Day 1 - Arrive Paris

Upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport you will be welcomed to France in the arrivals hall by a local representative and transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in procedures by your tour director.

This evening enjoy an open bar cocktail party at the hotel to celebrate your arrival in France, followed by a welcome dinner.

Overnight: Pont Royal 

Meal Plan: D

Day 2 - Paris Sightseeing Tour

This morning depart for a sightseeing tour of Paris by coach including the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral, the graceful arches of the iconic Eiffel Tower and the impressive Champs-Elysées that stretches to the Arc de Triomphe.

See the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris with its Obelisk of Luxor, and the Place Vendôme, surrounded by some of the most famous designer boutiques in the world. You will also visit St. Sulpice which has gained prominence following the film The Da Vinci Code. The church, completed in 1745, is the largest church in Paris and has many beautiful frescoes painted by Delacroix. Despite the dubious allegations in the novel, the gnomon construction was requested in 1727 by Languet de Gercy, a priest at St. Sulpice, to help determine the time of the equinoxes and, consequently, Easter. The fact that it was also used in various scientific experiments may have saved the church from destruction during the French Revolution.

After lunch at a local restaurant, visit the Louvre Museum, once a palace of kings and now home to some of the most well recognised art in the world. A large, glass, steel-rod and cable pyramid designed by the American architect I.M. Pei now covers the main entrance, juxtaposing the ultra-modern with the classical façade of the palace. Treasures dating from antiquity to the 19th-century are housed here, among them the Venus de Milo and Ghirlandaio’s The Visitation. Perhaps the most famous work here is Leonardo de Vinci’s Mona Lisa. A guided visit lasts about two hours after which you may continue exploring the museum on your own or return to the hotel.

Overnight: Pont Royal 

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Paris Museum Tour

A walking tour of Paris today presents three of its lesser-known museums as well as a stroll through the delightful Parc Monceau (taxis and the Metro will be used where needed).

Visit Monet’s collection of his own and his fellow Impressionist painters’ pictures at the Marmottan Museum, the stunning display of Impressionism at l’Orangerie which was only recently re-opened, and the eclectic but superbly rich Jacquemart André collection of masterpieces and objets d’art from several centuries, housed in one of the grandest town houses of the 19th-century.

Overnight: Pont Royal 

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - Versailles & Montmartre

Today enjoy a full day sightseeing tour to Versailles. Drive out of Paris to admire the awe-inspiring residence of the great Sun King Louis XIV. Housing up to 20,000 people, the huge palace was the glory of the king’s reign before he was sent to the guillotine. The famous Hall of Mirrors is 70 metres long, stretching the length of the west side. It was here that the 1919 Treaty of Versailles was ratified, ending World War I. The gardens are also vast and beautiful, and there is a little tram you can take throughout the grounds.

After lunch at the Brasserie du Theatre, return to Paris and travel up to the highest point of Paris – Montmartre, perched high on a hill, overlooking the city. Montmartre is a fascinating area that has been associated with artists for more than 200 years. View the white basilica of the Sacré-Coeur and the Place du Tertre, which was first inhabited by artists in the 19th-century and is now brimming with portraitists. The Sacré-Coeur, a Neo-Romanesque Catholic church, was started in the 1870s and completed in 1914. It contains such treasures as the 1896 Virgin Mary and child by P. Brunet. The ovoid dome is the second highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower and without a doubt dominates the area’s tiny squares and winding streets.

Overnight: Pont Royal 

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Paris - Normandy

After breakfast depart for Normandy, stopping en route to visit Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny. It was here that he lived the last part of his life and painted his famous “Water Lilies” series. After some time at leisure to enjoy the gardens on your own and have lunch, continue to Port-en-Bessin and your château hotel where your evening is at leisure.

Château La Chenevière is located between Omaha Beach and the historic town of Bayeux. This 18th-century château stands in its own parkland of mature trees.

Overnight: Château La Chenevière

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Normandy Sightseeing Tour

Today depart for a full day excursion with a local specialist guide through the bocage countryside that so hindered the Allied forces.

See Arromanches, centre of the operations on June 6, 1944, where the remains of the floating Mulberry Harbour can still be seen. You will also visit the Musée du Débarquement (D-Day Landings Museum). Later visit the American sector of the D-Day invasion: Omaha Beach including the Fortified Point WN62, the Pointe du Hoc and the American cemetery at St Laurent, poignant reminders of a defining moment in history.

Overnight: Château La Chenevière

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Normandy - Paris

This morning drive to Bayeux to see the famous tapestry commemorating the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and to visit its lovely 11th-century cathedral. Continue to Rouen to see the gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame. The cathedral featured in a famous series of paintings by Impressionist Claude Monet and it was on this forecourt that Joan of Arc was burnt alive at the stake.

Transfer back to Paris. Dinner this evening will be at the nearby Lyonnais Restaurant.

Overnight: Pont Royal

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Depart Paris

This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your homeward flight.

Meal Plan: B