London and Paris

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2: Paris

Bienvenue à Paris! Meet your ACIS Tour Manager and get acquainted with this graceful city's cobblestoned streets, charming cafés and vibrant neighborhoods. Paris is called the “City of Light” for its role as a center of education during the Age of Enlightenment (it was also one the first cities to adopt streetlights). After settling in, immerse yourself in local culture by practicing your French with painters and vintage book sellers along the storied Seine.

Day 3: Paris

Your day begins with a guided sightseeing tour that takes you past some of the most famous attractions in Paris. Your expert local guide will show you Napoleon's final resting place at Les Invalides and the Gothic wonder of Notre Dame. The afternoon is free to explore more of Paris. Visit the Musée d'Orsay or stroll through the lively Latin Quarter. After dinner your tour manager will show you the dazzling shops, cafés and bustling sidewalks of the Champs-Élysées before you ascend to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. Enjoy the spectacular view of twelve of Paris' grand avenues which extend from the monument like spokes on a wheel to the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre.

Day 4: Paris

This morning, breeze by the crowds with your timed entrance to the Louvre and discover the many famous masterpieces that call it home. Insightful commentary from your local guide highlights the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and more as you wander through the galleries. From its beginnings as a royal fortress to its current status as the world's most visited art museum, the Louvre has long been at the center of Parisian culture and home to a collection of 35,000 works of art from around the world. The art theme continues in the afternoon with a Paint Paris painting lesson and walking tour of Montmartre. As you explore this artistic haven—once the haunt of luminaries like Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Claude Monet—a local artist explains the area's history and instructs you in painting techniques important to French art history for capturing its streets and buildings. You may even dine with some real artists this evening at an authentic French dinner on the Place du Tertre at the heart of Montmartre.

Day 5: London

Depart Paris and journey just over two hours aboard the Eurostar to the theater capital of the world, London. Meet your local guide for a panoramic bus tour of the city showing you Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Continue with a guided visit of the British Museum, home to an astounding 150 million items. You'll discover objects from around the world including the Rosetta Stone and sculptural friezes from the Parthenon. After dinner explore the neighborhood around your hotel or be entertained by the street performers in Covent Garden.

Day 6: London

Discover London on foot this morning. Your local guide meets you at Tower Bridge from where you will walk along the fascinating South Bank, home to Borough Market, The Golden Hinde and Shakespeare's reconstructed Globe Theatre. In the afternoon explore London's hidden gems at your own pace. Or take an optional London by Bike tour, including views of the Big Ben, the Horse Guard Parade, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and more. As you cycle and stop for photos, your guide's commentary will bring the history of what you are seeing to life.

Day 7: London

Further acquaint yourself with the vibrant streets, shops, parks and museums of England's bustling capital, or choose an optional excursion to Canterbury and Dover Castle. Drive through Kent, the Garden of England, and arrive in Canterbury to tour the great cathedral and see the Thomas Beckett window. Continue to Dover for a visit inside the 12th century fortress that looms above the famed white cliffs, including secret wartime tunnels that have played a strategic military role since Napoleonic times. Spend your last night in London shopping for souvenirs, seeking out Platform 9 3/4 of Harry Potter fame or perhaps humming your favorite Beatles tune as you stroll across Abbey Road.

Day 8: Departure

Depart for the USA.



Optional Extensions and Extra Nights:

Immerse yourself in the history and culture of the Emerald Isle with a two-night extension to Dublin, via flight from London. Explore the history and culture of Dublin with a sightseeing tour and a Gaelic Games class. Includes the services of your ACIS Tour Manager.