Europe Tour Packages: Paris – Côte d'Azur – Rome

For centuries, the Louvre served as the palace of the French kings and was the largest construc­tion site in France. Almost every king made changes to it. In the 12th century it was still a proud castle but was expanded over the course of the next two centuries to become a symbolic resi­dence. The four wings around the square court­yard are what remain of the orig­inal palace. When Louis XIV moved his resi­dence to Versailles, the building was left to dete­r­i­o­rate. The Louvre did not become a museum until after the French Revo­lu­tion when the National Assembly decided to use it to collect and exhibit the artistic treasures seized from the nobility. Today, the Louvre receives around ten million visitors every year and is the largest museum in the world. Its collec­tions include over 380,000 pieces, and only about a tenth of them are on display. Its most famous painting is prob­ably the Mona Lisa, which Leon­ardo da Vinci painted around the year 1503.

The tradi­tional student district in Paris is located near Sorbonne Univer­sity and is known as the Quartier Latin, because Latin had been the language of scho­l­ar­ship for many centuries. Numerous writers lived in the area, including Honoré de Balzac, Gabriel García Márquez and Klaus Mann. During the student riots in 1968, the quarter became the scene of heavy fighting in the streets. Thou­sands of students were arrested and hundreds were seri­ously injured by the police during the “Night of the Barricades.” When the trade unions called for a national strike in support of the students, Pres­i­dent de Gaulle stepped down. Not many students live here today since the rent is unafford­able and they have given way to popular restau­rants and boutiques.

This church for the archbishop of Paris took nearly 200 years to build. Yet when it was completed in 1345, it had become a marvel the likes of which the world had never seen. Although it is one of the earliest Gothic cathedrals, it remained the crowning achieve­ment of Gothic archi­tec­ture. Notre Dame rises over the Seine like a jewel. Its two towers are 69 meters high and its ridge turrets reach 96 meters in height. The nave, which provides room for up to 10,000 people, is 130 meters long, 48 meters wide, and 35 meters high. The cathedral was unprece­dented in its day, and this was inten­tional. It was supposed to outshine the Louvre, which was the royal palace. Notre Dame is a testi­mony to the fact that Paris has not only been the center of France, but also the most important city in the Chris­tian West from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century and has had a deci­sive impact on its history.

With its medieval build­ings in the historic city center, its magnif­i­cent loca­tion in the heart of the Cote d'Or wine region, and its numerous restau­rants and wine cellars, this city with a popu­la­tion of 23,000 is one of the most rewarding destina­tions in Burgundy. The best sight to see is the Hotel de Dieue, a splendid 15th century hospital. The Office de Tourisme and the Bureau Interpro­fes­sionell des Vins will tell you where to find vine­yards, wine tast­ings and wine seminars.

This city's histor­ical appear­ance with its magnif­i­cent palaces and numerous artistic treasures testify to its past importance. As early as Roman times, there was a settle­ment here called Divio, which was located on the major road from Lyon to Mainz. Yet the city's heyday came a thou­sand years later when Dijon became part of the Duchy of Burgundy and, in 1477, the capital of the royal province of Burgundy. The focal point of the beau­tiful old town is the Place de la Libéra­tion with the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. Its east wing houses one of the most distin­guished art museums in France, the Musée des Beaux Arts. The city's most famous son is Gustave Eiffel, who designed the city's market hall. Today, Dijon has a popu­la­tion of around 150,000 and a large univer­sity with 30,000 students.

The town of Tournus is situ­ated on the right bank of the Saône surrounded by the idyllic wine-growing region of southern Burgundy. Its cathedral, St. Philibert, is among the most signif­icant Roma­nesque build­ings in France. It houses relics of Saint Philibert that were brought here for safe­keeping during the Norman inva­sions. To the southwest of the town lies the charming Mâconnais hill country with its ancient wine villages, palaces, castle ruins and Roma­nesque churches. The region's mystical and peaceful atmo­sphere seems to have espe­cially appealed to the monastic orders drawn to the area.

