Grand Tour USA - East and South Coast + Niagara and Chicago

Departure from Sofia Airport at 08:00 on an Austrian Airlines flight to Vienna. Landing at 08:35 and continuation to USA at 10:50. Arrival in Washington at 14:00 local time (Air tickets Sofia - Vienna - Washington are not included in the package price). Welcome and transfer to hotel The Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle 4*, centrally located in an elite neighborhood, where the famous Embassy Row is located, with its imposing and interesting as architectural style buildings. Accommodation and free time for dinner in the American capital. Overnight.

Half-day tour /3hrs/ and sightseeing of the main attractions of the American capital - the White House (outside), the National Archives (outside), the Washington Monument, the memorials of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, respectively the 3rd and 16th President of the United States, each with his unique contribution to the history of the country. Finally, visit Capitol Hill, home to the legislative (House of Representatives and Senate) and judicial (Supreme Court) branches of the US government. Free time in the afternoon to visit the Smithsonian Institution, one of the largest research and educational institutes in the world, which has a large complex of museums: the Museum of Natural History, the Indian Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American History, the Museum of American Art, etc. Overnight.

Check out of the hotel, transfer to Union Station and take the train to New York (duration: approx. 3h). Arrival at New York Pennsylvania Station, transfer and check in The Westin New York Grand Central 4*, centrally located. Free time to explore the cosmopolitan city. Optional, evening visit to the Empire State Building, one of the city's most iconic buildings, with a climb to the 86th floor, where you can enjoy the sea of multicoloured lights that floods the Big Apple. Overnight.

Panoramic tour /5hrs/ of Manhattan, including Times Square with its multicolored billboards, Columbus Circle, Fifth Avenue, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Fleetaren Building, Grand Central Station, Wall Street and the financial district, Greenwich Village, Soho, Chinatown and Brooklyn with a photo stop on the observation deck under the Brooklyn Bridge, where you can enjoy a magnificent view of Lower Manhattan. Return to the hotel on your own or, if you wish, sign up for a boat cruise to the Statue of Liberty, where you'll learn about a time when, for fleeing immigrants, the statue symbolized hope for a better life. Free evening to soak up the nightlife of „The City That Never Sleeps.“ Overnight.

Free day to explore Manhattan's Central Park on your own, where many outdoor concerts and events take place throughout the summer. It is also home to the legendary Metropolitan Museum of Art, which houses over 2 million works of art from around the world and all historical eras. In terms of its scale, it represents the largest cultural institution in the United States. You can stroll the streets of the coquettish Greenwich Village neighborhood, where many famous writers, playwrights and poets have lived, or peek into Chelsea's famous art galleries, displaying works by Warhol, Evans and others. In the evening, you can attend one of Broadway's many iconic shows. Overnight.

Transfer to the airport for a morning flight to Buffalo. Meet and explore Niagara Falls, one of the most impressive natural wonders of our time. Dozens of feet above the abyss, water sprays with white steam and forms a multitude of colorful rainbows. To get close to the falls, a ride on the Maid of the Mist boat is included, as well as photo stops at various locations along the shore overlooking the falls. Transfer to the airport and fly to Chicago. Landing and check-in at hotel The Royal Sonesta River North 4*, centrally located near the pedestrian promenade running along the river, Chicago Riverwalk. Overnight.

Half-day panoramic tour of Chicago /3h/, during which we will see the extravagant shopping street „Magnificent Mile“ and explore the historic city center called Loop - the second largest business district in the USA after Manhattan. Most of Chicago's famous skyscrapers, like the Sears Tower, are located in this area. It's also home to Millennium Park, the site of some of Frank Gehry and Anish Kapoor's most fantastic architectural creations. During the tour, there will be various photo stops and photo opportunities of the city and Lake Michigan. In the afternoon, an opportunity to stroll along Navy Pier, the waterfront pier where boats depart from to explore the lake and canals of the city. It is from the open upper deck that you can most fully enjoy the architecture and the view of the „Windy City“. In the evening, you have the opportunity to climb Willis Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world, or visit one of Chicago's famous jazz clubs. Overnight.

