Day 1 - Depart USA
Overnight flight to Paris.
Day 2 - Arrive Paris (2 nights)
Welcome to Paris, the elegant capital of France! 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: Holiday Inn Paris La Villette
Day 3 - Paris sightseeing & 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 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 ley 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, before continuing to our hotel. This evening we enjoy a ‘Be My Guest’ dinner of mouth-watering specialties in a local restaurant. (Buffet breakfast / dinner) Hotel: Holiday Inn Tours City Centre
Day 5 - Tours – Bourges – Lyon
Today’s journey takes us through the very center 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 center 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 – agourmet’s paradise on the Rhone and Saône Rivers. 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: Park & Suites Part Dieu
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: Boscolo Park
Day 7 - Nice – Excursion 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 Côte 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. Later we will enjoy a Highlight Dinner together in a local 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 Center 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: Alexandra
Day 9 - Barcelona sightseeing & 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 the Columbus Monument and the Ramblas. Afterwards enjoy time at leisure in this sophisticated city, or perhaps an optional excursion to mystical Montserrat to see the Black Madonna? (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 where the Virgin Mary met St. James, leaving the pilar as testimony to the event – 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 Castile and Spain’s capital, Madrid. Tonight maybe try one of Madrid’s many open air restaurants and enjoy the night time atmopshere of this vibrant capital city. (Buffet breakfast) Hotel: Rafael Ventas
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 España, the Puerta del Sol, the Cibeles Fountain and Gran Via. Then time to join our newly made friends and Tour Director for a Farewell Dinner in a typical restaurant. (Buffet breakfast / Farewell dinner)
Day 12 - Madrid – USA
This morning it is time to bid farewell to Madrid, our Tour Director and fellow travelers as our vacation comes to an end. Airport transfers are available, conditions apply. (Buffet breakfast)
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