Uncover Europe's Hidden Gems with Air Canada Vacations
Uncover Europe's Hidden Gems with Air Canada Vacations
"It's never too early to start planning your next European adventure. Europe is all about discovering vibrant cultures, cuisines, art and architecture through vacations that are tailored to each destination. Air Canada Vacations is pleased to provide more options, add-ons and partnerships that will bring customers flawless experiences no matter their travel style".
The Collection focuses on vacations in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Iceland, Croatia, and Central Europe. In addition to providing vacation packages to Croatia, new routes to Porto, Lisbon, Dublin, Shannon and Bucharest will also be offered with service through Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, giving travelers more possibilities to discover Europe.
Air Canada Vacations has also partnered with Trafalgar and Contiki to offer additional curated tours. The exclusive partnership allows travelers to choose amongst 16 Trafalgar Guided Vacations which include insider experiences such as enjoying an authentic meal with the Calistri family at their borgo in Italy, or six Contiki Guided Trips designed exclusively for travellers aged 18 to 35 with many No Regrets experiences, such as a "Paris by night" sightseeing tour with champagne and escargot.
New travel options in the Collection include Seaside Escapes in Greece, Italy and Spain; Guided Rail Tours, where your luggage follows you from hotel to hotel for stress-free travel; and Family Getaways with handpicked activities designed for kids in London, Paris, Barcelona and Rome.
All packages come with round-trip flights aboard Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, departing from 64 Canadian cities as well as hotel accommodations, and include options for guided tours, activities and car rentals.
SAVINGS and INCENTIVES
Packages booked by Jan are eligible for savings of $700 per couple and include a reduced deposit of $98.
Contiki: Book and pay by Feb to save up to $650 per person, get free standard seat selection and receive a $50 optional Free Time Add-On credit voucher per person.
Cruise: Book a Flight & Cruise package to Europe and save $200 per couple. Book between Dec. 1 and April 30, for travel between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 . Applicable cruise lines include Azamara Club Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.
Groups of ten people (including children) can enjoy advantages in all European destinations including Greece, Italy and Spain. Advantages include free flight and stay for the 20th passenger and deposits starting at $100 per person, plus free standard seat selection and group block seat selection on flights. Air Canada Vacations also offers the services of a dedicated coordinator to help facilitate group travel in Europe.
You will visit the following 9 places:
Croatia
Croatia is an Eastern European country with a long coastline on the Adriatic Sea. Ranking the 18th most popular tourist destination in the world, Croatia is blessed with a wealth of natural riches, boasting almost 2000km of rocky, indented shore and more than a thousand islands, many blanketed in luxuriant vegetation. Even during the heavily visited months of July and August there are still enough off-the-beaten-track islands, quiet coves and stone-built fishing villages to make you feel as if you’re visiting Europe at its most unspoiled.
Portugal
Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula, bordering Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. It has a rich, unique culture, lively cities and beautiful countryside. Its rolling interior is perfect for exploring on foot, by kayak, by bike or even on horseback – though a large part of the country’s charm comes from languorous days on the beach, dining on fabulously fresh seafood and kicking back with a beer to watch the sunset over the Atlantic. It is also a developed country with an advanced economy, a high living standard, being also the 11th most peaceful country in the world.
Greece
Greece, also known since ancient times as Hellas, is a country located in southeastern Europe. The country has one of the longest histories of any country, and is considered the cradle of Western civilization, having been the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, and Western drama, including both tragedy and comedy. Athens, its busy capital, retains ancient landmarks including the 5th-century-B.C.E. Acropolis citadel and Parthenon temple. Greece is also known for its beaches, from the black sands of Santorini to the party resorts of Mykonos. Furthermore it's a geographically appealing place to visit, with a mountainous mainland and idyllic island beaches!
Ireland
Ireland is an island in north-western Europe which has been divided politically since 1920. Most of the island is made up of Ireland (the Republic of Ireland). The remainder is Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. An uncommon geological richness and the warming effect of the Atlantic produce an astonishing diversity of terrain on this lovely island, which is splashed throughout with lakes and primeval bogland. Ireland also adds further interest to the landscape through the sacred associations of so many of its physical features.
Italy
Italy is a country in Southern Europe. It is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. Much like its food, this country is an endless feast of experiences. It is famous worldwide for its delicious cuisine, its trendy fashion industry, luxury sports cars and motorcycles, diverse regional cultures and dialects, as well as for its beautiful coast, alpine lakes and mountain ranges (the Alps and Apennines). There is also the country’s enormous cultural legacy: Tuscany alone has more classified historical monuments than any country in the world; there are considerable remnants of the Roman Empire all over the country, notably in Rome itself; and every region retains its own relics of an artistic tradition generally acknowledged to be among the world’s richest.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland includes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centers. Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital.
France
France has been the world's most popular tourist destination for over twenty years. It received 83 million visitors in 2012, although these figures are highly skewed by the number of people who frequent the country for the weekend, particularly to visit Disneyland Paris, Europe's most popular visitor attraction. All these people come to France for many a reason: its cities contain some of the greatest treasures on the continent, its countryside is prosperous and well-tended and it boasts dozens of major tourist attractions. France is one of the most geographically diverse countries in Europe, containing areas as different from each other as urban chic Paris, the sunny French Riviera, long Atlantic beaches, the winter sports resorts of the French Alps, the castles of the Loire Valley, rugged Celtic Brittany and the historian's dream that is Normandy. The country seduces travellers with its unfalteringly familiar culture, woven around cafe terraces, village-square markets and lace-curtained bistros with their plat du jour chalked on the board. France citizens enjoy a high standard of living, and the country performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, civil liberties, and human development.
Iceland
Iceland, a mountainous Nordic island nation, is located between Europe and North America. It is a stunningly beautiful place if you enjoy strange and desolate landscapes. It's vibrant capital, Reykjavik, is relaxed and welcoming, yet possesses a cultural life that holds its own against other European capitals. Many of the country’s most popular sights are within easy reach of Reykjavík. Immerse yourself in the spirit of Iceland, at the Blue Lagoon. Then spend a day or two in The Golden Circle, an area which encompasses three of Iceland’s greatest natural wonders; Thingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Field, and Gullfoss!