4 Days Loire, Chantilly, Versailles, Giverny Tour Package
Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights
Priced From: $2927 pp dbl. occ.
Dates: May - Dec
This price includes:
**Private guide services (4 full days)
**Private transportation (4 full days, while with guide – includes petrol, parking, etc)
**All taxes and fees
**...And a great time!
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Full Day Driving Tour of Paris
Today with your private guide and chauffeur you will spend the day exploring Paris:
You will explore some of the most charming and authentic neighborhoods such as:
**Le Marais - One of the best-loved Right Bank neighborhoods and the ‘Jewish neighborhood’.
**Quartier Latin (Latin quarter) - The intellectual heart & soul of Paris. Bookstores, schools, churches, clubs, student dives, Roman ruins, publishing houses & expensive boutiques characterize the district. You'll follow in the footsteps of Descartes, Verlaine, Camus, Sartre, James Thurber, Elliot Paul, and Hemingway as you explore.
**Saint Germain des Pres - For some, the most colorful Left Bank quarter. The secret of the district lies in discovering its narrow streets, hidden squares, & magnificent gardens, including the Jardin du Luxembourg.
**Montmartre - the most famous outer quarter of Paris. Topped by Sacre-Coeur, Montmartre is the highest Paris hill at 130 meters. Very rural until a century ago, Montmartre is the last village in the city. Many artists, including Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso lived there in late 19th / early 20th century. You will discover gardens, old houses, steep streets and staircases with great Paris views.
You will also see some of the landmarks and sites of this beautiful and historic city:
**Arc de Triomphe — The Arc de Triomphe still exudes a certain grandeur despite the crowds of tourists and the tacky souvenir shops.
**The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) — No other monument that better symbolizes Paris.
**Les Invalides – In 1670, Louis the 14th built Les Invalides, a military hospital - a masterpiece of French classical architecture. The ashes of Napoleon, rest under the dome.
**Notre Dame Cathedral — Impressive Gothic cathedral that was the inspiration for Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
**Sacré Coeur — A church perched on top of the highest point in Paris. Behind the church is the artists' area, in front are spectacular views of the whole city.
**Sainte Chapelle — Far more beautiful than the famous but dark Notre Dame.
Day 2: Full Day Tour of Loire Valley
You will depart for a full day of discovering one of the most stunning regions of France, the Loire Valley.
Long before there was Versailles, the French kings escaped Paris to the peaceful and scenic Loire Valley. Home to over 1000 chateaux and manor houses, picturesque villages, and refreshing Chenin Blanc wines, the Loire Valley features some fantastic examples of French architecture. King Francois I’s renaissance masterpiece, the Chateau de Chambord, is the largest of the Loire Valley chateaux. The most lovely of the area’s castles is Chenonceau, a delicate renaissance building, which spans the River Cher.
However, there is more to the Loire valley than its castles. There are some extraordinary and fascinating historic towns in the Loire valley and the landscape along the river itself is also very attractive. For the large part very well maintained, planned and controlled since hundreds of years ago, it now forms a beautiful, managed landscape, in which the chateau and the river seem to fit perfectly. Most of the Loire river valley is now protected as a UNESCO world heritage site. They described the reason for its listing: "an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself." But let us not forget the wine! The Sauvignon blanc dominated areas of Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé, the Chenin blanc & Cabernet franc wines, and the Muscadet region which is dominated by wines of the Melon de Bourgogne grape. Enjoy!
Day 3: Full Day Tour of Giverny and Versailles
You will first depart for Giverny:
Giverny is a quaint, French village at the eastern edge of Normandy. It is best known for its most famous resident, Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, who lived there for 43 years, from 1883 until his death in 1926. Monet’s simple home and elaborate gardens offer a glimpse at French life in the late 19th century. The gardens are glorious, with roses, wisteria, and, of course, the water garden with water lilies. The house and gardens were severely damaged during World War II and allowed to fall into disrepair, but have since been carefully restored.
You will then visit the infamous Versailles:
Begun as a small hunting lodge in 1631 by Louis XIII, Versailles was expanded to became the royal seat for over one hundred years, between 1682 and 1789. The elaborate and massive palace was home to over 20,000 royal family members and nobles during the height of Louis XIV’s reign. Today, most of the palace has been restored and is open to visitors. Particularly noteworthy is the 236-foot long Galerie des Glace (Hall of Mirrors), site of Louis XVI’s wedding to Marie Antoinette and the 1919 signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Also worth the visit are the ornate state apartments, the formal gardens, and the 248-acre park, which surrounds the palace.
Day 4: Full Day Guided Tour of Chantilly
You will depart for a lovely day outside of Paris!
Today you will visit to Château de Chantilly, an historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency. It is owned by the Institut de France, who keeps it open to the public. Beautiful park, interesting chateau/museum including lunch at the chateau on the terrace. There is also a fabulous live horse museum, a must see! Chantilly is also host to one of the prestigious Parisian hippodromes. And this day is not complete without the decadent Chantilly Whipping Cream Demonstration, with tasting, of course! A wonderful day for families.particularly impressive.
"Please note: These are sample itineraries! All of our tours are tailor-made to the clients - we can organize tours for any amount of days, with any interest in mind, at any pace, anywhere in France."
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Contact : Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800 -330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
12/09
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