Visiting the Europeans

Kumuka visit all the greatest cities, but what do we get up to in each place? Will you have any free time? Will you get to see all the main attractions? Tour leader Susan Burn gives the inside track.

1. London
   We meet here to transfer to the Eurostar station. Eurostar is brilliant. While some other tour companies leave London at the crack of dawn, drive to Dover, wait around for a ferry, bounce around on the Channel, then do another four-hour drive to Paris, Kumuka people get to the station 45 minutes before the train leaves, then snooze for three hours and arrive in the middle of Paris before lunch, to be met by Kumuka crew. It’s soooo much better.
2. Paris
   We always go on an orientation tour of the city, with a dinner in a (local) French restaurant, and we do an hour-long guided cruise on the Seine. All the rest of your time is totally your own, unless the guide offers a cabaret show. Some guides do; others will recommend somewhere and passengers go on their own. France is very interesting and always full of surprises. One minute you’re in a big city, then next, you’re in a medieval walled village. Moving on, you drive through fields of sunflowers, and find yourself in an up-market cliff-top town with major religious significance. It’s very diverse, but held together by the French attitude which is everywhere.
3. Interlaken
   This is actually most people’s highlight. We stay right in the Swiss Alps, and on the train line for one of the best excursions in Europe. It’s a train ride up to the top of the Jungfrau mountain. You take the world’s longest cog railway to the top, and then you can play in the snow, walk through a glacier, take a space-age lift to the highest point of the visitors’ centre, and (depending on the season) ski on a bunny hill, take a husky dog ride, sledge, and sometimes take a plane trip over the glacier. It’s a huge buzz up there.
4. Annecy
   On the way to Annecy, we stop in Geneva, a very up-market French-Swiss town, with a big lake and the famous Jet d’eau water geyser. Annecy itself is a well preserved medieval town, with picturesque streets and waterways, running past traditional French food traders, and outdoor cafés. It’s on the shore of a large lake, and you can rent pedalos or swim.
5. Nice
   On arrival, we do the short cliff-top drive to Monaco. That evening is spent having a meal not far from the Prince’s Palace, followed by a drive along the Grand Prix circuit, to the district of Monte Carlo, where the casinos are. People have time to visit the casinos and drool over the Jags and Ferraris. The next day is totally their own. They can hang around Nice and go to the old town or beach, or jump on the train to places like Antibes, or Cannes. Some of our best experiences have been in the Riviera.
6. Florence
   We drive into Florence central and go to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo for a photo. The coach leaves, and we wander down the hill and into town. We meet a local guide who talks us through the sights for an hour. Then we go to a leather demonstration, and after that we’re free. The town is fantastic for just wandering around, and the galleries and churches and piazzas are magic.
7. Berlin
   Berlin is really spread out, so we start with a guided coach tour with a local guide and then have two totally free days. You can visit all the former Communist sights, check out the extremely diverse club scene, do some fabulous shopping, or tag onto a bar crawl. The local German pub near the hotel we use in Berlin turned out to be a wonderful find – but you’ll have to bribe me for the name!
8. Venice
   Having left the coach on the mainland, we arrive by private motor boat and go to a glass-blowing demonstration, then on to an optional gondola ride, which pretty well everybody loves. Then it’s free time. You can visit the Doge’s palace and see Casanova’s prison cell; eat pizza next to the Rialto Bridge; get a boat pass and visit the other Venetian islands; go to the beach; or just get lost among the canals and alleyways – fantastic. Harry’s Bar, which used to be the hangout of the Nazis when they occupied Venice, is like stepping back in time – all dark wood and white-suited waiters.
9. Munich
   Munich has some really good museums and the best technological museum in the world, with full-size boats, planes, cars, a coal mine and a submarine – pretty impressive. The Beerfest is a highlight for those whose tour coincides with it in October. It’s actually a field filled with enormous tents that hold thousands of people, all singing, dancing and drinking huge mugs of beer. There’s an amusement park, food stands, people in traditional dress, all getting along and partying non-stop for days.
10. Vienna
    Vienna is class, basically – all architecture, high-society cafés and hotels, orchestras and pastries. Quite different from sloshing beer in a field in Munich. There’s the Schönbrunn palace (a UNESCO world heritage site), the oldest amusement park in the world, art galleries, wacky architecture, some really good museums. On the free day you can do whatever you want. You might even have the chance to see the Wiener Residenz Orchestra perform in the evening.
11. Budapest
    We arrive in Budapest in the early afternoon. You have free time to get lunch, and then there’s a guided coach and walking tour of the rather spread-out sights. The next day you have totally free. People usually visit the thermal baths, which are housed in grand, historic buildings with a maze of pools, spas and treatment rooms. The main sites are Gellért Hill, and the city’s many free museums and galleries.
12. Prague
    You go into town on arrival, or sometimes the next morning. Everyone gets an orientation walking tour, and then free time. People usually visit either the Castle Quarter or the Jewish Quarter. Some people go to “the biggest dance club in central Europe” or they see a black light show or try a jazz club. We found a really good hotel café in Prague; all white art deco, with gorgeous salads.
13. Amsterdam
    Amsterdam is Disneyland for adults, anything you want it to be: culture, fun, food, shopping, nice people… and very, very pretty. We start with a city orientation, time to find dinner, and then an optional jaunt into the red light district, which is quite tourist-friendly. The next day is free, except to meet up for dinner in town. You can visit the brewery, see some Dutch art, hop on a canal boat, buy cheap diamonds, shop till you drop, rent a bicycle or just chill out in a café.

KUMUKA’S EUROPE
Europe is packed with unmissable cities and amazing experiences. We’ll take you in a comfortable coach with a group of like-minded travellers around the best attractions on the continent, with experienced driver/leader teams and local guides to give you the best insights from the inside track. We stay in 3-star (or better) hotels throughout our trips, and you’ll find most things you want to do are already included, with good-value optional excursions.

WHY NOT TRY:

EUROPEAN ESCAPADE 10 DAYS
London, Paris, Interlaken, Geneva, Annecy, Nice, Pisa, Florence, Rome

EUROPEAN SYMPHONY 17 DAYS
London, Paris, Interlaken, Geneva, Annecy, Nice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Venice, Munich, Vienna

CENTRAL EUROPE 28 DAYS
London, Paris, Interlaken, Geneva, Annecy, Nice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Venice, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, London

FLIGHTCHECK:
For customers from Australia or New Zealand, contact your local Kumuka office to arrange flights to Europe.