Voyage Mélodique - 9 days

Tour Highlights

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

Overnights

Paris 3, Loire Valley 2, Dinard 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. Included are entrances to the towers to see the historic gargoyles. 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. Free afternoon to explore Paris. We suggest you begin on the Ile de la Cité and admire the wondrous stained glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle. Or perhaps catch up on your last minute shopping at the Galeries Lafayette. This evening is your first European performance!

DAY 5: LOIRE VALLEY
Depart Paris for Louis XIV's palace of Versailles. 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 stained-glass windows. You’ll perform a concert at Chartres before continuing to the Loire Valley for dinner.

DAY 6 : LOIRE VALLEY
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. Spend some free time in the town. Finally, discover mighty Chambord, the sprawling creation commissioned by François I, towering over its deer-filled park.

DAY 7: DINARD
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 the charming Breton fishing village of Dinard.

DAY 8: PARIS
Next, visit the the American War Cemetery at St. Laurent, overlooking Omaha Beach. While there you’ll perform an impromptu concert for the visitors at the cemetery. Then follow the Norman Conquest of England at the Bayeux Tapestry, a living record of the events of 1066. Return to Paris this evening.

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.