PILGRIMAGE TO THE NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, GERMANY, FRANCE, LUXEMBOURG, SWITZERLAND AND ITALY

Itinerary

Sep 16 Depart Toronto to Amsterdam.

Sep 17 Arrival in Amsterdam, capital of Holland. Amsterdam is known as Venice of the North, because of its lovely canals that crisscross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500 bridges. Tour of the city takes us to National Monument and Basilica of St Nicholas. Dinner and overnight in Amsterdam area.

Sep 18 Today, boat cruise on Amsterdam’s canals. Mass in one of Amsterdam’s churches. Afternoon, excursion to Geithoorn, the dutch fairytale village without roads, is called the ‘Venice of the Netherlands’. It is known for its boat-filled waterways, footpaths, bicycle trails and centuries-old thatched-roof houses. Dinner and overnight in Amsterdam area.

Sep 19 After breakfast we travel to Brussels (Belgium). En route we stop in Antwerp for a walking tour of the city and to visit the majestic Cathedral of our Lady. Built between 1352 and 1521 as one of the world’s tallest buildings at the time, now remains one of the finest gothic buildings in Europe. After mass continue to Brussels, capital of Belgium for a panoramic tour of the historic city centre and continue to Liege for dinner and overnight.

Sep 20 In the morning we visit the Shrine of Banneux, the most popular pilgrimage destination in Belgium. Virgin Mary appeared here eight times in 1933 to 11 years old Mariette Beco. We enjoy a visit to the Shrine of our Lady of the Poor. Mass. Afternoon, excursion to Aachen for one of Germany’s most important shrines, with immeasurable treasures for the Christian World. Visit the Aachen Cathedral and the Gothic Marian Shrine housing the swaddling clothes of Jesus, the loin cloth of the Lord, the cloth for John the Baptist’s head and the Blessed Virgin’s Cloak. Dinner and overnight in Liege.

Sep 21 After breakfast, travel to Luxemburg city, the capital of The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, one of the smallest countries in Europe. We see the Old Town, Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Grand Duke’s Palace. Mass in one of Luxembourg’s churches. Dinner and overnight in Metz area.

Sep 22 Morning, visit Saint-Etienne Cathedral in Metz, well known for its beautiful stained glass windows. Then, we travel to Strasbourg (France). The city is famous for its beautiful historical center – the Grande Île – which was the first city center to be classified entirely as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Mass. Continue to Lucerne (Switzerland) area for dinner and overnight.

Sep 23 In the morning we visit the Shrine of Einsiedeln, a Benedictine Monastery established in the 10th century and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Mass. Afternoon in picturesque Lucerne, situated on Lake Lucerne and visited by the likes of Goethe, Queen Victoria and Wagner in the 19th century. We admire the covered medieval Chapel Bridge and the Old Town. Dinner and overnight in Lucerne area.

Sep 24 After breakfast we travel to Lausanne. The setting of Lausanne is very picturesque, the town is built on three hills surrounded by vineyard covered slopes, with Lake Geneva at its feet. After a steamship cruise on Lake Geneva, we enjoy a walking tour of Lausanne. Mass, dinner and overnight in Lausanne.

Sep 25 Today, we leave Switzerland and continue to Milan, Italy. En route we stop in Turin where we visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, where the Shroud of Turin had been kept since 1578. Mass. We also visit the museum of Shroud of Turin. Continue to Milan for dinner and overnight.

Sep 26 After breakfast, sightseeing panoramic tour of Milan takes us to the Duomo, one of the biggest and grandest Gothic cathedrals in the world, “La Scala” Opera House and Dominican convent Santa Maria delle Grazie. Dinner and overnight in Verona.

Sep 27 Morning, walking tour of Verona, famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” During our tour we are going to see a 14th-century residence with a tiny balcony overlooking a courtyard said be “Juliet’s House.” We are also going to visit Cathedral Duomo Santa Maria Maticolare. In the afternoon, we continue to Padua, one of the oldest cities in Italy with the renowned University of Padua, almost 800 years old and famous, among other things, for having had Galileo Galilei among its lecturers. We visit the Basilica of Saint Anthony. Built immediately after the death of the Franciscan monk in 1231, Basilica has been one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations for people from all over the world. Basilica houses tomb, relics of Saint Anthony and Chapel of the Dark Madonna. Mass. Dinner and overnight in Venice/Padua area.

Sep 28 Full day trip to Venice island, the spectacular city built on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. We enjoy the panoramic tour of Venice, including, St. Mark Square, the Byzantine Basilica, the Dodge’s Palace and the “Bridge of Sighs”. Mass. Dinner and overnight in Venice/Padua area.

Sep 29 After breakfast we get transferred to the airport in Venice for our returning flight to Toronto.

