Today on our tour of Gothic Europe will wake up in the so called “City of Light”, Paris. After a croissant, we will start our route around Paris. We only have to choose where to begin! You don’t have to be in love to enjoy Paris. Imagine walking through the Arc du Triomphe, passing down the Senne and finding the Notre Dame (the gothic cathedral with the most famous gargoyles in the world), or losing yourself in thousands of impressionist paintings in the D’Orsay museum, or winking at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.

Not to mention, we will of course visit the symbol of this capital, the legendary Eiffel tower. The iron structure was erected during a world exposition in the 19th century and since then has watched over the inhabitants of Paris and has now become a symbol of the city.

Still not had enough? Make sure you recharge your batteries because there are still parts of Paris that you need to see before you leave! Why don´t you go to the Sacre Coeur in Montmatre and stroll through Pig Alley?

We will continue in France, driving among the hills the Champagne region, which gave name to the most famous (and expensive) sweet bubbly wine.  This region was the battlefield between France and Germany who fought in the battle of Verdun. Here we can find the memorial of the bloodiest battle of the World War I where more than 1 million of soldiers rest in peace under the ground.

Before saying “Hallo” to Germany we will visit the richest city/state in Europe: Luxembourg. The headquarters of many European institutions, like the Court of Justice or the Secretary’s office of European Parliament are located here.  There is no time for us to open a bank account or a company, so we better march on!

Driving against the flow of Rhine, the most important river of Europe with regards to trade, we will arrive to Cologne and check out the impressive nightlife. Being a big student city, it shouldn’t dissapoint.

Guten Morgen Deutschland!

Today on our trip around Gothic Europe, with a spring in our step, we will visit the centre of Cologne, the city famous for its waters and for the most gothic cathedral of all cathedrals! We will start our day looking at the incredible views the city has to offer from the other side of its famous bridge. We can add a lock to the hundreds of others on the bridge, have some lunch, as in the afternoon, we will makeour way to the liberal city of Amsterdam.

We will arrive in Amsterdam in the afternoon, dump our bags and head straight for the red light district. The night is young and life is short, let’s have a good night!!

The liberal culture and politics of this incredible city are a global reference for defenders of liberalism in terms of light drug use, legalization of prostitution and same-sex marriages.

But Amsterdam is not only about coffee shops and red lights. There are many old alleyways in which you can get lost. If you’re not into getting lost, perhaps the Heineken brewery or the Van Gogh museum, the Rijksmuseum or Anne Franks’ House are more for you. Also if you fancy a beer, Heineken is the star choice, as it is made here in Amsterdam.

*Optional Activities: Entry into the Anne Frank museum / Trip to the traditional Dutch windmill village: Zaanse Schans / Boat trip on the canals of Amsterdam / Heineken Experience

We hope you have enough energy to enjoy today because we still have soooo much to see. Don’t get lost in Amsterdam because today we are off to Belgium and specifically its capital: Brussels. You will get to know the heart of the European Union in all its buzz and splendour.

In the afternoon we will stop off at the Atomium for some picutre and then take part in a tour of the city, seeing the most characteristic and touristic places including some the Belgian Centre of Comic Strip Art, where Tintin, Lucky Luke and the Smurfs were all born. We won’t forget Mannekin Pis, the symbol of the city for over 2 centuries which receives more than two million visitors a year. A country with ten million inhabitants where three different languages are spoken: French, Flemish and German.

Today, you will have two options! The first is to rest and recover from your hangover; while the second option is that you hang out with us and see another two amazing Flemish cities! Right next to Brussels, hop on the Unitrips bus and we’ll take a walk in Bruges and then finish the day in Ghent. Here you’ll be glad to see these two well preserved medieval towns where the medieval architectural style of Northern Europe has remained intact!

*Optional Activity: Day trip to Bruges and Ghent

We will get back on our bus after having a nice breakfast in Brussels and walking around the ‘City of Love’. You still have time to tell that special someone how you feel! We will pass through the north of France and the Ch’tis zone (the recent famous French comedy “Welcome to the north” is about this precise area), we will arrive back to Paris. If you don´t have enough energy to do the latter activities you will be able to enjoy some free time in Paris instead.

*Optional Activity: Paris by Night

You definitely have not seen all of Paris yet, so before we eleave we will explore the bits that you haven´t seen yet! Do you prefer modern architecture? Go to the futuristic buildings in le Defense. Prefer Bohemian multiculture? You should visit the Belleville district, where Monsieur Malaussene used to live Or if you fancy something a bit different, why not go dance the can-can in the Moulin Rouge?

After this Central Europe Tour, we will part ways. You can choose if joining a bus to Madrid or following your destiny around Europe, but Don’t worry, what happens on a Eurotrip, stays with Unitrips!

This morning we will arrive in Madrid, where this incredible trip aorund Gothic Europe will come to an end!

With tears in our eyes we will say goodbye to this unforgettable trip… but don´t wory we have already started planning the next trip! Where do you want to go next?

*The program could suffer unforeseen changes due to weather conditions, traffic… or the ability of the group to respect meeting times.

**The suggested programme doesn’t include optional/extra activities. You will have opportunity to book some of them in the reservation form, while the others will be proposed by the tour leader along the tour.

*** The main language of this tour will be Spanish. However specific translations will be given as much as possible for those who speak english as it is not feasible to carry out the tour in 2 different languages simultaneously.