Northern to Southern Europe

13 Days until departure
May 24, 2025 - June 4, 2025
Trip ID: Rhodes-2959

Tour Itinerary print itinerary

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Day 1 Overnight Flight to England (London)
Day 2 Hello London
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Day 3 London
Details: Stonehenge & Bath guided excursion
Visit prehistoric Stonehenge, built in 3,000 BC, a mysterious monument of four concentric rings of hefty stones, believed to be a sacred place of worship or some type of calendar. Like a Jane Austen novel come to life. Bath was England's most fashionable spa town in the 18th century. Everyone who was anyone headed to this town on the River Avon to "take the waters" and attend the theaters. Today you'll visit Roman baths, sweeping Georgian-style terraces and buildings made from the honey-hued stone, and art galleries, shops and restaurants.
Day 4 London
London guided sightseeing tour
Houses of ParliamentWestminster AbbeyTrafalgar SquarePiccadilly CircusSt. Paul’s CathedralBuckingham Palace
Details: London guided sightseeing tour
Join a licensed local guide for an in-depth look at London, from the royal haunt of Buckingham Palace (the official London residence of King Charles III) to the slightly more democratic Speakers’ Corner of Hyde Park, where anyone can pull up a soapbox and orate to his heart’s content. You’ll see the changing of the guard (season permitting), the clock tower of Big Ben with its 14-ton bell, and Westminster Abbey, where almost every English king and queen since William the Conqueror has been crowned. After a stop at the Houses of Parliament, continue on to the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, the masterpiece of London architect Christopher Wren.
Details: Trafalgar Square
See Trafalgar Square, often used for community gatherings and political demonstrations.
Details: Piccadilly Circus
Visit Piccadilly Circus, a shopping and entertainment area brightly lit with video displays and neon signs.
Details: Westminster Abbey visit
Visit Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. Our Blue-Badge Guided Tour will include the Royal Chapels, containing the tombs of the English monarchs. It also will feature the Poets' Corner, featuring memorials to many famous British literary figures.
Details: Tower of London visit
Get up close and personal with the Tower of London. Towers, rather. Twenty stone towers, as well as tunnels, winding staircases and narrow passageways comprise this huge fortress covering 18 acres on the banks of the Thames. A royal residence from the 11th - 16th centuries, the Tower also served as a jewel safe and a prison. The headless skeletons of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (Henry VIII's former wives who were executed here) are believed to be buried here. The Crown Jewels are housed here, including the largest cut diamond in the world (530-carats). Beefeaters (guards) lead tours through the Tower.
Day 5 London--Paris
Paris guided sightseeing tour
Arc de TriompheChamps ÉlyséesEiffel TowerLes InvalidesOpera House
Details: Eurostar Chunnel crossing
Take the Eurostar under the English Channel. Faster than you can say... anything, in French, you'll whiz through a tunnel and arrive in Paris.
Details: Paris guided sightseeing tour
What's that huge white arch at the end of the Champs-Élysées? The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after his victory at Austerlitz. Your licensed local guide will elaborate on this, and other Parisian landmarks. See some of the most famous sites, including the ornate 19th-century Opera, the Presidential residence and the Place de la Concorde, where in the center you’ll find the Obelisk of Luxor, a gift from Egypt in 1836. Spot chic locals (and tons of tourists) strolling the Champs-Élysées. Look up at the iron girders of the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution. See Les Invalides (a refuge for war wounded) and the École Militaire (Napoleon's alma mater).
Day 6 Paris
Optional  Eiffel Tower Ascent  $29
Details: Seine River cruise
See the city from the water on an hour-long cruise along the River Seine. The Seine cuts right through Paris, dividing the city in half. See the Eiffel tower rising up on the Left Bank, the walls of the Louvre on the Right Bank. A guide will point out other monuments and architectural marvels as you pass, many of which are illuminated by clear white light at night.
Details: Louvre Museum visit
The world's largest art museum, the Louvre is housed in a Medieval fortress-turned-castle so grand it's worth a tour itself. You walk through the 71-foot glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei and added in 1989, and step into another world--one with carved ceilings, deep-set windows, and so many architectural details you could spend a week just admiring the rooms. The Mona Lisa is here, as well as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory (the headless statue, circa 200 BC, discovered at Samothrace). The Louvre has seven different departments of paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and antiquities. Don't miss the Egyptian collection, complete with creepy sarcophagi, or the collection of Greek ceramics, one of the largest in the world. (Please note the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.)
Day 7 Paris
Optional  Versailles & Seize the Chateau! (pre-book only)  $89
State ApartmentsHall of MirrorsGardens of VersaillesLEAP Seize the Château!
Cooking class with dinner
Details: LEAP Seize the Château!
A lively role-play puts you in the shoes of the monarchy, clergy, nobility, bourgeoisie, or peasantry to explore the issues underlying the French Revolution.
Day 8 Paris--Barcelona
Fly to Barcelona
Barcelona guided bike tour
Gothic QuarterBarceloneta beachCasa BatllóCasa Milà (La Pedrera)
Details: Barcelona guided bike tour
Saddle up and enjoy Barcelona from the a different point of view! Accompanied by a local guide and after a welcome and safety orientation, begin at the heart of the gothic quarter, St.Jaume square and explore the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter before you proceed on to bike lanes passing the Neoclassical magnificent style Post office, the art nouveau Train Station and El Parc de la Ciutadella, where your guide will stop to describle the history of the Park. Cycle past the Sagrada Familia temple, enjoy a break at the beach, Barceloneta, the Old Harbour and the Palace of the Sea. (Bikes and helmets provided).
