Treasures of France including Normandy

Bienvenue! The 'City of Light' welcomes you as you prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey through France. Join your fellow travellers and Travel Director this afternoon for an orientation drive to admire the glittering cityscape of Paris – past grand boulevards and iconic sites like the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe and get to know your travelling companions over dinner this evening. (D) Stay: Occidental Paris Levallois

Leave Paris behind and travel to Rouen, the city where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. From here, you'll continue to Honfleur, a harbour town known for its colourful shopfronts and artistic heritage. Take time to explore its streets and soak up the views that have inspired painters for centuries. Changing pace, visit Distillerie Busnel, one of Normandy's oldest working distilleries. Walk through the distillery, learn about the time-honoured craft of Calvados production, and round off the experience with a tasting that captures the flavours of the region. (B/D) Stay: Mercure Omaha Beach

Today you'll explore the poignant D-Day Landing Beaches in the company of your Local Specialist. Begin with a visit to the American Rangers Memorial at Pointe du Hoc. Pay tribute to the brave souls who lost their lives at Omaha Beach, imagining the mingled sense of terror and triumph felt on the fateful day when Allied forces set foot on mainland Europe. We stop for lunch in the seaside town of Arromanches, the setting for the Mulberry Harbour, once at the heart of the Normandy landings. (B)

Travel through the Normandy countryside admiring the land of Calvados before exploring the UNESCO World Heritage-listed bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel. Your Local Specialist reveals the history of the impressive medieval Benedictine Abbey perched on the hilltop. In Brittany enjoy the afternoon your way or perhaps, discover the beauty of the port city Saint-Malo with a Local Specialist on an Optional Experience. (B/D) Stay: De l'Abbaye Le Tronchet

Journey onward through scenic countryside, stopping to Connect With Locals at a lunch with wine in a 17th-century château during a Be My Guest experience set within beautiful grounds. Later, continue to the beautiful Loire Valley, where we will spend the next two nights. (B/L) Stay: Novotel Amboise

In the morning, you are invited to taste hand-crafted chocolate at Maison Bigot for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Afterwards, you'll spend the day admiring the beautiful châteaux of the Loire Valley and join a Local Specialist for a visit to the Amboise Royal Château. It is here that King François I hosted Leonardo da Vinci, whose tomb now lies in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert adjoining the château.

You will continue with a visit to Château de Chenonceau, built on the Cher River. The château is often referred to as the 'Ladies Castle', due to the many women who influenced its construction and development. Today it contains priceless collections, including Renaissance furniture, tapestries and masterpieces by Rubens and Tintoretto. (B)

Your first stop today is the town of Chartres and its beautiful Roman Catholic cathedral, regarded as one of the most authentic and complete works of religious architecture from the early 13th century. You'll then journey back to Paris this afternoon and spend the rest of your day in the 'City of Light'. Celebrate with your Travel Director and newfound friends this evening at a dinner with local wines at a Parisian bistro. (B/D) Stay: Renaissance La Défense

For now it's time to say a fond au revoir to France and your fellow travellers at the end of a memorable trip. (B)