Getaway to Western France: Paris, Normandy & Brittany - 7 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Paris, Explore

Bonjour and welcome to Paris! Your adventure begins with your first taste of French hospitality when a chauffeur picks you up from the airport and shuttles you into the city for a personal welcome at your hotel. Spend the day exploring the neighborhood around your hotel with personalized suggestions from your local specialist.

After your customized self-guided walking tour, take a load off at a picturesque sidewalk café, where you can enjoy an aperitif before heading to a well-recommended restaurant. You could order a perfect steak frites at a timeless café or try a trendy bistronomy spot, where up-and-coming chefs serve exciting haute cuisine in a fun and approachable way. Think fusion flavors and reinvented French classics paired with expertly mixed craft cocktails or brilliantly selected natural wines.

Walk your meal off along the resplendent Seine, or stroll the Champs de Mars under the twinkle of the Eiffel Tower as you drink in the romance of the City of Lights.

Day 2: Tour l'Ile de la Cité & Eiffel Tower

After breakfast at your hotel, get ready to explore the city with a private local guide. This full-day tour gives you plenty of time to experience the highlights starting with the Royal Palace, the Sainte Chapelle, and Notre Dame—all within the Île de la Cité. From here, you'll wander through the streets of the trendy Le Marais district and explore symbolic places such as the Place des Vosges.

After a lunch break, relax with some fresh air in the Tuileries Gardens, and then continue to the Champs Elysees and the majestic Arc de Triomphe.

Finally, you'll visit the architectural wonder that is the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy the beauty of this monument before ending the epic tour with a boat cruise along the Seine.

Day 3: French Baking Class & Opéra Garnier

Step behind the counter of a French bakery to learn how to bake your own traditional bread and viennoiseries. The bakery owner themselves will instruct you on the methods behind baguettes, puff pastries such as croissants and pains au chocolat, and sourdough loaves. Show off your newfound skills by bringing home your own baguette.

After lunch, follow your guide to the impressive Opéra Garnier, where famous painters like Degas used to visit to paint the ballerinas. You'll learn about the history of this sumptuous building along your tour, including the Grand Escalier main staircase, glittering foyer, and the Chagall-painted ceiling of the main room.

Day 4: Day Trip to Versailles & Dinner Cruise

In the morning, head outside of the big city to the resplendent Versaille Estate. Take the train there, then head directly inside with your skip-the-line access to spend a few hours exploring the palace and grounds. Travel back in time as you discover what life was like living in the splendor of the court of the kings and queens of France. Your historian guide will walk you from hall to gilded hall, pointing out ornately painted ceilings, the Hall of Mirrors, and the private royal quarters. After touring the castle, head outside to the manicured gardens and lawns, where a dazzling display of flowers and exotic plants delight visitors of all ages.

Enjoy lunch near the castle, then take the train back to Paris for a free afternoon in the city. Shop, enjoy the fresh air in one of the city's parks, or explore one of the city's many art museums.

In the evening, you'll board a luxury yacht for an evening on the Seine. Cruise down the river as you enjoy a gourmet dinner and watch the city lights go by.

Day 5: Transfer to Bayeux & City Tour

In the morning, your chauffeur will drive from Paris toward the city of Bayeux, a three-hour (160 mi / 260 km) drive. After checking in to your hotel, meet your guide for a walking tour of the city. One of today's highlights includes a visit to the famous Tapestry Museum, which houses some of the world's finest works. As the first town to be liberated after D-Day and one of the only places to have emerged from World War II nearly unscathed, Bayeux retains much of its old architecture.

Spend the day exploring the city's narrow streets, which are lined with traditional wooden-framed Norman houses, and admire the Gothic cathedral. In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Art and History Baron Gerard to learn about the lace and porcelain that made Bayeux so rich.

Day 6: Day Trip to Mont-Saint-Michel

Spend the day exploring Mont-Saint-Michel. The iconic abbey sits on an island in the middle of a huge bay, where Europe's biggest tides create a natural moat. Mont-Saint-Michel gets its start in 708 CE, when the Archangel St. Michel ordered Aubert, the bishop of Avranches, to build a sanctuary in this location.

In the 10th century, the monastery was replaced by a Benedictine abbey that welcomed pilgrims who came to worship the archangel. Construction on the building continued until the French Revolution in 1791, when the abbey became a prison. It wasn't until 1864 that Mont-Saint-Michel was added to the French List of Historic Monuments and restored for visitors.

Head across the causeway to the town on foot, or catch a ride with a horse-drawn wagon for a scenic approach. If the tide is out, walk across the sand with a trained guide to the base of the fortifications like the pilgrims used to (the quicksands make it dangerous to cross alone.) Your guide will walk you through the main building, pointing out the history of various rooms and halls. Mont-Saint-Michel is remarkably well-preserved, with huge fireplaces still showing signs of soot from centuries of use.

After exploring the church and the surrounding gardens, head downhill to the town, where you'll find souvenir shops, cafés, and art galleries. You can expect lots of walking today on steep staircases and wet sand, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring a jacket for the brisk ocean breeze. 

Day 7: Depart Bayeux

After breakfast, take a private car or train transfer to the airport to catch your flight home. A bientôt!

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