TRIP ITINERARY TO PARIS, NORMANDY, THE PERIGORD AND THE CHATEAUX COUNTRY
Day 1-2
Transatlantic flight to Paris, France. When you arrive in Paris, you will be greeted at the airport by a bilingual representative for a transfer to your hotel and a guided city tour. Have dinner this evening in the Latin Quarter. D
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Day 3
Your guide will pick you up at the hotel for a Bateaux Mouches boat ride on the Seine River. After lunch, you will have a guided tour of the Louvre Museum, with its "Venus", "Winged Victory", and Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa". Visit the Ile St. Louis, and Ile de la Cite with the Notre Dame Cathedral. Enjoy dinner on your own this evening. B
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Day 5
In the morning, view the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero, then climb or take the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Then, on your own, visit the impressionist d'Orsay Museum. This evening, explore the artistic Montmartre area and see the Sacre Coeur Basilica. Have dinner on your own. B
Day 6
You will be picked up at your hotel, with a bus, for a seven-day excursion to the Normandy coast and the South, via Monet's Giverny garden. Have dinner this evening and overnight at a hotel in
Bayeux. B/D
Day 7
Drive along the beaches to Mont St. Michel for a guided tour. Continue on to Dinard for dinner and overnight. B/D
Day 8
Today, explore the Normandy/Brittany area of France and visit a beach on the English Channel. In the afternoon, walk around Dinard before dinner on your own. Overnight in
Dinard. B
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Day 9
Board your bus for Angers. View the Chateau, rebuilt on the Roman foundations by Louis IX. Also, see the "Tenture de l'Apocalypse", a tapestry that was originally 550 feet long, with scenes based on the Apocolypse of St. John. Then, go to Poitiers where you may walk around and visit Notre-Dame-la-Grande Church, specifically the "west front". Enjoy dinner and overnight in
Poitiers. B/D
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Day 10
Depart early in the morning for the town of Rocamadour, a typical medieval French town. In the afternoon, go to Perigueux and walk around the town before dinner this evening. Overnight in
Perigueux. B/D
Day 11
Today, you will visit the prehistoric sites of this region, including Sarlat, the grottoes or Rouffinac, and the caves of Lascaux. Return to the hotel for dinner on your own and the night. B
Day 12
Depart for the Loire Valley. Drive by the Chateau Chinon before stopping at Azay-le-Rideau for your guided tour. This pretty château, surrounded by park lands, is on the Indre River which acts as a reflecting pool. Then, go to the Chenonceau Chateau for a guided tour. Built on the River Cher, by Thomas Bohier, this is as fine an example of Renaissance architecture that you will ever see. It was constructed from an old fortified mill from 1513-1521. If time permits, visit Amboise. Leonardo da Vinci is said to be buried in the Chapel of St. Hubert. Enjoy dinner and spend the night in
Blois. B/D
 Day 13
Return to Paris, via Chartres, with its Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral. See the stained glass that contains 5,000 figures. Arrive later in the evening for dinner and overnight at a hotel near the airport.
B/D
Day 14
You will be transferred to the airport for your return transatlantic flight home. B
TRIP INCLUDES:
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Round trip transatlantic airfare.
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12 Nights in superior or tourist class hotels with breakfast.
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8 Dinners.
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Transfers.
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Private bus for excursions.
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Metro card in Paris.
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Guided tours and entrance fees to Versailles, Giverny, 2 Loire chateaux, Musee du Louvre, and St. Michel.
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Entrance fees to Musee d'Orsay, Sarlat, Lascaux, and
Rouffignac.
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Paris city tour.
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Bateaux Mouches boat ride.
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Day 4