Set off on a cultural journey through three of Europe’s iconic cities.
Immerse yourself in history as you explore the capitals of the United Kingdom, France, and Spain on this exciting trip. Walk in the footsteps of British monarchs as you uncover the highlights of London. Sip champagne and view storied Parisian landmarks in the City of Light. Enjoy energetic fiestas and relaxing siestas in imperial Madrid. On this tour, you’ll discover just what makes each fast-paced hub so unique.
Your tour package includes
9 nights in handpicked hotels
9 breakfasts
3 dinners with beer or wine
3 sightseeing tours
Expert Tour Director & local guides
Private deluxe motor coach
1 train ride
1 on-tour flight
Included highlights
Big Ben
Buckingham Palace
Eurostar train ride
Arc de Triomphe
Eiffel Tower photo stop
Royal Palace
Prado Museum
Itinerary
Overnight Flight1 night
Day 1: Travel day
Board your overnight flight to London today.
London3 nights
Day 2: Arrival in London
Included meal: Welcome dinner
Welcome to England! Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at a welcome dinner this evening.
We handpick every hotel to strike the balance of comfort, location, and local charm. Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date, but these are frequently used hotels for this tour and we're confident you'll be satisfied.
This upscale hotel is located in London, steps away from the St Pancras railway station. Guests enjoy on-site restaurants, the leisure club, and a fitness center. Nearby, you’ll find King’s Cross Theatre, Trafalgar Square, and...
Le Méridien Etoile
This chic hotel is located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Guests enjoy the private garden area, Jazz Club, and fitness center. Nearby you'll find the Arc de Triomphe, Bois de Boulogne, and many restaurants.
Hotel NH Madrid Ribera del Manzanares
This modern hotel is located in Madrid’s Imperial neighborhood. Guests enjoy a terrace bar, restaurant, and outdoor swimming pool. Nearby you’ll find Campo del Moro park, the Royal Palace of Madrid, Almudena Cathedral, and the...
HF Fénix Lisboa
This chic hotel is located on the central Marquês de Pombal Square in Lisbon. Guests enjoy the sun terrace, an on-site restaurant and bar, and spacious rooms. Nearby you’ll find the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, St. George’s...
Round-trip flights are one more thing we handle to make your journey as smooth as possible. Our team of travel experts will find the best flight itinerary for you at a competitive rate, thanks to our partnerships with top airlines.
Add our airfare and you’ll get:
Round-trip flight for your tour
Airport transfers at your destination
A great price locked in today
24/7 support from our dedicated service team
Options for arriving early, staying longer, or requesting an upgrade
Flexible rebooking options if your tour itinerary changes
This tour visits the United Kingdom, France, and Spain (as well as Portugal on the tour extension). In order to enter these countries, U.S. and Canadian citizens need a valid passport with an expiration date extending at least six months beyond the date of reentry.
We recommend having at least one blank passport page for entry stamps.
Beginning in 2025, U.S. and Canadian passport holders must register for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to enter many European countries.
Passport holders from over 60 visa-exempt countries (including the U.S. and Canada) will need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization in order to visit 30 European countries. That means that even if you’ve previously traveled to any of these European countries without a visa, starting in 2025, you’ll need to get ETIAS authorization to visit them again. If you’re traveling to multiple countries with this requirement, you only need to complete the form once. All Go Ahead travelers are responsible for obtaining their own ETIAS travel authorization before departure. For more details, please visit our Help Center.
Additionally, beginning January 8, 2025, U.S. and Canadian passport holders must purchase an individual visa from the United Kingdom's government’s Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) website or the UK ETA mobile app (Apple or Android) in order to enter the United Kingdom.
If you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you must contact each country’s consulate for your specific entry requirements.
You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to goaheadtours.com/entry-requirements and searching the code LPM.
You will walk for at least 1.5 hours daily across mostly flat terrain, including paved roads and cobblestone streets, with few hills or stairs.
Travelers should be healthy enough to participate in all included walks without assistance. Adding optional excursions may increase the total amount of walking on your tour.
You should feel comfortable managing your own baggage at times, as well as getting in and out of trains.
Go Ahead Tours and the Tour Director who accompanies your group are unable to provide special, individual mobility assistance to travelers on tour. The responsibility of the Tour Director is to ensure the group as a whole enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing, individualized assistance to any one traveler.
