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TRAVEL DETAILS
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Tour Day-by-day |
In Brief |
DAYS 1-2: Arrival
Weeks, or even months of preparation come to fruition at last as you board your airplane bound for Europe and the glittering jewel at her heart, Paris, the "City of Light." Bienvenue!
Settle into your centrally-located hotel, then set out to explore one of the world's most beautiful capital cities.
You may want to head to Montmartre, Paris' highest hill and its most celebrated bohemian district. Artists still flock to the charming Place du Tertre, as they did when Toulouse-Lautrec painted the French Cancan dancers at the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. Enjoy panoramic views of the city as you make your way to the Sacré-Coeur, the white-domed basilica that anchors the Parisian skyline.
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DAY 3: Paris Sightseeing, Excursion to Versailles, RER train to Paris, Notre Dame, Optional Moulin Rouge
Set out on a coach tour of the city in the company of a local guide. On the Right Bank of the River Seine, see Napoléon's Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, the Place de la Concorde, and the exuberant Opéra Garnier. On the Left Bank, discover the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
The Palace of Versailles
A bit of relevant French history today where the Sun King, Madame de Pompadour and Queen Marie-Antoinette all come to life. In this ultimate example of Baroque architecture, you will marvel at the lavish decoration, abundant gilding and exuberant ornamentation, particularly in the Royal Apartments of Louis XIV and in the Hall of Mirrors. Imagine the sense of self-importance that must have inflated the egos of these kings and queens.
Take a stroll around the Main Gardens.
Return to Paris using the efficient RER transit system.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Make your way to the Ile de la Cité, the very heart of the ancient city which the Romans called Lutetia, for a visit to Notre-Dame. This cathedral has presided over centuries of glorious and somber French history, from its construction in the Middle Ages to the French Revolution and the coronation of Napoléon in 1804 (the 35-year-old upstart crowned himself emperor!). Admire the bas-reliefs, statuary, gargoyles and remarkable rose windows.
Moulin Rouge Cabaret Show (9:00pm show) OPTIONAL
Enjoy a show at the Moulin Rouge, which means red windmill. There is indeed a red windmill on the top of this famous building, one of the landmarks of the area known as Pigalle, sitting at the foot of Montmartre. When most people think of Paris, they think of the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré Coeur, and the bright lights of Pigalle. This is the cabaret show par excellence, and the show is truly fantastique, albeit a little risqué!
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Highlights
Half-day city sightseeing, excursion to Versailles, RER train to Paris
Professionally-guided coach tour of Paris, with drop-off at Versailles
Services of a specially-trained full-day local guide in Paris
Visit to the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors, including audioguide
Visit to the Main Gardens
Headset receiver for guide at Versailles
RER train Versailles-Paris
Visit to Notre Dame Cathedral
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DAY 4: Louvre, Optional Eiffel Tower Ascent, Optional Eiffel Tower Dinner, Bateaux-Mouches
Visit the Louvre Museum to explore its restored galleries and their ancient treasures, as well as the modernistic underground galleria beneath I. M. Pei's glass pyramid. You will see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and the Vénus de Milo, among countless other masterpieces.
Free time in Paris
This afternoon is free to plan as you wish.
You may wish to visit the Musée de la Parfumerie Fragonard housed in the Théâtre des Capucines, a theater built in 1900 that was transformed into a museum in 1993. Its collections illustrate the history and manufacture of perfume. A mini-factory with a 19th-century copper distilling apparatus demonstrates the extraction of essences. Visitors also learn all about the esoteric artistry of the "Noses."
For a change of pace, go have a look at 21st-century Paris at the Quartier de la Défense, on the outskirts of the city. Admire la Grande Arche, a feat of modern architecture with its hollow cube large enough to contain Notre-Dame. See how it is situated in near-perfect alignment with the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre (you may want to take the elevator to the top for a better perspective). Check out Les Quatre Temps, a huge shopping center located nearby.
Eiffel Tower Ascent OPTIONAL
Ascend by elevator to the third level of the most famous structure ever built, la Tour Eiffel for an unforgettable panorama of Paris.
Dinner on the Eiffel Tower and Eiffel Tower Ascent OPTIONAL
Ascend by elevator to the third level of the most famous structure ever built, la Tour Eiffel for an unforgettable panorama of Paris.
After the ascent, enjoy a three-course dinner at the restaurant 58 Tour Eiffel, located on the first level of the Eiffel Tower.
Bateaux-Mouches
See Paris transformed into a wonderland like no other during a Bateaux-Mouches cruise along the River Seine.
Illuminations drive
An illumination drive past the most famous monuments of the French capital shows you why Paris is called the "City of Light."
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Highlights
Entrance and reservation to the Louvre
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DAY 5: Bayeux, D-Day Beaches, St. Malo
Head west to the Normandy city of Bayeux, which was the first French city to be liberated by the Allies on D-Day, and one of the few in the area that escaped major damage. It has kept its 14th-century half-timbered houses and a magnificent cathedral which overlooks the city.
