A Perfect Europe Tour of Romantic Cities & Spellbinding Views

The morning blossoms with the scent of Dutch pancakes spreading through the city. Locals enjoy the mini-pancakes with a twist of lemon and powdered sugar, making a delightfully tart sweetness.

Your guide meets you at the hotel after breakfast ready to show you the elaborate cityscape. The artistic neighborhood of Jordaan, located near the city center, erupts with laughter from young couples and students strolling alongside the boutique shops and upscale restaurants. You follow your guide to the Rijksmuseum and find a 19th-century building consisting of two squares connected by a tunnel.

The polished walls make each painting stand out against a bleached background, highlighting the Dutch Renaissance of the 17th century. Rembrandt’s The Night Watch was painted in 1642 and has dimensions of approximately 11 feet by 14 feet, overtaking an entire gallery wall. You immediately notice the effective use of light and shadow on the characters, each moving through the dark evening. The girl in the yellow dress shines brighter than the men in the background adding contrast to the darkness and focusing your eye on the central character.

After breakfast, you leave Amsterdam behind and watch the city change into the lush flatlands of the countryside. The fertile plain stretches to the horizon until the grounds erupt into the verdant mountains of Germany. The wonders of the German landscape are refined with emerald leaves swaying in pine and evergreen trees. The hills rise into rugged mountain summits. Charming, small vineyards meander along the foothills near the banks of the Rhine River.

Outside of the city of Koblenz, you board a riverboat to embark on an enchanting Rhine River cruise with your partner. The wind brushes your skin and the current nudges the boat alongside the 11th century stronghold of Ehrenbreitstein, known as “Guard at the Rhine.” The elaborate structure could hold up to 1,200 soldiers. A cable car runs overhead, connecting the fortress to the city of Koblenz across the river. You can sit back and relax with the extraordinary scenery rising around you.

You depart from Heidelberg in the morning and arrive in the scenic storybook-like city encompassing cobbled lanes, towering medieval walls, sloping timber roofs, and the charm of its collected view over the Tauber River. Few places have a more picture perfect landscape than the city of Rothenburg.

The little square known locally as Plönlein seems too fantastical to be real. An archway opens the lower quarter of a stone tower letting the cobblestone street wind through. Wooden signs dangle from elaborate metalwork holders outside of historic buildings. The square is little more than an intersection that carries a grand picture of half-timbered buildings between the Siebers and Kobolzeller Towers.

Your guide then escorts you to the contemporary city of Munich, where traditions continue to fill the everyday lives of the locals, from the architecture to the lederhosen.

The municipality of Oberammergau, Germany, is home to the quiet town of Ettal. The city is known for its rococo basilica, with a sugary white façade with two dome-topped towers flanking the central Baroque dome. The abbey dates back to the 14th century. The interior glitters from the Baroque expansion in the 18th century. Cherubic statues line the main gallery. Tall, open windows provide exceptional natural light spilling over the pristine white walls splashed with elements of pink.

A beer garden is located on the property where you can sit in the sunlight with a fresh, citrusy beer, looking out into the ravishing mountains in the distance, casting shadows on the stunning evergreen forest. The beer is brewed by the monks of the abbey, along with a distinctively herbaceous liquor known as Kloster Liquor, which contains flavors of black licorice and herbs inside a luminescent green hue.

The morning light brings back the gem colors of the landscape around Oberammergau. After breakfast, your guide takes you to the remarkable cliffs surrounded by the Bavarian Alps housing the castles of King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle. The 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace stands on the rugged cliff ledge almost 500 feet above the local village. The castle was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disney’s rendition of the Germanic fairytale. Two stair towers flank the central symmetrical gatehouse.

The walls maintain a high contrast of colors from the red brick exterior to yellow limestone courts. If the castle were completed, it would have held more than 200 rooms, including those for guests and servants. Only 15 rooms and halls were completed.

A colonnade encircles the Throne Hall with gilded designs bordering blue décor and red outlines. The hall is a monument dedicated to the romantic culture of knights and courtly love, representing the romantic legends and ideals of both the Middle Ages and King Ludwig. Continue your exploration of the Bavarian Alps traveling to Innsbruck, Austria, to see the Emperor Maximilian’s Golden Roof.

Wake up to the mountainside luxuries of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Church spires rise to meet the surrounding summits. The encompassing Alps frame cobbled piazzas flowing down the foothills. After breakfast, you descend the mountains into the Veneto region stopping in Conegliano. The hillsides twist and wind with vineyards growing the celebrated Prosecco. The red shingles line the medieval roofs beneath towering bell churches and rolling green hills. In the city center, you find Scuola dei Battuti. The entire interior is draped in 16th-century frescoes painted by artist Ludovico Pozzoserrato.

Revel in the flavors of the surrounding soil with a wine tasting, where you can sample the effervescence of the sparkling Prosecco. The flavors of the Bortolomiol vineyard are ripe with white mineral notes and bright flowers popping with the bubbly texture on your tongue. The winery itself has vines reaching to the foothills of the surrounding hillsides, providing the unique flavors in the wine.

Venice erupts with romance cast alongside its historic canals. Cobbled pathways lead you through secluded niches unknown to visitors and ignored by locals. Gondolas glide underneath arching bridges in the calm current of the water. The gilded archways of St. Mark’s Basilica glint in the sunlight underneath the onion-shaped domes.

After breakfast, your guide leads you through the city for an unforgettable tour of St. Mark’s Square and the surrounding lanes. Cafes and restaurants set out tables on the cobbled streets leading to the water’s edge.

The Rialto Bridge was erected in the 16th century and is the most famous stone bridge in the city. The edifice arches over the canal connecting two separate parts of the city, San Marco and San Polo, and shining with elegant boutique shops. You can watch boats and gondolas pass underneath the elegant white stone.

In the evening, serene black gondolas quietly pull up to mansions decorating the edges of the Grand Canal. The city lulls into a romantic stupor filled with light glistening off the water.

Today, the Swiss Alps come into view and add a touch of passion to the skyline. The winding watery roadways of Venice dip behind the lush valleys and hills of the countryside. The foothills turn into mountains, and you find yourself in the Italian-Swiss Lake District and the incredible town of Zermatt. At the shores of Lake Maggiore, you can see the staggering alpine peaks surrounding the water and dividing the towns. Step aboard a comfortable train in Tasch that takes you the final leg of the journey to the enchanting town at the top of the Swiss Alps.

The Matterhorn stands at 14,691 feet above sea level and creates and unbeatable skyline. The mountaintop is hypnotic from any angle, rising like a shark fin and visible from everywhere. For an unparalleled view of the glacial walls, you can ride Europe’s highest-altitude cable car at 12,739 feet above sea level, taking you around 14 glaciers. The air is crisp and cold against your cheeks. The glaciers are pure white with elements of iridescent blue. The sheer seclusion and raw power of the landscape embody romance.

You can’t help but look out your window in the morning searching for the tip of the Matterhorn. You sip rich, freshly brewed coffee and let the mug warm your fingers. After you ride Europe’s highest railway for one last panorama of the mountain, you venture down the slopes to the vineyards of the Rhone Valley. The pleasing aroma of apricot groves blends in with the earthy fragrance of vineyards before arriving at Lake Geneva and the town of Montreux. Chateau de Chillion is firmly rooted in the 9th century and has inspired romantics for centuries, including Lord Byron.

Flowers blossom along a charming footpath snaking around the waterfront over two miles to the stone building. The oval shaped edifice was erected in the 13th century around a series of labyrinthine courtyards, strong towers, and powerful halls. The Duke of Savoy once occupied the Camera Domini, which remains decorated with medieval murals. When you gaze upon the chateau from the north, you find the fairytale architecture at the foreground of the snowcapped mountains along the horizon.

In the morning, you travel to Lausanne to make your luxury train to Paris. The City of Light opens to you, showing you the wide boulevards lined with elegant block buildings resembling street-side palaces. Elm trees shade café tables where locals sit and relax. You can see the pearl façade of Sacre Coeur standing atop Montmartre, a crown on the highest hill in the city. Bakeries emanate the aroma of baguettes and macaroons. The Seine River sparkles in the sunlight, winding through the city and dissecting neighborhoods.

Your guide meets you at your hotel and takes you through the majestic landmarks of the city that overflow with romance. You wander through the Passage Couverts near the base of Montmartre and find a sepia colored past of the early 19th century lining the arcade walls. The light fixtures date back to 1817 and the shops continue to sell antiques, old postcards, and antiquarian books. Glass roofs arch over the main galleries and highlight the architectural gems of the city’s continuous connection to the old world. Galerie Vivienne dates back to 1873 and is a perfect spot for a lover’s stroll, with quiet elegance, chic boutiques, and corridors embellished with mosaics.

A day in Paris could take you anywhere, from the cobbled pathways on the banks of the Seine to standing in front of Mona Lisa’s wry smile illuminating an entire gallery at the Louvre. The day is yours to indulge in the City of Lights at your leisure.

The Palace of Versailles was constructed in the 17th century encompassing an area over 721,000 square feet. The chateau evolved from a hunting lodge when Louis XIII added three elaborate stone wings to the original building, and the palace continued to grow. The ineffable magnificence of the grounds emanates from the gilded décor and marble lining.

The polished grounds are accented by the exceptional gardens. Fountains sporadically decorate the gardens with vibrant displays of imagination, from Pegasus to a giant emerging from the water. The water rushes out of the fountains every afternoon. A citrus aroma drifts across the ponds and through the tall hedges dividing the gardens. You can walk with your partner hand in hand along the pleasant lanes and eventually reach the Austrian village constructed on the grounds for the Marie Antoinette.

Wake up in the morning to the sounds of the City of Lights. The Seine gently rushes along the cobbled streets lining the riverbanks. People stroll alongside the water while enjoying their daily walk to work or the university. The bells of Notre Dame peel out of the stunning towers.

You can sit with your partner and indulge in a delectable frothy cappuccino, nibbling at a chocolate croissant, and watching the city pass you by like the Parisian’s do. Soon, your private transfer will escort you to the airport for your flight home, but for now you can enjoy the morning and the endless enchantment this one of a kind city.

For more itinerary options, you may want to browse the Europe luxury tours section on Zicasso.