, rushing mountain streams and mountain valleys rich in tradition. Enjoy lunch on board.  We arrive in St Moritz early evening.  St. Moritz is one of the most renowned holiday resorts in the world. Chic, elegant and exclusive with a pronouncedly cosmopolitan ambiance, it is situated at 5624 ft above sea level, in the middle of a lake dotted landscape of the Upper Engadine where the sun shines an average of 322 days a year. (B,L)

Monday, May 19:  Full day at leisure
A full day to relax and take in the magnificent scenery and breathe the crisp, clean alpine air.  You can shop in this fashionable resort, visit the Engadine Museum, or visit Bad Moritz, a spa that takes advantage of the local mineral springs that have been known for hundreds of years.  (B)

Tuesday, May20:  Bernina Express St Moritz to Tirano, Italy

The Glacier Express may be more famous, but Switzerland's Bernina Express is that train's equal--or better--when it comes to spectacular scenery. This line is the highest rail crossing of the Alps, helping to make it one of Europe's outstanding train journeys. Where else can you travel from glaciers to palm trees in two hours?   Open-air cars enable passengers to experience the views and glorious air without the interference of glass, making it perfect for photographers. The climb is made even more astonishing by the fact that it is achieved without rack assistance [cogwheels], compelling the builders to devise tortuous loops and spirals to gain or lose height. Sit on the right for the best views. We arrive in Tirano around noon and transfer by motor coach to Venice where we will spend the evening. (B,L)

Wednesday, May 21 - Walking Tour, Boat to Murano, Burano and Torcello

This morning, a local guide will conduct a 2-hour walking tour of the wonders of this fascinating city.  We will visit such sights as St. Mark's Square, the Basilica and its Byzantine heritage, the Doge's Palace and its adjoining prisons, and the famed Basilica of St. Marks.  Then, leave the square to discover the "real Venice" as we enter a labyrinth of narrow passageways, alleys, canals and bridges.  Explore the lively Campo Santa Maria Formosa with its outstanding Gothic Palaces

.

This afternoon we will depart by private water taxi across the lagoon to the well know Island of Murano.  Famous for its glass making since the 10th century, we visit one of Murano’s quality glass works.  We continue by water taxi to the colorful Island of Burano, famous for its brightly colored houses, fishing industry and also its lace making.  We then leave the Island of Burano and take a short boat ride to the Island of Torcello, known as the “Mother of Venice” where we visit the Basilica, one of the oldest in the Lagoon with some of the most beautiful mosaics in the world.  (B)

Thursday, May 22:  Full day at leisure in Venice, Farewell Dinner

Venice in itself is the main attraction. Strolling along the winding streets and the canals, sitting at a terrace with a cup of coffee, a glass of wine or 'Grappa' and breathing in the atmosphere of this dazzling city. Along the Grande Canal are various piazzas, churches and monasteries to visit.  In your free time a gondola ride might be hard to resist or simply wander the narrow streets of Venice to shop. (B,D)

Friday, 23 May:  Return Home

It's not easy to depart such a beautiful place but depart, we must.  To accommodate departing flights we will have several transfers back to the Marco Polo Airport.  Make your return flight at your convenience, but no later than 3:00pm.  (B)

  Important Note:
Due to the instability of the US Dollar and the rising cost of oil and fuel, Women Traveling Together reserves the right to apply a surcharge to the price of this tour.

Should a surcharge be necessary, Women Traveling Together will notify those travelers already signed up for the tour.  In the event that the surcharge is greater than 5% the traveler will have the option to pay the surcharge or to cancel their booking with a full refund.