Girl Scouts: London to Lucerne

214 Days until departure
June 25, 2025 - July 5, 2025
Trip ID: Forristal-8948

Tour Itinerary print itinerary

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Day 1  Overnight Flight to England
Day 2 Hello London
Details: Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Your 24-hour Tour Director will meet you at the airport and remain with your group until your final airport departure. You’ll also have a private coach and driver while touring .
Details: London city walk
Step outside your hotel for a stroll through the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, royal parks to street art. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques.
Details: Trafalgar Square
See Trafalgar Square, often used for community gatherings and political demonstrations.
Details: National Gallery visit
Visit the National Gallery, which contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning seven centuries, from the late 13th to the early 20th. The largest portion of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including works by da Vinci, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Botticelli; but the collection also features works by the Spanish giants El Greco, Goya and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens and Rembrandt; and there is also an immense French impressionist and post-impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Cézanne.
Details: Piccadilly Circus
Visit Piccadilly Circus, a shopping and entertainment area brightly lit with video displays and neon signs.
Details: Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, which itself may be referred to as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Details: Leicester Square
Leicester Square is perfectly situated in the heart of London's West End, with Trafalgar Square to the south, Piccadilly Circus to the west, Covent Garden to the east, and China Town to the north.
Details: London Eye Wheel
Soar 450 feet over London in the world's highest ferris wheel. The London Eye, the fourth tallest structure in London, whisks visitors up up and away above the River Thames for spectacular views of the city and its surrounds. The unique, futuristic passenger "capsules" allow unobstructed, 180-degree views. On a clear day visitors can see as far as the King's residence at Windsor Castle -- 25 miles away.
Day 3 London
Details: Tower of London visit
Get up close and personal with the Tower of London. Towers, rather. Twenty stone towers, as well as tunnels, winding staircases and narrow passageways comprise this huge fortress covering 18 acres on the banks of the Thames. A royal residence from the 11th - 16th centuries, the Tower also served as a jewel safe and a prison. The headless skeletons of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (Henry VIII's former wives who were executed here) are believed to be buried here. The Crown Jewels are housed here, including the largest cut diamond in the world (530-carats). Beefeaters (guards) lead tours through the Tower.
Details: Afternoon tea
Afternoon tea started in England in the 1840s when The Duchess of Bedford wanted a small bite between lunch and dinner. What started out as just tea and a small snack quickly grew in popularity when she invited friends, until it became a social gathering for the wealthy social class. You’ll get to sit down to this very British experience and enjoy a selection of savouries, scones with clotted cream and jam, an assortment of cakes, and of course tea!
Details: West End theater performance (request your choice of show)
Enjoy a show in the West End, the British version of Broadway, with London's 40-or-so professional theaters, as well as restaurants, shops and cafés. Please ask your Program Consultant for a list of shows to submit a request.
Day 4 London landmarks
Greenwich tour director-led sightseeing
Greenwich MarketOld Royal Naval CollegeNational Maritime MuseumCutty SarkGreenwich Royal Observatory
Details: Pax Lodge Girl Scouts Headquarter visit
Attention all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts! Make your visit to London extra special with a visit to Pax Lodge, the Scouts’ third world center located in northwest London. Located right by the International Headquarters of WAGGGS, the Pax Lodge will welcome you for a self-guided tour and regularly hosts international events, parties and scout challenges. No two visits will be the same!
Details: Pax Lodge Girl Scouts Headquarter pinning ceremony
Participate in a pinning ceremony where each participant will receive a pin from the Pax Lodge, the Girl Scouts’ third world center located in northwest London. Situated right by the International Headquarters of WAGGGS, the Pax Lodge will welcome Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from all around the world.
Details: Greenwich tour director-led sightseeing
Following your cruise on the river Thames down to Greenwich, let your tour director take you on a walking tour of Greenwich located in South London. See historical sights including Greenwich Market, Old Royal Naval College, National Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark tall ship and the world-famous Greenwich Royal Observatory. Enjoy some free time in one of London's greenest areas.
Day 5 London--Paris
Paris guided sightseeing tour
Arc de TriompheChamps ÉlyséesEiffel TowerLes InvalidesOpera House
Details: Eurostar Chunnel crossing
Take the Eurostar under the English Channel. Faster than you can say... anything, in French, you'll whiz through a tunnel and arrive in Paris.
Details: Paris guided sightseeing tour
What's that huge white arch at the end of the Champs-Élysées? The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after his victory at Austerlitz. Your licensed local guide will elaborate on this, and other Parisian landmarks. See some of the most famous sites, including the ornate 19th-century Opera, the Presidential residence and the Place de la Concorde, where in the center you’ll find the Obelisk of Luxor, a gift from Egypt in 1836. Spot chic locals (and tons of tourists) strolling the Champs-Élysées. Look up at the iron girders of the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution. See Les Invalides (a refuge for war wounded) and the École Militaire (Napoleon's alma mater).
Day 6 Paris
Optional  LEAP Cover the Canvas  $35
Art WorkshopArt studio workshop class
Montmartre tour director-led sightseeing
