France

France

Suggested Visits

Ireland
Ireland

Ireland

Highlights: The Burren, Dublin, Kilmainhaim Gaol, Galway, Giant's Causeway, Aran Islands.
Hot topics: History, Religion and Monasticism, Literature (W B Yeats, James Joyce, Jonathan Swift).

England
England

England

Highlights: Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Bath, Oxford, Stonehenge, Stratford upon Avon.
Hot topics: Literature, History, Theatre, Finance, Art and Architecture.

Scotland
Scotland

Scotland

Highlights: Glencoe, Edinburgh, Skye, Iona, Stirling Castle, Clava Cairns, The Hermitage.
Hot topics: Geography/Geology, History, Literature, Politics and Government.

Poland
Poland

Poland

Highlights: Krakow, Auschwitz, Kazimierz, Warsaw, Museum of 1944 Uprising, Westerplatte.
Hot topics: World War II, The Holocaust, Jewish Culture, 20th Century History.

France
France

France

Highlights: Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Versailles, Foutainebleu, Reims, Chartres, Normandy.
Hot topics: Art (Impressionists, Monet, Rodin), Literature, European History.

Spain
Spain

Spain

Highlights: Granada, L'Alhambra, Cordoba, Mesquita, Barcelona, Museo de Picasso, La Sagrada Famila, La Pedrera, Madrid, Museo Del Prado, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Toledo.
Hot topics: Art, Modern Art (Picasso, Miro), Architecture (Gaudi).

Portugal
Portugal

Portugal

Highlights: Lisbon, Faro, Fatima, Coimbra, Porto.
Hot topics: Navigation and Exploration, Monarchy and Empire, European History, Religious Studies.

Switzerland
Switzerland

Switzerland

Highlights: Zurich, View from Felsenegg, Zermatt, Mount Rigi, Aare Gorge, Rhone Glacier, Lake Lucerne, Appenzell, Grundewald, Rhine Falls (Europe's largest waterfall).
Hot topics: Geology, Environmental Studies, Travel and Tourism, Finance.

Belgium & Netherlands
Netherlands

Belgium &Netherlands

Highlights: Amsterdam, Anne Frank's House, Rijkmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Canals, The Hague, Bruges, Brussells, Antwerp.
Hot topics: European Politics and Government, the European Community, International Law, Art, European History.

Germany
Germany

Germany

Highlights: Berlin, Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie Museum, Pergamon Museum, Potsdam, Bavaria, Neuschwanstein Castle.
Hot topics: World War II, Modern History, Jewish Culture, Politics and the European Union.

Czech Republic
Czech Republic

Czech Republic

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Hot topics: Aliquam aliquam quam ac augue semper placerat vitae et mauris.

Austria
Austria

Austria

Highlights: Salzburg, Mozart Residence, Halstatt, the Alps, Estherhazy Palace, Eisenstadt, Castle Herberstein, The Imperial Hotel, Vienna, Graz.
Hot topics: Music, Geology, European HIstory.

Hungary
Hungary

Hungary

Highlights: Budapest, Hungarian Parliament, Godolla Palace, Szechenyi Baths, Esterhazy Palace in Fertod, Szentendre, Visegrad.
Hot topics: The Hapsburgs, Austro-Hungarian Empire, European History.

Croatia
Croatia

Croatia

Highlights: Dubrovnik, "The Pearl of the Adriatic", Hvar, Split, Trogir, Zadar.
Hot topics: Empire (Byzantine, Ottoman, Venetian, Hungarian), Ancient History, Archeology, Architecture, Modern European History.

Greece
Greece

Greece

Highlights: The Parthenon, Epidaurus, Delphi, Mycenae, Olympia, Meteora Pinnacle Monasteries.
Hot topics: Archeology, Classicism, Philosophy, Art, Ancient History.

Italy
Italy

Italy

Highlights: Roman Forum and Colisseum, Uffizi Gallery, San Marco, Venice, Pompeii.
Hot topics: Archeology, Art, Architecture, Ancient History.

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.