Arrival to Paris, France's fashionable, dynamic – and very historic capital city. Upon arrival meet your local guide in the terminal's arrival hall for a panoramic city tour of Paris' best attractions by private bus en route to the hotel. See the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, the Hotel Invalides, the Louvre and the River Seine. During the tour your group will also ascend either the Eiffel Tower or the Montparnasse Tower to appreciate the spectacular view of Paris in all her glory. The tour will finish at the hotel. After check-in and time to freshen up, walk to a nearby local restaurant for a Parisian group dinner.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will meet its local guide in the lobby for a guided tour of the world renowned Louvre Museum, the most visited museum in the world. See Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Nike of Samothrace and Jacques-Louis David's The Coronation of Napoleon as well as works by Titian, Raphael, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and many more. After the museum visit, the group will be dropped off in the Latin Quarter.

After time for lunch on own, the group will have a 90-minute walking tour of the historic heart of Paris. Here in the 5th arrondissement, this Parisian neighborhood was happening during the Roman times on through the Middle Ages right up to the present. See the Boulevard St-Michel, the Sorbonne, the Caveau de la Huchette jazz club, the very narrow Rue du Chat-qui-Peche and the Church of St-Etienne-du-Mont. Once the walking tour has finished, the group will be dropped back at the hotel. The evening is free to enjoy Paris.

After breakfast in the hotel, the group will travel to the Palace of Versailles for a half-day excursion. Constructed primarily in the 17th century, this magnificent royal palace was home to Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV (the Sun King). The group will tour the chateau including the Grands Appartements, the Chapel and the Hall of Mirrors. Afterwards, there will be time to explore the palace's superb gardens before returning to Paris. The afternoon is free. All group members should be back in the hotel by the early evening for a sightseeing cruise on the River Seine. After embarking at the base of the Eiffel Tower, see the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Ile de la Cite and the river's beautiful bridges. Once the cruise has finished, the group will proceed to a local restaurant for dinner.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will check out and travel northwest by private bus. Your first stop will be in the city of Giverny to visit the spectacular home and gardens of Impressionist painter, Claude Monet. His renowned Water Lilies series was based on the home's beautiful gardens. After the visit you will continue traveling northwest to the very historic city of Rouen. Upon arrival to your hotel, group members will store their baggage with the reception staff and immediately enjoy some free time for lunch. Afterwards, you'll have a guided walking tour of Rouen, which is the historic capital of Normandy. It was one Europe's most booming cities during the Middle Ages. During your tour you'll go inside one of Rouen's most important monuments, the city's Notre Dame Cathedral, which inspired Claude Monet in his painting series.

The walking tour will finish back at the hotel, and you have the evening at leisure to enjoy Rouen.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will check out and travel west by private bus. Today's comprehensive tour will feature sights connected to the American troops who bravely fought in the Allied invasion of Normandy exactly 70 years ago. You will visit Pointe du Hoc, the Utah Beach Museum, as well as Sainte Mere Eglise. After touring Omaha Beach, you will honor fallen soldiers in the American Cemetery & Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer before arriving to Caen this evening. Upon arrival to Caen, check in and enjoy dinner in the hotel's restaurant.

After breakfast in the hotel, meet a local guide in the lobby for an exciting "William the Conqueror" tour by private bus. Today's tour will take you back in time to the 11th century to learn about one of history's most influential characters: William the Conqueror, the first of the Norman Kings of England. You will visit his birthplace at Falaise Castle as well as see Bayeux's famous tapestry, which illustrate events leading up to his conquest of England. Today's tour also includes visit inside the Abbey of Saint-etienne, where William was buried. It is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Normandy. The tour will finish back at the hotel in Caen, and the remainder of the day is at leisure.

After breakfast in the hotel, meet a local guide and start your engines for "Norman Food & Drink Day." Today you will visit the beautiful countryside of Le Pays d'Auge, which will highlight gastronomic specialties of Normandy. This region is famous for its apple production and dairy farming; particularly famous are its cheeses such as Camembert. Enjoy a tasting with local Norman cheeses, breads and cider, another well-known product from this region. After the tasting, travel to Honfleur to have a brief tour of this charming port village. Afterwards your group will continue down the coastal road to the seaside resort village of Deauville for shopping and free time before returning to Caen. Free evening in Caen.

After an early breakfast in the hotel, your group will check out and travel south to the breathtaking island of Mont-St-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (It might become necessary to take a shuttle bus to access the island. Also there are many steps to climb, so please wear comfortable shoes). After a guided tour of the historic Benedictine Abbey that graces this tidal island, you will continue to the beautiful, medieval walled town of Fougeres. Here you can enjoy free time for lunch, shopping and wandering on your own before traveling to the hotel in nearby Pontorson. Upon arrival to the hotel, your group will check in and enjoy time to relax and fresh up before tonight's group dinner.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will meet a local guide in the lobby and travel west by private bus to the charming, walled port city of St-Malo, which originated as a medieval fishing village. During the guided tour, you will walk along the ramparts as well as tour the Chateau de St-Malo, which houses the city's History Museum. You'll also go inside the Cathedral of St-Vincent. After the tour you'll have free time for shopping before returning to the hotel.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will check out and travel southeast to the beautiful lands of the Loire River Valley.

Your next few days here will be spent visiting the fairy-tale castles and charming small towns that define this beautiful region. In order to reach the Loire Valley, this morning will be spent relaxing, snoozing and reading on the bus until you reach the lovely town of Breze. Upon arrival, enjoy some time to stretch your legs and to have some lunch on your own before having a guided tour of the magnificent Chateau de Breze. Afterwards your group will re-board the bus and travel to tonight's hotel destination: the lovely town of Tours. En route there will be a photo stop of the Chateau d'Usse, which is often referred to as the "Sleeping Beauty Castle." Upon arrival to the hotel in Tours, check in and enjoy some time to relax or freshen up before tonight's group dinner in the hotel's restaurant.

After breakfast in the hotel, board your private bus and head out for a relaxing day touring two of the best Loire Valley castles: the Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau and the Chateau de Chenonceau. Both of these historic castles are true masterpieces of Renaissance architecture. Your group will have a guided tour in each of the castles, and in between visits the bus driver will make a stop for everyone to have a relaxing lunch. The tour will finish back up at the hotel in Tours, and the remainder of the day is free to explore Tours.

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will check out and travel by private bus to beautiful town of Bloise, home to the Chateau de Blois. This Renaissance edifice was in fact a royal palace to many of France's kings during the Renaissance. Enjoy a guided tour of the castle, and then take some time to visit the town of Bloise.

Afterwards proceed to the town of Chartres, best known for its famous Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered a masterpiece of French, Gothic architecture. Its stained-glass is truly unmatched anywhere else in the world. Enjoy a guided tour of the interior, and then take some time to visits the surrounding gardens. Afterwards, you will continue north to the hotel near Charles de Gaulle Airport. Since most US-bound flights generally depart CDG Airport very early in the morning, we suggest overnighting near the airport. It will make for a more relaxing morning on your departure day. After check-in and time to freshen up, you and your traveling companions will have a final dinner together in France in the hotel's restaurant.

After breakfast in the hotel, catch your hotel's shuttle to the nearby Charles de Gaulle Airport and have a safe departure flight back to the USA.