Insight Vacations

Highlights

• Assisi: See St. Mary of the Angels Church and join your Local Expert to walk through the cobbled streets and beautifully preserved medieval laneways of this quaint town.
• Assisi: With a Local Expert, find out why the Basilica of St. Francis is considered one of the crowning achievements of Europe.
• San Gimignano: Visit the medieval Manhattan of Italy.
• Florence: Join a Local Expert to view the multi-colored marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square. See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods.
• Rome: Enjoy exclusive access to the Basilica of Saint Praxedes during an after-hours visit. This 9th-century basilica’s simple facade guards the world's best-preserved Byzantine mosaics. The history of the church springs to life as you admire the interior’s treasured collection, including Bernini's first sculpture and the renowned mosaics, illuminated for your visit. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is a rare and unforgettable insight into Rome and its religious history.

Highlights

• Bucharest: During sightseeing with your Local Expert see University Square and the former Communist Headquarters.
• Bucharest: Walk the cavernous halls of the vast Palace of Parliament, learn about the history and listen to amusing tales from your Local Expert.
• Sinaia: Witness the opulent and sumptuous decor in Peleș Castle, the fairy-tale Royal summer residence, at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains.
• Veliko Tarnovo: Ascend Tsarevets, the King's Hill, crowned by a ruined medieval citadel. Enjoy the views and imagine yourself back in the days of the Crusades when this was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.
• Arbanasi: At the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Arbanassi, visit a traditional 17th-century merchants' house and enjoy the acoustics in the Church of the Holy Nativity.

Highlights

• Madrid: See the highlights of the city with your Local Expert. Visit the Old Town, traveling along the elegant Paseo de la Castellana, past the fountain in the Plaza de Cibeles, the Cervantes Monument and Royal Palace, before crossing the Puerta del Sol.
• Segovia: Visit the medieval streets of this fortified city to see the 14th-century Alcazar Palace and extensive Roman aqueduct.
• Salamanca: See the handsome arcaded Plaza Mayor, the honey-colored cathedral and the 16th century university buildings as you explore the city with your Local Expert.
• Porto: See the iconic bridges and buildings decorated in tiles.
• Obidos: Lead by your Travel Director, walk through the picturesque narrow streets up to the main square of this ancient walled town.

Highlights

• Barcelona: Venture inside Gaudí's extraordinary masterpiece, the Sagrada Família and marvel at the contrasts of architecture. Above see its giant, tree-like pillars and spectacular vaulting. Admire the wonderful rainbow of the incredible stained-glass windows.
• Barcelona: With your Local Expert, drive along the elegant Passeig de Gràcia to witness some of the finest Modernist architecture as you journey through the Eixample district to see Gaudi's extraordinary masterpiece, the mesmerizing Sagrada Família.
• Peñíscola: See the seaside castle featured in the film 'El Cid'.
• Valencia: See the ultra-modern Center of Arts and Sciences and the huge gates of the old town, Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart.
• Seville: Visit the Seville Cathedral with your Local Expert. Pass the altarpiece dripping with gold and see the Tomb of Columbus, held aloft by four kings.

Highlights

• Moraine Lake: Enjoy a beautiful stop at glacier-fed Moraine Lake, a vibrant turquoise lake set in the rugged Valley of the Ten Peaks.
• Icefields Parkway: Travel along the Icefields Parkway Drive, one of the most scenic drives in North America. Made up of breathtaking glaciers, soaring mountain peaks and dramatic valleys.
• Maligne Lake: Relax on board a narrated cruise on the serene waters of Maligne Lake. Glide past jagged mountain peaks to Spirit Island, a world-famous destination accessible only by boat.
• Maligne Canyon: Join your Travel Director as you walk on the trails of Maligne Canyon, one of the most stunning gorges in the Canadian Rockies and the deepest canyon in Jasper National Park.
• Icefields Parkway: Enjoy an after-hours visit to the amazing Glacier Skywalk. Step onto the cliff-edged, glass-floored walkway rising 918 ft (280 meters) above the Sunwapta Valley offering sweeping views of the valley and Columbia Icefield.

Highlights

• Venice: With your Travel Director cruise to St. Mark's Square and see the Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Basilica.
• Venice: Delight in the magic of this charming city as you are serenaded, traveling through the atmospheric canals by gondola.
• Pisa: Your Local Expert will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the 11th century cathedral and of course, the famous Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles.
• Florence: Take a stroll with your Travel Director to Piazza Santa Croce and immerse yourself in the essence of la dolce vita of Florence while you enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local café.
• Florence: Stand beside Michelangelo's monumental statue, 'David', in the Accademia Gallery, and admire the exquisite technique and absorbing history behind the world's most famous sculpture.