Reminiscent of the 19th-century “Grand Tour,” this unique and popular journey features the heart of Western Europe—with both river cruising and train travel. In Amsterdam, board your deluxe river ship for a five-night cruise through Holland, Germany, and France, and then enjoy panoramic vistas of the Swiss Alps from the windows of historic trains.

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Starting at: $4,795 Ask Us A Question or Call 855-330-1542

Historic Swiss train with the Matterhorn in the distance

<i>Amadeus Silver II</i> passing Cologne

Amadeus Silver II passing Cologne

Bikes along the canal, Amsterdam

Typical canal in Amsterdam

City of Cologne, showcasing the High Gothic cathedral

The idyllic Rhine River, near Kaub

Hilltop medieval castle overlooking the Rhine River near Oberwesel

The medieval town of Rüdesheim, located along the Rhine

The German university town of Heidelberg, along the Neckar River

The delightful Alsatian city of Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg, along the Rhine River

A view of historic Bern, Switzerland

The charming Swiss town of Lucerne with its famous bridge

Matterhorn peak in the Swiss Alps

View of Lake Lucerne, the town of Lucerne, and Mt. Pilatus in the distance

The <i>Gornergrat Bahn</i>, highest cog railway in Europe, with the Matterhorn

The Gornergrat Bahn, highest cog railway in Europe, with the Matterhorn

The Glacier Express traveling through a tunnel in the Alps

View of Mt. Pilatus and the <i>Pilatus Railway</i>, the world's steepest cogwheel railway

View of Mt. Pilatus and the Pilatus Railway, the world's steepest cogwheel railway

Great European Journey

A River Cruise and Train Trip from Holland to Switzerland Aboard Amadeus Imperial

12 days from $4,795

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WHAT OUR TRAVELERS SAY

Great scenery, fun transport, lots to see and learn. Nice group of Smithsonian travelers with good chances to connect and make friends apart from the larger group

- Barbara B.

JOURNEYS DISPATCHES

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Experts

Jun 28 - Jul 9, 2024 Departure

Alexander J. Motyl

Alexander J. Motyl (Ph.D., Columbia University, 1984) is professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark. He served as associate director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University in 1992-1998 and of the Division of Global Affairs at Rutgers in 1999-2009; he has taught at Harvard, Lehigh, and Kyiv Mohyla Universities and lectured throughout Europe. Trained as a Sovietologist and East Europeanist, he has expanded his research interests to Western and Central Europe, especially with respect to the historical development of nations and nationalism, the rise and fall of empires, and the causes and consequences of revolutions. He is a regular contributor to Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs and is the author of seven academic books, nine novels, and two collections of poetry; also a painter, Motyl has exhibited in solo and group shows in New York, Philadelphia, and Toronto. Learn more about Alexander Motyl at alexmotyl.com.

Jun 28 - Jul 9, 2024 Departure

Carol Reynolds

After a long career as a music-history professor at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, specializing in Russian and German Studies, Carol Reynolds now combines her insights on historical culture and the arts with her passion for education to create curricula empowering students and adults in their study of the Liberal Arts. Since 2011 she has spent significant time each year traveling for Smithsonian Journeys as an expert on tours across Europe and the Adriatic. She also works closely with her colleagues at Memoria Press, Classical Academic Press, and other publishers in the revival of Classical Education, speaking widely and contributing courses designed to teach history through the lens of the Fine Arts. Her publications include her signature program Discovering Music, Imperial Russia, Early Sacred Music, America’s Artistic Legacy, and A Child’s Treasure of Music. She just published a classic family songbook called Hurrah and Hallelujah.

Jul 10 - 21, 2024 Departure

Hugh Agnew

Hugh Agnew has been fascinated by the lands and peoples of Russia and Eastern Europe since he first walked into a Russian language class in 10th grade. Having decided as an undergraduate to major in History and focus on the region, he pursued doctoral study at Stanford and became a history professor. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on the history of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, the Russian Revolution, Europe from Cold War to Detente, the Habsburg Empire, and nationalism at Queen's University in Canada, the National University of Singapore, and (since 1988) at the George Washington University, where he is a member of the Institute for Russian, European, and Eurasian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs. He has also served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs at the Elliott School. Agnew has published books on Czech history and many articles on aspects of East European history, the Habsburg Empire, and European history. His insightful talks on past Smithsonian Journeys throughout Eastern Europe have made him a favorite with Smithsonian travelers.

Jul 10 - 21, 2024 Departure

Catherine Scallen

Catherine Scallen is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor Emerita in the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland OH, where she taught art history from 1995 to 2022. A specialist in Dutch, Flemish and Netherlandish art from 1400 to 1800, her scholarship has focused on the art of the Dutch painter and printmaker Rembrandt van Rijn, as in her book Rembrandt, Reputation, and the Practice of Connoisseurship (2004) and in numerous articles and reviews. She has also made two courses for the Great Courses (Wondrium) company, Art of the Northern Renaissance and Museum Masterpieces: The National Gallery, London. In recent years she has begun publishing on the art market in Europe and America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Catherine Scallen has lectured at museums and universities in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, Cambridge MA and Poughkeepsie NY, among other locales. A regular faculty participant in CWRU’s Senior Scholars program, the university’s adult education program, she has offered numerous courses that complement special exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art. As a seasoned traveler to western Europe, especially Belgium and The Netherlands, she has traveled as a faculty lecturer for groups from Princeton University, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and CWRU.