Switzerland, Italy & the French Riviera
🔹 Curated experiences: Every program is intentionally designed to feature guided learning, cultural engagement, and independent exploration experiences to drive global competency development, denoted on each itinerary with a blue diamond. Learn more about these experiences.
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Day 1: Fly overnight to Switzerland
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Day 2: Zurich • Lucerne region
Meet your Field Director at the airportTravel to Lucerne
Enjoy dinner at your hotel in the Lucerne region
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Day 3: Lucerne region
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a walking tour of Lucerne
With your Field Director you will see:
- Lion Monument, a sandstone statue commemorating the Swiss Guards slain in the 1792 Paris storming of the Tuileries
- Kapellbrücke, a covered bridge dating back to medieval days adorned with colorful murals overhead
Add this in-depth excursion:
Swiss Alps experience
This exciting half-day adventure takes you to the top of one of the Swiss Alps, the majestic mountainous backdrop of Lucerne. Journey to the base of the mountain by boat and ride a cog railway to the top. You’ll reach the summit and be rewarded with a splendid panorama of Lucerne, its lake, and the glorious snow-capped Alps. On a clear day, you can see for more than 200 miles! You’ll get back to the foot of the mountain by way of a gondola ride. (Please note: Mountains can be cold, even in summer; warm clothes and appropriate shoes are recommended.)
Enjoy a traditional Swiss dinner
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Day 4: Lucerne region • Verona • Venice region
Travel via Verona, the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, to Venice
Enjoy dinner in the Venice region
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Day 5: Venice
Take a guided tour of Venice
With your local expert guide you will see:
- St. Mark's Square, Venice's primary square and center of cultural importance
- St. Mark's Campanile, a 323-foot bell tower
- Grand Canal, Venice's major waterway filled with gondolas
Visit the colorful Venetian island of Burano
Learn about glass-blowing in a local craftsman's shop and watch expert craftsmen spin molten-hot wares
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Venice on your own
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Day 6: Venice region • Florence
Travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian language, opera, and the Renaissance
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Florence
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza della Signoria, which is lined with classic statues
- Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge where many of Florence’s famed leather and gold artisans still keep shop
- Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and others are buried
- Gates of Paradise, bronzed doors that depict scenes from the Old Testament and are considered an icon of the Renaissance
Enjoy dinner in Florence
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Day 7: Florence
Add this in-depth excursion:
Tuscan wine tasting
Take an excursion to a Tuscan winery and sample the distinctive wines of the region.
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Day 8: Florence • Cinque Terre
Travel to Cinque Terre
Enjoy free time in Cinque Terre
🔹 Cultural engagement: Explore Cinque Terre and its “Five Lands,” a series of small villages that have been carved into the Italian coastline
Enjoy dinner in Cinque Terre
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Day 9: Cinque Terre • Monaco • Èze • French Riviera
Travel via Monaco and the seaside city of Èze on your way to the French Riviera
Tour a perfume factory and watch olfactory experts concoct new fragrances
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Day 10: French Riviera
Free time in Nice
Take a walking tour of Nice and soak up the white-washed villas and the emerald waters that lap its endless beaches
Enjoy dinner in Nice
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Day 11: Depart for home
Add more days
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Day 11: French Riviera • Paris
Travel by TGV train to Paris
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a walking tour of the Latin Quarter, so named because the language was once commonly spoken by the Sorbonne students that populated the area
See Notre-Dame Cathedral, known for its sculptured facade, stained-glass rose windows, and seemingly weightless vaulted ceilings, and see the progress of its restoration following the 2019 fire which damaged much of the building
Enjoy dinner in the Latin Quarter -
Day 12: Paris
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Paris
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Place de la Concorde, a major public square
- Champs-Élysées, an elegant boulevard packed with high-fashion boutiques
- Arc de Triomphe, a monument honoring those who fought for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
- Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair and an iconic symbol of Paris
- Hôtel des Invalides, a grand hospital commissioned by Louis XIV
Explore art from around the world at the Louvre, home to over 35,000 objects including Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa
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Day 13: Depart for home
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Day 1: Fly overnight to Switzerland
-
Day 2: Zurich • Lucerne region
Meet your Field Director at the airportTravel to Lucerne
Enjoy dinner at your hotel in the Lucerne region
-
Day 3: Lucerne region
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a walking tour of Lucerne
With your Field Director you will see:
- Lion Monument, a sandstone statue commemorating the Swiss Guards slain in the 1792 Paris storming of the Tuileries
- Kapellbrücke, a covered bridge dating back to medieval days adorned with colorful murals overhead
Add this in-depth excursion:
Swiss Alps experience
This exciting half-day adventure takes you to the top of one of the Swiss Alps, the majestic mountainous backdrop of Lucerne. Journey to the base of the mountain by boat and ride a cog railway to the top. You’ll reach the summit and be rewarded with a splendid panorama of Lucerne, its lake, and the glorious snow-capped Alps. On a clear day, you can see for more than 200 miles! You’ll get back to the foot of the mountain by way of a gondola ride. (Please note: Mountains can be cold, even in summer; warm clothes and appropriate shoes are recommended.)
