BudgetEurope.net
27 day Tour of France
From the City of Light to the home of Champagne
See some of the greatest treasures of Europe, while you experience a country renowned for its gastronomy, culture and fashion.
Day 1: Paris
Transfer to your centrally-located hotel in Paris, the cosmopolitan capital of France. The City of Light is one of the most beautiful and romantic of all cities.
Day 2: Paris
No other monument better symbolizes Paris – today we will visit the Eiffel Tower for an unforgettable view over the city, as well as the beautiful gardens of the Jardins du Trocadéro and the magnificent Champs-Elysées and Arc de Triomphe.
Day 3: Paris
Another big day: Notre Dame, the impressive Gothic cathedral that was the inspiration for Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Musée d’Orsay, home to the great artists of the 19th century (Monet, Renoir, Degas); The Pantheon – underneath, the final resting place for the great heroes of the French Republic including Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie, and above, a marvellous view of the city; plus The Catacombs of Paris – the famous underground ossuary, full of atmosphere, and bones!
Day 4: Paris
We visit The Louvre, one of the finest museums in the world of art, art-history, and culture (home of the Mona Lisa) as well as the Montmartre area of Paris.
Day 5: Versaille, Loire Valley
Transfer to the Loire Valley after visiting Versailles, the vast and opulent royal palace built by King Louis XIV with its impressive formal gardens.
Day 6: Chateaux of the Loire Valley
Sightseeing around the Loire Valley including: Blois, residence of French kings and the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orléans; Chambord, one of the most famous and recognizable of France’s châteaux; and Cheverny, renowned for magnificent interiors and its collection of furniture, tapestries, and objets d’art.
Day 7: Chateaux of the Loire Valley
We visit more of this World Heritage area – listed as “an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty” – including grand chateaux and picturesque villages.
Day 8: Mont St Michel, Bayeux and D Day beaches
Day trip to Mont St Michel, site of the spectacular and well-preserved Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Michel at the peak of the rocky island, surrounded by the winding streets and convoluted architecture of the medieval town. We also visit the small town of Bayeux, best known for the remarkable Bayeux Tapestry that chronicles in visual form the conquest of England by William the Conquerer, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. Just north of the town we visit the D-Day beaches of June 6th, 1944. Bayeux was the first French town to be liberated from Nazi occupation.
Day 9: Chartres
Sightseeing in Chartres, home to a magnificent 12th century cathedral, considered by many art historians to be the finest surviving example from the High Gothic period.
Day 10: La Rochelle
Sightseeing in La Rochelle – the narrow streets and pale stone buildings give its Old Port a distinctly mediterranean quality – and the Cognac region of France, home to such famous names as Martell, Hennessy and Rémy Martin.
Day 11: Flexible day
We can see whatever the group wants.
Day 12: Bordeaux
Transfer to Bordeaux region where we will explore some of the local wineries and sample their produce.
Day 13: Bordeaux
All day sightseeing in and around Bordeaux, the second largest wine-growing region in the world. It produces over 800 million bottles annually.
Day 14: Millau Viaduct, Provence
Transfer to the Provence region via the Millau Viaduct. Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world, with one mast’s summit at 343.0 metres (1,125 ft).
Day 15: Provence
All day sightseeing around the many little villages which make up Provence. Provence is famous for its sun, color (Van Gogh spent a respectable amount of time in Arles, painting the countryside), traditions, wines, food, and language (Provençal).
Day 16: Carcassonne, Pyrenees
Day trip to the medieval walled city of the Carcassonne and the majestic mountains of the Pyrenees.
Day 17: Avignon
Sightseeing in Avignon and its medieval centre.
Day 18: Avignon
Avignon is famous as the city to which the Popes fled when leaving the corruption of Rome in the 14th century. The palace they built, ‘Le Palais des Papes,’ or the palace of popes, is the world’s largest Gothic edifice. The city is sprinkled with buildings and monuments ranging from the new to the old, the very old, and the ageless.
Day 19: Nice
Transfer to Nice on the French Riviera. It is well known for the beautiful view on the Promenade des Anglais and its famous waterfront.
Day 20: Monaco
Sightseeing around the principality of Monaco, the second smallest independent state in the world (after the Vatican).
Day 21: Cannes and St Tropez
A day on the French Riviera. Once a small fishing village, Cannes is now a glamorous and expensive seaside town. Tourists can check out the beauty and architecture of Le Suquet, with its cobbled streets and breathtaking views, or sit at street side tables and enjoy the favoured hobby of people watching up and down the lovely marina. St Tropez is the beautiful seaside village made famous by Brigitte Bardot.
Day 22: Dijon
Transfer to the Burgundy region of France and Dijon, perhaps best known for its mustard which is still produced locally, but it is also one of the most beautiful cities in France, having avoided being devastated by bombing in WWII.
Day 23: Cote D’Or
Today we visit the fabled Côte-d’Or wine region of Burgundy.
Day 24: Troyes
Transfer to Troyes in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France.
Day 25: Troyes – Champagne region
Sightseeing around the wine region and some of the world’s biggest names in champagne. La Champagne, the region where this fine bubbly is made, holds many treasures: a rolling countryside, dotted medieval churches, timeless castles and villages along winding waterways, historic fortifications in the forested Ardennes, and vineyards as far as the eye can see between Reims and Epernay.
Day 26: Troyes – Champagne region
Final day to sightsee and celebrate this beautiful region.
Day 27: Paris
Transfer to Paris airport.
Date
4 October – 31 October 2012
Cost & Inclusions
Australian dollars: $7,800 AUD convert
Price is per person twin share, 15% single supplement.
Inclusions All accommodation, transfers with Driver/Guide in 2010 model mini van, 250 Euro sightseeing kitty, and all tolls, petrol and vehicle costs.