Day
1- Depart USA
Overnight flight to Paris.
Day 2 - Arrive Paris (2 nights)
On arrival at Paris Charles de
Gaulle Airport you're met and
transferred to your hotel. After
check-in you are free to explore
this beautiful city or just relax.
Tonight, enjoy a Welcome Drink with
your Tour Director and meet your
fellow travelers. Hotel: Evergreen
Laurel (2 nights)
Day 3 - Paris sightseeing and at
leisure
Today's sightseeing tour with a
local guide includes the ascent of
the Eiffel Tower to its second level
for wonderful views over the city.
Other highlights include views of
Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de
Triomphe, Place de la Concorde and
the Champs Elysées before we enjoy a
walking tour on the Left Bank that
will include a visit of Les
Invalides with its golden dome. As
part of the Army Museum, its most
important relic is the tomb of
France's most influential ruler,
Napoleon Bonaparte. For the rest of
the day you may choose to stroll
through the Luxembourg gardens,
visit the Louvre or relax over a
'café au lait' in a sidewalk café.
(Buffet Breakfast)
Day 4 - Paris – Loire Valley
Chateaux – Tours
First we drive to Chartres – famous
for its mighty Cathedral with its
blue stained glass windows. Built on
a lay line, this spot has always
been said to have mystical power!
Then down to the valley of the quiet
river Loire with its many beautiful
villages and resplendent castles,
home to French royalty over the
centuries. We'll stop at Chambord to
see the impressive chateau, and then
visit fairytale Chenonceau,
straddling the river Cher. Then we
continue to our hotel in Tours for
tonight. (Buffet Breakfast, Dinner).
Hotel: Mercure Nord
Day 5 - Tours – Bourges – Lyon
Today's journey takes us through the
very centre of France. First we stop
in Bourges, to see the Palais
Jacques Coeur, the Cathedral of St.
Stephen and the delightful
Archbishop's gardens. Then into the
very centre of the 'hexagon', as the
French often call their homeland, to
stop at the village of St. Amand
Montrond. We continue via the
volcanic hills around Clermont
Ferrand and on to Lyon – a gourmet's
paradise on the rivers Rhone and
Saône. A walking tour of the old
city – a UNESCO World Heritage site,
reveals the city's rich and cultural
past. It is the largest Renaissance
district in France with its narrow
streets, inner courtyards and
"traboules". We will also drive up
the Fourvière hill to admire
awe-inspiring views over the city.
Then on to our hotel for dinner and
overnight. (Buffet Breakfast,
Dinner). Hotel: Novotel Porte du
Valvert
Day 6 - Lyon – Châteauneuf du
Pape – Avignon – Nice (2 nights)
Our first stop this morning is in
the wine village of Chateauneuf du
Pape where we stop to see the
amazing vistas from the ruined
fortress and visit one of the Cote
du Rhone wine cellars to sample some
of the delicious wine. Then on to
Avignon, where we see the Papal
palace and famous 'Pont' (bridge)
over the Rhone. Finally we arrive in
Nice where an orientation drive
shows us the Promenade des Anglais
and the Place Massena, before we
continue to our hotel for the next
two nights. (Buffet Breakfast).
Hotel: Ellington (2 nights)
Day 7 - Nice – Visit to Monte
Carlo
A free morning to relax and perhaps
take a stroll along the Promenade or
shop in the trendy boutiques! Later
this afternoon we will enjoy a
scenic drive along the Cote d'Azur
to visit Monaco and Monte Carlo.
Here we'll see the beautiful Casino
built by Charles Garnier in the 19th
century and our Tour Director will
show us a Hidden Treasure as we
explore the Principality. This
evening we will enjoy dinner in a
charming Nicois restaurant. (Buffet
Breakfast, Highlight Dinner)
Day 8 - Nice – Cannes – Barcelona
(2 nights)
A short drive to 'la Croisette' in
glamorous Cannes, where we have time
to admire the yachts in the marina
and go celebrity spotting! We'll see
the Film Festival Centre before
re-joining the highway to drive
through Provençal landscapes
reminiscent of Van Gogh paintings.
Then on past the Camargue National
Park and to the border with Spain.
We cross over the foothills of the
Pyrenees and are soon in the region
of Spanish Catalonia. Past olive
groves and vineyards we approach the
'avant-garde' city of Barcelona – a
cosmopolitan port on the
Mediterranean. (Buffet Breakfast,
Dinner). Hotel: Catalonia Plaza (2
nights)
Day 9 - Barcelona sightseeing and
at leisure
Our morning sightseeing tour with a
local guide takes us on a walking
tour of the Gothic Quarter with its
impressive Cathedral. We also see
Gaudi's 'Sagrada Familia' plus many
of his other eccentric architectural
masterpieces. Later, we'll view
Columbus' Monument and the Ramblas.
After enjoy time at leisure in this
sophisticated city, or perhaps an
optional excursion to mystical
Montserrat? (Buffet Breakfast)
Day 10 - Barcelona – Madrid (2
nights)
We start our day with a drive
through the arid Aragon hills to the
city of Goya's birth – Zaragoza on
the river Ebro. It is here that St
James is said to have descended from
heaven on a pillar – hence the name
of the Cathedral dedicated to him –
El Pilar. We will visit this
pilgrimage church and see the
ancient Cathedral of La Seo before
continuing into the heart of Spanish
Castille and Spain's capital,
Madrid. (Buffet Breakfast). Hotel:
Rafael Ventas (2 nights)
Day 11 - Toledo excursion &
Madrid Sightseeing
First we enjoy an included excursion
to Toledo, capital of Castile. Here
sightseeing with a local guide
includes a visit to the Synagogue,
the Church of Santo Tome and a steel
workshop. Then we return to Madrid
where our guided tour shows us the
Plaza Espana, the Puerta del Sol,
the Cibeles Fountain and Gran Via.
Then time to join our newly made
friends for a Farewell Dinner in a
typical restaurant. (Buffet
Breakfast, Farewell Dinner)
Day 12 - Madrid – USA
Time to bid farewell as we transfer
you to Madrid Airport for your
return flight to America. (Buffet
Breakfast)
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