Sacré CoeurPlace du TertreMoulin Rouge
Details: Louvre visit
The world's largest art museum, the Louvre is housed in a Medieval fortress-turned-castle so grand it's worth a tour itself. You walk through the 71-foot glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei and added in 1989, and step into another world--one with carved ceilings, deep-set windows, and so many architectural details you could spend a week just admiring the rooms. The Mona Lisa is here, as well as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory (the headless statue, circa 200 BC, discovered at Samothrace). The Louvre has seven different departments of paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and antiquities. Don't miss the Egyptian collection, complete with creepy sarcophagi, or the collection of Greek ceramics, one of the largest in the world. (Please note the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.)
Details: Montmartre tour director-led sightseeing
If you’re coming to Paris, you absolutely need to take a walk in Montmartre! This area will wake the artist in you up. Its narrow alleys, windmills, little details, and soul are some of the things that make Montmartre so unique. As you walk in Montmartre, you will quickly understand how it has inspired so many artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh. As you walk up the hill make sure to take in all that surrounds you, because in Montmartre you are likely to find surprises around every corner!
Day 7 Paris
Details: Guided neighborhood foodie tour
Get a taste of Parisian gastronomie. Join a local guide for a tour of a neighborhood chocolate or cheese shop, where sampling is a must!
Details: Seine River cruise
See the city from the water on an hour-long cruise along the River Seine. The Seine cuts right through Paris, dividing the city in half. See the Eiffel tower rising up on the Left Bank, the walls of the Louvre on the Right Bank. A guide will point out other monuments and architectural marvels as you pass, many of which are illuminated by clear white light at night.
Details: Eiffel Tower ascent
Line up to climb to the top floor of this iconic landmark for a spectacular birds-eye view of the glittering City of Light.
Day 8 Paris--Adelboden
Travel to Basel on the TGV (one of Europe’s fastest trains)
Basel tour director-led city walk
Basel MinsterMarket SquareMiddle Bridge
LEAP Swiss Life and Legends
Travel to Adelboden
Details: Basel tour director-led city walk
Visit the enchanting and historical town of Basel.
Day 9 Adelboden
Our Chalet pinning ceremony
Details: Our Chalet World Centre visit
Experience the first of the World Centres, which opened in 1932 and offers year-round activities, special events, and conferences for Girl Guides, Girl Scouts, and leaders from around the world.
Day 10 Adelboden--Lucerne
Travel to Lucerne
Details: Lucerne tour director-led sightseeing
Before a backdrop of snow-capped Alpine mountains and green, cow-filled pastures, join your Tour Director on a trip to Lucerne’s famous sights. Weave your way through a maze of narrow, winding streets until you reach the River Reuss and the Medieval Kapellbrücke Bridge. Stop to marvel at the bridge walls, decorated with murals that recreate the 14th-century originals destroyed in a fire. Journey down the cobblestone streets in the Old Town to see the Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument), the sombre sandstone wild cat gazing down into a reflecting pool, and ponder this artfully chiseled statue created to honor the Swiss Guards who died defending the Tuileries in 1792.
Details: Chapel Bridge
One of the city's famous landmarks is Chapel Bridge, or Kapellbrücke, a wooden bridge first built in the 14th century. It has also been voted as the 5th most popular tourism destination in the world.
Details: Lion Monument
View the Lion Monument, or Löwendenkmal, created in 1820 in honor of the Swiss Guards who lost their lives in 1792 during the French Revolution.
Details: Jesuit Church
View the impressive Jesuitenkirche which was the first large baroque church built in Switzerland. The ostentatious baroque style architecture is meant to represent the power and glory of the Catholic tradition.
Details: Weinmarkt and Kornmarkt Squares
Stroll through the picturesque medieval Weinmarkt Square and the Kornmarkt Square in the historical heart of Lucerne.
Details: Mt. Pilatus excursion
Scale snow-capped Mount Pilatus via the world’s steepest cog railway or cable car. Enjoy a bird’s eye view of Lucerne’s skyline and Alpine panoramas galore. Here’s your chance to snap some of the most frame-worthy photos. Keep your fingers crossed for a clear day when mountain-top views span as far as 200 miles. Or enjoy some free time exploring Lucerne. Stroll the shores of Lake Lucerne. Scour the cozy neighborhoods for frescoed homes with oriel windows. Or just stop and indulge your sweet tooth in some of the creamiest chocolate in the world. If that doesn’t satisfy your craving for adventure, see your Tour Director for more ideas.
Day 11 End Tour

Tour Includes

  • Round-trip airfare and other transportation described in the itinerary
  • Basic Medical, Dental, Emergency Evacuation Insurance during trip
  • Up to three college credits upon course completion (grades 9-12) or high school credit (grades 6-12)
  • Centrally located three- and four-star hotels
  • Plentiful daily breakfast to start the day energized and ready to go
  • Appetizing, culturally representative, three-course dinner daily
  • Full time, multilingual, WorldStrides tour director who is LEAP-trained in experiential education
  • Local guide at sites and on city tours as described in the itinerary
  • LEAP! Learning through Exploration and Active Participation; trademarked immersive approach of learning by doing
  • Entrances and transportation to sites and activities described in your itinerary
  • Local guide and local bus driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
  • 24/7 On Tour Emergency Support
  • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
  • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, any required passport or visa fees, optional excursions, or recommended Tips for the Tour Director or multi-day Bus Drivers. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid tips, or other individual/group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.

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