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GRAND TOUR OF FRANCE - 2010
15 days incl. air, or 14
days from Paris to Paris (CO-4780)
Return to
France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco Vacations & Tours 
Vacation Overview
Get to know France
from the inside on this exciting vacation featuring famous sights and
cultural highlights. From Paris, head north to Rouen, then reach the
Normandy coast and Honfleur, Deauville, and the historic D-Day Landing
beaches. On to Bayeux, the enduring beauty of Mont St. Michel, and along
the Loire to Tours for two overnights. You have a whole day to take
advantage of the optional tours available in Châteaux Country. Travel through
the countryside famous for its Cognac and Champagne production and visit
Poitiers, a picturesque town of Roman heritage, as well as seaside La
Rochelle. Spend a night in Bordeaux and continue through the Dordogne,
one of France’s most scenic regions, to the cliffside village of
Rocamadour before reaching Toulouse. An orientation tour shows you
medieval Carcassonne on the way to Nîmes and an overnight in Avignon.
Visit the Roman amphitheater of Arles, made famous by Van Gogh, and the
enchanting town of Aix-en-Provence. Next up: the magnificent French
Riviera. You have plenty of leisure time to take advantage of all the
amenities of the French Riviera. Head north via the Route Napoleon and
from Grenoble, carry on to Lyon on the banks of the Rivers Rhône and
Saône. Stop in one of the most delightful towns of Bourgogne, Beaune.
Medieval Beaune has been the region’s wine capital since Roman times.
Enjoy a wine-tasting session and arrive in Paris, the “City of Light,”
with an included sightseeing tour of the main attractions. You also have
plenty of leisure time to do as you like in the romantic Parisian
atmosphere. From Paris to the French Riviera to Bordeaux, this France
vacation has it all!
Itinerary
Day
1 Mon. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT
Day
2 Tue. ARRIVAL IN PARIS, FRANCE Paris, France
Check
into your hotel. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers.
Day
3 Wed. PARIS-ROUEN-HONFLEUR-CAEN
Drive
first to the fine old city of Rouen for an orientation walk. Next, a stop
in lovely Honfleur and then in the world-famous seaside resort of
Deauville. Overnight in Caen. (B,D)
Day
4 Thu. CAEN-NORMANDY LANDING BEACHES-MONT ST. MICHEL Mont St-Michel in Normandy, France
Time
to see Caen before a visit to the legendary beaches where the Allied
troops landed more than 60 years ago. The highlights are Arromanches, St.
Laurant, and the American Cemetery at Omaha. Next, journey to Bayeux,
where the famous tapestry is located (entrance fee extra). Then,
southwards to the unique beauty of Mont St. Michel, which stands on an
island reached by a causeway, for an overnight. (B)
Day
5 Fri. MONT ST. MICHEL-ANGERS-TOURS
Time
this morning to enjoy a visit of Mont St. Michel before a mid-morning
departure to Angers to visit its cathedral. Then, along the banks of the
Loire to Tours for two overnights. A chance this evening to join an
optional dinner at a typical local restaurant. (B)
Day
6 Sat. CHÂTEAUX COUNTRY
Time
at leisure or join the optional excursion to see some of the most
spectacular castles of the Loire, steeped in the history of noblemen and
kings since the 11th century. Gothic spires, medieval turrets, great
fortresses, and beautiful châteaux make for splendid panoramas. (B,D)
Day
7 Sun. TOURS-POITIERS-LA ROCHELLE-BORDEAUX
Travel
on the comfortable Autoroute L’Aquitaine as far as Poitiers. Next stop is
the picturesque town of La Rochelle, situated on the Atlantic coast.
Continue westwards into the world-famous Cognac region to visit a museum
in Cognac. Then, journey to Bordeaux for an overnight. (B,D)
Day
8 Mon. BORDEAUX-DORDOGNE-ROCAMADOUR-TOULOUSE
Time
for an orientation walk of Bordeaux, then drive into the heart of one of
France’s most scenic regions, the Dordogne. Stop in the dramatically
located medieval town of Rocamadour perched high upon a cliff. Southwards
by way of Cahors to Toulouse for an overnight. (B)
Day
9 Tue. TOULOUSE-AVIGNON Avignon Palace of Popes
Drive
this morning along the Autoroute des Deux Mers for an orientation walk in
Carcassonne. Then, continue eastwards to Nîmes, an elegant city famed for
its busy boulevards shaded by lotus trees. Get a view of the Maison
Carrée, one of the best-preserved Roman temples in the whole of France.
