Magnificent Four: Benelux, Switzerland, France & Germany – 7 Nights with Turkish Airlines on October 25 (October 29 Special)

Meeting in front of the Turkish Airlines counter at the international departures terminal of Istanbul Airport 3 hours before the flight. After completing the baggage, ticket and passport procedures, we depart for Basel at 08:50 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 1923. Following our arrival at 10:00 local time, our Basel city tour begins with our vehicle waiting in the area. Basel, Switzerland’s third-largest city after Zurich and Geneva, is a magnificent city that encompasses both modern and historical textures and contains many treasures despite its small area. During our city tour, Basel Cathedral, where the tomb of the famous Dutch Renaissance writer Erasmus is located, the city’s main square Marktplatz, the Government Building and Hotel Les Trois Roi are among the places to be seen. After our tour, we depart for Strasbourg, one of the most beautiful cities in France and the pearl of the Alsace region. While exploring Strasbourg, you will feel as though you are travelling through history in one of Europe’s largest cobblestoned medieval quarters. With its fairy-tale-like natural surroundings and historic buildings, wooden houses, medieval churches, cathedrals and numerous works of art, it is a place well worth seeing. Strasbourg also has historical significance as the place where the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” was written, and presents itself as a city where Alsatian culture blends with French architecture. During our city tour, Strasbourg Cathedral, Rohan Palace, Kleber Square and the Petit France district, adorned with traditional Alsatian houses, are among the places to be seen. After our tour, guests who wish may join the Magnificent Alsace’s Fairytale Villages (Eguisheim & Colmar & Kaysersberg & Riquewihr) tour. (110 Euros) Throughout our tour, during which we will want to take photographs at every opportunity, our first stop will be Eguisheim. Awarded the title of “Favorite French Village” in 2013, Eguisheim is a village where history and nature dance together. Its colorful houses, reflecting the typical architecture of the Alsace region, create Eguisheim’s postcard-like appearance. After our tour, we head to Colmar, famous for its historic medieval buildings, Gothic-style churches and colorful houses. As we stroll through Colmar’s remarkably well-preserved streets, the completely pink-stone-built St. Martin Cathedral, Little Venice, which resembles Italy’s city of Venice with its small canals, Maison Pfister, one of Colmar’s oldest houses, and Maison des Têtes, a Renaissance building adorned with faces, are among the places to be seen.  Our third stop on the tour is Kaysersberg. Kaysersberg is a charming part of the Alsace region, as a medieval town in France. It is famous for its colorful houses, narrow streets and historic character. In particular, the Château de Kaysersberg, dating from the 13th century, is one of the town’s most prominent landmarks. The Sainte-Croix Church, located in the center of the town, draws attention with its Gothic architecture. After our tour, we proceed to our final stop, Riquewihr, one of Alsace’s most enchanting towns, featuring numerous half-timbered houses that give the town its charm. This historic village fascinates visitors with its old houses decorated with colorful flowers, narrow streets and medieval character surrounded by ramparts. During our tour, we will also see the remains of Riquewihr Castle and feel the medieval atmosphere by walking along the village’s old ramparts. After our tour, transfer to our hotel in Strasbourg. Overnight at our hotel in Strasbourg or its surroundings.

After having breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Luxembourg. Upon arrival, our Luxembourg city tour begins. Notre Dame Cathedral, the Ducal Palace, the City Hall and Constitution Square are among the places to be seen. Following our tour, guests who wish may join the optional Magnificent History and Mosaics (Trier & Remich & Schengen) tour, which will be organized at an additional cost. (65 Euros) Our first stop on the tour will be Trier, founded by the Romans in 15 BC and known as Germany’s oldest city. Located within the Moselle Wine Region, amid low red sandstone hills covered with vineyards on the banks of the Moselle River, one of the tributaries of the Rhine, Trier’s city tour will include Porta Nigra, the largest surviving Roman city gate north of the Alps; Roman ruins included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site; St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady; the Basilica of Constantine; and the house where Karl Marx, the revolutionary thinker and father of scientific socialism, was born. Following our visit to Trier, we depart for the town of Remich, a tax haven and the place where you can shop at the lowest prices throughout our tour. Due to Luxembourg’s low-tax policies and its border location, you can purchase products such as chocolate, coffee and alcoholic beverages here at very affordable prices. Finally, we visit Schengen, where the borders of Germany, France and Luxembourg meet and where the agreement abolishing passport controls between European Union member states and introducing free movement was signed. In this village, one of Europe’s important wine regions, you will have the opportunity to taste local wines and see the Monument and building where the Schengen Agreement was signed. Following our tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in Luxembourg or the surrounding area.

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world. Upon our arrival in Paris, the places we will see include Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, the Louvre Museum and Pyramid, Place de l’Étoile, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais exhibition palaces, Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk, the French Parliament Building, the Alexandre III Bridge, the Seine River, Napoleon’s Tomb, and the Eiffel Tower. After our tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. Overnight at our hotel in or around Paris.
 

