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10-day Paris, the Loire Valley & Biarritz Experience
Itinerary
DAY 1 DEPART
Departure from the US.
DAY 2 PARIS
Bienvenue à Paris, the City of Light! Enjoy a double-decker bus tour of the city’s main attractions: among them, the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. Then enjoy a relaxing dinner back at the hotel followed by an evening stroll in the local neighborhood.
DAY 3 PARIS
The days starts in the heart of the city, visiting The Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral on the Ile de la Cité. Spend the morning examining the cathedral’s gruesome gargoyles and flying buttresses. In the afternoon visit the Louvre, Europe’s premier art museum. Don’t leave the city without seeing the world’s most famous smile – the Mona Lisa. Afterwards, stroll up the treelined Tuileries Gardens to the Champs Élysées, Paris’s grand boulevard leading to the Arc de Triomphe.
DAY 4 LOIRE VALLEY
Spend a morning at the former residence of the Sun King – the opulent Palace of Versailles with its sparkling Hall of Mirrors and sumptuous state apartments (haunted, some say, by the doomed Marie-Antoinette). You’ll also have a chance to see Chartres Cathedral, a Gothic marvel famous for its mismatched spires and marvelous stained glass.
DAY 5 LOIRE VALLEY
The lush valley of the Loire is home to more castles than anywhere else in France. Today you’ll visit Chenonceau, built over the Cher River, and considered the most beautiful of all the Loire’s castles. After Versailles, it is the most visited château in France. Chambord was the hunting lodge of François I and a favorite retreat of Louis XIV. Its wonderful double spiral staircase is an amazing feat of engineering – and an invention of Leonardo da Vinci. ECI Experience Extra.
DAY 6 ROCAMADOUR
The beautiful medieval town of Poitiers is overflowing with history: home to Eleanor of Aquitaine and visited by Joan of Arc and Richard the Lionheart, to name a few. You’ll stop here on the way to Rocamadour, an ancient pilgrim’s town clinging to a cliffside high above the Dordogne.
DAY 7 BIARRITZ
The lively Atlantic resort of Biarritz in the heart of the Basque region has white sandy beaches and a thriving surf culture. Enjoy the beach or sample some Basque seafood in a restaurant along the sea front.
DAY 8 BIARRITZ
A free day in Biarritz: unwind with walks along the shore or explore the many winding streets and fantastic boutiques. There is an optional excursion through the mountains to the Pyrenean towns of Pau and miraculous Lourdes. Evening ECI Experience Extra.
DAY 9 PARIS
Revenons to the City of Light! You’ll take the TGV and be back in the capital in no time. For your last night in France, enjoy an unforgettable moonlit boat ride down the Seine, with the city’s monuments magically illuminated against the Paris sky. End a fantastic evening with spectacular night-time views from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
DAY 10 DEPART
Depart for the US.