Printable options: Basic Itinerary | Detailed Itinerary

logo

Switzerland & the Mediterranean

Group Information

Departing From:
Austin
Departing:
June 23, 2026
Returning:
July 3, 2026
:
My name is Krystal Lugo and I am a Spanish Teacher in Round Rock, Texas! I have be on 5 student tours and am extremely excited to go to Switzerland as that is the only country on this current tour I have not visited. I have traveled with groups as big as 40 and as small as 12. I love student travel and I hope you will join us!
:

Tour Itinerary (Detailed)

-
Day 1 Overnight Flight to Switzerland (Zurich)
Day 2 Guten Tag Zurich
Meet your tour director, travel to Lucerne, and check into hotel
Day 3 Lucerne
Lucerne tour director-led sightseeing
Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, Jesuit Church, Weinmarkt and Kornmarkt Squares
Optional  Mount Titlis excursion  $129
Details: Lucerne tour director-led sightseeing
Before a backdrop of snow-capped Alpine mountains and green, cow-filled pastures, join your Tour Director on a trip to Lucerne’s famous sights. Weave your way through a maze of narrow, winding streets until you reach the River Reuss and the Medieval Kapellbrücke Bridge. Stop to marvel at the bridge walls, decorated with murals that recreate the 14th-century originals destroyed in a fire. Journey down the cobblestone streets in the Old Town to see the Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument), the somber sandstone wild cat gazing down into a reflecting pool, and ponder this artfully chiseled statue created to honor the Swiss Guards who died defending the Tuileries in 1792.
Details: Chapel Bridge
One of the city's famous landmarks is Chapel Bridge, or Kapellbrücke, a wooden bridge first built in the 14th century. It has also been voted as the 5th most popular tourism destination in the world.
Details: Lion Monument
View the Lion Monument, or Löwendenkmal, created in 1820 in honor of the Swiss Guards who lost their lives in 1792 during the French Revolution.
Details: Jesuit Church
View the impressive Jesuitenkirche which was the first large baroque church built in Switzerland. The ostentatious baroque style architecture is meant to represent the power and glory of the Catholic tradition.
Details: Weinmarkt and Kornmarkt Squares
Stroll through the picturesque medieval Weinmarkt Square and the Kornmarkt Square in the historical heart of Lucerne.
Day 4 Lucerne--Italian Riviera
Travel to Lake Como
Lake Como excursion
Free time to explore the town of Como
Travel to the Italian Riviera
Details: Lake Como excursion
Lake Como, nestled in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, is a glacial lake famed for its deep blue waters and dramatic alpine backdrop. Surrounded by elegant villas, lush gardens, and charming towns like Bellagio and Varenna, it has long been a retreat for artists, aristocrats, and celebrities. Its unique Y-shape and depth of over 400 meters make it one of Europe’s most striking natural wonders.
Details: Free time to explore the town of Como
Enjoy the slower pace of Lake Como as you arrive in the town of Como, a lakeside hub with a beautiful promenade, lively historic center, and an impressive cathedral. Stroll the waterfront, explore medieval streets, and take in elegant lake views, cafés, gelaterias, and plenty of photo-worthy scenery of the Alps and the water.
Day 5 Italian Riviera
Cinque Terre guided excursion
Details: Cinque Terre guided excursion
Cinque Terre ("five lands") is a series of five traditional fishing villages strung along the scenic cliffs of the Italian Riviera. Colorful houses and gorgeous views line the road between the five villages (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore), where wine-making, olive-farming, and anchovy fishing still occupy most of the residents' energies.
Day 6 Italian Riviera--Côte d'Azur
Travel to Cote d’Azur via Monaco & Eze
Monaco tour director-led sightseeing tour
Prince’s Palace
Nice tour director-led sightseeing
Vieux Nice, Promenade des Anglais
Details: Monaco tour director-led sightseeing tour
On the Mediterranean coast, five miles from the Italian border, lies the tiny, glittering independent state of Monaco. Ruled by the Grimaldi family since the 13th century, Monaco is the epitome of French Riviera glamour. Your Tour Director will lead you on this brief adventure. Charles III opened a casino in the 1850s to avert financial straits; needless to say, his plan worked--so well, in fact, that Monaco is a nearly tax-free state. Drop in on Prince Rainier (OK, see his house, the Palais du Prince).
Details: Nice tour director-led sightseeing
The Côte d'Azur's largest city spills down the hillsides to pebble beaches that line the shore. Your Tour Director will show you around the narrow pedestrian streets and tiny squares of "Le Vieux Nice" (Old Town), which is sprinkled with old palaces and mansions. Stroll down the Promenade des Anglais, which runs parallel to the water. Backed by Nice's grand hotels, the Promenade was built in the 19th century for the British who flocked here en masse.
Details: Promenade des Anglais
Stroll The Promenade des Anglais, named for the English who paid for it, is a seven kilometer walkway along the seafront. Called "La Prom" by locals, it's the best place to people-watch.
Day 7 Côte d'Azur--Provence
Travel to Provence
Hike the Ochre Trail in Roussillon
Details: Hike the Ochre Trail in Roussillon
Located in the Luberon, the Ocher Trail is an incredible geological phenomenon and a feast for the eyes. Hike the trail loop to discover the various rock formations and vibrant colors. Please note the ochre sand may temporarily stain shoes or clothes, please pack accordingly.
