Highlights
- Go underground in the Paris Catacombs
- Immerse yourself in history on the D-Day beaches
- See the resplendent Châteaus de Chambord and Chenonceau
- Enjoy fresh seafood in a typical brasserie
- Spend the afternoon exploring art at the Louvre
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Paris, Evening Eiffel Tower Tour | Paris |
| Day 2 | Pastry Tour of Le Marais & Afternoon at the Louvre | Paris |
| Day 3 | Ile de la Cité & Paris Catacombs | Paris |
| Day 4 | Drive to Bayeux, City Tour | Bayeux |
| Day 5 | Tour of D-Day Sites | Bayeux |
| Day 6 | Drive to Tours, Châteaux & Wine | Tours |
| Day 7 | Day Trip to Châteaus de Chambord & Chenonceau | Tours |
| Day 8 | Depart Tours |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Paris, Evening Eiffel Tower Tour
Welcome to Paris, the City of Lights! This elegant capital boasts centuries of history, art, fashion, and of course, romance. Upon arrival, you'll be picked up from the airport and transferred to your hotel by private car. Take some time to settle in and relax before heading out to explore the streets near your accommodation before dinner.
Paris is alive and thriving with activity day and night. It's the perfect city to indulge in a little shopping, with department stores like Lafayette and Printemps housing some of the best local designers around and small boutique shops offering unique, high-quality wares.
Colorful boulevards and historic monuments invite visitors to stroll through the downtown, while narrow alleys and cozy cafés create a romantic atmosphere. For art lovers, spending time at Paris' smaller museums is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as the city has one of the most impressive art collections in the world. Alternatively, lazing around in the parks or at a sidewalk café on a sunny day is simply blissful.
After settling into your hotel, head out for your first look at the city. Spend some time walking around downtown and enjoying the sights. In the evening, meet with your private guide for a 3.5-hour exploration of the Trocadero Esplanade and Eiffel Tower. Start at the Trocadero to see its statues, monuments, and city views. Continue to the Iron Lady herself with skip-the-line tickets, giving you the most time to visit both floors and take in the incredible views from the top.
Day 2: Pastry Tour of Le Marais & Afternoon at the Louvre
Eating pastries and enjoying art is synonymous with French culture, and you'll get to do plenty of both today. Start your day with a tour of the Le Marais neighborhood with a hyper-local guide (a neighborhood resident, in fact!) to explore the secret cafés and taste the best-baked goods in the city. Spend two hours sampling crépes, crème brûlée, pain au chocolat, espresso, chocolates, macarons, and more.
Visit the city's oldest food market, the Marché des Enfants Rouges, and try your hand at haggling for your favorite treat. As you walk, learn about world-famous pastry chefs: Poîlane, Jean-Paul Hévin, Jacques Genin, Pierre Hermé, and others.
In the afternoon, it's time to explore the Louvre, the world's largest art museum. Skip the lines and head right to the classics, as well as your personal favorites. Get up close to Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, then get some fresh air at the Tuileries Garden. In the evening, explore the Champs Elysees and the majestic Arc de Triomphe.
Day 3: Ile de la Cité & Paris Catacombs
Spend the morning exploring the heart of Paris: the Ile de la Cité, located on an island in the middle of the Seine River. Start the tour at the world-famous Notre Dame Cathedral, a 12th-century masterpiece of architecture and home of the infamous Hunchback. Unfortunately, due to the April 2019 fire, the cathedral is closed until farther notice for repairs and restoration. But even from the outside, the building's grandeur and history inspire a sense of awe.
From here, cross over the Seine to explore the northern edge of the vibrant Latin Quarter, including Paris's oldest streets. End your tour with a visit to the iconic Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, whose colorful history includes acting as a meeting place for the greatest Beatnik minds in Europe and hosting generations of weary writers among its bookshelves in exchange for a day's work.
In the afternoon, head underground to discover the city's shadowy depths and explore its darkest secrets. Hidden deep inside the maze of underground tunnels, you'll find spine-tingling discoveries: millions of skeletons arranged in bizarre configurations, hidden doors, and more. This tour will peel back the layers of the Catacombs to reveal bone-chilling tales of murder, massacre, revolution, and a few ghost stories to boot!
