Explore the incomparable capital of France and visit famous Giverny and Rouen – the beautifully restored city of Joan of Arc.
Get to know one of the world’s favourite capitals as you spend three nights in the City of Light. Join your tour manager on a fascinating guided tour of Paris, when the famous monuments and buildings will be brought thrillingly to life and take the opportunity to sample "la vie Parisienne". From there, you'll journey into beautiful Normandy to the famous house and garden of the Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, and to historic Rouen on the banks of the River Seine.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Three nights to explore the centre of the glorious French capital
A guided introduction to the City of Light
Visit Claude Monet’s exquisite Normandy gardens at Giverny
The beautiful Joan of Arc city, Rouen, on the Upper Seine
INCLUDES
Three nights’ bed & breakfast accommodation at a three-star hotel in the Paris suburbs
Return flights or Eurostar travel to Paris
Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers
Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager
YOUR ITINERARY
Day One – Travel to Paris
Journey to the French capital by air or super-fast Eurostar™, meet your tour manager and transfer to your hotel in the Parisian suburbs. Depending on the time you arrive, you may decide to get to know your surroundings, which include a number of bars, cafés and restaurants, or to take the nearby Metro or the bus into the heart of the city. Your tour manager will be on hand to point you in the right direction as you enjoy a first taste of one of the world’s most eye-catching and appealing cities.
Day Two – Included guided tour of Paris
An exciting day awaits you after breakfast, as you board the coach to enjoy an included guided tour of what is perhaps the world’s favourite city-break destination. Sit back as your tour manager brings to life the city’s iconic landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, gleaming Sacré Cœur and the Louvre. Take in the colour and bustle of the Parisian streets, the "grands boulevards" and the great parks, including the riverside Jardins des Tuileries.
After the tour, you'll be free to explore on your own. Head to the city’s historic island heart, close to the poignant shell of Nôtre-Dame cathedral, to the Left Bank and bustling St-Germain, village-like St-Paul, the aristocratic Marais or arty, hilly Montmartre. Perhaps you’ll take a trip up the Eiffel Tower or a cruise on the Seine, stroll down the Champs-Élysées, stop for coffee or lunch in a pavement café, make plans for dinner... In truth, perhaps it’s best not to plan at all. Let the city, its transport system, your feet and your whims arrange your time for you before you return to the hotel at the end of a marvellous day.
Day Three – Included visits to Giverny and Rouen
Board the coach and head into the beautiful Normandy countryside to visit Giverny, home for over 40 years to the Impressionist painter, Claude Monet. Inspiration for many of his great works, the artist’s house has been lovingly restored, and now contains reproductions of his paintings. In the gardens, replanted to Monet’s design, you will find his studio and the lily pond subject of so many of his pieces.
You’ll then follow the course of the meandering River Seine further downstream to Rouen, for a chance to explore the lovingly restored medieval gem that serves as the administrative capital of the Upper Normandy region.
With its famous Place du Vieux Marché (site of Joan of Arc’s martyrdom), its ornate one-handed mechanical clock and its towering Gothic cathedral, Rouen is a delight much studied by Monet and his fellow Impressionists. Take a wonderful through the restored medieval old town, which was almost completely destroyed in World War II, and make the most of the chance to shop for Normandy specialities including several world-renowned cheeses and locally produced cider.
Day Four – Travel back to the UK
Make the most of your last few hours in Paris. Why not make an early start to catch the awakening city, hunt for a memento of your visit and, depending on your actual departure time, enjoy a last lunch? And, when the time comes, board the coach for the transfer to the Gare du Nord or the airport to begin your journey home.
Paris, Monet's Garden & Rouen is located in Escorted Tour, France. Accommodation rating is the operators own rating and may not be the official rating. Hotel details correct at 25/02/2020
