Daily Itinerary

Day 1 – Oct 6 – Departure.  We depart the US in the afternoon and arrive in Paris the following morning. We gather at our airport hotel for rest before an evening briefing and welcome aboard. Hotel: CDG Hilton

Day 2 – Oct 7 – Arrival in France.  
Arrive in Paris this morning. We gather at our airport hotel for rest before an evening briefing and welcome aboard. Hotel: CDG Hilton

Day 3 – Oct 8 – Oisne-Aisne Cemetery & Reims. 
After breakfast we depart for Reims with stops at the Oisne-Aisne Cemetery and the Aisne-Marne Cemetery and church. We continue with a stop at Belleau Wood before arriving in Reims. We spend the afternoon in the town square visiting Notre-Dame de Reims famous the location for the coronations of the kings of France. After checking in to our hotel we will have a group dinner at a local restaurant. B/D…Holiday Inn Hotel: Holiday Inn Meals: Breakfast (B)/Dinner (D)

Day 4 – Oct 9 – Soissons & Amiens. 
After breakfast we check out of the hotel and travel to Soissons. We visit the Cathedral Saint-Gervais Saint-Protaisthe and the ruins of Abbaye Saint-Jean-des-Vignes. We have lunch and travel to the Armistice clearing of Compeigne. From there we travel to Amiens and check into our hotel. After dinner we visit the cathedral to see the light show. Hotel: Mercure Meals: (B/D)

Day 5 – Oct 10 – Compeigne & Rouen. 
We begin our day visiting the Cathedral Notre-Dame d'Amiens followed by seeing the Jules Verne house. After lunch we travel to Rouen. We take a short city tour visiting the memorial where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake and the adjoining church named for her. We check in to the hotel and are free to enjoy dinner in one of the local restaurants, like La Couronne. First opened in 1345, it became the inspiration for Julia Child’s career. Hotel: Mercure Rouen Centre Meals: (B)

Day 6 – Oct 11 – Rouen & Honfleur. 
After breakfast we check out of the hotel and head for the Rouen Cathedral. (A stroll through the quaint old streets of Rouen, in Upper Normandy, feels like a walk back in time. Cathedral Notre-Dame. In the heart of the old town, it is one of the largest and most impressive Gothic cathedrals in France. The cathedral's main structure was built in the 13th century but the building was not completed until the 16th century.)  From there we travel to Honfleur. After lunch we tour Saint Catherine’s church and then visit a Calvados distillery on the way to Caen. Hotel: Best Western Moderne Meals: (B/D)

Day 7 – Oct 12 – Pegasus Bridge & Caen. 
This morning we break from our routine and visit Pegasus Bridge (Pegasus Bridge and Museum.  The bridges across the River Orne and the Caen canal had to be captured and held intact to enable the seaborne reinforcements to cross) and the museum there. We then travel to the D-Day invasion beaches at Arromanches (Arromanches. The remains of one of the two artificial "Mulberry" harbors erected in the landing operation may still be seen.) We then travel to Bayeux to see the cathedral and the famous Bayeux Tapestry (Bayeux. The first city of the Battle of Normandy to be liberated, and on 16 June 1944 General Charles de Gaulle made the first of two major speeches in Bayeux in which he made clear that France sided with the Allies. The buildings in Bayeux were virtually untouched during the Battle of Normandy, the German forces being fully involved in defending Caen from the Allies) before returning to Caen. Hotel: Best Western Moderne Meals: (B)

Days 8 – Oct 13 – Omaha Beach & Ste Mer Egliese. 
This morning we check out of our hotel and travel to Bloody Omaha Beach (Omaha Beach was the most intensely contested beach on D-Day. It is six miles wide – the largest of all the five beaches. The entire beach was overlooked by cliffs which made attacking the area very difficult.  You will walk the sands where the liberation of France began) and the American Cemetery, the German Cemetery at La Cambe and on to Pointe du Hoc (Pointe du Hoc. The 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the 100-foot cliffs to eliminate the German heavy guns that could threaten both Utah and Omaha beaches. At a high cost, they successfully defended against determined German counterattacks for two days.  The Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument was erected by the French to honor the incredible courage of the Rangers.) From there we see Utah Beach (Utah Beach. The westernmost of the five landing beaches.  The beach was situated on the east at the edge of a marshland zone which had been flooded by the Germans), and then to Ste. Mer Eglise and visit the famous church (Ste Mere Eglise. A site made famous by the film, "The Longest Day." A mannequin of a paratrooper (played by Red Buttons) hangs from the church spire.  The Airborne Forces Museum has a C-47 troop transport aircraft that flew in the invasion and a rare WACO glider on display.) We check into our hotel. Hotel: Saint Mere Meals: (B)

Day 9 – Oct 14 – St. Lo & Mont Saint Michel. 
We have an early breakfast and travel through St. Lo and see the church made famous by the 29th Infantry during WWII. We then drive to spend the afternoon at the ancient citadel and church of Mont-Saint-Michel. Time permitting, we visit the American Cemetery. Hotel: Mercure Meals: (B/D)

Day 10 – Oct 15 – St. Lo & Mont Saint Michel. 
After breakfast we travel to Lisieux the birthplace of Saint Therese, the Little flower, a doctor of the church. We visit the Basilica of St. Therese, the Chapelle de Carmel and museum, Lisieux Cathedral and the history museum. Check into the hotel for the evening. Hotel: Villa des Arts Meals: (B/D)

Day 11 – Oct 16 – Les Ventes & Giverny. 
Today we travel through Les Ventes and pay respects to Billie D. and Peggy Harris and the ancient church there. From there we travel to Giverny for lunch and a tour of Monet’s Gardens. From there we travel to Paris and check into our hotel. Hotel: Montparnasse Meals: (B)

Days 12 & 13 – Oct 17 & 18 – Paris. 
We start by touring Saint Chapelle, the Basilica of Saint Denis and the burial place of kings, Sacre Coeur, St.-Sulpice Church (The Davinci Code), Saint-Eustache Church, St.-Gervais-St-Protais Church, and St-Paul-St-Louis Church. We will also do a driving tour of the city, visit the Louvre, and other sites as time allows. On the last evening, we will have a farewell dinner. Hotel: Montparnasse Meals: (B/D)

Day 14 – Oct 19 – Paris. 
Depart Paris for home or spend an optional day seeing the grandeur of the Royal Palace at Versailles.