What is a Grand Tour?
If your holidays always end too soon, then our new Grand Tours are just what you need. Inspired by the golden age of travel, on a Grand Tour, you can spend even longer exploring your chosen destination - whether that's a far-flung destination on our worldwide Grand Tours or an adventure closer to home on a European Grand Tour.
The history of the Grand Tour
The term 'Grand Tour' can be traced back to Richard Lessels, a travel writer from the 17th century. His book, Voyage to Italy, in which he coined the term, inspired a tourist boom for English nobility and upper echelon looking for education and culture.
These young men travelled through Europe accompanied by a tutor or family and friends. While there was no set route, most visited France and Italy - stopping in classical cities like Rome, Venice and Florence. Then through the Alps to Switzerland - stopping in Geneva or Montreux - and coming back through Germany or sometimes Austria. Some, like Byron, travelled even further, exploring Greece and the Mediterranean - you can still see the graffiti he left at the Temple of Poseidon in the Cape of Sounion.
There were no quick flights to these destinations, travelling was arduous work. They took boats across the seas and lakes and horse-drawn carriages across the land which, in rugged landscapes, like the Alps, had to be disassembled and carried. It's not hard to see why these trips lasted months if not years.
These privileged young men were exposed to a wealth of art, architecture, food and fashion from across the continent. They brought new ideas, transforming their stately home in homage to the magnificent architecture they saw on their travels and filling them with paintings and status.
Our Grand Tours
We can't promise you a year of travel - although we do have departures all the way through the year - but our Grand Tours were designed to emulate the immersive experience these young nobles had all those centuries ago. The food may have improved - thank goodness the hygiene has - but the sites remain. The canals of Venice, the shores of Lake Geneva, and the Acropolis were all popular sites, yet now there's even more to see, like Pompeii and Ephesus. And now, instead of months, it's only a few hours of travel away.
So, what is a Riviera Travel Grand Tour?
Our Grand Tours are longer and more immersive with more time to explore and more time to relax. Consider it a sightseeing extravaganza, visit all the iconic landmarks and discover hidden sights known only to the locals - they're epic adventures.
Riviera Grand Cruises
Our Grand Cruises are 16-29 days long, cruising along some of Europe's most beautiful waterways, including the Rhine, the Main, the Moselle and the Danube.
Our longest Grand Cruise, at a whopping 29 days, visits 8 fascinating countries - Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. You'll enjoy 22 guided tours with local experts, several onboard musical performances and many breathtaking natural sights, including the Danube Delta, the Rhine Gorge and the Iron Gates Gorge. You'll see more of Europe than ever before.
Featured Grand Cruises
European Grand Tours
Rather than spending only a few days in each country, our European Grand Tours deep dive into your chosen destination - Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Slovenia. Spend from 9-13 days, visiting towns and cities brimming with history, unique architecture and scenic countryside that has inspired artists like Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. You could wander along the breathtaking shores of the Italian Lakes before taking a once-in-a-lifetime rail journey through the Swiss Alps or visit two of France's greatest cities of culture - home to fine art and wine.
Featured European Grand Tours
Worldwide Grand Tours
And finally, our Worldwide Grand Tours allow you to make the most of those long-haul travel times by adding extra days and destinations onto your trip. Add time in the Maldives to your holiday in Sri Lanka, hop across to Australia after your New Zealand tour or uncover the Garden City, Singapore, after a whistle-stop tour in Malaysia and Borneo - just a few of the extra destinations on offer. Even incurable wanderlust can almost be sated by a 16-26-day worldwide tour.
Featured Worldwide Grand Tours
View all Worldwide Grand Tours
As always you can enjoy unbeatable value with Riviera Grand Tours, which always includes flights, transfers, handpicked hotels in the best locations, insightful excursions and visits with local guides breakfast each morning plus a selection of other meals, and an expert Riviera Tour Manager or Cruise Director looking after you throughout.
Go Grand and explore the world with Riviera.
