Insight Vacations

Highlights

• Asheville: The Biltmore Estate is America's largest privately owned home and is as magnificent today as it was more than a century ago. Your self-guided house visit spans three floors and the basement of the luxurious family home of George and Edith Vanderbilt. Explore the stories of the Vanderbilt family, their guests, and employees through displays of vintage clothing, accessories, art, and furniture.
• Washington, D.C.: Take a city tour of the history lined streets of Washington, D.C. and learn about the proud heritage of a nation. View the White House, the striking Washington Monument, and sprawling National Mall. Reflect on the country's most turbulent days at the Lincoln Memorial and the somber World War II Memorial.
• Shenandoah Valley: Famous for its stunning views, colors and foliage, the scenic Skyline Drive is one of America’s National Scenic Byways. The route runs 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the full length of the Shenandoah National Park.
• Luray: Meander your way along a gently winding trail, with the most breathtaking views out over Shenandoah National Park. This 1.5 mile hike takes in part of the famous Appalachian trail, and explores the slopes of Stony Man Mountain, the most northernly peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
• New River Gorge National Park: Scenic mountains and breathtaking gorge views await at New River Gorge National Park, the nation’s newest National Park, situated over 70,000 acres along the New River. The whitewater river is one of only a few in the world that flows northward, winding dramatically through deep canyons and spanned by magnificent bridges.

Highlights

• Istanbul: Enjoy a relaxing cruise on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, where you'll pass Ottoman palaces, old mansions and fortresses.
• Bursa: On your orientation with your Travel Director visit the town’s mosques, bazaars and famous Silk Market.
• Cumalikizik: Visit the over 700 year-old village to get glimpse into what Ottoman villages away from the capital looked like.
• Ankara: Visit the Mausoleum of Atatürk and discover the mysterious Hittite civilisation.
• Ankara: Discover Roman and Byzantine heritage by visiting the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and the Mausoleum of Atatürk.

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.
• Zaragoza: Appreciate the city's two millenia of history as you see the four towers of El Pilar and passing Rio Ebro.
• Pamplona: The city is home to Café Iruña, a favorite of Ernest Hemingway.
• San Sebastián: Led by your Local Expert, enjoy a guided walking tour of the Old Quarter including Plaza de la Constitucion.

Highlights

• Jerash: Feel like you have stepped 2,000 years back in time as your Travel Director guides you through this marvelous ancient metropolis - now the finest surviving example of a Greco-Roman city in the world!
• Petra: Explore the ancient and hidden 'rose-red' city, as you journey with your Travel Director, through the winding, dark passageway, between rock walls up to 200 meters high. See the Treasury and explore the Roman Amphitheater and ancient tombs.
• Wadi Rum: Enjoy beautiful desert scenery as you make your way on a jeep safari deep into the heart of Wadi Rum's majestic desert.
• Mount Nebo: Take in the view of Moses' Promised Land, where the ruins are a site to behold.
• Madaba: Guided by your Travel Director, see St George Church and admire the detail of the Madaba Map - a fascinating mosaic that is believed to be the earliest surviving map of the Holy land.

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.
• 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.
• Oviedo: Led by your Local Expert, see 1,000-year-old wall paintings in some of Europe's oldest churches. Admire the incredible altarpiece, one of the finest in Europe, when you visit the Cathedral of the Holy Savior.
• Picos de Europa: Visit the holy cave of Covadonga and see the tomb of Pelayo who is celebrated for winning the Battle of Covadonga against the Muslim Moors in 722 and later became the first King of Asturias.

Highlights

• Athens: Ascend the Acropolis with a Local Expert to admire the Parthenon, built in 5th century B.C. Steps away you'll see the Temple of Athena Nike, also known as the Temple of the Wingless Victory, and the six stone-carved caryatids that make up the Porch of the Maidens on the Erechtheion.
• Athens: See the Arch of Hadrian, erected in honor of the Roman Emperor and used as a divider between the ancient city and the new Roman district, along with the remaining columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
• Kalambaka: Your Travel Director will provide an orientation of this town situated at the base of the extraordinary Meteora rocks.
• Thermopylae: See the Leonidas Monument dedicated to the brave warrior and his 300 Spartans.
• Meteora: With a Local Expert, visit one of the remarkable centuries-old monasteries of Meteora, teetering on towers of rock and arguably the most spectacular place to visit in Greece.

Highlights

• Dendera: At the Temple of Hathor, see a rare depiction of Cleopatra and Caesarian.
• Aswan: Visit Aswan's High Dam and Granite Quarries to ponder why the Unfinished Obelisk has been left in mid-creation for thousands of years.
• Philae Island: Travel by motorboat to Philae Island and witness the majestic Temple of Isis rising from the waters.
• Aswan: On a traditional Nile felucca, meet a sailor and learn the art of sailing this ancient Nile craft. Visit the High Dam and Granite Quarries.
• Take a short boat ride to Philae Island, located between the old and new Aswan Dams, where you’ll have a short tour. You'll then be seated in a Roman style theater for a retelling of the perennial Nile flood, and of the goddesses Isis and Hathor, to whose worship the temple was originally dedicated.