Overnight in nearby Avignon. (B,D)
Day
10 Wed. AVIGNON-ARLES-AIX-EN-PROVENCE-FRENCH RIVIERATake in the beautiful sites of the
French Riviera
South
this morning to visit the Roman amphitheater in Arles, the most famous of
all the Provence towns, known the world over by the paintings of Van
Gogh. Stop in Aix-en-Provence to see its main street, the Cours Mirabeau,
lined with plane trees and its 17th-century palace, houses, and
fountains. Finally, to the French Riviera on the shores of the
Mediterranean. Don’t miss the optional evening excursion. (B)
Day
11 Thu. FRENCH RIVIERA
Take
the opportunity today to enjoy all the amenities of the French Riviera.
(B)
Day
12 Fri. FRENCH RIVIERA-GRASSE-LYON
First
to Grasse for a visit to a perfume workshop. See more of Provence and
follow one of France’s great panoramic routes, the one Napoleon took on
his return from Elba in 1815. From Grenoble, join the expressway to Lyon,
A UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B,D)
Day
13 Sat. LYON-PARIS
Travel
through the picturesque vineyards and fields of Burgundy to medieval
Beaune, the region's wine capital since Roman times, where you visit one
of the famous Bourgogne wine cellars and taste some of its production
before continuing to the French capital and “City of Light,” Paris. Don't
miss the optional evening cabaret show, a real Parisian spectacle. (B)
Day
14 Sun. PARIS
Included
sightseeing with a local expert starts with an inside visit to Notre Dame
Cathedral. Then, many of the best-known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Arc
de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, the Eiffel TowerEiffel Tower, the Pyramid near the Louvre Louvre, the Invalides,
and Champs Elysées. Optional excursions are also available to the Palace
and Gardens of Versailles and, to celebrate the success of your tour, a
French farewell dinner might be just the ticket. (B)
Day
15 Mon. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY
(B)
AIRPORT
TRANSFERS
Airport transfers
may be included when you make your international flights arrangements.
Dates
and Prices
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Departure
Details
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Departure
Date
|
Tour
Start Date
|
Return
Date
|
Land/Cruise
Price Only
|
Status
|
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3/29/2010
|
3/30/2010
|
4/12/2010
|
$1,739.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
4/5/2010
|
4/6/2010
|
4/19/2010
|
$1,759.00
|
Available
|
|
4/12/2010
|
4/13/2010
|
4/26/2010
|
$1,759.00
|
Available
|
|
4/19/2010
|
4/20/2010
|
5/3/2010
|
$1,759.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
4/26/2010
|
4/27/2010
|
5/10/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
5/3/2010
|
5/4/2010
|
5/17/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
5/10/2010
|
5/11/2010
|
5/24/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
5/17/2010
|
5/18/2010
|
5/31/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
5/24/2010
|
5/25/2010
|
6/7/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
5/31/2010
|
6/1/2010
|
6/14/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
6/7/2010
|
6/8/2010
|
6/21/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
6/14/2010
|
6/15/2010
|
6/28/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
6/21/2010
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6/22/2010
|
7/5/2010
|
$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
6/28/2010
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6/29/2010
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7/12/2010
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$1,815.00
|
Available
|
|
7/5/2010
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7/6/2010
|
7/19/2010
|
$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
7/12/2010
|
7/13/2010
|
7/26/2010
|
$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
7/19/2010
|
7/20/2010
|
8/2/2010
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$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
7/26/2010
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7/27/2010
|
8/9/2010
|
$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
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8/2/2010
|
8/3/2010
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8/16/2010
|
$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
8/9/2010
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8/10/2010
|
8/23/2010
|
$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
8/16/2010
|
8/17/2010
|
8/30/2010
|
$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
8/23/2010
|
8/24/2010
|
9/6/2010
|
$1,789.00
|
Available
|
|
8/30/2010
|
8/31/2010
|
9/13/2010
|
$1,799.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
9/6/2010
|
9/7/2010
|
9/20/2010
|
$1,799.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
|
9/13/2010
|
9/14/2010
|
9/27/2010
|
$1,799.00
|
Available
|
|
9/20/2010
|
9/21/2010
|
10/4/2010
|
$1,799.00
|
Available
|
|
9/27/2010
|
9/28/2010
|
10/11/2010
|
$1,799.00
|
Available
|
|
10/4/2010
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10/5/2010
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10/18/2010
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$1,739.00
|
Available
|
|
Popular
Departure
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10/11/2010
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10/12/2010
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10/25/2010
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$1,739.00
|
Available
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10/18/2010
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10/19/2010
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11/1/2010
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$1,739.00
|
Available
|
Popular
Departure - due to itinerary and time of year, this departure
historically sells out quickly. Early booking is encouraged.
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