The Great Gardens of Europe by Private Jet 72328

Our private jet journey begins in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. Undergoing a significant transformation in the last decade, this lovely creative city is now a genuine cultural mecca brimming with world-class museums. On arrival in Amsterdam you will be met and transferred privately to your luxury hotel for the next two nights.
Staying at the Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam puts you right in the heart of the city, steps away from Dam Square with its Royal Palace and Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), making it easy to wander to the upscale shops of De Bijenkorf or explore the charming Nine Streets with their boutiques and galleries. World-class museums like the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum are a pleasant walk away, as is the poignant Anne Frank House. The afternoon is yours to relax and discover the city.
In the late afternoon we soak up the relaxing atmosphere of Hortus Botanicus. Established in 1638 to serve as a herb garden to the city’s doctors and pharmacists, it is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. Its hothouses and exotic plants havefascinated visitors for nearly four centuries and today the garden is home to over 6,000 varieties of plants and unique specimens such as a 2,000-year-old agave cactus, a 300-year-old Eastern Cape giant cycad and a 154-year-old giant water lily affectionately known as Victoria. A welcome reception here is the perfect opportunity to meet our fellow travel companions. We also enjoy a private guided tour after the gardens have closed to the public. A private group dinner follows in the Orangery – the perfect horticultural start to our journey together.

This morning we drive to the gardens at Het Loo Palace, just north of Apeldoorn. This was the favoured holiday retreat of Prince William of Orange and having re-opened to the public in 2023 after a huge restoration programme, its spectacular gardens are now accessible once more. This type of baroque garden is unique to the Netherlands and is a late Dutch interpretation of the Italian-French garden dating from the first quarter of the 17th century. The exotic flowers and plants and the constant supply of fresh water for the fountains must have made the gardens of Het Loo a spectacular sight even then. We take a guided tour of the gardens and a light lunch before returning our hotel.
This afternoon, dive into the charm of Amsterdam by choosing from a visit to the Van Gogh Museum or joining a local guide for a walking tour. Alternatively, head off on your own to uncover the city’s hidden treasures at your own pace.
In the early evening, we reconvene and make our way to the canal side dock where we take to the water on board our private charter. Getting our bearings by boat, we explore the canal rings, water locks and bridges that make up the Canal Belt, an extraordinary feat of water engineering. We cruise during the golden hour, the time just before sunset when the light is soft and warm, perfect for photography. On board we enjoy refreshments and canapés.
This evening choose to dine at the hotel, or join your tour manager at a historic local restaurant in Amsterdam.

After breakfast, we depart for a visit to one of the most famous gardens in the world, Keukenhof. Every autumn, 7 million Dutch bulbs are hand planted, producing wave upon wave of colourful blooms from mid-March to mid-May. Tulips, hyacinths and daffodils fill the air with an unforgettable scent and the flowerbeds flow
through the 32 hectares of gardens like miraculous rainbow-coloured rivers – it is truly breathtaking. Keukenhof is a fun, welcoming garden with a myriad of footpaths, gorgeous water features and bubbling fountains and we spend the morning here exploring on our own and with our guide.
We travel to nearby Het Oude Dykhuys, a charming cosy restaurant located in a former 19th-century farmhouse where we enjoy a seasonal menu crafted by award-winning owner-chef Alfred van Dijk before travelling directly to our private terminal for our flight to our next destination, Paris. The tree-lined boulevards, elegant architecture and cobbled riverbanks along the silvery Seine have made Paris one of the most recognisable and romantic cities in Europe. First time visitors are understandably impressed by its historic monuments and on our arrival in this beautiful City of Light, we are met by our luxury coach and taken on a city tour. Taking us past famous Parisian buildings including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the cathedral of Notre Dame, fully restored to its former glory – we admire the beauty of the city in comfort en route to our hotel.
As evening descends, we begin our Parisian adventure with a magical dinner cruise along the Seine, sipping a glass of champagne as we glide past the city’s iconic landmarks, bathed in glistening lights and the romantic allure of the City of Lights.

