New Year’s in Paris: Amsterdam, Paris & London

• Arrive at the airport to meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers as they arrive.
• Transfer to your hotel to check into your accommodations.
• Get to know the area around your hotel on an intro walk with your Tour Director.
• Enjoy your Welcome Dinner! Hosted by your Tour Director, this kickoff dinner is all about getting to know the others in your group and easing into the rest of the trip ahead.

• Spend the morning on a walking tour of Amsterdam with a local guide.
• Stroll through the lively Dam Square, the heart of Amsterdam since the 13th century. Once a marketplace by the Amstel River, it’s now surrounded by historic landmarks, street performers, and the grand facade of the Royal Palace.
• Take in scenic views of the Amstel River, once the city’s main trade route and lifeline. Lined with elegant 17th-century canal houses and iconic bridges like Magere Brug, it offers a picture-perfect glimpse into Amsterdam’s Golden Age charm.
• End your tour at Rembrandtplein, another bustling square named after the famous Golden Age painter who lived nearby. It used to be a butter market where dairy products were sold, and now it’s filled with cafes, bars, and a bronze statue of Rembrandt surrounded by life-size figures from The Night Watch painting.

Van Gogh Museum: Enter the world of Vincent Van Gogh at this museum dedicated to the life and work of arguably the greatest of the Post-Impressionists. If you’re an art lover, this is a must.

Anne Frank House: Explore the life and times of Anne Frank in this preserved canal side house-turned-museum. See the secret annex where Anne, and her brave family, hid from Nazi persecution during WWII. Plan ahead—tickets have to be purchased months in advance.

Bloemenmarkt: Head to what was once the only floating flower market in the world. Today, you’ll find it bobbing on the city’s southern canal belt selling fresh flowers, gifts, and an assortment of the famously pretty Dutch tulip bulbs.

Ask your Tour Director

• The difference between Holland and The Netherlands: It's based on geography from the early 19th century and no, they’re not interchangeable.
• The rules of the road: There are more bicycles than people in Amsterdam, and it’s the most common way to get around, but if you’re going to do as the Dutch do (and do it safely) you’ll need to learn the etiquette.
• Where to find the best stroopwafels: You can’t leave Amsterdam without eating one (but preferably many) of these traditional Dutch confections, made of caramel syrup sandwiched between two crisp waffle cookies.
• Why the houses lean: Many of Amsterdam’s canal houses tilt forward or to the side. It’s not an illusion — the city’s built on wooden stilts, and shifting soil over centuries has made the buildings charmingly crooked. -** How the canals came to be:** Amsterdam’s 17th-century canals were man-made, designed for trade and defense. Today there are 165 canals and 1500 bridges—more than Venice!—creating the city’s distinct ring shape.
• Hidden gems: Ask about hofjes—secret courtyards hidden behind old houses. They were once built for widows or charities, and today they’re quiet, green oases tucked just steps from busy streets.
• The art scene: Amsterdam is home to the Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, and Rembrandt House, but also modern, quirky favorites like Micropia (all about microbes) and the Moco Museum for pop and street art.
• Local language hacks: Most people speak fluent English, but try a few Dutch words— like dank je (thank you) and lekker (tasty!). The locals will appreciate the effort.

Heineken Experience: Take a self-guided interactive tour of this former brewery turned museum to learn the history of Heineken brew before getting to enjoy two of your own.

Poffertjes and herring: You’ve heard of chicken and waffles, but what about pancakes and fish? Not together, but we do recommend trying them both. Nibble small, fluffy pancakes called Poffertjes, or try some fresh herring, served raw with onion.

• After you drop off your bags, follow your Tour Director on a walking tour of the city and its sights including the legendary Notre-Dame Cathedral. Begun in 1163 (and currently under restoration following a 2019 fire), Notre-Dame is French Gothic masterpiece. Famous for its flying buttresses and stained-glass windows, it’s seen coronations, revolutions, and inspired Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
• Float down the Seine on a scenic boat ride that makes its way through the true heart of the city beneath many of the river’s ornate bridges.
• Watch the lights of the Eiffel Tower sparkle (every hour, on the hour, after sunset).

