Paris, France Tour – May 21 – 28, 2023
Paris, France’s capital, is a major European city and a global center for art, fashion, gastronomy and culture. Its 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine. Paris in May is when the city bursts with new life across its parks and gardens, street markets and café terraces. Add a sprinkle of pretty pastel blossoms, lush green parks, a dash of romance, and fine chocolates and come on this Parisien adventure.
Cost $3800 Pay by March 31st
$500 Non-Refundable Deposit to Reserve Tour
Day 1
Begin with a Charles De Gaulle Airport transfer at 2pm and arrive at your hotel for meet and greet and itinerary briefing with your tour leader. Then free time to explore, rest up and get refreshed before an evening cruise on the Seine River getting acquinted with Paris and having a delightful meal with a view of the Eiffel Tower and celebrating embarking on our exciting adventure.
Arc de Triomphe
Day 2
After breakfast, we’ll take a train ride to the Royal Palace gardens with 17th-century arcades of shops & courtyard with striped columns and then it’s time to explore Le Louvre (the largest museum in Europe), with skip-the-line-access, where you’ll have time to get up close to Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa.
We’ll then meander through the streets of the trendy Le Marais district filled with hip boutiques, galleries. Along the way see the Champs Elysees, the majestic Arc de Triomphe, the Sainte Chapelle, and the 12th century, gothic Notre Dame Cathedral. In Le Marais, we’ll explore the grassy square called Place des Vosges with an elegant arcade surrounded with numerous kosher restaurants and cafes, i.e., Cafe Hugo and nearby the Musée Victor Hugo, where the writer lived.
After this cultural visit, we’ll have free time to explore and relax as you please.
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris, meaning “Our Lady of Paris”, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, an island on the Seine river, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
Louvre Museum
Courtyard of the Museum of Louvre, and its pyramid.
The Louvre or the Louvre Museum, is the world’s most-visited museum, and a historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city’s 1st arrondissement (district or ward). Approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square meters (782,910 square feet).
The museum is located on the grounds of the Louvre Palace which Louis XIV left in 1682 and moved his household to the Palace of Versailles. The Louvre became as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation’s masterpieces.
Day 3
Montmartre & Sacre Coeur Basilica
Sacred Heart of Paris
Long one of Paris’ most bohemian neighborhoods, and formerly home to artists like Picasso and Dali, hilltop Montmartre is full of charm and along the way we’ll discover bakeries and admire the Moulin Rouge.
We will visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in Paris, France, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacré-Cœur Basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.
Theatre de l’Opera
We’ll get photos of the Palais Garnier or Opéra Garnier which has been a monument historique of France since 1923. Currently called the Opéra national de Paris, the Paris Opera is the primary opera and ballet company of France and they use the Palais Garnier mainly for ballet.
Day 4
Today is Free Time to choose what your want to do while still in the City of Lights.
Have fun creating your bucket list i.e., the Café Renard in the Tuileries Gardens or La Terrasse de Madame in the Luxembourg Gardens to relax with a drink or bite to eat. And we’ll share our stories with one another sooner than later.
Day 5
The 1050-foot (320-m)-tall Eiffel Tower, was conceived by Gustave Eiffel as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World’s Fair. Luckily, the art nouveau tower’s popularity assured its survival.
Day 6
Grand Finale – Palace of Versailles
In the morning, we’ll take the train to the opulent Versaille Estate. We’ll then head directly inside with your skip-the-line access to spend a few hours exploring the palace and grounds.
An audio guide is provided so you can explore the famous palace rooms, including the Hall of Mirrors, at your own pace. Walk from hall to gilded hall, looking at ornately painted ceilings and the private royal quarters. Travel back in time as you discover what life was like living in the splendor of the court of the kings and queens of France.
The Palace of Versailles is a former royal residence located in Versailles. Louis XIV expanded the château Louis the VIII built. It was a favorite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. In 1789, Louis XVI and the royal family returned to Paris. For the rest of the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents, and the population of the surrounding city plummeted.
Napoleon Bonaparte, following his takeover of France, used Versailles as a summer residence from 1810 to 1814, but did not restore it. When the French Monarchy was restored, it remained in Paris and it was not until the 1830s that meaningful repairs were made to the palace.
A museum of French history was installed within it, replacing the apartments of the southern wing.
After touring inside the castle we’ll head outside to the manicured gardens and lawns, where a dazzling display of flowers and exotic plants delight visitors of all ages.
Enjoy lunch near the castle, then take the train back to Paris for a free afternoon in the city.
Shop, enjoy the fresh air in one of the city’s parks or explore one of the city’s many art museums before ending the epic tour with a cruise on the Seine watching as the city lights and monuments go by and enjoying a gourmet dinner to celebrate the successful completion of our exciting adventure.