If you have any mobility concerns or physical restrictions, please contact our Customer Experience Team.
Round-trip flights booked through Go Ahead Tours arrive in London and depart from Madrid (or Lisbon on the tour extension). When you first arrive in London, a driver from a private chauffeur service will be standing at the arrival gate with your name on a message board. If you do not see your driver, please remain in the arrival lounge, as the driver may be escorting one of your fellow travelers to the shuttle at the time of your arrival. For more details, please reference the London transfer information included in your Go Kit.
Transfers to and from the airport at the beginning and end of the tour are included for travelers who purchased their flights through Go Ahead Tours. Travelers who booked their own flights are responsible for securing their own airport transfers.
A train ride from London to Paris and a flight from Paris to Madrid are included in the price of your tour. (The tour extension also includes a flight from Madrid to Lisbon.)
All other included transportation on this tour is by private motor coach.
Please note that our travelers are limited to one checked bag and one personal item per person due to storage limitations on motor coaches and other transfers, which may include train connections or flights.
Contact your airline(s) for baggage size and weight restrictions for your flights, which may include on-tour flights in addition to your round-trip flights to and from tour. Please note that your included on-tour flights may have more restrictive baggage limits.
Some airlines may impose additional charges if you choose to check any baggage or exceed baggage size and weight restrictions. Be advised that you are responsible for any baggage fees incurred on all flights.
Make sure you label your baggage and keep valuables, medication, and documents in your carry-on bag.
Porterage is not included for the train transfers. Travelers must be comfortable lifting and carrying all luggage over steps, onto platforms, and into luggage storage. The storage space on the train is extremely limited, so we recommended traveling with only one suitcase per person (and a personal item such, as a backpack or purse).
We recommend lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that can be easily layered to accommodate varying temperatures, as well as a light jacket or rainwear.
A sturdy pair of walking shoes or sneakers is recommended for sightseeing.
You may want to pack dressier attire if you plan to visit a high-end restaurant or attend a special performance.
It is preferable not to visit churches or other religious sites with bare legs and shoulders (and entrance may be denied on this basis).
At least 60 days prior to departure, check with your doctor or healthcare provider for the latest updates and entry requirements, or visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
If you have medication that you take daily, be sure you have enough for each day of the tour as well as any possible delays encountered.
If you have dietary restrictions and/or food allergies please notify Go Ahead Tours at least 30 days prior to departure by logging in to your account and updating your traveler info. To update this information closer to your departure date, please call our Customer Experience Team.
You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to goaheadtours.com/entry-requirements and searching the code LPM
For traditional English fare at a reasonable price, try a pub meal of fish and chips or bangers and mash. Stilton cheese, steak and kidney pie, and Cumberland sausages are also worth a try.
Modern-day London boasts an array of diverse international restaurants. Popular options include Indian, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, Greek, and West African cuisine. Sip afternoon tea with delicious finger sandwiches and scones at Harrods for the ultimate in English tradition.
For a picnic with French flair, stop at a small grocery store for cheeses, pâtés, cured meats, fresh-baked bread, and fruit. In the cities, sidewalk vendors are known for their steaming crepes, while mouthwatering pastries and hot café au lait beckon from cafes. In restaurants, the prix fixe option is a popular way to enjoy a set three- or four-course menu for a good price.
Although lunch is generally served from noon until 2pm in France, dinner is served from 7:30pm onward. Those wishing to eat earlier can stop at a cafe, where light entrées and sandwiches are available throughout the afternoon and evening.
In Spain, breakfast like a local with just a pastry and coffee. Then, tuck into a three-course lunch featuring a Spanish staple like savory seafood paella or grilled meat and fried potatoes. Dinner is less hearty than lunch and is served late, between 9pm and midnight. Snack on small plates called tapas any time of day.
Portuguese food, on the tour extension, is fresh, hearty, and delicious. Try seafood stew cooked in a cataplana, a shell-shaped copper pan, or the national dish, bacalhau (salted cod). A couvert, or simple plate of bread, butter, and olives, is often served when you sit down to a meal—while it is free in many restaurants, some will add a charge to your bill for it.
The United Kingdom operates on the European standard 220-240 volts and uses a Type G plug with three large, flat pins.