Day 8 Provence
Provence excursion
Pont du Gard visit, Nîmes Amphitheater visit, Les Baux-de-Provence
Details: Provence excursion
ush lavender fields, olive groves, terra-cotta roofs, and ochre walls lit by golden sunlight...your Tour Director will guide you through the splendor that is Provence. Explore legacies of the Roman Empire like the Pont du Gard aqueduct, a sophisticated work of engineering that is intact after more than 2,000 years, and visit the Nîmes amphitheater. Built by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago, it was once the site of gory gladiator and animal combat, and is still used today for performances and bullfights (some things never change). See the medieval ruins of Baux-de-Provence, a fortress sitting in the Alpilles mountains that was once used to protect the three bordering villages.
Details: Pont du Gard visit
A true masterpiece of ancient architecture, the Pont du Gard aqueduct is one of the most beautiful Roman constructions in the region. Discover more about this startling monument as you follow the course of its history through the ages.
Details: Nîmes Amphitheater visit
Feel the power of ancient Rome at the Arènes de Nîmes, one of the best-preserved amphitheaters in the world. Climb its weathered stone steps, wander through its grand corridors, and imagine the roar of 24,000 spectators echoing through this remarkable arena.
Details: Les Baux-de-Provence
Explore the medieval ruins of Les Baux-de-Provence, a hilltop fortress nestled in the Alpilles mountains that once guarded the surrounding valleys and nearby villages.
Day 9 Provence--Barcelona
Travel to Barcelona
Las Ramblas scavenger hunt
Tapas dinner
Details: Las Ramblas scavenger hunt
Take interactive learning to another level with a Tour Director-led scavenger hunt of Las Ramblas, the most famous pedestrian street of Barcelona! Complete exciting activities and solve fun clues. Each clue and every activity is built to maximize on-tour experiential learning.
Details: Tapas dinner
Tapas purportedly originated when bartenders set a small plate (''tapa'') over patrons' glasses of sherry and wine to keep the flies out. The bartenders starting piling the plate with cold cuts, olives, or salad, and the bite-size snack was born. (We're unsure how they kept the flies out of the cold-cuts... maybe that's how the sandwich was invented?) Over time these working-class snacks have become more elaborate, with each region adding its own specialties and cooking techniques to create unique tastes and combinations.
Day 10 Barcelona
Barcelona guided sightseeing tour
Plaza de España, Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, Montjuïc Hill, Park Güell visit
Paella dinner
Details: Barcelona guided sightseeing tour
Experience the best of Barcelona, a vibrant city where Gothic churches, colorful mosaics, and bold modernist architecture all blend together in unforgettable ways. Wander through lively streets lined with wrought-iron balconies and buzzing cafés as your local guide introduces you to the city’s most iconic sights. Take in an outside view of La Sagrada Família, Gaudí’s astonishing unfinished basilica, before heading into the bright, imaginative world of Park Güell, where sweeping terraces and vivid tilework overlook the entire city. Then continue up to Montjuïc, the historic hill that has witnessed centuries of battles and later welcomed the 1992 Olympics, offering panoramic views and a perfect look at Barcelona’s mix of creativity, culture, and history.
Details: Gaudí’s Sagrada Família
This breathtaking basilica, widely regarded as Antoni Gaudí’s greatest masterpiece, has been rising slowly over Barcelona’s skyline since 1882. Its soaring towers, intricate façades and dreamlike geometry make it one of the most extraordinary architectural projects in the world, and with completion expected in 2026, you’ll witness a landmark still very much in the making.
Details: Montjuïc Hill
Travel to Barcelona’s mountain of Montjuïc, the focal point of two of the city’s key international events: the World’s Fair of 1929, of which many structures still remain; and the 1992 Olympic Games. Montjuïc features the largest "green zone" in the city with miles of forests and parks.
Details: Park Güell visit
Discover the whimsical world of Park Güell, one of the most iconic elements of the UNESCO-listed “Works of Antoni Gaudí.” This imaginative hillside park blends vibrant mosaics, organic forms, and sweeping city views. Highlights include the famous mosaic lizard, the colorful serpentine bench, and the forest of Doric columns ingeniously designed to function as part of Gaudí’s drainage system. It’s a place where architecture, nature, and artistry come together in unforgettable ways.
Details: Paella dinner
Paella is a Valencian rice dish with ancient roots that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near Albufera lagoon on the east coast of Spain.
Day 11 Flight home from Barcelona

Tour Fee Includes:

  • Round-trip airfare
  • 9 overnight stays (11 on extension) in hotels with private bathrooms
  • Full European breakfast daily
  • Dinner daily
  • Full-time services of a professional tour director
  • Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
  • Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
  • Guided sightseeing tours with high-tech headset as per itinerary
  • Tour Diary™
  • Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
  • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
  • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.