Insight's First Class Services

• Escorted by a professional Tour Director
• Luxury air-conditioned 40 seat coach with onboard toilet
• Insight Hotels include all service charges, taxes and porterage
• Insight Traveler document wallet, map book journal and information pack
• Complimentary arrival transfer on Day 2 and departure transfer on Day 10

Quality Dining

• Highlight Dinner of local cuisine & wine in the Loire Valley (HD)

10 Days ~ France

Tour Pace
This is an evenly paced tour with three two-night stays in Mont St Michel, Loire Valley and Paris, plus one overnight stay in seaside Trouville. Travelling days have interesting stops en route with great photo opportunities.

DAY 1 – FRI – DEPART USA
Overnight flight to Paris.

DAY 2 – SAT – PARIS AT LEISURE
There are complimentary transfers from Charles de Gaulle Airport to your Insight tour hotel. After checking in, the remainder of the day is yours to enjoy this fabulous city. Later, meet your Tour Director for a Welcome Drink, followed by a sparkling illuminations tour of the capital – the perfect introduction to Paris.
Hotel: Marriott Rive Gauche.

DAY 3 – SUN – PARIS – TROUVILLE
Travel to the elegant town of Versailles to visit the immense palace built for the Sun King, Louis XIV. Here the members of his court lived in unequalled splendour, enjoying a privileged lifestyle which led eventually to the violence of the French Revolution. Your guide leads you through the royal apartments and there is time to take a stroll in the fine formal gardens. Continue to Rouen, capital of the ancient Duchy of Normandy. Visit the cathedral so wonderfully painted by Monet, and see where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Your hotel tonight is in the charming seaside resort of Trouville. Consider a scenic drive through the Normandy orchards to learn the secrets of calvados making and visit the port of Honfleur?
Hotel: Le Beach. (BB)

DAY 4 – MON – TROUVILLE – PONTORSON
There are poignant reminders of the Second World War as you drive along some of the beaches of the D-day landings, including Sword, Juno and Gold. At Arromanches visit the Invasion Landings’ Museum and see the remnants of the artificial port, Mulberry B, which remain in the bay. Continue on to Omaha Beach to visit the American Military Cemetery of St Laurent. Afterwards, follow the route of the Rangers depicted in Saving Private Ryan and visit the bunkers and the Rangers’ Memorial at Pointe du Hoc. Continue southwards to your hotel near Mont St Michel.
Hotel: Montgomery. (BB,D)

DAY 5 – TUE – MONT ST MICHEL & ST MALO EXCURSION
A locally guided tour of Mont St Michel takes you to the hill-top abbey surrounded by sea. The first structure, a simple oratory, was built here in the 8th century, and was subsequently expanded and enhanced over the centuries. The abbey’s increasing fame attracted pilgrims and, by medieval times, a ‘ville basse’ had developed, with shops and guest houses. Enjoy an insight into the distinctive Breton lifestyle as you head for the Emerald Coast and the magnificent fortified port of St Malo, where Jacques Cartier is buried. Take time to walk along the ramparts and explore before returning to your hotel. (BB,D)

DAY 6 – WED – PONTORSON – LOIRE VALLEY
Drive south to Brittany and follow the valley of the Loire, passing the mighty moated castle at Angers. Cross the Loire at Saumur, where you can sample some of the local wine. Drive quietly past the sleeping beauty château at Ussé en route to the beautiful Château de Rochecotte, once the home of Talleyrand, and yours for the next two nights. Enjoy a Highlight dinner with wine at the hotel.
Hotel: Chateau de Rochecotte. (BB,HD)

DAY 7 – THU – CHâTEAU COUNTRY EXCURSION
Stop at the castle of Azay le Rideau, once the home of a King’s minister, and still surrounded by its moat. Visit the apartments and take time to wander in the town. Then it’s on to the privately owned château of Villandry, sometimes called the ‘Jewel of the Loire’, to visit the apartments and the beautifully restored Renaissance gardens. Don’t miss the water garden, ornamental garden and kitchen garden – a stunning display of plants, fruits and vegetables designed in the 16th century. From here return to your own chateau. (BB)

DAY 8 – FRI – LOIRE VALLEY – PARIS
On a drive through the vast wheat fields of La Beauce, see the impressive cathedral at Chartres looming on the horizon. Stop to marvel at the beautiful stained glass rose window inside this famous cathedral, built on a sacred site. Return to ‘the city of light’, Paris, for a two-night stay. In the afternoon, there is time to explore at your own pace: relax in a Parisian café, window-shop in the elegant boutiques or visit Montmartre, with its street artists and the Sacré-Coeur Basilica nearby. As night falls, consider indulging in the excitement and glamour of a French cabaret, complete with can-can.
Hotel: Sofitel Bercy. (BB)

DAY 9 – SAT – PARIS SIGHTSEEING
A Parisian guide introduces you to all the fabulous sights: see the 13th century Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral, with its tale of Quasimodo, hunchback of Notre Dame; drive through the courtyard of the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde and along the Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. Now a relaxing Seine River cruise through the centre of the city provides an unusual "insight" into Paris. The afternoon is at leisure: perhaps admire the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, buy last-minute presents in famous department stores like Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps, or celebrate with a farewell dinner. (BB)

DAY 10 – SUN – RETURN TO USA
The tour ends with transfers to the airport. (BB)

Hotels
Hotels range from the modern Marriott Rive Gauche on a tree lined Parisian boulevard, to the magnificent Château de Rochecotte near Langeais in the Loire Valley with its beautiful parkland setting.

Fellow Passengers
This regional tour attracts both first-time, as well as experienced travelers, whose interests include military history, the French chateaux of the Loire Valley and the irresistible excitement of Paris.

Highlights
Highlights include the emotive memorials and sights associated with the D-Day landings, the Palace of Versailles, the beauty of Mont St Michel, the châteaux in the Loire and the glittering boulevards of the Paris illuminations tour.

Enjoy our Premium Highlights plus these extra tour features

Excursions & Sights

• Visit the Cathedral and Place du Vieux-Marché at Rouen Drive along the D-Day beaches
• See the remains of the Mulberry Harbour used in D-Day landings
• Guided visit of Mont St Michel
• Visit the fortified port of St MaloWine tasting in Saumur
• Guided visit to the beautiful Azay le Rideau
• Visit to the sumptuous apartments of Villandry Château
• See Saumur, Angers and Ussé.
• Visit Chartres Cathedral, famous for its stained glass windows
• In Paris - see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre, Place de la Concorde and drive along the Champs Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe

Guided City Tours

• In-depth sightseeing tours with audio headsets where appropriate in Mont St Michel & ParisOrientation tours in Rouen & St Malo

Insight's First Class Services

• Escorted by a professional Tour Director
• Luxury air-conditioned 40 seat coach with onboard toilet
• Insight Hotels include all service charges, taxes and porterage
• Insight Traveler document wallet, map book journal and information pack
• Complimentary arrival transfer on Day 2 and departure transfer on Day 10

Quality Dining

• Highlight Dinner of local cuisine & wine in the Loire Valley (HD)