France and Spain (as well as Portugal on the tour extension) operate on the European standard 220-240 volts and use Types C, E, or F plugs with two small, round pins.
We recommend packing a universal adapter, as well as a voltage converter if you plan on using your own hairdryer or other electrical device without a built-in converter.
The strength of the air conditioning in European hotels is often not as strong or as cool as what you might be used to in the U.S. or Canada. When air conditioning is available, it is usually regulated seasonally and controlled centrally by the hotel.
Some of the hotels on this tour will provide hairdryers, irons, and other small appliances, but these amenities cannot be guaranteed.
Wi-Fi is available in most hotels, though some charges may apply.
There is no Wi-Fi on any of the motor coaches.
Please contact your mobile service provider for information on roaming charges.
The United Kingdom (as well as Portugal on the tour extension) is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is five hours ahead of Eastern Time (ET).
France and Spain are one hour ahead of GMT and six hours ahead of EST.
When it’s noon in New York, it’s 5pm in the United Kingdom and 6pm in France and Spain (as well as in Portugal on the tour extension).
You will use the Pound sterling in the United Kingdom and the euro in France and Spain (as well as in Portugal on the tour extension).
Better rates of exchange are usually available overseas, but you may choose to order some currency from your local bank to use when you first arrive.
We strongly advise that you take debit/bank cards and credit cards, which can be used to withdraw cash at local banks as needed.
You can use most debit/credit cards at ATMs on the international networks Cirrus and Plus, but make sure to check with your home bank about withdrawal fees.
Inform your bank and credit card company of your travel plans so that they won’t confuse your international purchases for fraudulent charges.
International banks and businesses primarily accept debit and credit cards that work with the EMV chip system. If you do not already have at least one debit or credit card with a chip in it, we strongly recommend requesting one from your bank prior to your tour.
At the conclusion of your tour, it is customary to offer your Tour Director and driver a gratuity in local currency. Please keep current exchange rates in mind.
We recommend tipping the equivalent of $10USD to $12USD per person per day for your Tour Director and the equivalent of $4USD per person per day for your driver.
If applicable, we also recommend the equivalent of $2USD per local guide.
Tips can only be paid in cash.
If you are traveling to multiple countries with different currencies and the same Tour Director, ask them what currency they prefer for their tip.
The cost of porterage is included in your tour price, and it is not necessary to tip baggage handlers.
Most optional excursions will be available for purchase while you are on tour.
Your Tour Director will only accept cash (in USD only), Visa, or MasterCard as payment for excursions.
Please be advised that if you pay for an excursion by credit card while on tour, it may take up to three months for your card to be charged.
Some optional excursions may only be purchased in advance. See page four of your tour itinerary for more information.
This trip was a bucket list wish! Visited England, France. Spain and Portugal. The sightseeing was amazing and the local guides were very knowledgeable. I met wonderful people in our group. Our Tour Director Matt was caring, very organized, and all around magnificent! Would...
A great experience with Matt and the group
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Jose, traveled in Oct 2024
Very simple and to the point Matt was an amazing tour director, patient, polite, very knowledgeable and a real nice guy. It was a tremendous pleasure to have him as our guide hopefully on our next trip we can have him again.
London, Paris, Madrid 2024
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Anonymous, traveled in Aug 2024
The trip was absolutely amazing and beautiful! I got to experience such wonderful art, views, and people. Kurt, our tour director, was fantastic! I couldn’t have had this great of a vacation without him. He helped so much and gave us such great advice.
Birthday/cousin trip
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Deb, traveled in Jun 2024
Lovely experience to London, Paris, and ,Madrid. Saw the highlights of every place and most definitely will return to London (my favorite) and Madrid.
The tour experience was enhanced by our tour director, Richard, he was outstanding. Very knowledgeable in each city and would go...
Touring Europe with the best!
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Brenda, traveled in Jun 2024
This was my first trip overseas. I never dreamed it would be so action packed, filled with rich cultural information, and a full blown taste of each respective country we toured. I traveled with one of my best friends, and did not realize how soon I would make more friends! Each...
Tour guide
5 out of 5 stars
1st-time traveler Angela, traveled in Jun 2024
Our tour guide Abeed went above and beyond for us. He was AMAZING
