Day 2 - London City Tour

An expert local guide and your chauffeur meet you for a full-day sightseeing tour (8 hours) of London. On arrival at the Tower of London, the incredible historic castle built by William the Conqueror in 1078, you are welcomed by an iconic Beefeater. Used as a royal residence and a prison, it is now home to the dazzling Crown Jewels, which are closely guarded by the Yeoman Warders. Proceed afterwards to St. Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

After lunch at leisure, familiarise yourself with some of the most recognisable landmarks in the capital during this half-day tour of the City of London. Your guide shows you the Tower of London, the incredible historic castle built by William the Conqueror in 1078. Used as a royal residence and a prison, it is now home to the dazzling Crown Jewels, which are closely guarded by the Yeoman Warders. Before you leave, take time to enjoy the outstanding views of Tower Bridge. Afterwards, continue to St Paul's Cathedral, which was famously rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Your guide shares insights on the many memorable state occasions that have taken place here, such as the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill and the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.

Overnight: The Milestone Hotel, London

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - London – Windsor – Kew Gardens – London

Travel west out of London with your driver, private vehicle, and guide to visit Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. With a history spanning nearly one thousand years, it is the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen and is her preferred weekend home. Subject to opening restrictions, you may see the State Apartments, St. George's Chapel, and Queen Mary's Dolls' House. You also gain excellent views of Eton College from the castle ramparts.

Later today, head back towards London to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. The gardens today present an enjoyable mix of landscaped lawns, formal gardens, and greenhouses. The various greenhouses display plants from across the world in climate-controlled environments, while Kew Gardens Gallery houses art and photographs illustrating botanical themes. Queen Charlotte's Cottage (open only in summer) is a pretty summerhouse lying alongside a lake. The Chinese Pagoda is arguably Kew's most recognizable structure. The Grass Garden has over 600 varieties of grasses.

Overnight: The Milestone Hotel, London

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - London – Paris

This morning you are transferred by private vehicle from your hotel to London St Pancras train station. Your London Guardian Angel is on hand to assist you up to the dedicated fast-track Business Premier check-in gates. If you arrive early, take advantage of the Business Premier Lounge (complete with complimentary Wi-Fi), where you can enjoy some tasty refreshments, or simply make your own way to your reserved seats in the Business Premier Class carriage. Travelling at high speed through the countryside and the Channel Tunnel, you are served a three-course meal appropriate to the time of day and specifically designed by Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc. Upon arrival at Paris Gare du Nord, please make your own way off the train to the arrivals terminal where your Paris Guardian Angel is waiting to accompany you on your private transfer to your hotel.

Spend a half-day in the company of your guide and discover the Marais, one of Paris's most historic and well-preserved districts. Once a favourite of Henri IV and Louis XIII, the bourgeois district fell to ruin after the Revolution in 1789, but began its revival in the 1960s, having escaped the mass redevelopment of the city during the mid-19^th century. Nowadays the Marais is a lively neighbourhood with plenty of bars, boutiques, and the capital’s Jewish community. Explore the district's narrow streets, dotted with splendid mansions and other examples of Medieval and Renaissance architecture. Stroll on the Place des Vosges, formerly called Place Royale before the Revolution.

This square is lined with pink brick and covered arcades and is a unique example of early 17^th-century architecture. One of France's most famous writers, Victor Hugo, wrote a large part of Les Misérables whilst he lived here from 1832 to 1848.

Overnight: Le Meurice, Paris

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Vaux-le-Vicomte

Head out to the southeast of Paris to visit an architectural wonder of the 17^th-century: the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, which was built for Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV's financial advisor. Amazed at the magnificence and jealous of the opulence of this magnificent castle, with French gardens designed by Le Nôtre, the Sun King took inspiration for the future construction of his Versailles Castle. Vaux-le-Vicomte is the innovative work of the French Formal Garden and offers the perfect harmony between garden and architecture.