The beau­tiful country­side of Provence was declared a biosphere reserve (Réserve de la Biosphère) by UNESCO. The landscape is char­ac­ter­ized by jagged rocks, wild gorges, deso­late peaks, pine forests and fields covered with lavender and grape vines. Gorgeous villages cling to the edges of cliffs. The 60 kilometer long mountain ridge that points from east to west is a paradise for hikers, bikers and nature lovers. The gorge of Lourmarin sepa­rates the Lesser Luberon in the west from the Greater Luberon in the east. The Greater Luberon reaches its highest eleva­tion at the Mourre Nègre (1,124 meters).

Today, the city east of the Rhone has less than 100,000 inhab­i­tants. In the Middle Ages Avignon was a city of interna­tional standing. From here seven popes have reigned the Occi­dent during the schism from 1309-1376. At that time the town was a brilliant art center. The “City of Popes” was able to keep its city walls around the old town, the Palace of the Popes, the Bishops' complex and the bridge of Avignon undam­aged to the present day. The old town of Avignon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was Euro­pean Capital of Culture in 2000.

This monastery is among the most famous in Provence. It is also a popular backdrop for photos owing to the fields of lavender that unveil their splendor every year between July and the beginning of August. Sénanque was founded in 1148 by Cister­cian monks known for their strict asceticism. The monastic rules were the strictest of their day. The plain build­ings are devoid of orna­menta­tion. The cloister is the only building with arches (48 of them) with short pillars. The monastery was disbanded during the French Revo­lu­tion, but was revived 40 years later.

The port city with 75,000 inhab­i­tants is one of the oldest on the Côte d'Azur. “Antipolis” was founded around 340 by Greek merchants and became a bishop's seat in late antiq­uity. The seaside resort Juan-les-Pins was opened in 1882 and has since been incor­po­rated. At the beginning of the 20th century, writers and artists settled there, including Picasso, to whom a museum is dedicated at Château Grimaldi. Port Vauban is now one of the largest marinas in Europe, with up to 1700 luxury yachts anchoring here. The best view is from the fortress Fort Carré.

Bacaro – the name is derived from the wine god Bacchus – is the name given to the simple taverns in Venice. There are few chairs, but a long bar and a large selec­tion of wines with a few snacks. Do Mori not far from the fish market is the oldest Bacaro of Venice and already over 500 years old. Count­less pots and copper kettles hang from the ceiling, more than 100 excel­lent wines await you in the bar. There are also many different tramezzini.

More than 400 bridges cross about 150 canals and connect 100 islands. Some are name­less or incon­spic­uous. Some are of partic­ular importance from a traffic or cultural-histor­ical point of view. The Rialto Bridge, which has connected the districts of San Marco and San Polo since the 16th century, is world-famous and most frequently photographed. Busi­ness flour­ished here for many centuries: merchants and seafarers unloaded their goods at the quay behind which the banks and trading houses were located. Bridge archi­tect was a certain Antonio da Ponte, who was able to assert himself against star archi­tect Miche­lan­gelo with his practical design because he left enough space for shipping traffic.

The Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is the great Gothic Franciscan church of the city. On the outside it is modest and simple, as is the mendicant order itself. Inside, however, it docu­ments the power and wealth to which the disciples of Saint Francis have come. The Frari turns out to be an art shrine of the very first order. The tomb pyramid of the sculptor Antonio Canova imme­di­ately catches the eye in the enor­mous nave. Oppo­site is the tomb of Titian with his Pesaro Madonna. Precious altar leaves by Bartolomeo Vivarini and Giovanni Bellini hang in the choir chapels. A sculp­ture of St. John by Donatello stands where the composer Claudio Monteverdi is buried. Every­thing, however, is surpassed by Assunta, the sky-driving Mary, who floats freely above the high altar. Titian created it and, at the end of the Renais­sance, already antic­ipated the Baroque era with it.

The magnif­i­cent renais­sance park at Palazzo Pitti was the most famous garden in all of Italy during the 16th century. The landscape archi­tects have created it in such a way that Florence is always a focal point. Today visitors can explore grottos, fountains, an amphithe­ater and even an Egyp­tian obelisk on the nearly five-hectare site. The Boboli Gardens are open daily.