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 4: Drive to Bayeux, City Tour
In the morning, drive from Paris toward the city of Bayeux, a three-hour (160 mi/ 260 km) drive. After checking in to your hotel, meet your guide for a walking tour of the city. One of today's highlights includes a visit to the famous Tapestry Museum, which houses some of the world's finest works. As the first town to be liberated after D-Day and one of the only places to have emerged from World War II nearly unscathed, Bayeux retains much of its old architecture.
Spend the day exploring the city's narrow streets, which are lined with traditional wooden-framed Norman houses, and admire the Gothic cathedral. In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Art and History Baron Gerard to learn about the lace and porcelain that made Bayeux so rich.
Day 5: Tour of D-Day Sites
Today is a full day to discover the powerful legacy of D-Day on Normandy's landscape, as well as its effect on the world. Your local specialist, an expert on the Battle of Normandy and the five landing areas (Utah, Omaha, Gold, Sword, and Juno), will walk you through an emotional day. You'll navigate famous scenes of war, memorialized by the films "The Longest Day" by Darryl Zanuck or "Saving Private Ryan" by Steven Spielberg.
Pay tribute to the armed forces who fought to end the war on this day as you visit Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery, and D-Day Experience (an interactive 3D movie theater that chronicles the day's events.) At the end of the 8-hour tour, return to Bayeux.
Day 6: Drive to Tours, Châteaux & Wine
Leave Normandy behind today and head toward inland France. Your destination is the Loire Valley, located a 2.5-hour (180 mi/ 290 km) drive away. Arrive and check in to your hotel in Tours, then meet up with your private guide for a walking tour of the city.
Tours was once the capital of the Kingdom of France, and its Old Town is one of the oldest preserved urban areas in Europe. Romanesque and Renaissance facades, half-timbered houses, and shops line the streets. In the city center, Place Plumereau is full of locals and visitors enjoying the ambience and watching the world go by. Explore the city on your walking tour to see some of the city's biggest sights, like Les Halles, Place du Grand Marché, the Church Sainte Croix, Place de Chateauneuf, Church Saint Pierre, and more.
In the afternoon, enjoy the Loire Valley on your own. Visit a few of the many magnificent castles in the Loire Valley. With over 300 unique châteaux, the Loire Valley castles are as diverse as they are numerous. Tour the Azay-le Rideau, which seemingly floats on the river Indre, see Cande, where Edward Prince of Wales married Wallis Simpson, and stroll through the gardens of Villandry and Chaumont-sur-Loire. A few of the châteaux, like Le Grand Pressigny and Oiron, house museums, and galleries.
From Nantes to Sancerre, the Loire Valley vineyards stretch along the river of the same name. Follow it along the longest wine route in France as you visit villages, gardens, and royal abbeys in a landscape of hills and plains. Hidden behind each renowned wine district is a famous Loire château: Chenonceau, Chambord, Brissac, Saumur, and Chinon. More than one thousand vineyards are open to the public, including 400 specially accredited wine cellars, where you can meet the winemakers and taste their unique Loire Valley wines. From massive wine cellars to wine-tasting walks in the vineyards, there's no shortage of ways to experience the valley.
Day 7: Day Trip to Châteaus de Chambord & Chenonceau
Start the morning with a private hotel pickup for your full-day tour. Your first stop is Chambord, whose French-Renaissance construction dates back to the early 16th century. This extravagant château is one of France's most famous and recognizable, thanks to its stately facade and sprawling grounds.
Take the grand double spiral staircase to the second floor to see the royal apartments of François I and Louis XIV. During its heyday, the château and nearby forests were used for royal hunts and other pleasure activities. Continue up to the terraces, where views of the surrounding landscape offer a glimpse into the charmed lives of the castle's royals. From here, you can also get a good look at the roofing and chimneys of the château, which rises magnificently above the wide moat.
Stop for lunch, then continue to Château de Chenonceau—a building whose history is defined by a nearly uninterrupted succession of women. The first château was built in this location in the 12th and 13th centuries, although it was burned down in the 14th century. Only the medieval dungeon—Tour des Marque—remains from this construction. The château in its current form was built between 1513 and 1517 by Thomas Bohier and his wife Catherine Briçonnet, who oversaw and directed most of the construction. Since then, there has been a long line of women who have owned, loved, repaired, expanded on, and restored the château.
After the full day, return to your hotel in Tours.
Day 8: Depart Tours
After breakfast, take a private car or train transfer to the airport to catch your flight home. A bientôt!
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