After your visit return to Paris, where the balance of the day is at leisure.

Please note: Every Saturday evening from May through to October, Vaux le Vicomte can be visited by candlelight. Over 2,000 lit candles within the castle and its gardens create a romantic and magical atmosphere.

Overnight: Le Meurice, Paris

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Musée D'Orsay & Marmottan

Embark on full-day sightseeing in Paris, starting with a visit to the lesser-known, but exceptionally interesting, Musée Marmottan. Housed in a former hunting lodge, this museum displays the 60 or so paintings that Claude Monet owned, both those which he himself had painted and particularly treasured, and those he collected from his friends Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro, and others. The museum also owns an extraordinary set of illuminations which is one of the largest in the world. You can admire hundreds of pieces presenting illumination art during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Continue to the famous Musée d'Orsay, housed in a converted railway station, this collection's main attraction is the Impressionists: Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro, and Monet are all well-represented. The Post-Impressionist collection includes works by Van Gogh and Cézanne. Alternatively, you might like to visit the famous Latin Quarter. This area of Paris was made famous by the writers and intellectuals who held court here in the first half of the 20^th-century. Take a stroll around the back streets to see the lovely old houses which were once the home of artists. You witness the Sorbonne, Paris’s world-famous university founded in 1253, as well as the Panthéon and its crypt.

Overnight: Le Meurice, Paris

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Paris - Brussels

Meet your Paris Guardian Angel and driver for the private transfer to the Paris rail station to board your train (First-Class carriage) to Brussels. Upon arrival at Brussels railway station, please make your way off the train and proceed to the arrivals area where your Guardian Angel is waiting for you. You are then transferred by private vehicle to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to settle in or start exploring Brussels on your own.

Overnight: Hotel Amigo, Brussels

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Brussels Tour

Today your local English-speaking guide and driver meet you at your hotel for a 4-hour sightseeing tour of the city. Enjoy a walking tour of the old town, which starts with a visit to the Grand Place, the magnificent square at the heart of the old quarter, considered to be one of Europe's most ornate market squares. Close to the Grand Place is Brussels' most famous resident, the Manneken Pis, a bronze statue of a small boy watering the fountain. Take a tour of the museum dedicated to the Belgian master of surrealism, René Magritte. The museum presents an outstanding collection of his works, the largest collection in the world. Your tour then takes you further afield to the Atomium, from the top of which you enjoy a panoramic view of Brussels.

Overnight: Hotel Amigo, Brussels

Meal Plan: B

Day 9 - Brussels Tour

Continue your discovery of the Belgian capital city and learn about Art Nouveau as you visit one of the four houses of Victor Horta, a creative genius and the leading Belgium Art Nouveau architect. The Horta house and workshop were built between 1898 and 1901 on two lots in a fashionable district of the town.

Brussels is an excellent base from which to explore other parts of Belgium, and today you head west into the Flanders region to visit the beautiful cities of Ghent and Bruges. Ghent is the principal seat of the area and its medieval quarters and splendid castle are evocative of former glories. Here you embark on a tour of the town, taking in one of the greatest masterpieces of Flemish painting, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Jan van Eyck, found in St Bavo’s Cathedral.

Having enjoyed some lunch at leisure (payable locally), you may wish to enjoy some of the famed local waffles or chocolate, before continuing to Bruges. Another beautiful medieval city of canals, often labelled the ‘Venice of the North’, Bruges features an array of waterways and tree-lined streets and you can admire the romantic architecture, seemingly frozen in time, as you go. Before returning to Brussels, pay a visit to the Groeningen Museum and witness one of the finest collections of Flemish art around.

Overnight: Hotel Amigo, Brussels

Meal Plan: B

Day 10 - Departure Brussels

Meet your driver and Guardian Angel and transfer in the comfort of your private luxury vehicle to Brussels airport where you are assisted with check-in.

Meal Plan: B