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Home , Normandy

The Best of Normandy, and the Valley 13 DAYS/12 NIGHTS – GROUP TRAVEL SUGGESTED ITINERARY - CAN BE CUSTOMIZED

France abounds in cultural and historical heritage. Simply put – there is so much to see! You INCLUSIONS could spend two months here and not see the half of it. For that reason, it’s best to tackle a few you’ve always dreamed of visiting. This itinerary will show you the very best of  3 nights each in , Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley. You will begin your journey in “the City of Paris and Light,” as the energetic, cosmopolitan capital city of Paris is affectionately called. Paris is the  2 nights each in city of fashion, Napoleon’s tomb and 3rd century Roman baths. From here you will continue and north to Normandy, where you will experience its medieval past and traditional cuisine - as well as pay respect to the soldiers who bravely fought in the WWII’s Normandy Invasion. Tours Afterwards you will travel south into the heart of to experience the rich, historical  1 night in heritage of Brittany as well as the out-of-this-world of the Loire Valley . While it is a comprehensive itinerary that will you on your sightseeing toes, there are also  1 night near Paris plenty of moments of downtime to relax, shop and explore on your own. CDG Airport  Breakfast daily DAY 1 ~ ARRIVE Louis David’s The Coronation of Napoleon  Lunch and dinner PARIS as well as works by Titian, Raphael, per itinerary Arrival to Paris, France’s Rembrandt, Caravaggio and many more.  Ground transport fashionable, dynamic – and After the museum visit, the group will be via air conditioned very historic capital city. Upon arrival meet dropped off in the Latin Quarter. After luxury coach your local guide in the terminal’s arrival hall time for lunch on own, the group will have  English speaking for a panoramic city tour of Paris’ best a 90-minute walking tour of the historic assistant and guides heart of Paris. Here in the 5th attractions by private bus en route to the  Admission tickets hotel. See the Arc de Triomphe, the arrondissement, this Parisian neighborhood as outlined in Champs-Elysées, Notre Dame, the Hôtel was happening during the Roman times on itinerary Invalides, the Louvre and the River . through the right up to the During the tour your group will also ascend present. See the Boulevard St-Michel, the either the Eiffel Tower or the Sorbonne, the Caveau de la Huchette jazz Montparnasse Tower to appreciate the club, the very narrow Rue du Chat-qui- spectacular view of Paris in all her glory. Pêche and the Church of St-Étienne-du- The tour will finish at the hotel. After check Mont. Once the walking tour has finished, -in and time to freshen up, walk to a nearby the group will be dropped back at the local restaurant for a Parisian group dinner. hotel. The evening is free to enjoy Paris.