Day 6
Nice, France
We’ll travel to Nice on the French Riviera and arrive at your hotel located on the Promenade des Anglais. Nice is a vacation hot-spot located along the French Riviera with spectacular Mediterranean beaches and mild climate. With old-world opulence, year-round sunshine, and a stunning seaside location, Nice is the unofficial capital of the Côte d’Azur, and a must-see for every visitor. The city has been a retreat for high-rollers since the 19th century and today offers fabulous markets, glorious architecture, and excellent dining options.
The Promenade des Anglais
In 1931 following its refurbishment the city’s main seaside promenade, the Promenade des Anglais (“Walkway of the English”) was inaugurated by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.
Enjoy the pebbly shores and beaches. Soak in the Mediterranean views. Or walk along the Promenade des Anglais, where our hotel is located. This boulevard fronting the bay is lined with grand cafes and hotels. Nice offers a large concentration of restaurants to choose from. The city is known for dishes made with olives and seafood, like salade niçoise.
It is easy to understand why Impressionist painters were drawn to Nice. With its sunny weather and stunning seaside scenery, this picturesque city resembles a pastel painting. The city has a distinctive Italian character that’s especially visible in the Old Town.
We’ll walk the Cobblestone Street of Vieille Ville, Nice’s Old Town, or Vieux Nice. We’ll visit it’s picturesque maze of narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets, has a lively ambience reminiscent of Italy. We’ll meander through its maze of narrow lanes and architectural gems, such as the Cathédral Sainte-Réparate, Opera House, and Palais du Justice and an awe-inspiring bell tower. We’ll visit the city’s daily market called Cours Saleya featuring a vast array of products from handcrafted carvings to fresh flowers and quality fruit and vegetables.
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Saleya Course – Market
The southern end of the Old Town borders the Ponchettes market stalls at the Cours Saleya, where fishmongers and grocers sell fresh products. For tourists, among the most memorable things to do in Nice is visit the famous Marché aux Fleurs, a traditional Provençal flower market with outdoor stalls featuring colorful striped awnings (open every day except Mondays). Cours Saleya used to belonged to the upper classes. It is probably the most traditional square of the town, with its daily flower market. We’ll have lunch here.
After lunch, going north, Cours Saleya also opens on the Palais des Rois Sardes (Palace of the Kings of Sardinia). In the present, the court is mostly a place of entertainment. It is a splendid Neoclassical building abd was the former palace of the Kings of Sardinia and also known as the Palais de la Préfecture on Rue Alexandre Mari.
Exploring the Old Town further we’ll see a noteworthy 17th-century Baroque church, the Cathédrale Sainte-Reparate has an exquisitely decorative interior, featuring Corinthian columns with gilded detailing and many little cherub figurines in friezes surrounding grand pieces of artwork.
Just a few steps away is the Eglise Saint-Jacques, prized for its delicate frescoes and impressive sculpture collection. Continuing along the way is the Opera House, and Palais du Justice and an awe-inspiring bell tower.
Farther north is the Palais Lascaris (15 Rue Droite), a sumptuous Baroque palace (listed as a Historic Monument) that was originally the home of the Lascaris-Vintimille family, the Counts of Castellar. The rooms on view feature furnishings from the 17th and 18th centuries, Flemish tapestries, rich stucco work, and ceiling paintings of the Italian school.
We’ll have free time to explore more of Nice at our leisure. And finish the day with a sunset drink at the port while watch boats bobbing in the harbor.
Day 7
Cannes, Eze & Monaco
This morning, after breakfast, we’ll travel to Cannes, Eze and Monaco (4 hours).
The first stop is Cannes and then Eze, a medieval village with crafts shops and breathtaking views from its perched setting. We’ll take a tour of the perfumery Fragonard, for a real taste of Provence.
Parfumerie Fragonard, Èze
The tour of the perfume factory includes a visit to the cosmetics laboratory where the brand’s creams and other skin care products are made.
The stills used for steam distillation are displayed in this room. This is a very old process for extracting essential oils. In use since antiquity, this technique was perfected by the Arab world as early as the 8th century and remains a major technique in traditional perfume making to this day.
Hot enfleurage or maceration consists in infusing the flowers in previously heated fats. This technique, known since ancient times, has been enhanced over the centuries. Enfleurage has today been replaced by modern techniques such as volatile solvent extraction or supercritical carbon dioxide extraction.
Monaco
Next stop is Monaco and Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo Casino
Monaco’s tourism and beaches, as well as, Monte Carlo’s casino attracks many foreigners each year. We’ll have free time to browse the luxurious shops of Monte-Carlo or stroll through beautiful gardens, or simply watch the rich and beautiful with their megayachts in their favorite haunt.
Monaco is the second-smallest country by area in the world; only Vatican City is smaller. Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world. The state consists of only one municipality (commune), the Municipality of Monaco. There is no geographical distinction between the State and City of Monaco, although responsibilities of the government (state-level) and of the municipality (city-level) are different.
We’ll return to Nice for dinner together to celebrate the successful completion of our tour.
Day 8
Transfers to the Airport