The palace from 1458, which belonged to the wealthy merchant family Pitti, is still one of the largest build­ings of Florence. However, it only took on its current appear­ance a hundred years later when an even richer family, the Medici, moved in. The Pittis had been disowned after they had allegedly taken part in a conspiracy. After the Medici had lost their power, the dukes of Tuscany and later the kings of Italy resided there. In 1565 a kilometer-long corridor between the Pitti Palace and Palazzo Vecchio was built to shield the noblemen and wealthy from the plebs when they left their resi­dence to walk to the town hall. Today dukes and kings have disap­peared, so the palace only houses a few museums and exhi­bi­tions.

The basilica on the highest point of the city is consid­ered one of the most beau­tiful churches in Italy. Although built around 1000 the Church is neither spectac­ular nor partic­u­larly large from the outside. But the inte­rior is most convincing. The altar is in fact not on a level with the nave, but is elevated and one cannot look onto the the top of it. The unusual symbols on the portico are to this day a mystery to art histo­rians. The ceiling has a very different style and really does not match the rest of the church. However, all elements work harmo­niously with each other. There is a beau­tiful view over Florence when leaving the Basilica.

This medieval abbey in the vine­yards south­east of Florence is today a renowned winery. It is also the starting point for a pleasant walk through a delightful cultural landscape that will lead you down to the Pesa River. (2 hrs, 30 min, 9.5 km, total vertical distance: 290 m)

This is our suggested route if you want to get to know Florence on your own. From the train station, it will take you to the cathedral, the historic center of town and then across the Arno over the Ponte Vecchio. The Boboli Gardens on the other side of the river offer the most beau­tiful view of the city. (3 hrs, 6 km, eleva­tion change: 90 m)

Villa Borghese is not a building, but a green area in the middle of Rome. It was built at the end of the 16th century on the vine­yard of the Borghese noble family. In 1901 the state bought the estate and opened it to the public. Today there are numerous museums on the site, including the Galleria Borghese and the Museum of Etruscan Art. On the north side lies Bioparco, the Roman zoo with over 200 animal species. Villa Borghese is also a popular place for joggers and walkers; on a small lake you can rent rowing boats and watch the ducks. A beau­tiful place to rest after stren­uous sightseeing.

The impres­sive rotunda with its columned façade was erected 25 B.C. as a temple for all gods and converted into a church over 600 years later. The dome is partic­u­larly impres­sive: it symbol­izes the sky, the opening in the middle stands for the sun and the contact with the stars. With a diam­eter of 43 metres, the dome of the Pantheon was the largest in the world for 1700 years until St Peter's Basilica was built. Visitors to the Pantheon enjoy the medi­ta­tive atmo­sphere inside and the delightful play of sunlight that falls through the open­ings in the roof and “wanders” along the floor. The Pantheon became the archi­tectural model for domed build­ings worldwide, such as the Capitol in Wash­ington DC, the Berlin Cathedral or the Invalid Cathedral in Paris.

A closer look at the huge square in the heart of the city reveals much about its origin: the long, almost oval surface resem­bles a track in the stadium. In fact, Piazza Navona was orig­inally an arena. Emperor Domi­tian had it built. More than 30,000 people found a place here. In the Middle Ages the spectator stands were grad­u­ally converted into houses. In the 15th century, the stadium first became a park and then a square by paving. The most important monu­ments are the church of Sant Agnese, built in honour of the martyr Agnes, and the 17th-century four-stream fountain: On it four male sculp­tures symbolize the four conti­nents known at that time in the form of the rivers Danube, Nile, Ganges and Río de la Plata.

If you would like to explore Rome on your own, our recom­mended route starts at the Roma Termini train station and takes you to the key sights in the Eternal City. On your way past the opera house, you will come to the Palazzo Berberini, the Fontana di Trevi, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon and finally the Colos­seum and the Forum Romanum. (4 hrs, 8 km, eleva­tion change: 70m)