Northern France— Paris, Normandy, Mt. St. Michel, St. Malo,

Loire Valley, Chartres, Versailles —

TOUR DETAILS

Best of Northern France • Price: $2,995 USD • Discounts:

• 5% - Returning Volant Customer • Duration: 13 days • Date: Oct. 1-13, 2017 • Difficulty: Easy

Inclusions • All accommodations (2-3 star) • All scheduled meals • Transportation throughout tour • Airport transfers • Mont St. Michel entrance fee • Château d’Angers entrance fee • Château de Chenonceau entrance fee • Château de Chambord entrance fee • Versailles Palace entrance fee • Versailles Garden entrance fee • Personal guide

Exclusions • International airfare (to and from Paris) • Entrance fees of attractions in Paris • Personal items: Laundry, shopping, etc.

Highlights • Highlights of Paris • Museé du Louvre • Eiffel Tour • Notre Dame Cathedral • Parisian Catacombs • Sacré-Cœur • Normandy • Utah Beach • Omaha Beach • Mont St. Michel • St. Malo • Angers • Loire Valley • Château de Chenonceau • Château de Chambord • Chartres • Versailles Palace & Gardens

DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS

1 • Board overnight flight to Europe (not included)International Flight

Dinner

2

• Arrive: Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Paris• Depending on arrival time, take a leisurely walk on the banks of the Seine River while taking in

Parisian beauty.• Enjoy a warm welcome dinner

Paris, France

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

3 • Visit iconic Parisian highlights: Le Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame Cathedral• Cross the historic Pont Neuf to visit the Palais and Museé du Louvre

Paris, France

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

4• Drive north to the dramatic white cliffs on the English Channel at Étretat• Take short, pastoral hikes and take the vast vistas overlooking a natural arch and wild beaches• Transfer to Caen for the night, home of the world famous film festival

Étretat - Caen

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

5 • Get in touch with history on Utah and Omaha Beaches, the location of the infamous D-Day• Transfer to the dramatic island-city at Mont Saint Michel

Normandy - Mont Saint Michel

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

6

• Take a leisurely tour through the winding streets of Mont Saint Michel• Get your cameras ready for the far reaching views from the mountain top cathedral and

monastery• Transfer to the walled city on the coast, Saint Malo

Mont Saint Michel - Saint Malo

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

7• Head south to Rennes, the capital of Brittany• Be sure to notice the medieval half-timbered homes• Transfer to Angers for a tour of the massive Château d’Angers

Angers

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

8 • Turn your sights to the Loire Valley, famous for its many opulent châteaux• Take a leisurely tour through the château and gardens at Chenonceau

Loire Valley

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

9• Drive through the French countryside to the most iconic Château in Loire Valley: Chambord• Tour the Château and gardens at Chambord• Retire to a quaint hotel deep in the Loire Valley

Loire Valley

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

10• On our way to the Palais at Versailles, we’ll stop at the famous Cathedral at Chartres.• Enjoy lunch overlooking the vast French countryside• Continue on the Palais and Jardins du Versailles

Chartres - Versailles

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

11• Hunting lodge turned to a palace fit for a king, enjoy the opulence of palatial living at Versailles• Explore as many of the 2,300 rooms as you can at the Palais du Versailles• Get lost in nature as you wonder the vast gardens at Versailles

Versailles

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

12

• Head towards the apex of all romantic cities: Paris• Free day in Paris: spend your time exploring the sites you haven’t seen yet. Perhaps you’ll want

to descend into the gothic catacombs, or visit Monet’s Garden. The options are limitless. • Tonight we’ll dine on traditional Parisian cuisine for our farewell dinner

Paris

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

13 • Transfer to Charles de Gaulle International Airport, Paris• Depart: Flight home

Paris

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

ITINERARY

Best of Northern France - 13 Days / 11 Nights Itinerary -

TOUR MAP

Étretat

Paris

Versailles

Chartres

Château de Chambord

Château de Chenonceau

Angers

CaenNormandy

Mont Saint Michel

St. Malo

Spain

Atlantic Ocean

English Channel

SWITZERLAND

Germany

Italy

Mediterranean Sea

Belgium

Luxemburg

England

Bay of Biscay

Loire Valley

Corsica

ITINERARY

DAY 1: BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY

Board your overnight flight to Europe (not included).

DAY 2: WELCOME TO PARIS! A Volant representative will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Take a relaxing walk through the historic streets of downtown Paris. Take in the iconic mansard roofs, the tranquil waters of the Seine, and the romance in the air. Enjoy a welcome dinner and a leisurely evening.

DAY 3: HIGHLIGHTS OF PARIS Stroll the lawns and gardens stretching to the Eiffel Tower. Take leisurely walk through the historic halls of one the most famous museums in the world: Le Louvre. Cross the famous Pont Neuf on your way to the holy cathedral of Notre Dame.

