Insider's France

The itinerary is the starting point to your tour, but it’s not set in stone. Your group leader may make changes leading up to departure.

Day 1, Friday March 24: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2, Saturday March 25: 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). Perhaps stroll through Montmartre to the white-domed Sacré Cœur or seek out a lesser known but equally interesting attraction such as the Musée Marmottan-Monet, housing the artist’s Impression, Sunrise—the painting for which the Impressionist movement was named. (D)

Day 3, Sunday March 26: Paris

A morning sightseeing tour with an expert local guide shows you the city's most impressive monuments, from the magnificent Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Élysées to Napoleon's final resting place at Les Invalides to the Gothic wonder of Notre Dame. Then journey just outside of Paris to visit a traditional Guinguette on the River Marne. Guinguettes are a treasured French establishment dating from the early 1900s when workers were first given a day off on Sunday. Enjoy an authentic French lunch at one of these riverside restaurants and join the locals on the dance floor as you pick up the steps to the popular Valse Musette. Return to Paris for the evening. Tonight you may choose to attend our optional night at the French theater—a unique cultural experience alongside the locals made accessible with English surtitles (translations shown above the stage). (B,L)

Day 4, Monday March 27: Loire Valley

This morning, travel to Versailles to visit the intricate gardens and stunning palaces of the Sun King, Louis the XIV. Your visit includes the Hall of Mirrors, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, and the breathtaking surroundings. Don’t worry if you don’t have time to cover every room of his vast palace. The best stuff is in the gardens and grounds: all 1,976-acre gardens, 200,000 trees, 50 fountains and 620 jets of water worth. After wandering about the exquisite and intensely manicured gardens on two feet, hop on two wheels and explore the palace's surroundings beyond the gardens on a Versailles by bike tour. Then continue on to the Loire Valley. (B,D)

Day 5, Tuesday March 28: Loire Valley

Experience the beauty of the Loire Valley today. Visit Chenonceau, the château of six women, built over the Cher River in an exquisite Renaissance design. It features a moat, drawbridge, towers and turrets—and great stories about resistance to the Nazi army. Then marvel at the mighty Chambord, the sprawling creation commissioned by François I, towering over its deer-filled park. Finally enjoy time to explore Amboise, the town where Leonardo da Vinci is buried, perched on a bluff above the Loire. (B,D)

Day 6, Wednesday March 29: St Malo

Depart this morning for the Normandy coast for a visit to the lovely island monastery of Mont St. Michel. This medieval abbey, once an important pilgrimage site, is surrounded by water at high tide. Continue to St. Malo in time for dinner. An evening walk with your tour manager will wind around the quaint streets of this walled city. (B,D)

Day 7, Thursday March 30: Rouen

Today walk in the footsteps of history as you visit many of Normandy's important World War II sites. See what remains of the temporary Mulberry harbor constructed at Arromanches to help offload cargo during the invasion. Entrance to the Arromanches 360 Cinema is included. Next you can pay tribute to the heroic fallen at the American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer before descending from the bluff to walk along Omaha Beach, where American troops suffered some of the heaviest D-Day losses. Continue to Rouen, known for its magnificent cathedral and historical connection to Joan of Arc. (B,D)

Day 8, Friday March 31: Paris

This morning explore Rouen on a walk through this historical city with your ACIS Tour Manager. View the marketplace, site of Joan of Arc's martyrdom on May 30, 1431, and the streets of Rouen with their 700 timbered houses. Then, journey back Paris where you will 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. Later, cap off another exceptional day with the stunning view from the very top of the Eiffel Tower. (B,D)

Day 9, Saturday April 1: Paris

This morning local experts will teach you how to play the traditional French game of pétanque before you enjoy a final afternoon to shop for souvenirs or perhaps discover the vibrant intellectual and cultural atmosphere of the Latin Quarter. Then visit eclectic Montmartre for a Paint Paris painting lesson and walking tour. 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. In the evening you will be served an authentic French dinner on the Place du Tertre—a square at the heart of Montmartre. (B,D)

Day 10, Sunday April 2: Departure

Depart for the USA. (B)