French Art & History

Included Features:

• Accommodation at selected hotels, service charges & hotel taxes, luggage handling
• Breakfast daily, dinners and lunches as per program
• Arrival and departure transfers
• Touring by modern air-conditioned coach
• Professional tour director throughout

Sightseeing:

• Enchanting Paris
• Chartres Cathedral
• Mont-Saint-Michel
• The historic walled city of St. Malo
• Nantes
• Angers
• The old city of Orleans
• Beautiful Gien
• Briare
• Montargis, the “Venice of the Gatinais”
• Magnificent Fontainebleau

Itinerary:

Day 1: Paris

Airport arrival, then transfer to a selected hotel. After checkin, afternoon city tour, followed by free time and dinner in an atmospheric Parisian restaurant. (D)

Day 2: Paris – Versailles – Chartres

A morning visit to the glorious Palace of Versailles. After free time for lunch, we visit Notre Dame Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage site) in Chartres, with sightseeing around lovely Chartres. (B, D)

Day 3: Chartres – Mont St. Michel – St. Malo

Departure for the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mont St. Michel, with free time for lunch en route. The fabulous little island, with its historic abbey and beautiful village, is a tourist magnet. Then leave for the beautiful walled port city of St Malo. (B, L, D)

Day 4: St. Malo – Nantes – Angers – Tours

Our first stop is gorgeous Nantes. Visit the ancient Dukes of Brittany Castle, with its splendid courtyard, then enjoy sightseeing around the town. Onward to the imposing Angers Fortress, and to medieval Tours, with dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 5: Tours – Amboise – Blois – Chambord – Orleans

After breakfast, view the fabulous half-timbered medieval buildings of Tours, with its fine cafe-filled squares. Then we go on to the stunning Chateau de Blois, one of France’s most prestigious Renaissance monuments, and a favourite home of French kings. (B, D)

Day 6: Orleans – Gien – Briar – Montargis – Fontainebleau

Joan of Arc’s pretty Orléans on the mighty Loire River has much to see within its old walls. We also visit Anne of Beaujeu’s Castle of Gien, the magnificent aqueduct at Briare and Montargis, which calls itself the Venice of Gatinais because of its 127 bridges. (B, D)

Day 7: Fontainebleau – Paris

A morning visit to the world famous UNESCO-listed Fontainebleau Palace, which every French king rightly cherished and embellished with the stunning work of their best artists, painters, sculptors, architects and gardeners. After lunch, return to Paris. (B, L, D)

Day 8: Paris

Free time before your airport transfer can be used to visit artistic Montmartre and the dramatic Church of Sacre Coeur. Transfer to the airport. (B)

For prices, please contact Kompas Holidays International by phone: +1-800-233-6422 or send email request to contact@kompas.net