Paris & the Chateaux

Take a walking tour of the Latin Quarter, so named because the language was once commonly spoken by the Sorbonne students that populated the area

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

🔹 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 

Take a guided tour of Versailles, where Louis XIV hosted his royal court to reign in their power and prevent their political rise

With your expert local guide you will see:

• State Apartments of the King and Queen
• The lavish Hall of Mirrors which depicts political successes on its vaulted-ceiling murals 
• Meticulously landscaped gardens and dozens of ornate fountains 

Travel via Chartres and Chambord to the Loire Valley

Visit Chartres Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that looks almost exactly as it did centuries ago

Take a photo stop at the Château de Chambord and admire the Renaissance-style architecture of this 16th century marvel where the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo were stored for safe keeping during World War II

Take a guided excursion to the Loire Valley 

Visit the Château de Chenonceau, a breathtaking architectural marvel that actually extends across the River Cher, supported by submerged pillars that form a pattern of arches on the water’s surface 

Visit the majestic gardens of Amboise, a Renaissance-style château 

🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit a wine cellar

Visit and dine at a troglodyte cave dwelling, a subterranean grotto still used today as chapels, bakeries, wine cellars, and more

🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit the Mont Saint Michel Abbey, a commune and abbey perched on granite that has attracted pilgrims for more than a thousand years 

Visit St. Vincent Cathedral to see the tomb of Jacques Cartier, who is credited with discovering Canada 

🔹 Guided learning: Tour Saint-Malo with your Field Director, an ancient walled city almost totally destroyed during World War II and now one of the most popular destinations in France

Visit the beaches of Normandy to see where the campaign that eventually liberated mainland Europe from Nazi's was launched

See Pointe du Hoc, another important location of WWII

See the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial and pay tribute to WWII soldiers

Visit the Caen Memorial, dedicated to reminding visitors of the fragility of peace 

Enjoy dinner in the Normandy region

Travel to Paris, the City of Light

Explore art from around the world at the Louvre, home to over 35,000 objects including Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, the Mona Lisa