Travel with your private party on this Luxury Tailor Made Journey, departing when you choose and with expert local guides leading the way; you can even customize the itinerary to your interests.
Discover the many faces of France on a single, diverse itinerary taking you to the City of Light, with its renowned art and architecture; idyllic Giverny, immortalized by Monet’s brush; and the historic beaches of Normandy, site of the D-Day landing.
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
DAY 7
DAY 8
DAY 1
Upon arrival at Paris airport, you are met by your Guardian Angel and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel.
Relais Christine
DAY 2
Known as the City of Light, Paris boasts some of the most famous landmarks and museums in the world. Get your bearings with an orientation tour and drive past sights such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées and the Ile de la Cité. Here you pause to view the exterior of beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece that has become one of the world’s most recognizable places of worship, as they work to rebuild following the tragic fire of 2019. Your afternoon is free to roam the city, soaking up its unique atmosphere and style.
Relais Christine
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 3
Situated to the southwest of Paris, Versailles is the location of the huge palace that was constructed in the 17th century for Louis XIV, the Sun King. It became the model for grand houses of royalty all over Europe. Take a tour of the opulent State Apartments that culminate in the magnificent Gallery of Mirrors. You may like to stroll in the formal ornamental gardens that are embellished with many fountains, and see the Grand Canal that stretches into the distance across the park.
Relais Christine
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4
Join your English-speaking driver-guide for your transfer to Port-en-Bessin. Along the way, visit Giverny to see the house and gardens that inspired Monet. The house is decorated in the original color schemes Monet admired, with the famous Japanese bridge and water lily pond immortalized by the artist still to be seen in the gardens. Also stop in Honfleur, a delightful port town, where yachts now replace the smugglers’ boats once common here, in one of the most painted and photographed harbors in the world. Visit the impressive Saint Catherine’s Church, France’s largest timber-built church as well as the numerous galleries that line the streets.
Château La Chenevière
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5
The numerous monuments and memorials in the Normandy coastal area bear witness to the fierce fighting that took place here during and after the D-Day Landings of World War II. Spend the day exploring the American Sector to visit some of the most important sites of this pivotal point in the war. Start inland at the strategically important Sainte-Mère-Église, where the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions parachuted in to help the village become one of the first in France to be liberated. Further eastward along the coast is the sector known as Omaha Beach, also captured by invading American forces, and where you examine several sites from both the German and U.S. perspectives. Learn about Operation Aquatint, a failed 1942 British raid on the area. Your day ends with a poignant visit to the U.S. Military Cemetery and Interpretation Center at Colleville-sur-Mer, the final resting place of over 9,300 U.S. soldiers, located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach.
Château La Chenevière
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6
Visit one of France's most recognizable landmarks, Mont Saint-Michel, a village perched on a tidal island located in the mouth of the River Couesnon. Surrounded by water and sand flats, the granite outcrop is crowned by an abbey that took more than 500 years to construct. Legend has it that Archangel Michael appeared to the Bishop of Avranches in 708, inspiring him to build it here. Explore the steep, narrow, cobblestone streets and climb over 350 steps to reach the abbey, whose spire towers more than 500 feet above the surrounding bay.
Château La Chenevière
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7
Return to Paris for an afternoon and evening at leisure, free to relax or explore on your own.
Relais Christine
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 8
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart.
Meals: Breakfast
Explore the heart of the Loire Valley’s château country with architecture from the classical, Renaissance and Gothic styles; soak up the country’s medieval atmosphere in a charming university town; and behold a vast collection of period furnishings dating from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
4 days from $4,695 per person
Apr–Oct; Priced from $4,695
Prices are per person, double occupancy for the itinerary as published for 2023 travel, and subject to availability.
Pricing reflects A&K's recommended months of travel of this itinerary. Supplements may apply over holiday periods, festivals, special events and due to high demand. International air not included.
DAY 1
Arrive at the Saint-Pierre-des-Corps train station, where you are met by your driver and transferred by private car to your delightful Onzain hotel, nestling you in the heart of the Loire Valley's château country.
Domaine des Hauts de Loire
DAY 2
Head off with your driver-guide to the east of Onzain to explore the Loire Valley's delightful châteaux. With pride of place in the town center, Château de Blois comprises several buildings built in the Classical, Renaissance and Gothic styles around a central courtyard. Continue to the largest of the Loire châteaux, Château de Chambord. Built to serve as a hunting lodge to King François I, this immense Renaissance château features 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 84 staircases. Finally, visit privately-owned Château de Cheverny, a stately home that has remained in the same family for over 600 years.
Domaine des Hauts de Loire
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 3
En route to Tours, pause to stroll the elegant Château de Langeais. Formerly a medieval castle, the structure was converted to an elegant château in the 15th century. Browse its stunning interior and period furnishings, a vast collection spanning pieces from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Next, visit the gardens at Villandry. Stroll the impeccably manicured grounds, revealing a water garden, flower garden and vast ornamental kitchen garden. Continue on to the medieval city of Tours, where you discover the half-timbered houses, narrow streets and charming squares of its Old Town.
Domaine des Hauts de Loire
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4
Privately transfer to the Saint-Pierre-des-Corps rail station to continue your onward journey.
Meals: Breakfast
Relais Christine
Château La Chenevière