After having breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish may join the Magnificent Paris Masterpieces & Seine River Cruise (Eiffel Tower & Seine River Cruise & Montmartre Artists’ Hill & Sacré-Cœur Basilica & Notre-Dame Cathedral) tour, organized as an optional extra. (110 Euros) Our first stop is the Eiffel Tower, the city’s iconic landmark visited by millions of tourists every year. You will have the chance to see Paris from above by going up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, we will take a boat tour on the Seine River, which divides Paris in two. After seeing the historical monuments on both banks of the river during the cruise, we will take a cable car up Montmartre Hill, the highest point in Paris. At this hill, which bears the traces of important artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Dalida, Vincent van Gogh and Jean Marais, the Sacré-Cœur (Church of Vows) will be the first place we visit. After seeing this structure up close, we will have a break at Place du Tertre, where you can shop and have your portrait drawn, and then visit Notre-Dame Cathedral, regarded as both a symbol of French history and an indispensable part of Paris’s skyline. Notre-Dame Cathedral was built by order of King Louis VII, who ruled between 1137 and 1180, to demonstrate Paris’s political, economic and cultural power to the world. After seeing this magnificent structure, we will take a short photo break. We will then transfer to our hotel. In the evening, guests who wish may join the tour of Paris Under Magnificent Lights, organized as an optional extra. (35 Euros) The city of Paris is beautiful in its own way both by day and by night. On this tour, you will have the opportunity to see the Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, the Louvre Museum, and many other boulevards, buildings and squares illuminated at night. After the tour, we will transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in Paris or the surrounding area.

We depart for Brussels. One of the most notable stops on Benelux tours, Brussels stands out with its versatility. Thanks to its cosmopolitan structure, the city offers travelers many different opportunities, and we will visit its various valuable landmarks. Among the places we will see upon arrival are the Royal Palace, the Chinese and Japanese houses, Brussels Cathedral, the city square, the Stock Exchange Building, the Atomium Monument, and the Manneken Pis statue. After our tour, transfer to our hotel and free time. Overnight at our hotel in Brussels or its surroundings.

After having breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Amsterdam. Along the way, guests who wish may join the optional Magnificent Cities Bruges & Ghent tour. (90 Euros) Our first stop on the tour is Bruges, famous for its magnificent beauty. Today, Bruges is one of the most visited cities in Europe and was placed under UNESCO protection in 1991. With its medieval architecture, canals, narrow streets, bridges, historic buildings and squares, it has become one of Europe’s most cherished cities. After touring this beautiful city, we proceed to Ghent, another city where time seems to have stood still. With a history spanning 1,400 years, Ghent was established at the confluence of the Scheldt and Lys rivers and was one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the Middle Ages. After our tour of this city, which is famous for its medieval historic monuments and university, we depart for Amsterdam. During our city tour in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, which borders Germany to the east and Belgium to the south, we will see Dam Square, Central Station, the National Monument, the Royal Palace, the Flower Market and the Red Light District. After the tour, we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in or around Amsterdam

After having breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish may join the Magnificent Fairytale Villages and Waterways (Zaanse Schans & Marken & Volendam & Giethoorn Hobbit Village) tour, which will be organized as an optional extra. (110 Euros) Our tour begins in the town of Zaanse Schans. One of the Netherlands’ hidden paradise towns, Zaanse Schans is famous for its historic windmills dating back to the 17th century that are still in operation, as well as its untouched nature. In the Dutch town of Zaanse Schans, which possesses unparalleled beauty with its historic windmills and wooden houses, you will feel as though you are touring an open-air museum. The second stop on our tour is Marken. After exploring the interior of this wonderful island, which was once an island but was later connected to the mainland by filling in the waterway between them, we depart for Volendam. Volendam is a place that captivates visitors at first sight with its harbor, characteristic Dutch houses and people dressed in traditional clothing. After spending a pleasant time in this town, where you can taste delicious seafood and cheeses and purchase inexpensive souvenirs, our final stop is Giethoorn Hobbit Village. Considered one of the most beautiful places in the world, Giethoorn is one of Europe’s most fairytale-like destinations. Giethoorn, which gained its popularity after the 1958 film “Fanfare” was filmed here, has become increasingly famous since the film and welcomes more than 800,000 tourists each year. After our tour, transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in Amsterdam or its surroundings.
 

Following breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Cologne. Upon arrival, our city tour begins. Cologne is one of Germany’s most important transportation, cultural, scientific, artistic and commercial centers. During our city tour here, the Gothic Cathedral, the Rhine River and the shopping streets are among the places to be seen. Following our tour, during the city tour we will take in Düsseldorf, one of Germany’s most important cultural, artistic and industrial cities, the revolving restaurant Rheinturm, Schloss Benrath, where Germany’s most important thinkers were educated, the Königsallee shopping street and Horfgarten with its lush green areas are among the places to be seen. Then, we depart for the airport. Following the baggage, ticket and passport procedures, we depart for Istanbul at 18.15 on Turkish Airlines flight TK1528. Arrival at 23.45 local time and the end of our tour.