TOUR COST $5,890.00 INCLUDES:
– Air transportation
– Hotel accommodation first class or superior tourist class based on double occupancy
– 2 meals daily breakfast and dinner.
– All sightseeing as per itinerary with English speaking guide
– All tips in restaurants and hotels.
– All taxes and tips

NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOUR:
– Single supplement $1,050.00
– Meals not specified, insurance, documentation.
– Drinks at dinners

HOW TO BOOK:
A non refundable deposit of $300.00 per person is required at time of booking. Insurance with premium(if desired) must be purchased at the time of booking.

BALANCE OF PAYMENT
Balance due is payable 105 days prior to departure
For late bookings /within 105 days/ full payment is due immediately.

CANCELLATION:
If cancellation is necessary, please advise QS Travel & Tours immediately in writing. Cancellation charges are as follows:
105 days before departure ………………………………………….$300.00 per person
Between 105 and 61 days before departure …………………… 40% of the total cost
Between 60 and 46 days before departure ……………………. 60% of the total cost
45 days or less ………………………………………………………….. 100% of the total cost

IF YOU CHANGE YOUR BOOKING:
A $25 administration charge will be applied for changes you make to your booking outside the 90 days to departure period. Please note name changes are not allowed and such will be treated as cancellations.

IF QS TRAVEL & TOURS CHANGES YOUR BOOKING:
QS Travel & Tours will advise you of any change we feel significantly alters the holiday which you have purchased from us. Occasionally, changes might occur close to departure time. In such cases, you will be notified as early as possible. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the local tour operator may have to make last minute changes in hotel or schedule. In case the standard of the accommodation is changed, QS Travel & Tours will offer the choice of a full and immediate refund or comparable alternate travel services acceptable to you.

UNUSED SERVICES:
No refund or adjustment can be made for any portion of holiday not used.

GOOD VALUE AND EXPECTATIONS:
The Ministry of Consumer Relations requires that Ontarians traveling abroad be advised that they may encounter different living standards and practices than those at home.

FLIGHT CONNECTIONS:
In the event of a change in our flight times, with or without notice, we cannot accept responsibility for any special connecting fares which you might purchase and which cannot be changed without penalty.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION:
A valid Canadian passport is required for all visits outside of Canada. It is the sole responsibility of the passenger to ensure proper and valid documentation. Failure to provide valid documentation may result in denied boarding of the aircraft and cancellation of your flight arrangements without refund. If you are holding a passport other than Canadian, please contact QS Travel & Tours to determine whether or not a visa is required for entry into the country you will be visiting.

BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
One piece of luggage of 23kg per person plus a carry-on-bag /weighting not more than 5 kg/

FLIGHT TIMES
All flight times are subject to change with or without prior notice to the passengers or his/her agent. QS Travel & Tours does not accept liability for missed connection or any expenses resulting from an off-schedule, rescheduled or late flight operations.

PRICES
Prices in this brochure are given in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Prices are correct at the time of going to press. In the event of any change beyond QS Travel & Tours control, including but not limited to increase in the price of fuel, currency fluctuations affecting our costs, or increases in government taxes or levies. QS Travel & Tours reserves the right to surcharge the passenger/s up to 7% of a tour cost.

LIABILITY
QS Travel & Tours Inc. is a tour operator and has made the advertised holiday arrangements with the airline/s/, hotel/s/, cruiseship/s/, other operator/s/ and other. Each of these organizations has its own specific terms and conditions for doing business and you will be bound by them. QS Travel & Tours accepts no responsibility for /A/ the acts or omissions of any party/ies/ other than QS Travel & Tours employees./B/failure by the passenger to be properly documented; /C/ failure by the passenger to comply with departure or joining or baggage requirements;/D/ aircraft delays, government actions, priests change their commitments as spiritual directors, etc, act/s/ of God or any factor beyond our direct control; /E/ cancellation or delay to any tour or holiday or change to the itinerary; /F/ expenses resulting from lost or damaged baggage. QS Travel & Tours accepts no responsibility for additional expenses due to delays or changes in air, rail, road, sea or other service, quarantine, sickness, war, weather or other causes All such expenses will have to be borne by the passengers. QS Travel & Tours reserves the right to refuse any person as a member of these tours at its sole discretion. QS Travel & Tours reserves the right to cancel any or all departure/s/ with or without prior notice and QS Travel & Tours sole responsibility shall be to refund all monies paid for such cancelled departures. The laws and courts which govern this contract are those of the Province of Ontario.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
When you book you QS Travel & Tours, an agreement is made between you and QS Travel & Tours and others who will provide services. Please read carefully the information on this page for it sets out the conditions governing the provision of these holidays.

TRAVEL INSURANCE 
Please contact our agents for insurance quote.
Insurance rates subject to change any time.
Once purchased insurance premiums are not refundable.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL:
Tel 905.412.2242 or 1-800-565-3619
Email: group@qstours.com