31-night South America, Canary Islands, Spain & France Cruise

Rio - A Brazilian Night

Rio - Jeep Tour In the Floresta da Tijuca

Jeep tour in the Floresta da Tijuca shows the difference between nature and the city. We will make a quick stop at Macaco's Waterfall for pistures. Later on we will see the Chinese View, Emperor Table, Cascatinha Taunay and Mayrink Chapel. We will also walk through a light trail, giving us a chance to feel the contact with nature. During this tour, people who will explain the importance of the Mata Atlantica will guide us.

Rio - FD Sugar Loaf + Santa Teresa

Carnival Experience at Samba City - 4 hours

Highlights:

• Visit the backstage of the samba schools at Cidade do Samba, home to some of the most renowned samba dancers in the world. Cidade do Samba offers the 14 best samba schools in Rio space to build their floats and prepare their music and samba performance for the carnival.  with its exhibition of costumes and floats from old carnivals.
• Watch the dancers perform the complex samba steps and learn some new dance moves. 
• Hear the samba beat and watch some of the best samba dancers in Rio performing the intricate dance steps and learn some steps of this essential Brazilian dance, while having a refreshing drink. 

• Pick up and drop off at port
• Tour with driver and English-speaking guide

• Lunch, tips, beverages, personal expenses

Secrets of Old Rio with Lunch - 6 hours

Highlights:

• Travel in time with this enriching walking tour! 
• Enjoy a walking tour through the historic center of Rio with our private guide for a unique view of the city's history.  
• Start the walk passing by the Olympic boulevard, a revitalized area of ??the city and one of the main legacies of the 2016 Olympic games. Here we will observe countless world famous graffiti. A real open-air museum!
• Pass by some central sites of Rio's culture and history, such as the São Bento Monastery, the Candelária Church, the Cultural Center - located in the restored Banco do Brasil, Casa França-Brasil, Praça XV and Paço imperial.
• Visit the Metropolitan cathedral, crossing carioca square and the visit candelária square, where we will receive our ticket for the new public transport VLT Tram back to the port area.
• Lunch in Santa Teresa, a unique neighborhood of Rio de JANEIRO.

• Lunch
• Pick up and drop off at port
• Tour with driver and English-speaking guide

• Tips, beverages, personal expenses

Sugar Loaf Sunset with Caipirinha Toast - 4 hours

Highlights:

• Ascend to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain on an amusing cable car ride and admire the breathtaking views.
• The climb is divided into two stages. After the first, arrive at Morro da Urca with its panoramic gardens and terraces; after the second, enjoy a spectacular view of the city, its beaches, Guanabara Bay and the Corcovado on the horizon.
• Toast the sunset with a lemon caipirinha.

• Pick up and drop off at port
• Tour with driver and English-speaking guide
• 1 caipirinha drink per person

• Lunch, Tips, beverages, personal expenses

Salvador - Bahia By Night Folklore Show

The Bahia Folklore Company (Balé Folclórico da Bahia) is one of the most respected folklore dance troupes in the world. The company performs in the intimate Miguel Santana Theatre in the Pelourinho in a seamless presentation of the multiple African traditions that underpin Bahian culture. We will see the sacred dances of the Candomblé; puxada de rede, a song by fishermen in honor of Yemanjá, the goddess of the sea; maculelê, an acrobatic stick and sword dance with its origins in the cane fields; capoeira, a martial art/dance of Angolan origin and the samba de roda, a spinning, swirling version of this exuberant national dance. Optional: After the show diner will be served in one of the many fine restaurants in the area.

Salvador - Essential Salvador (Upper City Tour)

Discover the essential sights of Salvador on a half day tour tracing the development of the city from its simple beginnings to the what is now the third largest city in Brazil. After hotel pick up, we take you to the mouth of the immense bay and then via elegant tree-lined avenues and bustling city streets to the Pelourinho, a Unesco Heritage site and the largest complex of colonial architecture in the South America. We leave the vehicle at the Muncipal Square, by the towering Lacerda Elevator, with great views of the bay stretching out to the lower city, and stroll through the narrow, bustling streets lined with buildings in pastel shades of an age gone by, soaking in the sights and sounds of this vibrant city. We visit the church of São Francisco with its exuberant gold-leafed Baroque interior and the Pelourinho square, the heart of the old town