We luxuriate in a full day at France’s most iconic palace, the Château de Versailles.
It took 50 years to transform the simple royal hunting lodge of Versailles into the vast ornate palace complex we see today. We discover the Galerie des Glaces, lined with 350 mirrors more precious than diamonds when they were installed in the 17th century. We investigate the Royal Apartments and Marie Antoinette’s bedroom from which she escaped through a secret door during the Revolution in 1789. In the Grand Chapel and Royal Opera Hall we admire the spectacular architecture and sumptuous decoration of vast spaces dedicated to penitence and pleasure. We complete our morning visits at the Museum of French History, a public space created by King Louis Phillipe after the revolution as a gesture towards national conciliation.
In the afternoon we turn our attention to the magnificent gardens. Here ‘The King of Gardeners, and Gardener to the King,’ André Le Nôtre, perfected his design, playing with light and shade, creating huge vistas interspersed with secondary alleys and secretive groves. Trellises and arbours form walls of greenery and frivolous water features serve as a contrast to the strict symmetry of the tree-lined walkways. There is a timeless quality to the pristine gardens of Versailles and this glorious garden network of nearly 2,000 acres is a joy to explore.

We start early today to arrive at Giverny at a time when the famous gardens are at their most tranquil. Claude Monet considered his gardens his greatest work of art and he spent 40 years tending his precious five-acre plot with his team of 8 gardeners. A knowledgeable horticulturalist, he populated his famous lily pond with the very latest hybrid produced from cross breeding white water lilies from northern climes with more vibrant tropical varieties from the Gulf of Mexico. Designed with the passion and the eye of an artist, the garden is planted sequentially like the palettes of colour in a paint box. In early May, the garden blooms with peonies, rhododendrons, geraniums, wisterias, azaleas, wallflowers, daisies, laburnum, delphiniums and of course, Monet’s favourite, irises.
Both the house and gardens have been lovingly and stunningly restored – one would believe that the Monet family had just gone out to walk in the garden. We have plenty of time to take in this marvellous garden at our leisure before lunch.
From Giverny, we travel directly to the airport for our flight from Paris to the Italian capital, Rome. One of the most charismatic and engaging of the great cities of the world, Rome’s monuments are testament to a past in which it controlled an Empire reaching from Scotland to Syria. Surprisingly, it is also an intimate city – the historic centre is small, and it is easy to understand based on the ancient layout. On arrival we have an orientation tour of the Eternal City before arriving at our hotel, where dinner is served this evening.

We leave the city this morning and visit the gardens of Castel Gandolfo, the traditional papal residence just outside Rome in the beautiful Alban hills. The property has been in papal hands since 1596, though it wasn’t until the 17th century, when Pope Urban VIII commissioned architect Carlo Maderno to design a villa fit for a pontiff, that Popes beganseeking solace from the stifling Roman summer. Our tour of the estate begins with a shady walk to the Giardino della Madonnina, where holm oaks twist out of ancient masonry, and leads on to the Giardino del Belvedere, formed by a series of rigidly geometric parterres, edged by towering cypresses, cloud-shaped crowns of umbrella pines and gnarled cedars. We then savour the breathtaking beauty of Lake Albano, with a pause to admire the panoramic views while indulging in a delicious local lunch.
From here we travel directly to a garden which appears in many garden enthusiasts’ ‘top ten’. Ninfa is special with an atmosphere all of its own, perhaps because of the unique way it came into being. These bewitching romantic gardens were created from the ruins of an ancient town long abandoned, and their structure genuinely stops the breath. Plants wind over ruined towers and walls, rejoicing in the lush damp conditions created by the garden’s many water courses. Roses, clematis and wisteria scramble for footholds in ruined archways and honeysuckle drapes lazily over a crumbling church wall. Roses, banana trees, maples and resident ducks all thrive in the microclimate of Ninfa. The garden reaches peak beauty in May, when flowers from all over the world thrive in glorious companionship. Accessible only on certain days of the year when tours are conducted by garden staff, we enjoy a privileged visit to this beautiful and fragile place.
We return to Rome and our hotel. Join your fellow travel companions for a cocktail at the rooftop bar, before dinner this evening.

