DAY 1: UK - Paris.
Fly or take the Eurostar to Paris where you will be met by your representative and taken to your Paris hotel for two nights.

DAY 2: Paris.
Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Paris today, with local guide, starting with a visit to and tour of Notre Dame Cathedral. Next, take in some of the best known Parisian sights: La Sorbonne, Boulevard St Germain, Eiffel Tower, Opera, Champs Elysees, and the Rue de Rivoli to name just a few. This afternoon, why not make the most of your time in Paris by joining by the optional excursion to the beautiful Palace of Versailles. (B)

DAY 3: Paris - Giverny - Rouen - Honfleur - Deauville.
Start with a visit to Giverny, former home of the artist Claude Monet. The famous water garden at Giverny was the inspiration behind some of Monet's finest work (gardens open from April onwards). Continue to Rouen to visit its great cathedral. Next, stop in lovely Honfleur before heading to the seaside resort of Deauville for one night. (B, D)

DAY 4: Deauville, Normandy Landing Beaches - Mont St Michel.
This morning, visit the legendary Landing Beaches where the Allied troops came ashore during WWII. The historic highlights will be Arromanches and the American Cemetery at Omaha. Next, it's on to Bayeux, famed for its lace-making and the world-renowned Bayeux Tapestry, made to commemorate the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Later, travel south towards the uniquely beautiful Mont St Michel, with its abbey standing on an island reached only by a causeway. Overnight in Mont St Michel. (B)

DAY 5: Mont St Michel - St Malo - Rennes - Tours.
Time to enjoy Mont St Michel before driving along the coast to the fortified seaside resort of St Malo to admire the cathedral and ancient walls. Continue to Rennes, with its traditional colourful timber-framed houses, before continuing to Tours, often called 'le jardin de France' for its many parks, for two nights. (B)

DAY 6: Tours. At leisure or Chateaux Country.
A whole day at leisure to discover Tours: the city that lays between the Loire and Cher rivers. Alternatively, why not take an optional excursion to visit the fascinating Chateaux of Chenonceaux, now privately owned and the most visited castle of the Loire Valley, and the castle of Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. (B, D)

DAY 7: Tours - Orleans - Chartres - Paris.
Drive to Orleans for a short stop to see the statue of Joan of Arc. Next enjoy a visit to the city of Chartres with its cathedral, one of France's greatest buildings of the Gothic period. Reach Paris in time to enjoy an optional evening excursion. (B)

DAY 8: Paris - UK.
Say farewell to Paris before transferring to the station in time to join the Eurostar service back to the UK. Alternatively transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK. (B)