Discover Paris, Normandy & Loire Valley

Welcome to the City of Lights! Upon your arrival, your private driver will provide transfer to your boutique hotel in the swanky Saint-Germain neighborhood. After checking in and getting settled into your deluxe room, home for the next four nights, you’re probably excited to do some exploring and with the rest of the day yours, it’s the perfect time to wander at a relaxed pace. You’ll find plenty nearby that allows you to soak up the atmospheric streets with many upscale shops, cafes, and restaurants nearby. We recommend finding the most enticing spot to unwind with a glass of wine and do some people-watching.

After a rejuvenating night’s rest, it’s time to do some in-depth sightseeing. Your guide will meet you at your hotel for a 4-hour walking tour of Paris. The city is big and this tour covers a lot by you’ll travel by metro between sights to make the most of your time together. There is no set itinerary – your guide is full of knowledge and local insight so you can take advantage of that while providing input into what you’d like to see most for a personalized experience. It’s the ultimate way to explore the City of Lights, perhaps taking in top attractions like the iconic Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral before heading to Luxembourg Gardens, the Latin Quarter, or Montmartre, known for its artistic history and the white-domed Sacre-Coeur at its summit where you can take in an awe-inspiring view over the city. 

At the conclusion of your tour, your guide can advise on things to see and do during your free time afterward. Alternatively, you might simply return to the hotel and then enjoy a long, lazy lunch. 

Just 12 miles west of Paris, the Palace of Versailles is a magnificent former royal residence built by King Louis XIV. Known for his love of opulence, it’s something that’s reflected throughout the estate. Your private driver/guide will bring you on a half-day tour that includes wandering the garden’s meandering paths to view the ornamental lakes, flowers, and the canal that the king himself used for gondola rides. You’ll get to see his lavish State Apartments, designed for the king’s personal use, and the Hall of Mirrors, a favorite of many visitors with its 17 arched windows, each of which contains individual mirrors.

By now you will have your bearing of the French capital, so we’ve left today free for you to enjoy the city at your leisure. You may choose to enjoy one of the many food markets in the city, or, why not take a relaxing cruise along the Seine? Alternatively, we can offer a private tour of the Louvre Art Museum, the largest of its kind in the world. Masterpieces here include Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the statue of Venus de Milo, and Jacques-Louis David’s massive 1807 Coronation of Napoleon oil painting.

It’s time to say farewell to Paris as your private driver will provide transfer to your next destination: Normandy. Depending on the season, you’ll stop in either Giverny to visit the home of Impressionist painter Claude Monet and his beautiful gardens (April 1st to November 1st only). Alternatively, you will stop in Rouen, a port city on the river Seine and the capital of Normandy with gothic churches and a cobbled pedestrianized center with medieval half-timbered homes. Afterward, check into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. You’re sure to find plenty of eateries nearby for sampling the delicious local eats.

Your private driver/guide will bring you on a full-day trip to the D-Day beaches of Normandy for a somber but meaningful tour. Your first stop is Sainte Mere L’Eglise. It played a significant part in the Normandy landings as it stood right in the middle of a route the Germans would most likely use for a significant counterattack against the thousands of paratroopers that would land on Utah and Omaha beaches. It was Normandy’s first to be liberated by the American paratroopers. You’ll visit Utah Beach as well as La Cambe, now the home of over 21,000 German soldiers who lost their lives.

An entirely different experience is on the agenda today, with a full-day trip that starts with a scenic drive through Normandy, traveling to Mont Saint-Michel. It tops a rocky tidal island, which means it’s only an island when it’s high tide. Enter through the Boulevard Gate and through the fortified King’s Gate to explore this UNESCO-listed site built in the early 8th century as your guide fills you in on its history. The main street, Grand Rue, is immediately revealed with its 15th- and 16th-century buildings housing museums, shops, and homes. The spectacular view of the bay and Normandy coast is a definite highlight.

Leaving Normandy, your private driver/guide will bring you to your next destination in the heart of the Loire Valley, Amboise. You’ll enjoy a stop along the way for a wine tasting before reaching your hotel where you’ll spend two nights. Amboise is a historic market town on the Loire River known for its chateau, the majestic 15th-century residence of King Charles VIII that houses Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb that sits on a hilltop with the town’s fine old quarter below. After getting settled, enjoy the evening at leisure, perhaps enjoy the fine food and wine found along the narrow streets of the old town.

An exciting full-day tour will bring you through the picturesque Loire Valley to visit two of its most famous chateaux, Chateau de Chenonceau and Chateau de Chambord. As a bonus, you’ll see another family-owned chateau depending on availability as well. Your private driver/guide will meet you at your hotel in Amboise for this journey that starts with Chenonceau near the small village of Chenonceau, it embodies the elegance of the region’s 16th-century Renaissance chateaux with opulently furnished rooms. You’ll explore everything from the Medici Gallery to the Five Queens room and the bedrooms of Henry IV’s mistress. Chambord is the Loire’s crown jewel, a fine example of Renaissance architecture with more than 440 rooms, 85 staircases, and an elaborate rooftop with 800 sculpted columns. Lunch will be enjoyed on your own, with recommendations provided by your guide. 

This morning your private driver will pick you up at your hotel for transfer back to Paris. The approximately three-hour journey.

You’ll want to have your bags packed and ready as it will soon be time for your driver to pick you up from your hotel, providing private transfer back to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport so that you can catch your flight home or head out on further travels. While it’s never easy to say goodbye to such a beautiful place, we hope you have lots of photos to bring with you along with memories of a lifetime.