Guaranteed departures

Our program in the Netherlands provides us with a delicious taste of its delights. We view the main sights of old Amsterdam, a World Heritage Site, first on foot and then from the comfort of a cruise along its 17th century canals. Our exploration of Dutch gardens includes the Hortus Botanicus, an impressive university garden. Timed to enjoy what is perhaps the highlight of the program – a visit to Keukenhof’s bulb gardens. They contain more than 7 million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths which fill over 32 hectares.

Our tour features the best of the Italian countryside as well as the great cities and icons of Italy. We will see the Renaissance cities of Florence, Pisa, and Lucca as well as the Umbrian medieval cities of Perugia.

Rome, the world’s first superpower, lasted for almost a thousand years, leaving in its wake its amphitheatres, temples, viaducts, aqueducts, roads and forums. In this journey we thread our way through the Rome of the Kings, the Consuls, and the Emperors, then through the Italy of the Renaissance, Michelangelo, the Medici, and the Borgia. In the south, we visit the cosmopolitan city of Naples as well as Pompeii and the island retreat of Capri.

Our program explores the lands of Spain and Portugal, two countries bound by many centuries of history reflected in their modern cultures. Divided by history and language, contiguous neighbours Spain and Portugal were once host to gigantic empires that still bear their languages and lifestyles.

10 nights in Spain. Starting in Barcelona and finishing in Madrid.

The small group tour will see the opera performed in the city of Richard Wagner’s birth, Leipzig. We will not only experience his music in these 4 operas, but also be shown the influences of culture and family on the extraordinary composer’s life.

The Baltic States, flexing their economic muscles, continue to become a focus of interest everywhere. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent integration of Germany bound the region into the engine of the European economy. Our program studies the diverse histories of and influences on, the Baltic States and studies how each of them is coping with its different form of independence.

Few people think of Scotland as an island archipelago. These islands all have one thing in common – they all contain living history. The people who dwell on them, for the most part, live their daily lives now as they did centuries ago. These isles are among the world’s great repositories of archaeological treasures including villages preserved almost in their entirety.

Our 21 night program explores the north-west corner of France before hopping across the English Channel to the tiny autonomous islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Sark as well as the historic Isle of Wight. The tour combines the dramatic scenery of Normandy and Brittany with the quirky history and natural beauty of the Channel Islands together with the natural and historic splendour of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel.

This is an upgraded walking program with new paths including the Brecon-Monmouthshire canal walk and tracks on Arran in Scotland. The program is designed for participants who enjoy seeing the countryside on foot and is appropriate for active walkers. We stay at comfortable hotels with two days of walks followed by a day of travel to the next site.

Experience pleasant sections of the Way of Saint James, crossing some of Spain’s most beautiful landscapes. We follow the pilgrims on easy distances of The Way to the mythical destination, Santiago de Compostella. Not since the middle ages has this adventure for body and mind been more popular. We also get to discover the artistic highlights and rich history of Northern Spain and Portugal, as well as enjoying local wines and exquisite food.

Uncover a Viking past and view of the world’s biggest fjords on this journey through Scandinavia. In low-lying Denmark we tour the Zeeland, the sea land, and our program includes the vibrant capital of Copenhagen. In Norway we travel through endless forests, skirting great fjords to Bergen. Extensions available in Tromsø or join our Norwegian Coastal Voyage.

This program traverses this expanse, from Ulaanbaatar to St Petersburg; from the Mongolian Steppes to Siberian taiga and tundra; over the Ural Mountains that divide Asia and Europe to the waterways of Golden Ring. Our program uses two of the great rail journeys of the world; the Trans Mongolian Express and the Trans Siberian Express.

Experience the beautiful landscapes and the unique wildlife at places such as Kruger National Park, Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Chobe Game Reserve. During the program participants will have the opportunity to learn about the culture, the politics and the social issues facing African people and how the natural resource managers are caring for their wildlife reserves in the face of land enclosure, climate change and poaching.

Nowhere else are these historic trials, tribulations and triumphs such a part of contemporary events and so integrated via song and words into daily life. In Ireland the past is the present and the present is the past. In this tour we step out into this evocative island of Ireland and quite simply absorb the most poignant place on Earth.

The Silk Road is an ancient trade route linking China and Imperial Rome through Central Asia. Few areas in the world remain as unexplored or offer such richness in terms of ancient and modern history, culture, and scenic diversity as Central Asia. Our itinerary explores the Silk Road through remote deserts and mountainous environments as we visit key sites between Xi’an and Bukhara.

Mongolia is a relatively unexplored country for travellers but it has many diverse landscapes to explore, and interesting cultures to become acquainted with all existing in a country with few cities and towns but with extensive rural lands that remain the precinct of nomadic herders.

Our tour begins in the cosmopolitan city of Milan and ventures to 2 of the region’s lakes – Garda and Maggiore. Our tour uncovers a wealth of natural beauty, castles, serene waters, snow-capped mountains, and breathtaking scenery.

The stunning Lakes Region of Italy has attracted the world’s rich and famous. Our program begins in the cosmopolitan city of Milan and ventures to two of the region’s lakes – Garda and Maggiore. Here we discover a wealth of natural beauty, castles, serene waters, snow-capped mountains and breathtaking scenery as we journey through Alto Adige, Fruili, Emilia Romagna and Liguria.

Denmark, Sweden and Finland realised that the only way to remain competitive on the world stage was through the value of superior design. We explore the cities and towns where those high quality products, appreciated around the world, are created.