Discovering America

The tour departs from the Big Apple heading north, crossing the Delaware Water Gap toward Watkins Glen State Park in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. Upon arrival, you walk through the Watkins Glen Canyon to visit its beautiful waterfalls and then continue the trip to Niagara, arriving in the late afternoon, passing by Seneca Lake (in the winter months, Montour Falls are visited instead when Watkins Glenn Park is not accessible).

The tour continues on the American side of the falls, where you visit Goat Island and Luna Island (access limited in winter). In the evening, you can admire the wonderful light and color shows of the falls.

Leaving the hotel, you visit the falls up close again, feeling their roar aboard the Maid of the Mist boat (from May to October). In winter until April, when Maid of the Mist is not available, you admire the falls through the Cave of the Winds and the Power Vista hydroelectric plant.

In the late morning, departure toward the state of New York. After lunch, along the way, a few hours from New York, there is a stop for some shopping in a mall where you can find famous brands at competitive prices. Arrival in the evening at the hotel in New Jersey.

Departure from NJ to Pennsylvania until the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Upon arrival in the city, in the historic area, you visit the famous Liberty Bell, one of the symbols of freedom in America, Independence Square, and the Congress Hall. The tour continues strolling along Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continually inhabited street in America. The tour continues with a panoramic city tour — which includes the Financial District, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the historic part of Philadelphia, and more. Before leaving Philadelphia, we also see the famous "Rocky" steps.

We then reach Lancaster County. We begin the visit with a ride on an authentic Amish carriage through the village to learn how this community has managed to survive for decades without technology, electricity, sewage, and many other services modernized society takes for granted. We learn how the Amish community has adapted by incorporating technology to create self-sufficient farms and by using renewable energy sources. After the carriage ride, we visit the Amish market where we can purchase handcrafted products.

In the late afternoon, we leave the Amish county to reach, in the early evening, Washington DC.

The day begins with a visit to the monument dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, in the area known as Tidal Basin, surrounded by the famous Japanese cherry trees. The tour continues with a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery where you can witness the changing of the guard and visit the Kennedy mausoleum.

The visit continues, from the outside, to the Capitol, the Senate, and the White House, the heart of the American government. We continue the tour visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (as long as the Air and Space Museum remains closed for renovation), the monument dedicated to Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and the war casualties of Korea and Vietnam.

In the late afternoon, we head north for an evening arrival in New York.