The world’s best tulips, champagne and chocolates and the most beautiful staircase ever built – topped by the largest-ever ceiling fresco – are highlights of a 23-night river cruise tour through the heart of Europe to be escorted by Cruise Express next April.
The eight million tulips will be seen at Holland’s Keukenhof Gardens – the world’s largest flower garden. The authentic champagne will be sampled in the region of the same name in the north-east of France and the fine chocolates can be tasted in medieval Bruges.
Meanwhile, Germany’s magnificent, baroque palace, Wurzburg Residence, houses what is regarded as the world’s most beautiful staircase, which rises through a cavernous, 23m-high, pillarless vault to create a breathtaking entrance hall. The staircase is topped by the world’s largest ceiling fresco, which spans 677 square metres and was painted by Venetian artist, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.
The 236-year-old palace is an architectual masterpiece and a guided visit is included in a two-week Avalon Waterways river cruise through the heart of Europe as part of Cruise Express’ hosted tour package.
Departing Australia April 21, 2016, guests will spend two nights in Paris with included sightseeing of the romantic capital before touring the famous Champagne region. Three nights are then spent in the Somme region to visit Western Front battlefields and commemorate Anzac Day at the Australian War Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux.
The tour then moves to Belgium for two nights in the historic city of Bruges, famous for its cobblestone lanes, maze of canals, chocolate shops and lace boutiques. After gazing at millions of tulips in nearby Holland, guests will board Avalon’s luxury river vessel, Avalon Illumination, for a 14-night cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest along the storied waters of the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
The five-country cruise past some of Europe’s great abbeys and castles includes a guided tour in every port, with the visit to the palace in Wurzburg one of the most memorable. Other ports visited include Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Durnstein, Vienna, Passau and Bratislava. After touring Budapest and sampling the city’s renowned cream cakes and rich coffee, guests will fly home.
Including return flights from Australia, selected beer and wine with dinner during the cruise, daily touring and free onboard wi-fi, the escorted, 23-night cruise tours is available from $12,990 per person, twin-share. Call Cruise Express on 1300 764 509 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au
SOURCE Cruise Express