England | Floriade, Gardens & Chelsea Flower Show
This escorted tour visits the major UK and European garden highlights of 2012. Not only the amazing Chelsea Flower Show, but also Monet's Garden of Giverny, fabulous French Chateaux and gardens, Versailles, Paris, the Dutch tulip gardens of Keukenhof, and also the "once in a decade" Floriade. This is really the tour of the decade for anyone with an interest in the history and beauty of Europe, with the added value of these two world leading garden shows.
| Duration: | 16 Days |
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| Tour Code: | ITW639 |
| Trip Style: | Superior - 4 star |
| Departure Dates: | 13 May 2012 |
| Price: | $7,395 |
| Single Supplement: | $2,495 |
| Places you'll visit: |
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| Highlights: |
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Ideal for Solo Travellers
Our small group size and personalised boutique experiences mean you have the opportunity to travel with other people with similar interests to your own. It's your chance to meet new friends, share experiences, engage in stimulating conversation and enjoy benefits of group travel.
If you are travelling by yourself and you want to share, we will endeavour to arrange a person to share your room - thereby avoiding the single supplement. If we are unable to get another person to share, there will be no single supplement charged.
Trip Details
GROUP SIZE: 25 approx.
Day 1, Amsterdam
The tour commences on arrival. Transfer to your hotel for 4 nights accommodation. The remainder of the day is free to relax or explore. Welcome dinner tonight. D
Day 2, Amsterdam & Limmen
Amsterdam is a beautiful city of canals and this morning a canal cruise features in our city sightseeing tour.
This afternoon we venture into the countryside to the pretty village of Limmen. This is the home of Hortus Bulborum, established in 1928 with tulips dating from 1595 as a gene pool for the Dutch bulb industry. There are 3,500 different tulip, hyacinth and daffodil species. The preservation of heirloom bulbs is a major focus. Many of them have no commercial value for modern mass production; the aim, rather, is to keep these cultivars for future generations. B
Day 3, Keukenhof
We have a full day absorbing the majestic beauty of one of the world's finest bulb fields, the Keukenhof Garden. Its 80 acres of winding paths, streams and placid ponds offer an exuberant feast for the eyes. There are tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other flowering bulbs, flowering shrubs, ancient trees, indoor exhibitions, flower parades, and no fewer than seven themed gardens. We return to our Amsterdam hotel this evening. B
Day 4, Floriade
A major feature is our visit today to Floriade - only held every ten years. Floriade 2012 will feature exquisite and exceptional flowers, plants, trees, fruit and vegetables, plus a cultural program of music, dance, literature, theatre and visual art from all over the world, as well as sustainable growing and dazzling and pioneering new architecture.
See the countless shows and parades, then take a break and savour delicious local and international cuisine. You will indulge all your senses - sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell first hand, and see the influence horticulture has on the quality of our daily lives. Return transfers to and from Venlo are included. B
Day 5, Amsterdam / Brugge / Ghent
Depart Amsterdam for picturesque Brugge, then on to Ghent, our base for 2 nights. B
Day 6, Ghent
Free day to explore the old city centre of Ghent. This afternoon you are invited to join the tour escort in the bar of the hotel before heading out to a local restaurant for a Belgium dinner. B,D
Day 7, Paris
Transfer to Paris and our hotel for 5 nights. B
Day 8, Paris
City sightseeing highlights tour. B
Day 9, Monet's Garden & Versailles
This morning we visit Monet's Garden of Giverny, Monet's home for more than 40 years. There are two parts to Monet's garden: a flower garden called Clos Normand in front of the house and a Japanese inspired water garden. Both parts contrast and complement one another. Claude Monet did not like organised or constrained gardens. In the Clos Normand he left them to grow rather freely. In the water garden see the famous wisteria covered Japanese bridge, weeping willows and memorable water lilies.
This afternoon we visit Louis XIV's magnificent Versailles Palace with its sweeping gardens and water jets. B
Day 10, Paris
Today we visit the Luxembourg gardens in central Paris, this afternoon why not explore one of the city's Museums or perhaps the Eiffel Tower? B
Day 11, Chateaux and gardens
Today we visit two of France's grand gardens - Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. "The forerunner of Versailles", was laid out in 1661, and includes a parterre, immaculately clipped topiary yew, water features, reflective pools, and a grand canal with grottoes on one side and a cascade on the other. Once the noblest garden in all France, Fontainebleau was built for king, Francois I, to rival the great courts of Italy.
Enough of the 1528-1547 layout survives to give one a sense of how gardens were arranged in sixteenth century France. Le Nôtre designed a large parterre, between 1661 and 1664, on the site of the former Grand Jardin. The 1200 metre-long canal also remains. The Jardin Anglais made between 1811 and 1812 continues to fascinate. B
Day 12, Paris to London
This morning we transfer to Paris' Gare du Nord Railway Station for our Eurostar transfer to London where we have 4 nights accommodation. B
Day 13, London
We have a tour of London highlights - visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Churchill's WW2 bunker, and explore Greenwich Village markets. B
Day 14, Chelsea Flower Show
Today we have a full day today at the Chelsea Flower Show, arguably, the world's greatest and best known flower show. B
Day 15, Kew Gardens
A visit today to the famous Kew Gardens with its amazing history of botanic collections and modern displays. Optional farewell dinner tonight. B
Day 16, London
The tour ends this morning. Transfer to the airport for your onward travel. B
Inclusions
- 3-4 star quality accommodation
- all breakfasts
- welcome dinner and some other meals
- tour escort
- transfers
- entrance fees to gardens and other attractions as per itinerary
Terms & Conditions
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For more information, availability and pricing and options, please contact our expert travel specialists at Inspired Travel Worldwide on (02) 9449 8598 or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