Salvador - HD Drum Essentials Workshop

Bahia is the percussive heart of Brazil, the the rhythmic soul is African, a mind boggling myriad of rythmns that has attracted many international musicians to these shores, Paul Simon, Wayne Shorter, to name but a few of the more famous. The rhythms can be chosen from the following: • Rhythmns of the Afro Blocos • Ijexá - the shuffling rhythm of the famous carnival afoxé Filhos de Gandhi • Samba de Roda and Samba Dura - the powerhouse samba of the Reconcavo • Samba Reggae- variation on the above theme that launched Olodum on the whole stage • Visit to percussion instrument maker’s workshop

Salvador - Fresh Market & Cuisine Tour

Depart hotel and visit two of Salvador’s busiest markets. First we stop at newly renovated fish market, where the wide variety of seafood and fish found in the tropical waters of the bay and the ocean are on display. A short distance away is the largest open market in Bahia, the São Jaoquim Market, selling a myriad of products and produce, from fruits and vegetables to spare parts for domestic appliances, to sacred herbs and religious artifacts of the candomblé. Here we find all of the ingredients for Bahia cuisine and later savour the famous moqueca dish in a local restaurant at the lower city.

Folklore Show with Dinner - 6 hours

Highlights:

• An immersion in the African heritage with an exhilarating performance by the Bahia Folklore Company (Balé Folclórico da Bahia), one of the most respected folklore dance troupes in the world.
• The Balé Folclórico da Bahia Company performs in the intimate Miguel Santana Theatre in the Pelourinho district in a seamless presentation of the multiple African traditions that underpin Bahian culture.
• You will see the sacred dances of the Candomblé; puxada de rede, a song by fishermen in honor of Yemanjá, the goddess of the sea; maculelê, an acrobatic stick and sword dance with its origins in the cane fields; the exhilarating capoeira martial art/dance, and the grand finale of samba de roda, a spinning, swirling version of this exuberant national dance.
• Enjoy an amazing dinner at Uaua, a charming restaurant in Peourinho district, before returning to pier.

• Dinner
• Pick up and drop off at port
• Tour with driver and English-speaking guide

• Tips, beverages, personal expenses

Essential Salvador with Lunch - 6 hours

Highlights:

• Discover the essential sights of Salvador on a half day tour tracing the development of the city from its simple beginnings to what is now the third largest city in Brazil. The tour focusses on historical and geographical aspects of the city and serves as a fine orientation for those wishing to further explore the city. 
• Visit Barra district and see the immense bay, site of important historical landmarks in Brazil’s early colonial period, now also residential waterfront neighborhood.
• Proceed via elegant tree-lined avenues and bustling city streets to the Pelourinho, a Unesco Heritage site and the largest complex of colonial architecture in the South America. Leave the vehicle at the Municipal Square, by the towering Lacerda Elevator, allowing for great views of the bay stretching out to the lower city, and stroll through the narrow, bustling streets lined with buildings in pastel shades of an age gone by, soaking in the sights and sounds of this vibrant city. Visit the church of São Francisco with its exuberant gold-leafed Baroque interior and the Pelourinho square, the heart of the old town.
• Lunch at Cuco Bistrô, a charming place that has on its proposal to highlight the best of Northeastern Brazillian culture through its art and gastronomy, with a slight influence of Mediterranean cuisine, seafood, grilled meats on the grill, homemade pasta, drinks and special juices with made up an unusual fusion of flavours that make Cuco Bistrô a different space in the Historic Centre of Salvador.

• Lunch
• Pick up and drop off at port
• Tour with driver and English-speaking guide

• Tips, beverages, personal expenses

Algarve History (3 - 4 Hours)

Meet your private chauffeur at the dock. During the morning enjoy a private guided tour to Lagos with visit to Golden Chapel. Lagos was the point of origin for many voyages during the Age of Discovery, and is now one of Algarve's liveliest historic towns and with some of the region's finest beaches.
 
Right by the city; enjoy the charm of these rock-enclosed beaches and the seafront restaurants with their menus featuring the pick of the sea’s produce.
 
Tour continues to Sagres, the southwestern tip of Europe and one of Algarve's most historical sites and a place of romantic pilgrimage.
 
At the end of your tour, your chauffeur will take you back to the dock.

Highlights:

Algarve History (6 - 8 Hours)

Meet your private chauffeur at the dock. Departure towards the region of Algarve, to know the magnificent beaches and scenery of the region.
 
Travel along the coast towards Ponta de Sagres, enjoy a magnificent view of Ponta da Piedade. Near one of the most western points of the European continent, after Cabo da Roca is the Cape of S. vicente, where one marvels at a lighthouse under cliffs.
 
Next stop will be Lagos. Enjoy an independent visit to the Golden Gate of St. Anthony and the former slave market near the statue of Prince Henry the Navigator.
 
