Paris, Alsace et Le Lac

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

A morning sightseeing tour takes you past some of the city’s best-known attractions, such as the magnificent Arc de Triomphe at the top of the bustling Champs-Élysées, Napoleon’s final resting place at Les Invalides and the Gothic wonder of Notre Dame. The afternoon is yours to explore any lesser-known attractions of your choice, such as the Musée Marmottan-Monet, home the famous artist’s Impression, Sunrise, from which the Impressionist artistic movement purportedly drew its name. In the evening, ascend to the top of the iconic Eiffel Tower for breathtaking views of Paris.

Day 4: Paris

The day begins on a sporting note as an expert teaches you how to play the traditional French game of pétanque, a sport that dates back to the early 1900s. In the afternoon, 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. In the evening a tasty cultural exchange awaits—separate into small groups and be welcomed into the homes of local Parisians to enjoy an authentic dinner and lively conversation.

Day 5: Strasbourg

Start the day with a high-speed TGV train ride to Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament. After eating lunch, your ACIS Tour Manager takes you on a walking tour of this beautiful city, known for its rich architecture and considered the cultural center of France’s Alsace region. After dinner, enjoy an evening canal cruise through this vibrant city. Our local expert will point out the beautiful half-timbered homes of the Grand Île, the Gothic Strasbourg Cathedral, with its astronomical clock, and the Parliamentary buildings.

Day 6: Strasbourg

In the morning, you’ll travel to charming Colmar, filled with cobblestone streets, canals and quaint buildings that date back to the Middle Ages. Later, explore the medieval Château Haut-Koenigsberg, a towering mountaintop castle. Built in the 12th century, it affords sweeping panoramic vistas of the vast Alsace plains. You’ll return to Strasbourg hungry and just in time for an authentic Alsatian tarte flambée dinner (a French type of flatbread).

Day 7: Lausanne

After a morning drive to Bern, explore the capital of Switzerland on a walking tour with your ACIS Tour Manager. Bern is famous for its stately buildings, public fountains and its history as the city where Einstein developed his theory of relativity. Following lunch, take a drive to Lausanne. Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, this lovely city is the home of the International Olympic Committee.

Day 8: Lausanne

After a morning visit to the Olympic Museum, you’ll take a drive to Geneva, where lunch and a tour manager-led walking tour of the city’s charming Old Town awaits. Later, enjoy a Mouette water-taxi cruise across Lake Geneva that travels past the world-famous Jet d'eEau, a 450-foot tall fountain that’s visible from 30 miles way. The day concludes with a visit to the Red Cross Museum which details the history of this humanitarian organization. Head back to Lausanne for a final dinner to cap off your European adventure.

Day 9: Departure

Depart for the USA.