- Germany
Two types…escorted and hosted.
Escorted programs last from five to seven days and cover a particular section…Southern Germany or Northern Germany with Berlin.
On the hosted trips transportation, accommodations and sightseeing are included, but for the rest you’re on your own. The hosted trips are all one-way from two to five days between Frankfurt and Munich on Germany’s scenic Romantic Road.
- Switzerland
The Switzerland programs are especially good if you enjoy the mountains…but prefer not to drive in them.
The Swiss Alpine tours last from two to seven days. You stay overnight in pleasant towns such as Interlaken, Geneva, Zermatt and St. Moritz…and during the day you cover the scenic Alpine areas.
On selected trips you can also include the popular all-day Glacier Express train ride for an extra cost.
- Great Britain and Ireland
Mini vacations cover all areas and last from three to 14 days. Usually they are in a mini-coach. Scotland trips include the Scottish Highlands and Islands from three to five days. Ireland tours are from four days to one week.
- Portugal
Tours cover either the whole country from Northern Portugal to the Algarve or specific sections only.
They last from three to ten days. Note that you will be staying at regular hotels and not at Pousadas.
- Spain
Spain offers more mini vacations than any other country in Europe.
Andalusia with Cordoba, Seville and Granada is the most popular area. And…if you’re interested, you can include an optional beach resort stay on the Costa del Sol.
Other Spain tours include northern Spain, the Green Coast, which looks more like Ireland and Scotland than southern Spain.
From Madrid you can also select multi-country programs that combine Spain with Portugal and/or Morocco.
Note that on these mini vacations you will be staying at regular hotels and not at Paradors.
- Italy
Most tours depart from Rome and travel south to Capri and Sorrento or…go north to Florence and Venice.
You can also join the latter trip on a one-way basis from Rome to Venice or Milan (or return to Rome), a good choice if you prefer not to drive in Italy.
Do you like art? Then book the Northern Italy Art Tours instead of the regular programs. Many of the tourist attractions you’ll see are the major art museums in Florence and Venice.
- Greece
Many travelers usually prefer not to drive in Greece, so the mini vacations are a good alternative.
The three- and four-day Classical Greece Tours that include Epidaurus, Olympia and Delphi (and Meteora for the four-day program) are the most popular.
You’ll note that the afternoons are often free for swimming, shopping and relaxing rather than sightseeing.
Remember Greece is hot in summer, so spring and fall are the best times to join these trips.
- Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden Denmark, Finland
Norway is the most popular country for tourism in Scandinavia because of its spectacular fjord scenery. Your multi-day choices are for Norway only or you can combine Norway with Denmark, Sweden and Finland…you’ve got lots of possibilities.
Helsinki in Finland is the major gateway for mini vacations to St. Petersburg in Russia.
- Iceland
This is a sparsely populated country with only a few roads… many travelers...but certainly not all…prefer short escorted tours like the one-week “All Around Iceland” program that travels the “Ring Road” around the country.
