Small-group, European walking tour specialist The Blue Walk has announced that it is now offering guaranteed departures and no minimum guest requirements for all of its classic tours, as well as 15 percent travel agent commission on all bookings made before September 30.
The company offers a program of experience-focused walking tours that include a mixture of classic and unique “art tours” led by English-speaking artists in Italy, France, Greece, and the UK.
In addition to guaranteed departures, The Blue Walk has also added a pre-tour arrival option for its Cinque Terre & Lake Como walking tour in Italy. Guests can spend a night at a four-star hotel in Milan near the Milano Centrale station. A guide will meet them in the morning to accompany them on the ride by rail to the historic harbor town of Rapallo, where the tour begins. This year, the tour will run from October 16 – 22.
“For some of our guests, it’s the first time they’re traveling by train in a foreign country, and they’re unsure about how to navigate the system,” said co-owner Jeannette Candau in a written release. “They can make the transfer to our starting point with the security of a trusted guide. Getting a good night’s rest also gives them a chance to recover from any jet lag.”
The Cinque Terre & Lake Como tour first sets up in Rapallo – often called the Italian Riviera – where guests spend three nights at a 4-star, family owned waterfront hotel. From this “home base,” guests explore the five coastal villages of Cinque Terre and the nearby fishing village of Portofino.
Guests then travel by train to Varenna on Lake Como, where they take a ferry to Bellagio. Here, they spend an additional three nights at a charming central waterfront hotel. Along with local wine tasting and an all-day mid-lake ferry pass, they can enjoy an optional cooking class and a visit to the beautiful garden-park of Villa Carlotta. Rates start at $1,695 per person, based on double occupancy, and include daily breakfast, a welcome dinner, and all hotel taxes and service fees. Rates do not include air. The tour offers guaranteed departure and is limited to eight participants, so early booking is advised, the company said.
Walking Tour in the French Riviera
The Blue Walk France Walking Tour treats guests to walks along the picturesque French Riviera that include the coastal towns of Nice, Cannes, Menton and Antibes. While the six-night tour on September 11 is sold out, the September 18 tour is still available at $1,695, the company said. Price is per person double, with a maximum of 8 guests, and for land only. The tour includes a one-week unlimited-use train pass for its entire route.
Guests on the France Walking Tour can also select an optional three-night self-guided tour of Paris, available after the main tour for $990 per person double. The two packages aim to offer a balance of guided and self-guided walks, coastal views and cosmopolitan touring, and include transfer by train from the Riviera to Paris. Self-guided Parisian sites can include the historic Left-Bank Latin Quarter and Germain-des-Prés neighborhoods and the River Seine promenades, with sights of the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Eiffel Tower. Opportunities to visit the Musée D’Orsay with the world’s largest collection of Impressionist artists and Palais Garnier Opera house, the setting for Phantom of the Opera, are also in the package.
The Blue Walk also offers themed yoga, art and wine-appreciation tours led by experts in their fields. Groups stay in luxury boutique hotels and resorts along the way.
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