ITINERARY

DAY 4: ÉTRETAT – CAEN Let’s take off and explore the coastline. Only a two and a half hour drive from Paris we will sped our afternoon in Etretat. This pristine commune right on the beach is famous for its three arches situated along the chalk cliffs. After a quaint lunch we will transfer to Caen (90 m). We will be sure to wander through Colline aux Oiseaux, a beautifully landscaped park with a rose garden. Only a short distant away stands the Caen Castle. After dinner we will call it a night here in Caen.

DAY 5: NORMANDY – UTAH BEACH – OMAHA BEACH – MONT SAINT MICHEL  This morning we will drive east toward the Normandy coastline. Both Omaha and Utah beaches offer a historical reminder of a difficult past. While we will be sure to stop for lunch we will continue south towards Mont Saint Michel. Traveling from one side of Normandy to the other will take us about two hours. Today’s drive is just a small price to pay for the remarkable monastery that awaits us.

ITINERARY

DAY 7: ANGERS This morning we will make our way from the coast and head inland to Angers. Our three hour drive from St. Malo to Angers will be broken up by a stop in Rennes, the capital of Brittney. While we get out and stretch our legs be sure to  notice the medieval half-timbered homes. By noon we will be in Angers. Both the Château d’Angers and the Chateau de Brissac are a definite must see. The tapestry room within the Château d’Angers is to die for as are the views overlooking the city from the top of the Castle. Make sure to get some sleep tonight because the next two days are devoted to exploring some of the many Chateau’s of Loire Valley.

DAY 6: MONT SAINT MICHEL – ST. MALO The first half of the day is devoted to exploring Mont Saint Michel. Both this island commune and its bay are on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. During our time in this medieval citadel take the time to explore its many shops and restaurants or even climb the cobblestone path to the 92 meter lookout. After lunch we will head to St. Malo, a intriguing coastal city. The old town is surrounded by tall granite walls that were once used as an enclosure for pirates whom were approved by the king. Before calling it a night we will be sure to watch the sunset over the open ocean.  Tonight we rest in St. Malo.

ITINERARY

DAY 8: LOIRE VALLEY – CHATEAU DE CHENONCEAU Getting an early start to the day we will head towards Tours. Keep your eyes peeled for the many chateau’s in this area as we drive through the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Natural Regional Park.  We will make sure to grab a bite to eat in Tours before we visit St Gatien Cathedral and the Cloister of la Psalette. The second half of our day will be spent in the Chateau de Chenonceau. This unique castle spans over the Cher River and has a garden maze. Only about a 40 minute drive from Tours we will spend the night in Chenonceau.

DAY 9: LOIRE VALLEY – CHATEAU DE CHAMBORD Day two of our chateau adventures will begin with a short trip to Amboise to tour the Chateau du Clos Luce (Da Vinci’s former home). After lunch we will head to Blois, the capital of the Loir-et-Cher region in central France. Blois will be our home base as we branch out and visit the Blois, Cheverny and Chambord chateaus’. Our hotel this evening will be in Blois.

ITINERARY

DAY 10: CHARTRES – VERSAILLES PALACE & GARDENS

The beginning of our day will be spent driving from Blois to Chartres. After about two hours we will reach the Chartres Cathedral. This cathedral is famous for its massive contrasting spires and incredible state of preservation. After spending a few hours here we will continue into Versailles for the evening.

ITINERARY

DAY 11: VERSAILLES PALACE & GARDENS

Today is devoted to exploring the Versailles Palace and Gardens. The Gardens alone cover nearly 800 hectares; containing over 200,000 trees, 210,000 plants, 50 fountains and 620 water jets. Containing 2,300 rooms, the Palace of Versailles is nothing short of extraordinary. It is considered one of the greatest achievements in French 17th century art. Louis XIV began embellishing his fathers castle in 1682 and the following generations continued to do so until the start of the French Revolution. After spending the day among this architectural giant there will be no question as to why the Palace has been on the World Heritage site for 30 years. In the evening we will make the short trip to Paris to unload for the last time.

ITINERARY

DAY 13: PARIS – DEPART

Breakfast will be provided although there will be no group activities for the day. Your Volant representative will escort you to the airport and bid you adieu.

DAY 12: ICONIC PARIS HIGHLIGHTS

Today enjoy any number of iconic Parisian attractions. Paris provides tourists with an unlimited amount of sights and attractions. Use the day to create your own adventure. Perhaps take the time to check out the catacombs, the Pantheon, Rodan Museum or Sainte-Chapelle. The Arc de Triomphe is also incredible, as is  Le Centre Pompidou. Whatever you decide we will make sure to gather one last time this evening for a farewell dinner.

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