France

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PARIS: SIGHTSEEING TOUR and EIFFEL TOWER

Upon arrival enjoy a panoramic drive around town to get our first views of the Champs Elysees, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. In the evening enjoy some traditional French cuisine. After dinner you may choose to venture to the Tour Eiffel and scale the lofty iron framework for one of the best and most exhilarating views of Paris!

PARIS: LE MARAIS, NOTRE DAME and LOUVRE

In the morning your guide will take you the Marais district of Paris with its beautiful squares and chateaus before crossing over to the Ile de la Cite, to see the awe inspiring Notre Dame Cathedral, with its menacing gargoyles and magnificent rose windows. In the afternoon, we will see the Mona Lisa’s smile among thousands of artistic treasures in the Louvre.

VERSAILLES and PARIS: Château and Musée d’Orsay

This morning let your guide take you to Versailles, the magnificent chateau of the Sun King Louis XIV. Once here you can discover the mirrored galleries, opulent rooms, and magnificent gardens that make this chateau such an unmissable attraction. This afternoon you can head back into Paris to continue your explorations and discover French Café Culture in the chic and fashionable Marais district or stroll down the Champs Elysees. Maybe Paris’s other great museums are calling you? See the impressionists at the Musee d’Orsay or Picasso at his own museum!

GIVERNY and AUVERS-SUR-OISE: Claude Monet’s Garden and The Church at Auvers

Today we are off to see the countryside and visit one or two old artistic friends. First stop will be to luxuriate in the floral bliss of Claude Monet’s country garden at Giverny. His Japanese garden with water lilies has been well looked after and the riot of colour is gobsmacking! After an included rustic lunch we’ll meander through some country lanes to find our way through to the picturesque town of Auvers-sur- Oise where Vincent Van Gough chose to end his days. The painting of the local church, L’église d’Auvers-sur-Oise is one of his best-known images.

CHARTRES and Brittany: Cathedral of Chartres

This morning we leave Paris for the picturesque countryside of Northern France. Our first stop of the journey north is Chartres, home to one of the most celebrated gothic Cathedrals in the world. The Cathedral of Chartres, listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site, dominates the local landscape and is renowned for its stunning carvings and its beautiful stained glass. This evening we will stop at Saint Malo, an enchanting seaside haven.

BRITTANY: ST MICHEL and ST MALO

This morning will see us travel east to the Mont St Michel, a monastery and thriving community perched on an island in the sea! Stunning views and vistas beckon as we explore this architectural gem. Seafood is the speciality here. This afternoon we return to the ferry port of St Malo and are guided through its rich and often controversial history. Thriving port or nest of pirates? Today you see an almost perfectly preserved walled medieval city. This evening we stay in St Malo.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

NORMANDY: CAEN MEMORIAL

Today we leave the City and head to Normandy. This afternoon we will visit the Caen Memorial, the pre-eminent museum and memorial to the D Day landings of June 1944. This museum is dedicated to the valiant men and women who laid down their lives to preserve our way of life. The memorial also focuses its attention on the causes of WW2 and its aftermath highlighting this event in a wider historical context. We will spend tonight in Caen.

NORMANDY and D DAY BEACHES

Our historical journey takes us from medieval Caen, the fortress of William the Conqueror, the last man to successfully invade Britain back in 1066, to the landing beaches of 1944. We will visit the American Cemetery at Coleville, the resting place of 9,387 young American service personnel, the Pointe du Hoc where the US Rangers first made their name and Arromanches where the British troops landed. We will spend tonight in Caen.