Time for lunch (not included) in a local restaurant.
 
After lunch, head towards Silves. Enjoy an independent visit to the Moorish Castle, the impressive Gothic Cathedral.
 
Your continued visit to the Monchique Mountains. Enjoy the green hills, fresh air, tranquility and spectacular views of the highest point of the Algarve - Foia. Explore the quiet village of Caldas de Monchique.
 
At the end of the day, your driver will take you back to the dock.

Highlights:

Saint Malo Shore Excursion - Brittany Coast and Saint Malo - 8 hours

Le Havre: D-Day Beaches - 9 hours

The numerous monuments and memorials on the Normandy coastal area bear witness to the fierce fighting that took place here during and after the D-Day Landings of World War II. Your driver-guide meets you after you have departed your cruise ship and takes you on a full-day tour of the American Sector to visit some of the most important sites of this pivotal point in the war.

Your day starts on the famous coastline at Pointe du Hoc, which the US Rangers scaled, demonstrating a triumph of planning, training and execution by elite and well-led troops. Further eastwards along the coast is the sector known as Omaha Beach, also captured by invading American forces, and where you can examine several sites from both the German and US perspectives. You also hear about Operation Aquatint, a failed 1942 British Commando raid on the area. Your day ends with a poignant visit to the US Military Cemetery and Interpretation Centre at Colleville-sur-Mer, the final resting place of over 9300 US soldiers located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach. You are transferred back to your cruise ship from here.

Highlights:

• Visit Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach; two of the most significant D-Day sites

Amsterdam: An Introduction to Amsterdam – 4 hours

Meet your driver at the Port in Amsterdam for a private transfer to the city centre where your guide is waiting to meet you for a walking tour of this beautiful city. Begin at Dam Square, bordered by the Royal Palace and enjoy wonderful views of the canals and gabled houses of the mercantile quarter before visiting the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*. After your tour, transfer in the comfort of your own private vehicle back to your ship.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Tour Anne Frank's house

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 4 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: Highlights of Amsterdam - 8 Hours

Spend the day exploring Amsterdam in the hands of your expert guide. You are met at the port and transferred to Dam Square where your morning’s walking tour includes the notable Royal Palace.  Admire the views of the canals and the gabled houses of the Canal Ring district, where you will visit the house in which Anne Frank wrote her celebrated diary during the last war*.

After lunch explore the beautifully-restored Rijksmuseum, to admire the stunning collection of masterpieces from the seventeenth-century Golden Age, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without seeing the delightful Van Gogh Museum, home to many of his famous works as well as those of other Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

*tickets for the Anne Frank House sell out very quickly and are subject to availability. Guides are not allowed to accompany you into the house itself, but will be waiting for you at the end of your visit (approx. 45-90 mins)

Highlights:

• Visit Anne Frank's House
• Explore the Van Gogh Museum

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities

Amsterdam: The Three Sisters, Delft & Den Haag - 8 Hours

You are met at Amsterdam port for a full-day excursion outside of the city. Head south into the countryside for a photo opportunity at the impressive Three Sisters Windmills in Stompwijk. As over a third of the Netherlands lies below sea level, windmills were initially designed to pump vast amount of water out, thus protecting land from flooding. Today, these silent giants draw many visitors every year for their charming appearances.

From here, you travel on to Delft, world-renowned for its famous blue and white pottery and one of the most beautiful towns in the Netherlands. Take in the town’s architectural gems and charming ambience, which are best appreciated by walking along its small canals with their graceful humpbacked bridges.

Following this, enjoy a privately-guided tour at the Royal Delft Experience, where a painter shares the passion behind the production of this stunning 17th-century earthenware during a special demonstration.

After lunch at leisure, you continue to the Hague, the home of the Dutch Royal Family and the administrative capital of the Netherlands; walk the Inner court past the Government buildings and take the opportunity for a photo stop at the International Court of Justice. You may like to visit the Mauritshuis Museum, which holds one of the world's finest collections of paintings, including Rembrandt, Steen, Hals, Rubens and Van Dyck, or you may choose to visit the Panorama Mesdag, which hosts the Panorama, one of the largest canvas paintings in the world (subject to opening times).

On your return journey, stop at Scheveningen beach for some spectacular views before continuing back. (8 hours, driver and guide)


Highlights:

• Witness the majestic windmills known as the Three Sisters
• Delve into Delft's artistic heritage

• Private transport by luxury car or minivan
• An expert local guide for 8 hours
• Entrance fees to all sights and museums
• All taxes

• All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
• Gratuities