Voyage Mélodique - 9 days

Tour Highlights

Eiffel Tower • Notre Dame Cathedral • Arc de Triomphe • Bateau Parisian • Louvre Museum • Mont St. Michel • Loire Valley Chateaux • Chartres Cathedral • Versailles • 3 Performance Opportunities

Overnights

Paris 3, Loire Valley 2, Brittany Coastal Area 1, Paris 1

Itinerary

DAY 1: OVERNIGHT FLIGHT
Depart on an overnight flight to Paris. Dinner and breakfast are served onboard.

DAY 2: PARIS
Bienvenue! Meet your Tour Manager in Paris, and transfer to your hotel. Begin exploring the “City of Light” on your own.

DAY 3: PARIS
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning, provided each day throughout your trip. A local guide provides a full introduction to the city, with a panoramic tour today. See Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées, Louis XIV's gilded church dome of Les Invalides, as well as the Place de la Concorde. Your tour ends at the historic heart of the city with a visit to the Ile de la Cité. Begin with Sainte Chapelle, built by Louis IX to house the Crown of Thorns, high on its spire. Be sure to climb to the upper chapel whose stained glass windows are truly inspiring. Next visit the celebrated Cathedral of Notre Dame. This working cathedral still holds daily services and remains at the spiritual heart of Paris. You may wish to cross the bridge to the charming Ile St. Louis, for an ice cream, or chocolate chaud! The afternoon is free for further exploration with your tour manager. Use your dinner vouchers this evening to explore on your own; your tour manager can assist you with dining options. Afterward, board your boat for a ride along the Seine River! Sit back and float down the river, taking in the illuminated monuments as you go by.

DAY 4: PARIS
Enjoy a guided tour of the Louvre Museum this morning, where you will see some of the world’s most famous works of art, including Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. After lunch, enjoy a bit of free time in this beautiful city. Perhaps visit the Musee d’ Orsay or stroll through the Jardin du Luxembourg. This evening, prepare for your first European performance!

DAY 5: LOIRE VALLEY
Depart Paris for Louis XIV's palace of Versailles and experience the splendors of this enormous palace. In addition, within the 250 acres of gardens, you'll visit the Latona Fountain and the Grand Canal of Little Venice. In the afternoon, drive to Chartres Cathedral, famous for its precious Gothic style architecture and stained-glass windows. Continue to the Loire Valley for dinner.

DAY 6 : LOIRE VALLEY
Wake up in the picturesque Loire Valley and head out to visit Chenonceau, the château of six women, built over the River Cher in an exquisite Renaissance design. See the château of Amboise, perched on a bluff above the Loire and enjoy some free time in the town for lunch. Finally, discover mighty chateau of Chambord, the sprawling creation commissioned by François I, towering over its deer-filled park. This afternoon prepare for your second performance.

DAY 7: BRITANNY COASTAL AREA
Leave the splendid Loire Valley behind and drive to the Normandy coast for a visit to the lovely island monastery of Mont St. Michel (participation in liturgies are possible here). This medieval abbey, once an important pilgrimage site, is surrounded by water at high tide. Continue to a charming Breton fishing village for dinner.

DAY 8: PARIS
Spend the day today remembering not only a part of France’s history, but a very important part of our own past when you visit the famous D-day beaches in Normandy. Visit the the serene American War Cemetery in St. Laurent, overlooking Omaha Beach. While there you’ll perform an informal concert for the visitors at the cemetery. You’ll also visit the museum in Arromanches and see the vista from the Pointe du Hoc, the exact view that the German army had as the Allied troops approached from the sea. Return to Paris this evening for your final evening in France.

DAY 9: RETURN TO THE USA
After a final breakfast at your hotel, it’s time for hotel checkout, a last farewell to your Tour Manager, and return flight to the United States.