Enjoy a traditional Swiss dinner
-
Day 4: Lucerne region • Verona • Venice region
Travel via Verona, the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, to Venice
Enjoy dinner in the Venice region
-
Day 5: Venice
Take a guided tour of Venice
With your local expert guide you will see:
- St. Mark's Square, Venice's primary square and center of cultural importance
- St. Mark's Campanile, a 323-foot bell tower
- Grand Canal, Venice's major waterway filled with gondolas
Visit the colorful Venetian island of Burano
Learn about glass-blowing in a local craftsman's shop and watch expert craftsmen spin molten-hot wares
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Venice on your own
-
Day 6: Venice region • Florence
Travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian language, opera, and the Renaissance
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Florence
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza della Signoria, which is lined with classic statues
- Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge where many of Florence’s famed leather and gold artisans still keep shop
- Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and others are buried
- Gates of Paradise, bronzed doors that depict scenes from the Old Testament and are considered an icon of the Renaissance
Enjoy dinner in Florence
-
Day 7: Florence
Add this in-depth excursion:
Tuscan wine tasting
Take an excursion to a Tuscan winery and sample the distinctive wines of the region.
-
Day 8: Florence • Cinque Terre
Travel to Cinque Terre
Enjoy free time in Cinque Terre
🔹 Cultural engagement: Explore Cinque Terre and its “Five Lands,” a series of small villages that have been carved into the Italian coastline
Enjoy dinner in Cinque Terre
-
Day 9: Cinque Terre • Monaco • Èze • French Riviera
Travel via Monaco and the seaside city of Èze on your way to the French Riviera
Tour a perfume factory and watch olfactory experts concoct new fragrances
-
Day 10: French Riviera
Free time in Nice
Take a walking tour of Nice and soak up the white-washed villas and the emerald waters that lap its endless beaches
Enjoy dinner in Nice
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Day 11: Depart for home
Add more days
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Day 11: French Riviera • Paris
Travel by TGV train to Paris
🔹 Cultural engagement: Take a walking tour of the Latin Quarter, so named because the language was once commonly spoken by the Sorbonne students that populated the area
See Notre-Dame Cathedral, known for its sculptured facade, stained-glass rose windows, and seemingly weightless vaulted ceilings, and see the progress of its restoration following the 2019 fire which damaged much of the building
Enjoy dinner in the Latin Quarter -
Day 12: Paris
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Paris
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Place de la Concorde, a major public square
- Champs-Élysées, an elegant boulevard packed with high-fashion boutiques
- Arc de Triomphe, a monument honoring those who fought for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
- Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair and an iconic symbol of Paris
- Hôtel des Invalides, a grand hospital commissioned by Louis XIV
Explore art from around the world at the Louvre, home to over 35,000 objects including Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa
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Day 13: Depart for home
Confidence • Curiosity • Global perspective • Empathy • Adaptability • Relatability • Self-Awareness
What's Included
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Transportation
Various modes of transport are tailored to your program. While some transfers are included, others may come at additional cost.
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Accommodations
Safe, comfortable lodging will be waiting for you at your destination.
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Select meals
Enjoy a combination of included meals and the freedom to explore local cuisine on your own.
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End-to-end support
Your dedicated EF team helps secure administrative approval and academic credit, provides enrollment tools, and helps establish your program’s ongoing presence on campus.
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EF Global Learning Toolkit
We offer various tools to help educators facilitate student growth abroad and on campus, including academically enriched travel programs, industry engagement opportunities, global learning resources, and a Global Competencies Assessment tool.
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Guided exploration
Gain insider knowledge and cultural perspective from licensed local guides: natural historians who provide cultural insights to enhance learning moments throughout the program.
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Field Visits
Experience academics in action during engaging visits with relevant organizations, thought leaders, and partners.