View Bayeux' treasure, the superb 231-foot tapestry embroidered in the 11th century to chronicle another invasion, that of England by the Normans, almost a thousand years before the D-Day landing.
D-Day Beaches in Normandy
This is indeed Second World War country: sobering memorials, bunkers, and barbed wire everywhere. Over sixty years later, the beaches of Normandy are still often referred to by their code names.
Arromanches 360
In the coastal town of Arromanches, visit the Arromanches 360 museum to view the impressive Price of Freedom show. This eighteen-minute film with surround sound, which is presented on nine screens, places you in the middle of the events that unfolded on D-Day.
American Cemetery
Just over the cliffs in Colleville, the 9386 military graves of the American Cemetery and Memorial, which you will visit, lie in crisp rows, poignant reminders of these heroic days.
Travel to St. Malo
Travel on to the medieval harbor of Saint-Malo. The town is perched on a rock at the mouth of the River Rance, its only link to the mainland a narrow causeway. It is known as la Cité des Corsaires for famous native seafarers such as Surcouf, who captured countless English ships, and Jacques Cartier, who sailed to the New World and up Canada's St. Lawrence River in 1535.
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Highlights
Travel to St. Malo via Bayeux and D-Day Beaches
Visit to the Bayeux Tapestry museum
Visits to the D-Day Beaches
Visit to Arromanches 360
Visit to the American Cemetery
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DAY 6: St. Malo Walking Tour, Mont St. Michel, Tours
Enjoy the walled city of St. Malo in the company of your courier. See landmarks such as the Cathédrale Saint-Vincent (whose 12th-century nave, lit by sparkling modern stained-glass windows, houses Jacques Cartier's tomb), and the 15th-century castle with its Tour Quiquengrogne. You may want to stroll along the ramparts for great views. Look for souvenirs along the narrow shop-lined streets.
Travel to Tours via Mont St. Michel
Travel to Mont St. Michel, which will appear out of the sea mists with its spired abbey church perched upon a mountain of granite. On your way up for a visit to the abbey, you will walk along steep streets and hear tales of pilgrimages and of prisoners who were once kept on this small island.
Then, spend some time browsing in the souvenir shops at the foot of the Mont, or walking along the dike laid across a flat seabed, where incoming tides are said to rush in as fast as a galloping horse.
Vineyards and wineries color the road to la Vallée de la Loire. The poet Joachim du Bellay spoke eloquently of la douceur angevine and of this area that some consider to be the true heart of France.
Arrive in Tours, hometown of Saint Martin and novelist Honoré de Balzac. Of particular interest is the renovated Vieux-Tours with its Gothic cathedral, towers and timbered houses.
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Highlights
Courier-led walking tour in St. Malo
Travel to Tours via Mont St. Michel
Mont St. Michel, including a visit to the abbey, including audioguide
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DAY 7: Excursion to Chenonceau and Chambord
An excursion takes you into the very essence of the history and culture of France. See two of France's loveliest châteaux, which define the sophistication of the Renaissance.
Chenonceau Chateau
Visit the castle of Chenonceau, the prettiest of the châteaux, reflecting in the waters of the river Cher. In 1547, a century before the royal palace was designed at Versailles, King Henri II gave this property to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. On her orders, splendid gardens were added and a bridge was built to link the castle to the other bank of the Cher. The famous gallery erected upon that bridge by Queen Catherine de Medici served as an escape route between Nazi-occupied northern France and unoccupied southern France during WWII.
An audioguide is included.
Chambord Chateau
Visit the breathtaking Château de Chambord, the largest of them all with its 440 rooms and 80 staircases. At the age of 25, flamboyant King François I decided to build this sumptuous residence, but over the 32 years of his reign he spent only 42 days in Chambord! This is your day to admire the park (enclosed by a wall 18 miles long), the grand façade and the spirals of le Grand Escalier, which cross and recross as they rise from the Salle des Gardes to a 100-foot turret crowning a roof adorned with 365 chimneys!
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Highlights
Full-day coach excursion to Chenonceau and Chambord
Visit to the château of Chenonceau
Audioguide for Chenonceau Chateau
Visit to the château of Chambord
Audioguide for Chambord Chateau
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DAY 8: Chartres, Paris
Today, travel to the region known as the Ile-de-France.
The spires of the Chartres Cathedral first come into view, solemnly rising above the wide-open fields of La Beauce. Soon, you're facing the most beautiful Gothic structure in Europe, reputed for its stunning stained-glass windows. The cathedral itself defines Gothic architecture and the concept of the flying buttress, which you will see during your visit.
A short coach ride on the autoroute then takes you into a whole different world: the stately monuments and broad boulevards of the French capital.
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Highlights
Travel to Paris via Chartres
Visit to Chartres Cathedral
Audioguide for the Chartres Cathedral
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DAY 9: Departure
Most good things must come to an end. Your suitcase full of memorabilia and of photos ready to be processed, you'll arrive home later today, eager to share your discoveries with family and friends.
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