If you are commencing your tour in London, please join your Kumuka representative and fellow travellers at the meeting point below at 8.00 am.

ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL STATION

Pancras Road

London

NW1 2QP

Tel. +44 207843 4250

The meeting point on day one of the tour is at 8.00 AM, outside the 'Rituals' shop located within St Pancras Station opposite the Eurostar departure area where our Kumuka representative will be waiting, please ensure you are on time so as not to delay our Eurostar transfer.

The underground station Kings Cross St Pancras leads directly into St Pancras International and is better connected than any other London station with 6 of the major tube lines running through it – Victoria, Hammersmith and City, Piccadilly, Circle Metropolitan line and Northern.

If you are joining the tour in Paris then please meet your tour leader in the lobby of the Paris hotel on your tour voucher at 11.30am.

Please contact Kumuka Worldwide for further details about the meeting point for this tour.

The pre-departure meeting is held to discuss the tour itinerary in more detail, meet your crew and fellow passengers. In addition the crew will check that all passengers have the necessary travel documents and insurance for the tour. It is IMPORTANT that you attend this meeting. Please advise KUMUKA or your AGENT if you CANNOT attend this meeting.

All passengers MUST bring:

1. Passport.

 2. Travel Voucher.

3. Travel Insurance Policy.

London To Paris. We will check in for the 2.5 hour high-speed train journey to Paris Gare du Nord. Enjoy the many comforts the Eurostar has to offer as we travel south from London, through and via the Kent countryside into the thirty-one mile Channel tunnel and into France (don’t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour!).  The journey under the English Channel only lasts 20 minutes. The Eurostar offers a buffet car and on certain departures a snack cart. Both of these accept British and Euro currencies.

On arrival at Paris Gare du Nord we will be met by coach and experience a short driving tour of central Paris to introduce you to this most amazing and romantic of cities after which you will check into your hotel after your pre departure meeting.( It is recommended you use the Euro star toilet facilities before you arrive at the station to avoid delays).

If you are joining the tour in Paris then please meet your tour leader in the lobby of the Paris hotel on your tour voucher at 11.30am.  Please ensure you have your insurance information with you.

On our coach orientation tour we will see the Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre, Place de la Concorde (where the original guillotine stood during the French revolution), the Champs Elysee, the Arc di Triomphe and the Eglise du Dome (where Napoleon is buried), all offer incredible photo opportunities, for which we will stop along the way so you can start filling up those memory cards. In the evening there will be a dinner in a local restaurant. This is followed by an hour long cruise along the Seine (included in your tour price).

Paris to Amsterdam.  We depart the hotel for the first drive of the tour. We drive through Belgium and once we arrive in Amsterdam we will drive directly to the hotel before a brief orientation tour of the city.

Dinner is included this evening. Once your appetite is satisfied, you will be offered the chance to take in some of Amsterdam’s more unusual forms of entertainment, or discover the canal area and explore the nocturnal city sights.

Amsterdam to Berlin.  We will depart early for a long driving day to Berlin. Upon arriving in Berlin, we will check into the hotel

Dinner is included this evening.

Berlin - Coach Free Day. We have included an extra day in Berlin so that you can take advantage of the many attractions that this city, the energetic and hectic heart of modern Germany, has to offer. Visit the dynamic Sony Centre, or the smartest department store in Berlin, the KaDeWe, and marvel at the array of food in the over the top food hall.

If that’s not enough, there is a huge selection of department stores, shoe shops, and multi level book and music stores to accommodate all tastes and needs. Wander through the world renowned Berlin Zoo or walk along the curved walkway built inside the glass dome of the Reichtstadt building and marvel in the amazing architecture and the masses of building projects going on in the area.

Dinner tonight is not included.

Prague - Coach Free Day.  Today is a free day for you to explore Prague. Perhaps visit Wenceslas Square, the Estates Theatre (Mozart’s Theatre), the Old Town (including the unique Astronomical Clock), the Jewish Quarter and the famous Charles Bridge. Visit the many Bohemian Crystal shops, or stroll across the Charles Bridge and up Mala Strana (‘the little street’) to Hradcany Castle. With its huge student population and live music scene, Prague is a perfect place to enjoy a few cheap beers.

Dinner is not included this evening. If you have been “saving” yourself for a big night, Prague is the place to do it! There is definitely an abundance of bars and clubs here. Or you might want to check out the Opera, Black Light Theatre, or one of the many live music venues that Prague has to offer.

Krakow - Coach Free Day.  Today we have a brief orientation tour of the city centre discovering the delights of this fascinating city passing the Wawel Royal Castle, St Mary's Basilica and Krakow's own leaning tower, the Town Hall Tower. Visit the Cloth Hall arguably the world's oldest shopping mall for some interesting gifts, or Krakow’s historical Old Town central district which seems virtually stuffed with cafes and restaurants. Listen to passing street musicians as you soak up the amazing atmosphere. Or perhaps take a day tour to Auchswitz, site of the notorious German Nazi Concentration Camp - your tour leader can help with arrangements.

Dinner is not included tonight so why not discover some quaint Polish Cafe or bar and spend the evening as the locals do, there is no shortage of places to drink, eat, and stay merry late into the night in Krakow.

Vienna

Please contact Kumuka Worldwide for details of the finishing point for this hotel.

Kumuka or your agent can assist you in booking post tour accommodation at this hotel.

