GREEN MOUNTAINS

Day 1	NEW YORK
Arrive in New York City, America’s premier city and greatest attraction. Transfer to your hotel in Midtown Manhattan, conveniently located within minutes of Times Square, the Broadway Theaters, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue and Central Park

Day 2

NEW YORK » MYSTIC » NEWPORT » BOSTON (285 mi / 455 km)

Begin your journey this morning with a drive along the Hudson River to the northernmost tip of Manhattan, where you can make a quick photo stop at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. This area of Manhattan is as peaceful and undeveloped as the downtown Manhattan is crowded and overbuilt, and you’ll have superb views of both the Hudson River and of Manhattan’s only remaining primordial forest, in Inwood Park. Continue north to the state of Connecticut and Mystic Seaport. Mystic has been a shipbuilding community since the 1600’s, and the Seaport recreates life in a 19th Century seaside village, with tall ships, a working shipyard, shops, stores, and buildings typical of a New England maritime town. Afterwards, drive to Newport, an important colonial port city in the 1700’s that became a summer resort for America’s wealthiest families. The large mansions they called their “cottages” still line Ocean Drive and Bellevue Avenue, and many are open to visitors daily. A variety of American architecture dating back to the 1600’s can be seen in downtown Newport. Continue on to Boston, New England’s principal city. Founded in 1630 by the Puritans, Boston quickly grew to be the largest city in the English Colonies and the cradle of the American Revolution. Take a self-guided walking tour along Boston’s Freedom Trail, which links together and explains Boston’s most important revolutionary sites and events

Day 3

BOSTON

A full day to explore Boston and its surroundings. Begin your day rambling through the cobblestone streets and fine brick houses of Beacon Hill, the traditional home of Boston’s “Brahmins”, early Boston’s social, intellectual and artistic elite. Then, cross the Charles River to the vibrant streets of Cambridge and Harvard University, America’s first institute of higher education (1636). Return through Back Bay’s boulevards for stylish shopping and dining, then make your way to the Fenway for the artistic treasures of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts

Day 4

BOSTON » WHITE MOUNTAINS » GREEN MOUNTAINS (275 mi / 440 km)

This morning, spend more time in Boston, take a side trip to Salem, home of the famous witch trials, or depart directly for the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Named for their often snow-covered peaks, the White Mountains are the tallest in New England, and the roads through the high mountain passes make for beautiful scenic driving. Take the Mount Washington Auto Road to the highest summit, and you’ll pass through four climate zones, from temperate to tundra.Continue on to Vermont’s Green Mountains for your overnight

Day 5

GREEN MOUNTAINS » MONTREAL (125 mi / 200 km)

Vermont’s Green Mountains, whose scenic roads are especially spectacular in the fall, seem like a drive into the past and an America that used to be. Dairy farms and covered bridges dot the countryside, and tidy small small towns make for inviting stops along the way. Near Stowe, visit Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory, Vermont’s biggest tourist attraction, and the Shelburne Museum near Burlington has one of best collections of American folk art to be found anywhere. Continue north to Montreal for your overnight.

Day 6

MONTREAL

A full day to enjoy Montreal, the largest French-speaking city after Paris. Begin in Vieux-Montreal (Old Montreal) and the Place Jacques-Cartier, where street musicians and acrobats perform for audiences seated in outdoor cafes. From there, stroll along the cobblestone streets to the waterfront at the Vieux-Port (Old Port) and visit the Marche Bonsecours’ art galleries and native crafts shops. From here, take a river cruise or a thrilling jetboat tour to the Lachine Rapids (reservations recommended). Linger in the Old Town, or explore Montreal’s modern Downtown district, home to some of Canada’s premier art & history museums, or beautiful Parc du Mont-Royal, designed by the creator of New York’s Central Park, with splendid views overlooking the city. There’s no shortage of nightlife in Montreal, with plenty of clubs Downtown, in the Plateau Mont-Royal and the Quartier Latin, or return to the Vieux-Port for live jazz, blues or traditional musique quebecoise

Day 7

MONTREAL » WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS (270 mi / 435 km)

This morning, return through western Vermont or New York State’s Adirondack Region to the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. Visit Stockbridge, the quintessential New England town, where the illustrator Norman Rockwell had his studio and painted nostalgic scenes of American life in a simpler time. Depending on your itinerary, head east to Sturbridge and Olde Sturbridge Village, a living history museum recreating life in a rural New England village of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The buildings are authentic, and costumed interpreters go about their work using traditional methods of the period

Day 8	WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS » NEW YORK (145 mi / 235 km)
Depart this morning for New York State and the Hudson River Valley. Travel directly to the airport if you’re departing today, or if you’ve booked additional nights in New York, spend some time visiting the scenic Hudson River Valley