This morning is dedicated to the city-state of the Vatican with a private guided tour before its doors open to the public. The Vatican’s greatest treasure, Michelangelo’s masterpiece of the Sistine Chapel, is a jaw dropping work of art which must be savoured and we have arranged privileged access before the Chapel and Museums open for the day. We are joined by an expert guide who enlightens us with the stories and secrets behind the collections of art and the architecture. We end our visit with St Peter’s Basilica, the resting place of the first Pope and a prime example of Renaissance-era Baroque-style architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the greatest buildings of its age. Breakfast is at the Vatican, before we return to our hotel.
This afternoon we visit the great 16th century Villa D’Este, built by Cardinal Ippolito D’Este, the son of Lucrezia Borgia. Restored to their Renaissance glory, these gardens have not lost the power to amaze. The myriad fountains and ingenious water tricks for which it is famous were designed primarily to surprise and delight and the most spectacular of them are still in working order. Perhaps the highlight today is the Path of One Hundred Fountains which flow into three parallel channels, representing the three tributaries of the Tiber. The garden is romantically overgrown with tall pines, evergreen oaks and cedars. From the upper terrace, the valley seems to be full of sparkling spray and the senses are almost confused by the continual sound of cascading water.
On our final evening in Rome, we indulge in a memorable dining experience at Imàgo, sitting at the top of the Hassler Hotel and one of the most celebrated restaurants in Rome. Here we dine surrounded by floor to ceiling windows which offer panoramic views across the city. We will be delighted by chef Andrea Antonini’s creativity which showcases his versions of classic dishes along with new innovative creations.

Departing Rome this morning, we take a short flight to Milan and onward drive to the stunning Lake Maggiore, vast and lovely and set against the backdrop of the soaring snow-capped Alps.
After lunch at a local restaurant we travel along the scenic route to our luxurious lakeside hotel. Once there we enjoy some time at leisure before we reconvene for dinner at I Mori restaurant at Villa Aminta, which has a panoramic terrace overlooking the Borromean Gulf. We enjoy an unforgettable dining experience where traditional and carefully chosen flavours aim to provide captivating combinations in an elegant and intimate setting.

We spend a full day exploring the idyllic Borromean Islands, dubbed one of the ten most beautiful places of the world by the New York Times. Known for their elaborate gardens, superb landscaping and variety of ‘plant architecture’, there is plenty to admire besides the gorgeous scenery
We start with a private boat cruise from Stresa to Isola Bella to see the vast baroque palace built from the island’s rock and surrounded by terraced gardens that were inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Our visit reveals the magnificent palace, which was constructed in the 17th century by Carlo III of the House of Borromeo, and was the scene of sumptuous and lavish parties, attended by the cream of European nobility and political heavyweights. Napoleon Bonaparte spent time here, as did Mussolini. Out in the gardens, where white peacocks roam, we find an ornate parterre with low box hedges and brilliantly coloured flowers, a pond adorned with blue and pink water lilies and lush plantings of oranges, grapefruits and orchids.
We continue to Isola Pescatori, the ‘island of fishermen’, with its narrow-cobbled streets and pretty harbour. The island was thought to be first inhabited in the 10th century and there are now approximately 50 residents. We have lunch here before continuing to our final visit of the day.
In contrast to Isola Bella, Isola Madre has a simple, unspoilt aspect, where tropical and Mediterranean plants, citrus fruits, crêpe myrtle, hibiscus, bougainvillea, protea and agaves all flourish. Housing rare botanical species and a colony of parrots that live freely within this splendid natural setting, the English landscaped park is due to the re-working of the former Renaissance terraced gardens. Woods of native for shaded and fragrant walks along banks of gardenias, azaleas and camellias.
Enjoy dinner tonight at our hotel.

After breakfast we return to Milan to meet our private aircraft and fly to the dazzling Côte D’Azur. This afternoon, choose to take a walking tour of Nice Old Town along its cobbled streets lined with historic tenements, churches and pretty squares, learning some of its 2,500-year history along the way. This tour also stops to savour the flavours of socca, a traditional regional dish, and includes wine-tasting in a local cellar. Alternatively the afternoon is yours to explore Nice independently – take a stroll along the boardwalk or spend the afternoon relaxing by the wonderful hotel pool.
Choose to dine this evening at the hotel, or join the tour manager at a local restaurant.

