London, Paris, and Amsterdam (2025)

Depart from home! Fly to London, England on an overnight flight.

Welcome to London! Our bus will be waiting at Heathrow to transfer us to our central London hotel where we will enjoy a hearty English breakfast. Following breakfast, we will enjoy a stroll through Hyde Park and visit the Natural History Museum and Darwin Center. After a delicious lunch we will hop on the Tube (London’s underground rail system) and hit some of London’s most famous landmarks. We’ll return to the hotel for a little rest before heading out on our evening excursion the Westminster Ghost Walk at 6:00pm. Over the course of 90 minutes our guide will share fascinating stories and history with us as we pass landmarks including the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Sherlock Holmes pub, Westminster Bridge, Parliament Square and Waterloo Bridge for one of the best views of London at night. We will return to the hotel early around 8:30PM for a good night’s sleep

At around 9:00am we will head south out of London for a 90-minute drive to Down House, the former home of world-renowned scientist Charles Darwin. We will explore his house and have a guided tour of the gardens that served as Darwin’s ‘outdoor laboratory’ and where he did much of his thinking whilst writing his defining work, Origin of Species. This afternoon we will continue to Bethlem Royal Hospital, home of The Bethlem Museum of the Mind. The museum cares for an internationally renowned collection of archives, art and historic objects, which together offer an unparalleled resource to support the history of mental health care and treatment. Tonight for dinner we get to do something extra fun: You will be given a map, some money, and off you go to explore London and enjoy dinner on your own.

Bring your bargaining skills this morning as we visit Portobello Road market! Take in the sights, sounds and smells of one of London’s most well-known and popular markets. We will also stroll through Notting Hill area of London, made famous in the movie of the same name. At noon we have an appointment for a guided tour of the Freud Museum. Situated in the former home of Sigmund Freud and his family, the museum is dedicated to Freud and the story of Psychoanalysis, and still houses his study and famous couch! We will enjoy dinner at a local pub, then it’s back to the hotel for an early night as we leave for Paris the next morning!

An early start this morning as our bus will collect us at 7:30am for the transfer to St. Pancras station. We will board our Eurostar train for the journey to Paris through the channel tunnel. Upon arrival in Paris, we will be transferred by bus to our hotel. This afternoon we’ll have the opportunity for some sightseeing around Paris. Tonight we enjoy dinner at a traditional French Restaurant

We’ll visit the highlights of Paris this morning taking in the “must see” landmarks of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, River Seine and the remains of the Notre Dame. Save some space at lunch today as we have a real Parisian experience this afternoon. We will split into two smaller groups for a guided tour in the trendy Saint Germain des Pres area where we will get an insight into classic Parisian delicacies from a local foodie, and most importantly try a variety of chocolates and pastries! Tonight we get to experience something really cool! After dinner this evening we will meet our local guide at 9pm for a two-hour Legends and Mysteries walking tour. Gain fascinating insight into the less well-known side of the history of the city as we visit mystery-shrouded sites like the Place de la Vert Gallant and the Palais du Justice.

After breakfast this morning we will enjoy a walk through the city to the Montmartre area, famous for its history, art and the white domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur proudly overlooking the surrounding area. We will enjoy lunch in this area before indulging in some culture and art this afternoon at the outstanding Musee D’Orsay. Enjoy your final evening in Paris tonight. You will again be given a map, some money, and a chance to explore and dine on your own this evening. We have a very early start the next morning and must be on time for our train! Please be aware of this and keep track of your evening plans and save enough time to get a good night’s sleep.

Our bus will collect us for the transfer to Gare du Nord and another train to Amsterdam. We will travel through France and Belgium on our comfortable, high speed train before arriving into our third European capital city of Amsterdam. After checking in at the hotel we’ll head out for some lunch and spend the afternoon exploring the canals and alleyways of this exciting and beautiful city. For Dinner you all get to explore on your own! You will again receive money and a map and off you go!

This morning we will visit the Van Gogh museum, housing the world’s largest collection of works by Van Gogh and many of his renowned masterpieces. In the afternoon, we will visit another of Amsterdam’s most popular locations, Anne Frank’s House. We will have an introductory talk by a guide before exploring the home of the World War II diarist, which is now a biographical museum. Enjoy your final evening in Amsterdam and our final evening together with a dinner at a local restaurant where we will all get to say a final farewell and reminisce on our time together in these three wonderful countries.

Return home! Our bus will collect us for the journey to Schiphol airport and the flight back to the US. Enjoy a comfortable flight back across the Atlantic with time to reflect on the memories of your time in Europe!