Amsterdam, Belgium and Paris

DAY 1: NEWARK (FOR THOSE WHO OPT TO TAKE THE GROUP FLIGHT)

As the group flight takes off, the trip officially begins!

DAYS 2 – 4: AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, is known for its vibrant culture of young travelers eager to explore the city’s treasures.  The city itself is a sight to behold, filled with bicycles and gorgeous old buildings, which makes it ideal for exploring on foot.  Our focus is on providing a safe and energetic tour of this dynamic place, as we tour the Vondelpark, check out the masterpieces on display at the Van Gogh Museum, listen to live music at a jazz club, and even take a walking tour through the notorious Red Light District.  Throughout, we’ll peer back into the origins of Dutch culture, and pause to reflect on the events of modern history as we visit the Anne Frank House, where the famous diarist and her family lived while in hiding from the Nazi forces that occupied the city.

DAYS 5 – 8: BRUGES

We then head to Bruges, in Belgium, a small city teeming with life that tourists to Europe too often ignore.  Here, we’ll find beautiful canals and old city streets.  We’ll take a bike tour by day, and by night we’ll enjoy fantastic food and live music.  On our day trip to Brussels, Belgium’s capital and largest city, we get a rare glimpse into the art of chocolate-making with a visit to a local chocolate factory.  Here, the old and the new collide, as our day includes both a visit to St. Christopher’s Basilica, and a tour of the city’s graffiti.  In Belgium, too, we take a sobering look at contemporary history with a visit to the site of the Breendonk concentration camp, where we reflect on the ways in which these terrible recent events have shaped the region.  This trip offers abundant options, and travelers may elect to spend a day in Antwerp, which offers some remarkable sights along with some amazing shopping.

DAYS 9 – 13: PARIS

Leaving Belgium behind, we finish our trip with three nights in Paris.  Our hotel is located in the Marais, one of the most exciting and historically rich sections of the city, where we’re just steps away from the Notre Dame cathedral, and a short metro ride to the Louvre – the largest art museum in the world.  Our time in Paris is spent absorbing its intoxicating atmosphere, strolling the banks of the Seine, and enjoying the splendid offerings of French cuisine.  We picnic on the Champ du Mars, pack in shopping time on the Champs Élysée, climb the stairs of the Arc du Triomphe, wander through the Luxembourg Gardens, and of course look out over all of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower.