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Our goal with the Flight Centre Travel Blog is to provide you with the information you are looking for so that you can book the perfect holiday. One of the best things about traveling is that 2 people can take the same vacation and, because of perspective, have entirely different experiences. With that we present another great post in the Flight Centre Guest Travel Blogger series from Lisa Greentree

I recently had the exciting opportunity to join a Topdeck Tour of Europe along with some other Flighties from March 6-14 2009. The tour started with our flight on Air France which was comfortable and the meal delicious; complete with wine and an abundance of baguettes.

Our tour commenced in Paris, France, where on our first day we were free to explore this beautiful city.  Some of us decided to venture on the Metro and later take a walk on the Champs-Elysées; but not before enjoying a delicious Parisian lunch… crêpes.

The next morning, we hopped on the Topdeck bus and headed for Lucerne & Mt Rigi, Switzerland.  It has been my dream since I was a little girl to visit Switzerland, and my first glimpse of the Swiss Alps took my breath away.  We headed up to our hostel on Mt Rigi by gondola where we spent the next two nights.  The hostel was cozy, complete with a fireplace in the common area and lots of windows, allowing you to wake up to views of the surrounding Swiss Alps.  The room itself was spacious, with a loft as well as his and her sinks.  A definite highlight was our 4km toboggan ride, which meandered through the mountain.

Coming off the mountain we started our trek to the Rhine Valley in Germany, and to our 20^th century castle which was to be our accommodation for the night.  Being a castle, the rooms were spacious and accommodated myself and 4 other girls in bunk beds; it felt like being at a slumber party!  The views from the castle to the Rhine Valley below were stunning.

Amsterdam, Holland, was also beautiful with its many canals meandering through the city; our next stop on this whirlwind tour.  Here we had a guided walking tour of the Red Light District and fabulous shopping, followed by some free time to explore the city. I took this opportunity to visit the Anne Frank Museum, which was both a moving and humbling experience.   In the evening, we embarked on a dinner cruise through the canals while enjoying a feast of Indonesian food.  The night was ours to party!

The following day we started our journey back to Paris, France. We arrived in the evening and our Topdeck leader took us on a narrated City Lights tour of Paris. The Eiffel Tower sparkling and illuminating the night sky was spectacular!  Our accommodations were small but comfortable, allowing for 2 people and suitcases. The hostel was also close to the Metro, which made it easy to travel to the city centre and all the attractions of Paris. The next morning we joined a bike tour of the city taking in The Louvre, Military School, Les Invalides Dome Church, The Eiffel Tower, and Arc de Triomphe.  The afternoon was spent on our own to explore and I chose to venture to the top of the Eiffel Tower (with breathtaking views of all of Paris), visit Notre Dame, and do some shopping.  For our farewell dinner, we enjoyed a gourmet picnic prepared by our Topdeck hosts beneath the Eiffel Tower, followed by a river cruise on the Seine.  The night found us in the Latin Quarter, celebrating our amazing trip, new friends and lasting memories.

The next morning we departed for the airport and home after lots of goodbyes and hugs. My Topdeck Tour and experiences will stay with me forever.  If you want great itineraries, great accommodations, lots of fun and exciting excursions with optional activities along with lots of free time to explore and discover all Europe has to offer, I would definitely consider Topdeck Tours.

Lisa Greentree is an International Travel Consultant based in London, Ontario and can be reached at Lisa Greentree or 1 866 662 6442.

We have hightlighted Amsterdam, Holland on the Flight Centre tavel map.

Categories: Destinations

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 2:04 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.