DAY 2 ~ PARIS DAY 3 ~ PARIS After breakfast in the hotel, After breakfast in the hotel, your group will meet its the group will travel to the local guide in the lobby for for a a guided tour of the world renowned half-day excursion. Constructed primarily Louvre Museum, the most visited museum in the 17th century, this magnificent royal in the world. See Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona palace was home to Marie Antoinette and Lisa, the Nike of Samothrace and - Louis XIV (the Sun King). The group will tour the chateau including the Grands feature sights connected to the American Appartements, the Chapel and the Hall of troops who bravely fought in the Allied Mirrors. Afterwards, there will be time to invasion of Normandy exactly 70 years ago. explore the palace’s superb gardens before You will visit , the returning to Paris. The afternoon is free. All Museum, as well as Sainte Mere Eglise. group members should be back in the hotel After touring , you will honor by the early evening for a sightseeing cruise fallen soldiers in the American Cemetery & on the River Seine. After embarking at the Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer before HIGHLIGHTS base of the Eiffel Tower, see the Cathedral arriving to Caen this evening. Upon arrival  Guided city tours of of Notre Dame, Ile de la Cite and the river’s to Caen, check in and enjoy dinner in the the Louvre Museum beautiful bridges. Once the cruise has hotel’s restaurant. and the Palace of finished, the group will proceed to a local Versailles DAY 6 ~ CAEN  Walking tour in restaurant for dinner. After breakfast in the hotel, Paris’ historic Latin DAY 4 ~ ROUEN Quarter meet a local guide in the  Seine River After breakfast in the hotel, lobby for an exciting sightseeing cruise your group will check out “” tour by private  Admission inside and travel northwest by bus. Today’s tour will take you back in time the Eiffel Tower or the Montparnasse private bus. Your first stop will be in the to the 11th century to learn about one of Tower. city of to visit the spectacular history’s most influential characters:  Guided tour of home and gardens of Impressionist painter, William the Conqueror, the first of the ’s Claude Monet. His renowned Water Lilies Norman Kings of . You will visit his stunning home in birthplace at Falaise as well as see Giverny series was based on the home’s beautiful  Walking tour of gardens. After the visit you will continue ’s famous tapestry, which illustrate medieval Rouen, traveling northwest to the very historic city events leading up to his conquest of where of Rouen. Upon arrival to your hotel, group England. Today’s tour also includes visit was burned at the members will store their baggage with the inside the Abbey of Saint-Étienne, where stake  Explore the harbor reception staff and immediately enjoy William was buried. It is considered one of town of , a some free time for lunch. Afterwards, the finest examples of Romanesque source of you’ll have a guided walking tour of Rouen, architecture in Normandy. The tour will inspiration for which is the historic capital of Normandy. finish back at the hotel in Caen, and the many Impressionist painters It was one ’s most booming cities remainder of the day is at leisure.  View the famous during the Middle Ages. During your tour DAY 7 ~ CAEN tapestry of Bayeux you’ll go inside one of Rouen’s most  Norman Food & important monuments, the city’s Notre After breakfast in the hotel, Drink day meet a local guide and start  Full day dedicated Dame Cathedral, which inspired Claude your engines for “Norman to the soldiers of Monet in his painting series. the D-Day Invasion Food & Drink Day.” Today you will visit the The walking tour will finish back at the  Tour the UNESCO beautiful countryside of Le Pays d'Auge, World Heritage hotel, and you have the evening at leisure which will highlight gastronomic specialties Sites of Mont-St- to enjoy Rouen. of Normandy. This region is famous for its Michel and the Chartres Cathedral DAY 5 ~ CAEN apple production and dairy farming;  Visit the incredible, particularly famous are its cheeses such as After breakfast in the hotel, Renaissance Loire . Enjoy a tasting with local your group will check out Valley castles Norman cheeses, breads and , another and travel west by private well-known product from this region. After bus. Today’s comprehensive tour will the tasting, travel to Honfleur to have a brief tour of this charming port village. Your next few days here will be spent Afterwards your group will continue down visiting the fairy-tale castles and charming the coastal road to the seaside resort small towns that define this beautiful village of for shopping and free region. In order to reach the Loire Valley, time before returning to Caen. Free this morning will be spent relaxing, evening in Caen. snoozing and reading on the bus until you reach the lovely town of Brézé. Upon DAY 8 ~ PONTORSON arrival, enjoy some time to stretch your After an early breakfast in legs and to have some lunch on your own the hotel, your group will before having a guided tour of the check out and travel south magnificent Château de Brézé. Afterwards to the breathtaking island of Mont-St- your group will re-board the bus and travel Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (It to tonight’s hotel destination: the lovely might become necessary to take a shuttle town of Tours. En route there will be a bus to access the island. Also there are photo stop of the Château d'Ussé, which is many steps to climb, so please wear often referred to as the "Sleeping Beauty comfortable shoes). After a guided tour of Castle." Upon arrival to the hotel in Tours, the historic Benedictine Abbey that graces check in and enjoy some time to relax or this , you will continue to the freshen up before tonight’s group dinner in beautiful, medieval walled town of the hotel’s restaurant. Fougères. Here you can enjoy free time for DAY 11 ~ TOURS lunch, shopping and wandering on your own before traveling to the hotel in nearby After breakfast in the hotel, Pontorson. Upon arrival to the hotel, your board your private bus and group will check in and enjoy time to relax head out for a relaxing day and fresh up before tonight’s group dinner. touring two of the best Loire Valley castles: the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau and the DAY 9 ~ PONTORSON Château de Chenonceau. Both of these After breakfast in the hotel, historic castles are true masterpieces of your group will meet a local Renaissance architecture. Your group will guide in the lobby and have a guided tour in each of the castles, travel west by private bus to the charming, and in between visits the bus driver will walled port city of St-Malo, which make a stop for everyone to have a relaxing originated as a medieval fishing village. lunch. The tour will finish back up at the During the guided tour, you will walk along hotel in Tours, and the remainder of the the ramparts as well as tour the Chateau de day is free to explore Tours. St-Malo, which houses the city’s History DAY 12 ~ PARIS CDG Museum. You’ll also go inside the AIRPORT Cathedral of St-Vincent. After the tour you’ll have free time for shopping before After breakfast in the hotel, returning to the hotel. your group will check out and travel by private bus to beautiful town DAY 10 ~ TOURS of Bloise, home to the Château de Blois. After breakfast in the hotel, This Renaissance edifice was in fact a royal your group will check out palace to many of France’s kings during the and travel southeast to the Renaissance. Enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful lands of the Loire River Valley. castle, and then take some time to visit the town of Bloise. WHY TRAVEL WITH US ? Afterwards proceed to the town of Chartres, Whether it is taking a family trip to Paris, an best known for its famous Cathedral Notre- educational group to Barcelona, or a church Dame de Chartres. This UNESCO World group to Rome we can build an affordable, Heritage Site is considered a masterpiece of European trip tailored to your interests. From French, Gothic architecture. Its stained-glass single city itineraries to multiple cities and is truly unmatched anywhere else in the countries, your travel agent will work with us world. Enjoy a guided tour of the interior, to create custom tours for groups of 10 to and then take some time to visits the surrounding gardens. Afterwards, you will 500 people. continue north to the hotel near Airport. Since most US-bound flights We Make It Easy - We provide a quick generally depart CDG Airport very early in the turnaround on custom quotes. Multi-city and Why Should You morning, we suggest overnighting near the multi-country itineraries are our specialty. In Encourage Your airport. It will make for a more relaxing addition, we can help organize signup Travel Agent to morning on your departure day. After check- deadlines, travel documents and payments. Book Your Group in and time to freshen up, you and your traveling companions will have a final dinner Through Us? Experience - Europe Express has managed together in France in the hotel’s restaurant. over 6,000 custom group trips since 1990.

DAY 13 ~ PARIS CDG We provide expert guides and high quality AIRPORT travel products. Ease of Use After breakfast in the hotel, catch your hotel’s shuttle to Flexibility - We work with your travel agent Experience the nearby Charles de Gaulle Airport and to create a tailor-made trip to accommodate have a safe departure flight back to the USA. your interests, booking whatever combination of travel services fit your plans Flexibility and budget, including airfare, hotels, rail, transfers, sightseeing and more.

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