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Rick's Top 10 "Best of Europe" Tour Experiences
The thing I love most about our original Best of Europe in 21 Days tour is how it laces together so many of my favorite places and experiences in Europe. In fact, it's a natural for a top 10 list. Let's go!
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Small-Town Holland
Sure, we get to see the top sights in Amsterdam, but I just love being in nearby, small-town Haarlem. It's a cobbled bundle of Dutch sweetness that brings a smile to the start and end of each day.
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Rhine Villages and Views
Hiking up from a half-timbered village to the top of a nearby hill, my effort is rewarded with a stone fortress castle and commanding views of the vineyard-laced Rhine River Valley.
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Fairy Tale Country
Bavaria's Alps start gently with rolling hills, contented cows, and onion-domed chapels. Then, as if to herald the fabled Alpine peaks stands the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein — the obsession of a "mad" king and the inspiration of Disney.
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Venice at Dawn and Dusk
Venice's crowds of day-trippers come in and go out like the tide. Our solution: By sleeping in the very heart of Venice, we have the place practically to ourselves during the best times of the day: early and late, when you can't help but fall in love with the city of Casanova.
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Renaissance Treasures in Florence
Five centuries ago, Renaissance Florence ushered Western civilization into the modern age. And today the artistic icons of that thrilling time are ours to enjoy in the palaces, galleries, and museums of the city of Michelangelo.
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Roman Wonders
Rome is a layer cake of history, piled on top of a fascinating foundation of Roman Empire wonders. A great guide brings clarity to the complexity, and whets your appetite for more.
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Cinque Terre Trails
An active itinerary deserves a little "vacation from your vacation." And that's what Italy's Cinque Terre delivers. Walking on ancient stone pathways through centuries-old vineyards, with vast views of a twinkling Mediterranean Sea, recharges your travel batteries like nothing else.
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Alpine Meadow Highs
Europe is full of inspiring cathedrals, but communing with nature in the Swiss Alps can feel just as spiritual. Especially when a few cowbells, near and far, chime in along the way.
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Food and Wine in Burgundy
The best way to ease into France and its cultural passions is to enjoy the local wine and cuisine in a small town. And when that town is surrounded by some of the world's top vineyards? Magnifique!
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Incomparable Paris
I love a tour that saves the best for last. Paris — with its welcoming boulevards, abundance of art, and elegant joie de vivre — gives our Best of Europe adventure its perfect happy ending. And plans for a sequel!
Enjoy many of these experiences on our three Best of Europe tours: