Tour date 2010: December 5 - 12
Tour date 2011: December 11 - 18
Day 1 - Sunday
Morning arrival at JFK airport in New York, welcome by GBT tour director; transfer by chauffeured mini van to hotel in Manhattan, check-in
Free time until 6:00 PM
7:00 PM group dinner at traditional NYC restaurant known for its lavish Christmas Season decorations and menu
Day 2 - Monday
After breakfast in the hotel we will stroll down Fifth Avenue, the epicenter of holiday celebrations in New York. During the holiday season this main Manhattan thoroughfare becomes a show of lights, colors and sounds; it is when the major department stores display their most creative windows. We have selected the places you should not miss.
Lunch on Fifth Avenue, on our way to the Empire State Building, by now covered with green and red lights for the holidays. Its special lighting effects are a major part of Christmas celebrations in New York.
Free time after Empire State Building visit
We meet again in the hotel at 6:00 PM
Dinner at a restaurant in Brooklyn, selected for its grand view of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. A favorite movie location, during the Holiday Season the place becomes a feast for the eyes; its menu and wine list are among the most refined in New York.
Day 3 - Tuesday
After breakfast, we head downtown to visit the New York Stock Exchange, the nervous center of Wall Street and of the American economy. No Christmas decorations here, just a fascinating pulse beat, an off-the-beaten-track insiders’ view into the heart of NYC.
Lunch in one of our favorite Wall Street area restaurants, a hangout of power brokers and high-end financial executives of ‘the street’. You cannot leave New York without seeing it.
After lunch we will stop at Battery Park, the southernmost point of Manhattan, with the Statue of Liberty in full view. From there we head to Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center, destroyed by an terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Ground Zero has become both a place of reflection and the symbol of this city’s resilience and strength.
Back to the hotel, free time
Dinner at your leisure
Day 4 - Wednesday
Morning visit to a jewel-like museum housed in a majestic Fifth Avenue mansion facing Central Park. Built by one of America’s most successful industrialists, it evokes the splendor of a time gone by, and testifies to how great art collections can still inspire viewers today. The museum owns a superb collection of 18th-century French furniture, rare porcelains, Limoges enamels, unique Oriental rugs and top-quality works of art which will please the most discerning connaisseurs.
Lunch on Madison Avenue, one of the more fashionable parts of NYC
After lunch, free time to stroll Madison Avenue, home to the most exclusive boutiques in New York.
We meet again in the hotel at 6:00 PM.
Tonight we will attend a show that has dazzled and inspired over 65 million people for 75 years, one of the city's major attractions this time of year. You will see the famous Rockettes in their precisely choreographed dances, probably the most famous Christmas show in the world.
Day 5 - Thursday
Free morning to pursue your special interests
Lunch at your leisure
We will meet again in the hotel at 1:00 PM to visit Soho, the trendy downtown neighborhood of young and chic New Yorkers. Art galleries, innovative boutiques, lively restaurants and bars - this is a part of town you cannot miss. In Soho we will have a private visit to an eclectic art gallery where you will meet the owner/artist to get an insider’s view of the local arts scene.
Free time after art gallery
We will meet again at 7.30 PM for dinner in our favorite Soho restaurant. This is one of our well-kept secrets, an exclusive place right in the middle of the Soho scene, yet quite removed from the busy tourists' route.
Day 6 - Friday
Morning visit to Central Park, the heart of NYC and the city's most celebrated location. We will ride in the famous horse carriages, still the best way to have an idea of the Park’s layout and a front-row view of its most elegant residences.
Lunch at your leisure; free time in the afternoon
We will meet again at the hotel at 6:00 PM, to attend a holiday show in the city’s premier music hall (optional). Known worldwide for its impeccable acoustics, this is NYC best-known concert house, the stage where major international artists and orchestras perform when visiting the city.
Day 7 - Saturday
Free day for shopping, visiting museums and art galleries, or for whatever else you decide to do; we will help you with addresses matching your interests.
We meet again in the hotel at 6.30 PM. Tonight we will have our surprise farewell group dinner.
Day 8 - Sunday
Afetr breakfast, check-out at the hotel (by noon). You may leave your luggage in the concierge until your departure time later in the afternoon.
Free time
Back to the hotel at 5:00 PM for transfer to JFK Airport for departures.
Farewell and end of tour
