Chateau Chenonceau
Paris, Loire Valley, St-Malo, Normandy and more
Suspended for 2025
Based on double occupancy. Airfare additional.
In 9 lively days you'll experience the very best of Paris along with its most stunning surroundings: the Loire Valley's exquisite châteaux; Brittany's half-timbered villages and walled cities on the ocean front; Normandy's magical Mont St. Michel island, stirring D-Day beaches & American Cemetery; and Claude Monet's dreamy gardens and lily ponds in Giverny. An emotion packed adventure that is sure to move you.
Your Tour Includes:
All Hotel Accommodations
Breakfast every morning
All day trips
Services of a tour director 24/7
Services of local historians/guides
Your Adventure Awaits:
Day 1: Departure day (May 30, overnight transatlantic flight).
Fly out of the USA for Charles de Gaulle Airport on May 30, 2025
Rue Cremieux, cute little street in the 12th district.
Day 2: Welcome to Paris
We’ll get together around 4:00p.m. at our hotel. Lace up your walking shoes, as we explore our neighborhood, and start on our Heart of Paris walk, with Notre Dame, Ile de la Cite, l’Hotel de ville, the Pompidou Center and more.
Louvre Museum
Day 3: Louvre-Arc de Triomphe axis
We’ll spend the morning at the Louvre, walk through the Tuileries gardens, make a stop at the Orangerie to see Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, and through Place de la Concorde (site of the beheading during the French revolution), all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees. Climbing to the top is on the schedule for some of the best views of Paris.
Day 4: Orsay, Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre
We’ll start the day with the Orsay museum visit, the afternoon in Montmartre at Painters’ Square and Sacre-Coeur. (May be done in reverse order.)
Day 5: The Loire Valley with Chambord and Chenonceau
Today we’ll leave Paris for the Loire Valley, we’ll explore the castle of Chambord with its 365 fireplaces, 444 rooms: a renaissance marvel designed by Leonardo de Vinci for Francis 1st, 500 years ago. We will leave this manly castle and head on to Chenonceau, a delightful castle remodeled by women. Dare to compare!
Port of St-Malo, Brittany
Day 6: Brittany and St.-Malo
We’ll leave the Loire Valley today and head for the Atlantic Coast to St-Malo. This walled city was the home of the explorer Jacques Cartier who founded Quebec, and the romantic French poet Francois de Chateaubriand. St-Malo is a “one of a kind” city on waterfront. You will love its cuteness, quaintness and history. We will have a guided walking tour after lunch, followed by some free time in the afternoon to walk the walls, and the quaint cobblestone streets.
Mont St-Michel island
Day 7: Mont St. Michel, and D-Day beaches
We will leave Brittany after breakfast, and head out to Normandy for a day rich in history. We’ll make a stop at Mont St. Michel Abbey and explore the island. Then we’ll head to Pointe du Hoc, where rangers scaled the cliffs on June 6, 1944. This stop will be followed by Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery visit.
Day 8: Monet's gardens at Giverny
We’ll leave the historic beaches area after breakfast and head for Monet’s home, gardens and village. We’ll walk in his footsteps, and see his surroundings through his eyes. Return to Paris late afternoon. Eiffel Tower visit. Evening Seine river cruise.
Night cruise on the Seine River
Day 9: Tour over after breakfast. June 7, 2025
P.S. Good walking shoes required.
P.P.S. This itinerary cannot be done by train, and must be done by bus.
Next Departure: May 30 (travel day)-June 7th, 2025
Land package based on double occupancy