Final-year school trip to Tuscany: Florence, Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano (9 days)

Day 1 : Departure from your school

• Departure on Sunday afternoon or evening from your school.
• Overnight journey to Italy with two drivers taking turns on board (double crew).
• Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night.
• Crossing of the Alps via Switzerland and the Gotthard Tunnel during the night.

Day 2 : Arrival in Tuscany

• Arrival on Monday morning in the Montecatini Terme area, breakfast along the way.
• Check-in at the hotel for six nights (subject to room availability); a day without the coach so the drivers can rest.
• Walk in the spa park, then a funicular ride up to the medieval village of Montecatini Alto (on request).
• Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3 : Florence, cradle of the Renaissance

• Drive to Florence.
• Walking tour of the historic centre: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Brunelleschi's dome, the Baptistery, the Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio.
• Crossing of the Ponte Vecchio and its jewellery shops.
• Supervised free time at the San Lorenzo market.
• Up to Piazzale Michelangelo for the view over Florence at the end of the day, then return to the hotel.

Day 4 : Pisa and Lucca

• Morning in Pisa: the Piazza dei Miracoli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the cathedral, the Baptistery and the Leaning Tower.
• Climb to the top of the Leaning Tower (on request).
• In the afternoon, Lucca and its Renaissance walls, the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and the tree-topped Guinigi Tower.
• Bike ride around the walls of Lucca (on request).
• Return to the hotel for dinner.

Day 5 : Siena and San Gimignano

• Morning in Siena: the Piazza del Campo, where the Palio is run, the Palazzo Pubblico and the cathedral with its white and black marble.
• In the afternoon, San Gimignano, the "Manhattan of the Middle Ages", with its medieval towers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• A taste of the famous ice cream on the Piazza della Cisterna during free time.
• Return to the hotel and group evening.

Day 6 : Cinque Terre or a relaxing day

• Day in the Cinque Terre: colourful villages clinging to the cliffs, getting between the villages by regional train and by boat (on request).
• Otherwise, a relaxing day in Viareggio: a walk along the Liberty-style seafront and supervised free time on the beach.
• Return to the hotel for dinner.

Day 7 : Florence, art and shopping

• Second day in Florence.
• Visit to the Uffizi Gallery: Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo (on request).
• Supervised free time in the centre and the Oltrarno district.
• Last festive evening at the hotel.

Day 8 : Last morning in Tuscany and departure

• Rooms vacated after breakfast, luggage loaded onto the coach.
• Last supervised free morning in Montecatini Terme: market, souvenir shopping and one last Italian ice cream.
• Departure in the late afternoon or evening, overnight journey with two drivers taking turns (double crew).

Day 9 : Return to school

• Drive back to Belgium, with a 30-minute break every 3 hours of driving.
• Arrival at your school in the morning.