Shannon Pickens
Boots to Journeys, LLC
PARIS & NORMANDY 2024
Sep 28, 2024 to Oct 4, 2024
Paris, Normandy
Travel Dates: Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 2024
Highlights
- Visit Monet's House and Gardens
- Visit the Utah Beach and Museum in Normandy, the bunkers and Rangers Memorial at Pointe de Hoc, the Airborne Museum, Juno Beach, D-Day Museum, Caen Memorial, and the National Guard Association Monument.
- Visit the American Military Cemetery at Saint Laurent with a Local Specialist.
- See the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, and the Arc de Triomphe during your Orientation Drive.
What's Included:
- 6 breakfasts, & 4 dinners
- Audio Headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with WiFi
- Hotel porterage of 1 bag per person.
- An expert Travel Director and separate Driver.
- Hotel tips, restaurant tips for included meals, and local taxes.
- A group airport transfer on the first and last day of your guided holiday.
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted (Hotels listed to be used as a guide only and are subject to availability. If the quoted hotel is unavailable, we will secure another hotel in the same category).
What's not included:
- Airfare is not included in the price. Airfare can be obtained with Boots to Journeys, LLC should you wish assistance in booking airfare.
- Travel Protection(Insurance) Please accept or decline below.
- Additional add on opportunities to the itinerary can be added such as a Europe river cruise or additional days in Europe.
- Gratuities for the Travel Director, Driver and Local Experts are not included
Itinerary:
Welcome to Paris (2 nights)
On arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport, you have one ground transfer to your hotel. After checking in, the capital's grand boulevards and world famous landmarks are yours to explore. In the evening, join your Travel Director and fellow guests for a Welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Meal(s): Dinner with Wine.
Hotel(s): Le Meridien Etoile Hotel Paris
DAY 2: 29 SEPTEMBER 2024-Paris and Giverny
Ascend to the viewing platform of the famous Eiffel Tower for spectacular panoramas of the city (subject to availability). Note: If the Eiffel Tower is not available, then we will visit Montmatre. Afterwards, we'll head to the village of Giverny, where the impressionist artist Monet lived for the last 43 years of his life. See the decor of his house, fascinating for its blend of colors. However, it’s in the garden where the spirit of the artist is most revealed. A spectacular array of color is created by poppies, delhiniums, lupins, peonies, irises and roses, while the water garden is a wistful dream of bamboo, willow and rustic bridges sweeping over the water lilies, one of Monet’s favorite subjects.
MEAL(S):Breakfast
DAY 3: 30 SEPTEMBER 2024-Rouen, Honfleur, Bayeux & Caen(3 Nights)
Follow the River Seine to Rouen, capital of Normandy, to admire its ancient cathedral - a masterpiece of the Gothic style and the subject of a series of paintings by Claude Monet. Wander through the narrow streets beneath the Great Clock to the Old Market Square. Here, a superb modern church commemorates the burning of Joan of Arc on this very spot in 1431. Continue into the rich dairy lands of Normandy and stop in the charming fishing town of Honfleur, which has somehow escaped the ravages of time. Visit the Bayeux Cemetery and Memorial – the largest WWII cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France. Pay respect to the 1,800 men of the Commonwealth land forces that perished and have no known grave. Next visit the Bayeux Tapestry Museum (with audio guide).
MEAL(S):Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
ACCOMMODATION:Novotel Caen
DAY 4: 1 OCTOBER 2024-Normandy Beaches & Pointe du Hoc
Visit U.S. landing zone of the invasion of Normandy on Utah Beach and its museum. Follow the route of the Rangers and visit the bunkers and the Rangers Memorial at Pointe du Hoc. At the Airborne Museum, learn the unique history of paratroopers in the city of Saint- Mère-Église. Stop by the Major Howie Monument in Saint Lo. Just a short drive from Arromanches and the seaside, in the heart of countryside, you will arrive at L’Auberge des Monts. Here you will enjoy a delicious Farm-to-Table Dinner of traditional, regional cuisine, with a careful selection of locally-sourced ingredients and served with local wines in an authentic setting and warm atmosphere (subject to availability).
MEAL(S):Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
DAY 5: 2 OCTOBER 2024-Normandy Beaches & D-Day Landings
There are poignant reminders of World War II as we visit the Juno Beach and the Juno Beach Center. Visit the D-Day Museum and see the remnants of the artificial port in the bay of Arromanches. Then, with a Local Specialist, spend adequate time for reflection at the American Military Cemetery of Saint-Laurent to include the visitor center near Omaha Beach. Explore the Memorial de Caen (Peace Museum) dedicated to providing a comprehensive history of the D-Day landings and Europe’s postwar transition. Also a short distance away, we will visit the National Guard Association Monument in Vierville Sur Mer. Allowing you to experience the vantage point where one of many battles that day were fought.
MEAL(S):Breakfast
DAY 6: 3 OCTOBER 2024-Paris, the City of Light ( 1 night)
After breakfast, return to the French capital where your Travel Director introduces you to all the fabulous sights on your orientation drive, including the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral and the immense facades of the Louvre. Behold the vast Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine once stood, then travel down the Champs Elysées to Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe. Then take a stroll through the delightful Latin Quarter, a medieval maze of winding cobblestone alleyways, where you’ll have free time to enjoy the sidewalk bistros, boutiques and hidden squares. Later, join your fellow travelers at a local restaurant for a delicious Celebration Dinner, served with wine.
MEAL(S):Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
ACCOMMODATION:Le MeridienEtoile HotelParis
DAY 7: 4 OCTOBER 2024-Depart Paris
Today after breakfast you have one group transfer to the airport.
MEAL(S):Breakfast