Western Europe Tour

Arriving in Amsterdam

We meet at the SunExpress counter in the international departures terminal of Ankara Airport, 3 hours before the flight. After check-in and passport control we board SunExpress flight XQ794, departing at 06.25 for Düsseldorf. We land at 08.25 local time and drive on to Amsterdam in our waiting vehicle.

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, bordered by Germany to the east and Belgium to the south. Our city tour takes in Dam Square, Central Station, the National Monument, the Royal Palace, the Flower Market and the Red Light District.

After the tour, guests who wish can join the optional extra Amsterdam canal cruise (35 Euro). The city has 165 canals stretching over 100 km, and from the water its architecture shows a different side.

After the tour we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in or around Amsterdam.

Windmills and villages

After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish can join the optional extra Fairytale Villages and Canals tour (Zaanse Schans, Marken, Volendam and Giethoorn, 110 Euro).

The first stop is Zaanse Schans, where historic windmills dating back to the 17th century are still at work among wooden houses and green fields; it feels like walking through an open-air museum. Our 2nd stop is Marken, once an island and now joined to the mainland by reclaimed land. Next comes Volendam, with its harbour, typical Dutch houses and locals in traditional dress, a good place to taste seafood and cheese and to pick up inexpensive souvenirs.

The last stop is Giethoorn, the "Hobbit Village" and one of the most storybook places in Europe. It owes its fame to the 1958 film "Fanfare" and today welcomes over 800,000 visitors a year. After the tour we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in or around Amsterdam.

Bruges, Ghent and Brussels

After breakfast at the hotel we set off for Brussels. On the way, guests who wish can join the optional extra tour of Bruges and Ghent (90 Euro).

The first stop is Bruges, one of the most visited cities in Europe and protected by UNESCO since 1991. After exploring its medieval architecture, canals, narrow lanes, bridges and squares, we continue to Ghent, another city where time seems to have stopped. With 1400 years of history, Ghent grew up where the Scheldt and the Lys meet and was one of the largest and richest cities of the Middle Ages. After our tour of its historic monuments and university quarter, we continue to Brussels.

Brussels, one of the highlights of any Benelux route, stands out for its cosmopolitan character. On arrival we see the Royal Palace, the Chinese and Japanese houses, the cathedral, the main square, the Stock Exchange building, the Atomium and the Manneken Pis statue. After the tour we transfer to our hotel for free time. Overnight at our hotel in or around Brussels.

First look at Paris

After breakfast at the hotel we head for Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world. On arrival we see Charles de Gaulle and the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, the Louvre and its Pyramid, Place de l'Etoile, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais exhibition halls, Place de la Concorde and its Obelisk, the French Parliament, the Alexandre 3 Bridge, the Seine, Napoleon's Tomb and the Eiffel Tower. After the tour we transfer to our hotel for free time.

In the evening, guests who wish can join the optional extra Paris by Night tour (35 Euro). The city has a different beauty after dark, and we see the Champs Elysees, Place de la Concorde, the Louvre and many more boulevards, buildings and squares under the lights. Afterwards we return to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in or around Paris.

From Eiffel to Notre Dame

After breakfast at the hotel, guests who wish can join the optional extra Paris Masterpieces and Seine boat tour (110 Euro), covering the Eiffel Tower, a Seine boat trip, Montmartre, the Sacre Coeur Basilica and Notre Dame Cathedral.

We start at the Eiffel Tower, visited by millions every year, and go up to its 2nd floor for a view over Paris. A boat trip on the Seine, the river that divides the city, then passes the landmarks on both banks. Next we ride up Montmartre, the highest hill in Paris, where Pablo Picasso, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Dalida, Vincent van Gogh and Jean Marais left their mark. Our first stop there is the Sacre Coeur.

After a break at Place du Tertre, where you can shop or have your portrait drawn, we visit Notre Dame Cathedral, built on the orders of King Louis VII, who reigned from 1137 to 1180, to show the political, economic and cultural power of Paris. After a short photo stop we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in or around Paris.

Reims and Metz

After breakfast at the hotel we set out for Reims, another of France's beautiful cities. The ancient capital of the Gauls takes its name from the Remes of that era. With a history reaching back to the Roman Empire and its Gothic architecture, the most important and largest city of the Champagne region witnessed the coronation of many French kings. Our tour of Reims takes in the cathedral, added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1991, the Palace of Tau, the Basilica of Saint Remi and La Porte de Mars.

We continue to Metz, in the Lorraine region between Nancy and Luxembourg. Metz came 4th in the 2019 "European Best Destinations" competition and is on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List for its history, culture and architecture. After our tour here we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in or around Metz.

Luxembourg city tour

After breakfast at the hotel we set off for Luxembourg. The city tour on arrival takes in Notre Dame Cathedral, the Grand Ducal Palace, the City Hall and Constitution Square.

After the tour, guests who wish can join the optional extra History and Mosaics tour of Trier, Remich and Schengen (65 Euro). The first stop is Trier, founded by the Romans in 15 BC and regarded as the oldest city in Germany. Set among vineyard-covered red sandstone hills on the Moselle, a tributary of the Rhine, Trier is home to the Porta Nigra, the largest surviving Roman city gate north of the Alps, Roman remains within a UNESCO World Heritage site, St. Peter's Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady, the Basilica of Constantine and the house where the thinker Karl Marx was born.

Next is Remich, where Luxembourg's low taxes and border location make it the cheapest place on the tour to buy chocolate, coffee and spirits. The last stop is Schengen, where the borders of Germany, France and Luxembourg meet and where the free movement agreement that removed passport controls between EU countries was signed. In this wine village you can taste local wines and see the monument and the building where the agreement was signed. After the tour we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in or around Luxembourg.

Cologne and Düsseldorf farewell

After breakfast at the hotel we set off for Cologne. Cologne is one of Germany's major centres of transport, culture, science, art and trade, and our city tour takes in its Gothic cathedral, the Rhine and the shopping streets. We then continue to Düsseldorf, one of the country's leading cities for culture, art and industry, to see the Rheinturm with its revolving restaurant, Schloss Benrath, the Königsallee shopping street and the green Hofgarten.

After the tour we transfer to Düsseldorf Airport. After check-in and passport control we board SunExpress flight XQ 795, departing at 19.10 for Ankara. We arrive at 00.40 local time, and our tour ends.