Check out of hotel, transfer to airport for flight to New Orleans. Arrival in the City of Jazz and transfer to hotel Holiday Inn New Orleans Downtown - Superdome 4* in downtown New Orleans, which has a huge saxophone on its facade - a symbol of the city. Like a veritable gumbo (a Louisiana culinary specialty - soup made with a variety of ingredients), New Orleans combines the character, architecture and history of the many nationalities that have settled along the Mississippi River over the centuries - Indians, French, Spanish, Africans, Jews, Italians, Germans and Irish. Begin on a walking tour during which you'll explore the French Quarter, typified by its colonial houses with beautiful wrought-iron balconies crafted into masterful shapes and details from the region, such as cornstalks, oak leaves and acorns; Jackson Square, once used for military training by the French army and executions of criminals, it is now a beautifully landscaped park where artists and street musicians gather daily; the St. Louise, famous for the tomb of Marie Laveau, the queen of voodoo magic. Visitors all flock to her grave and leave a voodoo gift or mark it with an „X”, asking her to grant them a wish. Check in to the hotel and free time in the evening to wander the jazz venues along Bourbon Street. Although its name has nothing to do with bourbon, but with the French Bourbon family that lived here, the invitations here don't stop for all kinds of explosive cocktails, like the Nuclear Kamikaze, the Brain Freeze or the Hurricane. Most of all, the area attracts with the jazz tunes coming from almost every door, reminiscent of a golden age when great musicians like Louise Armstrong, King Oliver and Buddy Bolden filled the venues with their rhythms.

Free time to soak in the atmosphere of the city. Opportunity to board a cruise ship and see New Orleans from the Mississippi side of the river, as local Dixieland bands once did. Live jazz music will help transport you to that time, as will the preserved 19th-century-style steamboats that still cruise the city's shores and spread its old tunes. Overnight.

Check out of the hotel, transfer to the airport and fly to Miami. Arrival and check-in at hotel The Tony Hotel South Beach Miami 4*, located next to the famous South Beach, close to the most popular bars, clubs, restaurants and shops. Free time for dinner and a stroll along the iconic Ocean Drive and soak in the amazing atmosphere and nightlife of Miami's most glamorous neighborhood. Overnight.

Panoramic tour of Miami /5h/, which begins with a look at the typical Miami Beach buildings in tropical Art Deco style, painted in „ice cream“ colors and decorated with beautiful motifs such as palm trees, orchids, alligators, reminiscent of the typical features of this sunny state. Continuing on to Little Havana - although Cubans live all over South Florida, they have settled here in their majority since the 1860s when they began fleeing their homeland. Here, you'll pass by Caye Ocho and soak up the surrounding Cuban atmosphere with a whiff of cigars and salsa. In the afternoon, there is an included cruise around Biscayne Bay, during which you will see the residences of some of Miami's richest and most famous residents, the so-called „Millionaire's Row,“ and enjoy beautiful views of the harbor and the city's skyscrapers. Return to the hotel and overnight.

Free day for the beautiful South Beach. Optional half-day excursion to one of the world's most interesting eco-systems, the Everglades National Park. It is an extensive river system consisting mainly of marshes and wetlands that are home to over 350 species of birds, 500 species of fish, as well as reptiles and mammals, including the American alligator. You'll board an airboat that will take you directly through the swamps and animal habitats; you'll see crocodiles and alligators on their own island, swimming or out in the sun; and finally, you'll be able to walk special trails through the jungle and see other exotic specimens of this unique animal and plant world.

Check out of the hotel and free time until lunch. Transfer and departure from Miami Airport at 16:40 on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt. Overnight on the plane.

Landing at Frankfurt airport at 07:55 and continuation to Sofia at 10:05. Arrival in Bulgaria at 13:15. End of the program (Air tickets Miami - Frankfurt - Sofia are not included in the package price).