Paris, Strasbourg and Munich

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 19: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2, Saturday March 20: Paris

Your ACIS Tour Manager greets you with a Bienvenue! Paris, known as the “City of Light” for its role as a center of education and culture during the Enlightenment, greets you today. Discover the Métro or hit the cobblestone streets with your tour manager and try a café au lait. (D)

Day 3, Sunday March 21: Paris

Today's guided sightseeing tour shows you the magnificent Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Élysées, Napoleon's final resting place at Les Invalides and the Gothic wonder of Notre Dame. Later, 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, see the City of Light from a totally different perspective on a river cruise on the Seine. (B,D)

Day 4, Monday March 22: Paris

Start your day learning the traditional French pastime of pétanque from local experts. After getting your game on, the rest of the day is yours to explore Paris on your own or embark on an optional afternoon trip to visit Louis XIV’s palace and gardens at Versailles. This evening 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,D)

Day 5, Tuesday March 23: Strasbourg

Travel east for a guided visit of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, commemorating the United States forces that fought and died in France during World War I. Continue to the nearby Marine Memorial at Belleau Wood where regiments of the U.S. 4th Marine Brigade endured heavy fighting on the battlefield in June of 1918. You'll also have time for a visit to Reims including a visit of the Cathedral. Later, arrive in Strasbourg hungry and just in time for an authentic Alsatian tarte flambée dinner (a French type of flatbread). (D)

Day 6, Wednesday March 24: Southern Bavaria

Strasbourg, like so many European cities, is best seen from the water, and you'll get to experience the capital of Alsace from the vantage point of a canal cruise. 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 buildings of European Parliament. In the afternoon, we move on to lovely Southern Bavaria in Germany. (B,D)

Day 7, Thursday March 25: Munich

Crazy King Ludwig's fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein is literally the stuff of legends (and Disney dreams). The famous castle, with its many turrets and towers was opened to the public in 1886 and clings to the top of the surrounding cliffs. You may want to linger in this magical place, but Munich awaits. Arrive later in this capital of Bavaria that sits alongside the banks of the River Isar. (B,D)

Day 8, Friday March 26: Munich

Today's morning tour is to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. This former prison camp was technically not one of the “death camps” but is still a vivid reminder of Nazi atrocities during World War II. Back in Munich in the afternoon, we learn more about the German art of pretzels and do a little sampling. We also end the day on an expertly guided sightseeing tour to sites like Marienplatz with its famed Glockenspiel, the Viktualienmarkt food and flower market and the surfers on the Isar River in the Englischer Garten. (B,D)

Day 9, Saturday March 27: Departure

Depart for the USA.