A Taste of France

10 days

French Riviera, Avignon, Lyon, Reims, Paris

Treat your palate to the vibrant tradition of French food, from rustic fare to haute cuisine. Sample regional dishes in the French Riviera and Provence, and attend a chef’s demonstration in Lyon for some authentic inspiration for your own creations. Get a taste of Paris with visits to its most iconic structures before expanding your palette at a colorful city market and cooking lesson.

🔹 Curated experiences: Every program is intentionally designed to feature guided learning, cultural engagement, and independent exploration experiences to drive global competency development, denoted on each itinerary with a blue diamond. Learn more about these experiences.

Image displaying map describing the itinerary of the A Taste of France tour

Day 1: Fly overnight to France

Day 2: French Riviera

Meet your Field Director at the airport

Take a walking tour of Nice and soak up the white-washed villas and the emerald waters that lap its endless beaches

Enjoy dinner in Nice

Day 3: French Riviera

Take a day trip to Monaco, a tiny principality that packs wealth, royalty and the Casino Monte-Carlo into 0.8 square miles

Participate in a cooking lesson led by local chefs and learn how the region’s cuisine is flavored largely by its geography

Day 4: French Riviera • Provence • Lyon

Travel via Provence to Lyon, the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris

Enjoy dinner in Lyon

Day 5: Lyon

🔹 Guided learning: Take a culinary-themed guided tour of Lyon and learn about bouchons, Lyonnais restaurants famous for their convivial atmospheres and culinary expertise

🔹 Cultural engagement: Participate in a cooking demonstration with a Lyonnais chef, where you will cook and eat dinner

Day 6: Lyon • Paris

Travel by TGV train to Paris

Take a walking tour of Paris with your Field Director to explore Île de la Cité and the Latin Quarter

See Notre-Dame Cathedral, known for its sculptured facade, stained-glass rose windows, and seemingly weightless vaulted ceilings

Enjoy a scenic view of Paris as you sail along the iconic Seine River

Enjoy dinner in the Latin Quarter

Day 7: Paris

🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Paris

With your expert local guide you will see:

Place de la Concorde, a major public square
Champs-Élysées, an elegant boulevard packed with high-fashion boutiques
Arc de Triomphe, a monument honoring those who fought for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair and an iconic symbol of Paris
Hôtel des Invalides, a grand hospital commissioned by Louis XIV

Add this in-depth excursion:

Versailles

Welcome to the world headquarters of decadence—the grand palace of Versailles. The enormous estate was built to keep commoners far from its gilded doors and expansive gardens—but fortunately, you won’t have to win Louie or Marie’s notoriously fickle favor to get in. After spending the day in a maze of manicured shrubbery and the staggering Hall of Mirrors, continue the theme of indulgence by treating yourself at a local patisserie nearby.

Day 8: Paris

Take an excursion to Reims, one of France’s centers of champagne production

Tour a champagne cellar with an expert local guide, dating back to Roman times and where champagne is aged

Day 9: Paris

🔹 Cultural engagement: Enjoy lunch at a local market, choosing from artisanal cheeses to farm-fresh vegetables, from heavenly breads to mouth-watering wines

Participate in a cooking lesson led by local Parisian chefs

Day 10: Depart for home