London, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Paris

A certified local guide will accompany your group today.

Depart London and head to the English Channel coast.

From Portsmouth Harbor, a ferry will take you across the English Channel to the port of Ouistreham, the gateway to Caen, hometown of William the Conqueror. Have a thought for the young Allied troops who embarked on a momentous journey along this same route, over seventy years ago, headed, as you are now, for Normandy.

This is indeed Second World War country, with sobering memorials, bunkers, and occasional remnants of barbed wire. Three-quarters of a century after D-Day, the beaches of Normandy are still referred to by their WWII code names.

Stop on the cliff that overlooks the landing beach of Arromanches to watch the impressive Normandy's 100 Days, an HD film with surround sound that's presented in a circular cinema. It places spectators in the middle of the Battle of Normandy, thanks to archival footage.

Just over the coastal bluffs, in Colleville-sur-Mer, lie the 9,387 military graves of the American Cemetery. The endless, crisp rows are poignant reminders of heroic days that changed the outcome of World War II.

Proceed to the medieval harbor 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. Saint-Malo is perched on a rock at the mouth of the River Rance, its only link to the mainland a narrow causeway.

As you get closer to the site, see how the Mont Saint-Michel rises out of the sea mists, its spired abbey church perched upon a rocky island set in a tidal bay.

On your way up the hill for a visit to the abbey, you will walk along steep streets filled with tales of pilgrimages and of prisoners who were once kept on this small island.

On the way back, spend some time browsing in the village's souvenir shops. Have a look at the surrounding seabed, a flat sandy expanse at low tide, where incoming tides are said to rush in as fast as a galloping horse.

Depart for the Val de Loire, the 'Garden of France' where, during the Renaissance, French monarchs built fancy castles to entertain their courtiers.

Discover the prettiest of the Loire Valley châteaux, which spans the River Cher. In 1547, 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 later erected upon that bridge by Queen Catherine de Medici served, during World War II, as an escape route between Nazi-occupied northern France and unoccupied southern France.

Proceed to the Loire Valley town where the most famous resident of all time is not one of the kings who spent time there, but Leonardo da Vinci. The Renaissance genius was 64 when he arrived in Amboise at the invitation of King François I. He was buried within the estate of Amboise's Royal Castle in 1519.

At the manor where King François I spent time as a child, Leonardo da Vinci continued to work with ostinato rigore (in his own words), for the last years of his life (1516-1519). Some forty models of his intricate machines, recently constructed from his plans, are on display and give ample testimony to his creative genius.

Today, travel to the region known as the Île-de-France.

The spires of la Cathédrale de Chartres 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, known for its stunning stained-glass windows. As you will see, this cathedral defines Gothic architecture and the concept of the flying buttress.

A visioguide is included.

Pick up speed on the autoroute that takes you into a whole different world: the stately monuments and broad boulevards of the French capital.

A local guide, well-educated and specially-trained on the history and culture of Paris, will accompany your group.