Most flights from Kuala Lumpur to Europe through Istanbul give you a few tired hours in a transit hall. This tour gives you a night in Istanbul instead, so you reach Paris rested on Day 2. From there, the coach crosses five countries in a week: France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

Day 3 is the big Paris day, with the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Grand Mosque of Paris. Day 4 brings the Atomium and the Grand Place in Brussels. Day 5 is the windmills of Zaanse Schans, a clog workshop and a canal cruise in Amsterdam. On Day 6 you visit Cologne Central Mosque and old Frankfurt, and April departures also see the tulips at Keukenhof. The Swiss part ends on Day 8 with the cable car up Mount Titlis, then the Chapel Bridge and the Lion Monument in Lucerne.

This is a long coach tour. You change countries most days, many sights are seen from outside, and lunch is not included. In return, breakfast and dinner are arranged from Day 3 to Day 8, the gratuities are included, and you finish in Zurich, so there is no long drive back to Paris.

Quick facts

Duration: 10 days 8 nights, including 1 night in Istanbul
Route: Istanbul, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans, Cologne, Frankfurt, Titisee, Rhine Falls, Mount Titlis, Lucerne and Zurich
Package type: group tour on a fixed departure date
Flights: included, from KLIA via Istanbul, with airport taxes, checked luggage and meals on board
Hotels: 1 night in Istanbul, 2 in Paris, 2 in Amsterdam, 1 in Frankfurt and 2 in Zurich
Meals: 6 breakfasts and 6 dinners
Booking: seats are subject to availability. We confirm with the tour operator and email you once your seats are secured.

Highlights

A night in Istanbul on the way to Europe
The cable car up Mount Titlis, with the Glacier Cave and the Cliff Walk
The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Grand Mosque of Paris
Zaanse Schans windmills and a canal cruise in Amsterdam
The Rhine Falls and Lake Titisee in the Black Forest
Chapel Bridge and the Lion Monument in Lucerne

Itinerary

Day 1: Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul

Fly from KLIA to Istanbul.

Meals: on the flight. Overnight: Istanbul.

Day 2: Istanbul to Paris

Fly on to Paris. The rest of the day is free.

Overnight: Paris.

Day 3: Paris

Start at Galeries Lafayette, the famous department store under a glass dome. Then see the Louvre Museum, the Palais Garnier opera house, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral. Visit the Grand Mosque of Paris, opened in 1926, with its tiled courtyard and garden.

Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Paris.

Day 4: Paris to Brussels and Amsterdam

Drive to Brussels for the Atomium, a giant steel model of an atom built for the 1958 World's Fair. In the city centre, see the Grand Place, a square of gold-trimmed guild houses, and Manneken Pis, the small bronze statue that is the symbol of the city. Continue to Amsterdam.

Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Amsterdam.

Day 5: Zaanse Schans and Amsterdam

Visit Zaanse Schans, a village of green wooden houses and working windmills, and watch wooden clogs being made at the clog workshop. Back in Amsterdam, take a cruise on the city canals and visit Gassan Diamonds to see how diamonds are cut and polished.

Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Amsterdam.

Day 6: Cologne and Frankfurt

Drive into Germany. Visit Cologne Central Mosque, a modern mosque with a large glass-and-concrete dome. In Frankfurt, walk around Römerberg, the old town square, with the Fountain of Justice and the Römer, Frankfurt's city hall for 600 years. See the small Bridge of Sighs and the Main Tower, one of the city's skyscrapers.

April departures also visit Keukenhof, one of the largest flower gardens in the world, before leaving the Netherlands.

Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Frankfurt.

Day 7: Titisee and the Rhine Falls

Drive south into the Black Forest to Lake Titisee, a lake surrounded by forest. Then cross into Switzerland to Schaffhausen for the Rhine Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Europe. Continue to Zurich.

Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Zurich.

Day 8: Mount Titlis and Lucerne

Drive to Engelberg and go up Mount Titlis, 3,238 metres high, where there is snow all year. At the top, walk through the Glacier Cave, a tunnel cut into the ice, and cross the Cliff Walk, a suspension bridge over a deep drop.

In Lucerne, see the Chapel Bridge, a covered wooden bridge from the 1300s, and the Lion Monument, a dying lion carved into the rock. There is time to shop at Bucherer and Casa Grande, two well-known watch and souvenir shops.

Meals: breakfast, dinner. Overnight: Zurich.

Day 9: Zurich to Istanbul

Transfer to Zurich Airport for your flight home via Istanbul.

Day 10: Arrive in Kuala Lumpur

Arrive back in Kuala Lumpur.

What's included

Flights from KLIA via Istanbul to Paris, and from Zurich via Istanbul back to KLIA
Airport taxes
Checked luggage
Meals on the flights
Hotels: 1 night in Istanbul, 2 in Paris, 2 in Amsterdam, 1 in Frankfurt and 2 in Zurich
Meals as listed in the itinerary
Gratuities

Not included

Lunches, and meals on Days 1, 2 and 9 except on the flights
Entry to sights the program does not list as included, such as the Louvre

Good to know

Most days involve long coach drives between countries.
The Lucerne stop includes time at watch and souvenir shops. Buying anything is up to you.
It is cold at the top of Mount Titlis all year. Bring a warm jacket and good shoes.
Child policy: child without bed is only for ages 2 to 6. Children aged 7 and above must book child with bed or child twin. Only 1 child can share a room with 2 adults, so a family of 2 adults and 2 or more children must book the children as 2 child twin.

FAQ

Do we stay in Istanbul?

Yes. You spend the first night in Istanbul and fly on to Paris on Day 2. On the way home you only change planes in Istanbul.

Which meals are included?

Breakfast and dinner from Day 3 to Day 8. Lunches are not included.

Is there a version without the Istanbul night?

Yes. Our 9-day Paris, Amsterdam & Switzerland tour covers a similar route and flies straight through.

Is my booking confirmed straight away?

No. Seats are subject to availability. We confirm with the tour operator and email you once your seats are secured.