All euro star tickets are non negotiable, transferable or refundable and are only available for the date and time of departure as per itinerary

Your passport is a valuable document and you should exercise extreme care in keeping it safe. We recommend that you keep your passport on you at all times, preferably in a money belt that is worn under your clothing. We advise that you take copies of relevant pages in your passport and any visas that you may purchase in case of loss or damage. Your tour leader will require your passport details at the pre-departure meeting. Again, we recommend that you have a photocopy of all passport details, kept separate. Your passport must be valid for six months after the END of your tour, and must have one blank page for each country to be visited.

Vaccinations:

No vaccinations are compulsory in Europe however you may need additional inoculations so please contact your G.P or a travel medical centre for further information.

We also recommend:

• A dental check-up prior to travelling.
• That you know your blood group in case of emergency.
• That if you have any pre-existing medical conditions which might affect you on tour, you make these known to your tour leader and your agent/Kumuka at the time of your booking.          

You can also visit www.kumuka.com for further details.

Medical Supplies:

Your tour leader has a well-equipped medical kit that by law must remain sealed and can only be used in an emergency. We advise that all passengers bring along their own personal first aid kit. Below is a list of some recommended items:

Band Aids/Bandages, Laxatives, Upset stomach remedy, Anti-diarrhoea remedy, Panadol/Aspirin, Rehydration remedy, Antiseptic cream/powder, Sterile dressing, any relevant course of medication such as contraceptive pills.

A complete Travellers Medical Pack can be purchased for approximately US$25 at most Vaccination Centres, Chemists and outdoor travel shops.

We recommend an average of €40-50 per day. This of course depends on your own spending habits, the number of optional excursions you wish to take and the amount of additional snacks, souvenirs and drinks you wish to buy along the way. Be aware that some countries are more expensive than others and that if you are travelling through several your expenses will vary enormously. Similarly there will be some days when you spend nothing at all and others when you exceed your budget.

• We advise that you carry a mixture of cash mainly Euros and credit/debit cards with you on your trip. 
• Credit cards are accepted virtually everywhere in Europe. They can also be used to obtain money from ATMs. You should make sure you know your PIN number.
• ATM cards can be used widely in Europe. Again, you will need your PIN. Your bank will provide you with more details.
• Euro cheques are now valid for all EU countries except the UK, Switzerland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. The Euro has come into effect as a cash currency from 2002
• Travellers cheques are difficult to cash and always have a transaction fee applied..

How much should I take?

• Because of limited luggage space on coaches and Eurostar, we must limit each passenger to ONE main suitcase or frameless backpack the size should be no more than 75cm x 45cm x 25cm and one day bag.
• Your main bag must not weigh more than 20 kg’s.
• A frameless or internally framed backpack is the best way to carry your belongings since it is easy to lift on and off vehicles.
• A small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions. We also recommend that you keep your passport, credit cards Travellers Cheques etc. on you at all times, preferably in a money belt worn under your clothes.

TRAVEL TIP: You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!

Please use your discretion and be sensitive to cultural differences in the countries that you visit, in particular visits to religious buildings and when taking photographs. Your Tour Leader will advise you of any specific customs to observe.

For detailed information see www.timezoneconverter.com

Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.

It is absolutely forbidden by law to take photos at any borders, as they are all active military installations.

We have put a lot of thought and effort into locating the most appropriate type of accommodation for each tour. It will always be clean, comfortable and of a very high standard. All accommodation is in superior tourist class hotel. We guarantee accommodation in a twin room for every passenger on mainland European departures.

In Europe tipping is a way of life and very much expected. For many tipping is a means of supplementing their wage and is a normal part of payment for goods and services. Be sure to keep small denomination notes or coins on you to avoid embarrassment. Sales and service taxes are imposed in some restaurants and bars.

Whilst on tour you will probably want to stay in touch with family and friends. There are several ways of doing this:

Mobile Phone – Before departing your home country check with your phone supplier to see if it compatible with the mobile phone networks in the countries that you are traveling to, and how much will it cost to use abroad.

Email – Internet Cafes are very cheap and popular, and you are sure to come across several during your tour. If you haven’t done so already, set up a free Google Mail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email account which you can then access from any computer. Internet Cafes will charge a nominal fee for using their computers. Within Europe some hotels charge a wifi connection fee and we cannot guarantee a wifi connection at all hotels we use.

Twitter – A method of communication that is rapidly gaining in popularity on the Internet especially amongst travelers. Twitter allows you to send short messages and update your friends and family with where you are on tour and what you are doing. Create your free account at http://twitter.com. Visit Kumuka’s page on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kumuka

Facebook – Very popular website that allows you to upload stories, get in touch with fellow travellers before and after your Kumuka tour, upload photos and videos to share with other travellers, your family and friends. To create a free account, go to www.facebook.com and then become a fan of Kumuka’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kumuka-Worldwide/26617121087?ref=ts

Postcards – The good ol’ fashioned postcard. But you will probably get home before the postcard does!

Under no circumstances are any illegal drugs allowed on any part of the trip. Anyone discovered in possession of any such drugs, will be asked to leave the tour immediately without question or refund.

KUMUKA WORLDWIDE

UK OFFICE

Hillswood Business Park 3000
Hillswood Drive Chertsey KT16 0RS
Tel: +4420 7937 8855 Fax: +442075043782

Email: sales@kumuka.com
www.kumuka.com

AUSTRALIAN OFFICE

Level 5, 387 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 02 9279 0491 Fax: 02 9279 0492
Email: sales@kumuka.com.au
www.kumuka.com.au