• Saunter along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris’ most iconic boulevard, lined with cafes, luxury shops, and theaters that lead straight to the Arc de Triomphe. Standing proudly at its end, the arch honors France’s victories during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars (and also marks the end of the Tour de France bike race).
• Get the inside scoop on Parisian life from literature and cafe culture to haute cuisine and high fashion.
• Learn about the designers, artists, royals, revolutionaries, and intellectuals that shaped (and continue to shape) the City of Light.
• Toast to another year with included drinks, food, and a DJ in a private event space for New Year’s Eve.

Ask your Tour Director

• Why the city is arranged in concentric neighborhoods: Paris is made up of 20 distinct neighborhoods, or arrondissements, all with their own mayor, town hall, and vibe.
• Where to find the best views: From the second deck of the Eiffel Tower to the Sacre Coeur atop Montmartre, you can find sweeping panoramas of Paris all over the city.
• How to use the Métro system: There are 16 different lines, and they’re labeled by their end stations, so make sure you know which terminus you’re going toward and you’ll never get lost.
• About the French bread law: The French take their baked goods very, very seriously, and there’s actually a baguette law that outlines which ingredients are required and where they can be sold.
• Which museums to visit: The Louvre is so huge you’d need over 100 days to see it all. The Marmottan holds the largest collection of Monet’s works. Not into art? The Vivant du Fromage is all about cheese.
• How many dogs are in Paris: The answer is “more than there are children.”
• Why Paris’ nickname is The City of Light: And it’s not because of the Eiffel Tower.

Catacombs: Dare to step through the “Gate of Hell” on your way below the city streets and you’ll be greeted by walls of stacked skulls and bones of past Parisians. If you’re claustrophobic or afraid of the macabre, maybe skip this.

The Louvre: Once the home of French kings and now the largest art museum in the world, this astounding collection of art, including the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory, is unmissable.

Moulin Rouge: The original version of this famed cabaret in Montmartre burned down in 1915, but the birthplace of the modern can-can dance lives on—just look for the large red windmill.

The Marais: Explore the historic Jewish quarter of Paris, now one of its trendiest arrondissements, filled with boutiques, art galleries, and really good falafel spots like L’As du Fallafel.

• Hop on the train for a speedy underwater ride from Paris to London via the Chunnel—just 2.5 hours under the English Channel. (If you’re envisioning a train that goes through an aquarium though, this is not that.)
• Enjoy a free afternoon and evening after checking into your accommodations.

Abbey Road: Recreate the cover of the Beatles’ last studio album, Abbey Road, by strolling across the famous crosswalk featured on the cover, right outside Abbey Road Studios.

Harrods: Shop around the million+ square feet of London’s huge luxury department store, opened in 1834, with seven floors of designer shops, lavish displays, and gourmet food.

• Dive into thousands of years of London’s secrets with a local guide. The Romans founded Londinium around 50 AD as a trading post on the Thames, building roads, walls, and bridges that shaped the city’s layout.
• Immerse yourself in London’s rich history at landmarks from the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament.
• Experience the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, a tradition that dates back to 1660. Today, it’s a precise ceremony that showcases centuries of royal tradition and military pageantry. Note: do not touch or get close to the horses, you’ll almost definitely get a reprimand from a guard.
• Wave hello to the icon himself, Big Ben. Fun fact: Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower, not the tower.

Ask your Tour Director

• How to tell if the king is at home: Depending on which flag is flying above Buckingham Palace, you’ll know if the king is roaming around its 775 rooms or away on official royal business.
• Why London’s nickname is “The Big Smoke”: During the Industrial Revolution the city definitely wouldn’t have passed any air quality tests.
• The best historic pubs to get a pint: London pubs are institutions in themselves and each has their own unique history, like The Blackfriar and The Mayflower.
• If they know any spooky Tower of London stories: Arguably one of the most haunted places in the world, the Tower of London was a prison where many famous figures like Anne Boleyn met their end and is now where the British Crown Jewels are on display.
• How chicken tikka masala became the unofficial dish of the UK: It’s right up there with fish and chips, bangers and mash, and Sunday roast.
• The vibes of different neighborhoods: Shoreditch and Camden are trendy and edgy with bars, markets, and street art; Soho is a hub for theater and the heart of the LGBTQ+ scene; Mayfair is upscale and old-money coded; something new is just a Tube stop away.

The British Museum: With over 8 million objects, this free museum is one of the largest and most comprehensive collections in existence—so don’t expect to see it all.

Westminster Abbey: This masterpiece of Gothic architecture has hosted every royal coronation since 1066 and is the burial place of kings, queens, and famous historical figures.