Our first visit of the day is to Cap Ferrat, the charming, forested peninsula between Nice and Monaco. Here we visit a gem of the Côte d’Azur – the villa and gardens of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.
The brainchild of Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, the gardens are designed as a series of compartments, each reflecting her extensive travels around the continents. They are exquisite, with many interesting tender plants thriving in the favourable climate, surrounded by marvellous views over the sea. In May, the roses are in full bloom and the gardens at their most fragrant. The glorious pale pink villa, now a museum, contains the eclectic collections of the Baroness de Rothschild and some of the artefacts associated with Marie Antoinette, including paintings by Monet and Renoir. We embark on a private guided tour of the villa and a discovery of the gardens before a flute of champagne, canapés and a light lunch in the restaurant.
This afternoon we spend some time in the glamourous surroundings of Monte Carlo, playground of the rich and famous. Here we take a walk through some of the charming public parks and gardens that bring splashes of colour and open space to the tightly packed urban landscape. Dinner this evening is at our hotel and its rooftop restaurant, with views over the Mediterranean Sea.

Today we bid adieu to the French Riviera as we fly from Nice to London and enjoy some light refreshments aboard our private aircraft that has become like a home away from home since the start of our journey.
On arrival we travel to the world-famous, UNESCO World Heritage listed Royal Botanic Kew Gardens. Since their creation in 1759, the gardens have made a significant contribution to the study of plant diversity with a botanical collection of over 50,000 living plants. These gardens are a must-see at this time of year, when cherry blossoms should be in full bloom along with swathes of tulips, delicate English bluebells, mounds of azaleas and spectacular Rhododendrons, which flower in clusters in the Rhododendron Dell. We wander down the Great Broad Walk Borders, the longest herbaceous borders in the country and discover the Davies Alpine House, an award-winning structure dedicated to the nurture of dianthus, small ferns thymes, campanulas and verbascums. We also visit the largest Victorian glasshouse, the Temperate House, home to rare and threatened plant species, and the arboretum with its collection of 11,000 trees. We also enjoy a delightful afternoon tea at the Botanical Brasserie.
Our hotel and home for the next three nights is Coworth Park, an exquisite country house hotel, nestled amidst 240 acres of picturesque parkland on the borders of Windsor Great Park, offering a refined retreat where classic elegance meets modern comforts.
Join your fellow travel companions this evening for a drinks reception and talk before dinner, in preparation for our day at RHS Chelsea Flower Show tomorrow.

Surely a highlight of the trip, our day is spent at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which holds a rare position as a great British tradition and an exciting source of inspiration and advice. One of the highlights of the horticultural calendar, the show was once described as ‘the World Cup of Gardening’ and has run almost every year since 1913. In successive years Chelsea has continued to mirror changes in society and horticultural thinking from minimalist design to wildlife gardens and sustainability, so expect to see the very best the industry can offer. We are privileged to be visiting on Members’ Day, meaning we have access to this world-class show before it opens its doors to non RHS members.

This morning we visit neighbouring Savill Garden, a 35-acre wonderland which is a feast for the senses, boasting a breathtaking tapestry of interconnecting gardens, each with its own unique character and charm. We are then invited for an exclusive tour of the Great Park (not accessible to private vehicles) to take in the iconic views from the comfort of our luxury coach. We return to our hotel for some free time and to make use of its wonderful facilities. Be sure to stroll through the meticulously manicured gardens, a true testament to the Head Gardener’s passion and expertise where vibrant flower beds burst with colour. The walled garden, a haven of tranquillity, provides the kitchens with an abundance of fresh produce, inspiring the chefs to create seasonal dishes packed with flavour.
Later this afternoon we have another treat in store with a visit to RHS Garden Wisley, where the Royal Horticultural Society shows the gardening public how it should be done. Here the highest standards of practical horticulture are deployed in the setting of a splendid old site, rich in fine trees, against a backdrop of other plants, all impeccably labelled. A guided tour is included here followed by an exquisite private farewell gala dinner after the gardens have closed to the public.

After a leisurely breakfast and perhaps a final stroll through the gardens, we bid farewell to the enchanting Coworth Park. Transfers are provided to Heathrow Airport or your chosen London hotel, allowing you to seamlessly continue your journey home. Whether you are heading back to familiar comforts or extending your adventure in the vibrant capital, we hope you depart with cherished memories of your time exploring Dutch blooms, green cities, the Italian Lakes and the captivating Côte D’Azur.