Details: Casa Milà (La Pedrera)
This magnificent building is the epitome of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí’s fantastical style. See how he uses twisted pillars, curved archways and warped metal balconies to create a totally unique design all his own.
Day 9 Barcelona
Barcelona guided sightseeing tour
Details: Park Güell visit
Spend time in Parc Güell, part of the UN ESCO World Heritage Site, 'Works of Antoni Gaudi'. Designed primarily by Gaudí, particularly interesting areas of the park include a mosaic pagoda, a lizard fountain spitting water, an undulating bench decorated with ceramic fragments, and an array of unique Doric columns, which are hollow and serve as part of Gaudí's drainage system.
Details: Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia guided visit
This breathtaking church, said to be the master-work of architect Antoni Gaudí, has been under construction since 1882 and is not expected to be completed until 2026! Despite its unfinished state, the church has 18 spindle-shaped towers that soar above the church itself, making for a striking addition to Barcelona’s skyline and more than worth the visit.
Details: Casa Milà (La Pedrera) visit
This magnificent building is the epitome of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí’s fantastical style. See how he uses twisted pillars, curved archways and warped metal balconies to create a totally unique design all his own.
Day 10 Barcelona--Madrid
Travel to Madrid via high-speed AVE train
Details: LEAP Spanish Civil War
Nationalist? Republican? Argue ideology in a revolutionary roleplay that delves into the causes of the Spanish Civil War!
Details: Madrid guided sightseeing tour
Get a taste of Spain's cultural, political and economic center with a tour led by a licensed local guide. See Madrid's mix of traditional and modern as you visit the Royal Palace, an 18th-century masterpiece. The enormous Baroque palace currently has more rooms (2,800) than any other European palace, but it was originally supposed to be four times as large. The palace is dripping with porcelain, jeweled clocks, amazing ceiling frescoes—the most magnificent, in the Throne Room, was done by the Venetian artist Tiepolo when he was in his seventies. Next take a look at the Neoclassical architecture of the Prado Museum and the Puerta de Alcalá triumphal arch, built to honor Carlos III’s entry into Spain.
Details: Gran Vía
Stroll down the Gran Via, Madrid’s lively signature boulevard featuring magnificent shopping and cafés.
Details: Cibeles Fountain
The Fountain of Cybele, one of the most recognizable fountains in Madrid, depicts Cybele, a Phrygian earth and fertility deity.
Details: Puerta de Alcalá
See the Puerta de Alcalá, the ceremonial gateway to Madrid commissioned by Carlos III. The Neo-classical structure is located in the Plaza de Independencia and is named for the old path leading from Madrid to nearby Alcalá de Henares.
Details: Royal Palace visit
Browse through the 3,418 rooms in the largest palace in Europe. Art lovers will marvel at the walls lined with priceless paintings, but don’t expect to catch a glimpse of the Spanish royal family—they reside elsewhere.
Day 11 Madrid
Details: Toledo guided excursion
Long the spiritual capital of Spain, Toledo still captures the heart with its spectacular surround of ocher-colored mountains. El Greco created some of his greatest works here, including his most famous painting, "The Burial of Count Orgaz." You’ll also see the city's cathedral, St. Mary's Synagogue, and the Church of Santo Tomé.
Details: Toledo Cathedral visit
Walk to Toledo Cathedral, considered one of the greatest Gothic structures in Spain. The cathedral actually reflects several architectural styles and features many art treasures, including: the Transparente, a Last Supper in alabaster, El Greco's Twelve Apostoles, and works by Juan de Borgona. The Treasure Room features a 500-pound, 15th Century gilded monstrance, allegedly made with gold brought back from the New World by Colombus. It is still carried through the streets of Toledo during the feast of Corpus Christi.
Details: Church of Santo Tomé visit
Visit the Iglesia de Santo Tomé, where you will view El Greco's masterpiece, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.
Details: St. Mary’s Synagogue visit
Visit The Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca, the oldest intact synagogue building in Europe. As it was constructed by the Christian Kingdom of Castile and designed by Islamic architects for Jewish use, it is considered a symbol of cooperation among the three religions.
Day 12 End tour

Tour Includes

  • Round-trip airfare and other transportation described in the itinerary
  • Basic Medical, Dental, Emergency Evacuation Insurance during trip
  • Up to three college credits upon course completion (grades 9-12) or high school credit (grades 6-12)
  • Centrally located three- and four-star hotels
  • Plentiful daily breakfast to start the day energized and ready to go
  • Appetizing, culturally representative, three-course dinner daily
  • Full time, multilingual, WorldStrides tour director who is LEAP-trained in experiential education
  • Local guide at sites and on city tours as described in the itinerary
  • LEAP! Learning through Exploration and Active Participation; trademarked immersive approach of learning by doing
  • Entrances and transportation to sites and activities described in your itinerary
  • Local guide and local bus driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
  • 24/7 On Tour Emergency Support
  • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
  • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, any required passport or visa fees, optional excursions, or recommended Tips for the Tour Director or multi-day Bus Drivers. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid tips, or other individual/group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.

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