- Board your flight Depart Australia and begin your journey to France, a country full of culture, rich with history and filled with world-famous landmarks.
Best of France
Explore the historical sights of Paris and royal Versailles before travelling countryside to the culturally rich and diverse regions of France. From sidewalk cafes on the Champs-Élysées and stunning beaches in the French Riviera, to abundant grape vineyards in Bordeaux, students will be captivated by the most enchanted landscapes and immersive learning experiences that France has to offer.
Request Info Request Quote
https://worldstrides.com.au/itineraries/best-of-france
Best of France
Explore the historical sights of Paris and royal Versailles before travelling countryside to the culturally rich and diverse regions of France. From sidewalk cafes on the Champs-Élysées and stunning beaches in the French Riviera, to abundant grape vineyards in Bordeaux, students will be captivated by the most enchanted landscapes and immersive learning experiences that France has to offer.
Request Info Request Quote16 - 18 days
Destinations
ParisNiceProvenceCarcassonneBordeauxLoire ValleyNormandy
Your Adventure
- Arrive in Paris Meet your tour director, board your coach and check into your hotel
-
Paris city walk
Begin exploring the global centre for art, fashion, culture and food visiting:
– Île de la Cité
– Notre Dame Cathedral
– Île St. Louis
– Latin Quarter
Stroll grand boulevards with sweeping views of the city, pristine parks with trees planted in perfect rows, and narrow streets crowded with vendors selling flowers, pastries and cheese. Then head to the Île de la Cité, a small island in the Seine, to see Notre Dame Cathedral. - Dinner in the Latin Quarter
-
Paris guided sightseeing tour
Continue exploring iconic sites including:
– Arc de Triomphe
– Champs Élysées
– Eiffel Tower
– Champ de Mars
– École Militaire
– Les Invalides
– Conciergerie
– Tuileries Garden
– Place Vendôme
– Opera House -
Optional activity - Versailles guided excursion
The ultimate palace, Versailles was built by Louis XIII, and housed the royal family and its groveling court from 1682, when Louis XIV the Sun King moved in, to the French Revolution. Your tour guide will lead you on a tour of the:
– State Apartments
– Hall of Mirrors
– Gardens of Versailles
- Louvre visit Home to the artworks of Michelangelo and Da Vinci, the Louvre is the largest art museum in the world.
- Seine River Cruise See the city from the water on an hour-long cruise along the River Seine. The Seine cuts right through Paris, dividing the city in half. See the Eiffel tower rising up on the Left Bank, the walls of the Louvre on the Right Bank. Your guide will point out other monuments and architectural marvels as you pass, many of which are illuminated by clear white light at night.
- Travel to Nice Travel on one of Europe's fastest train, the TGV
- Nice sightseeing tour Your Tour Director will lead you around the narrow pedestrian streets and tiny squares of Le Vieux Nice (Old Town), which is sprinkled with old palaces and mansions. Stroll down the Promenade des Anglais, which runs parallel to the water. Backed by Nice's grand hotels, the Promenade was built in the 19th century for the British who flocked here en masse.
- Monaco and Eze sightseeing tour Your Tour Director will lead you through the Palais du Prince (Prince's Palace) and the parfumerie in nearby Èze, where rich scents are made from local flowers such as jasmine, rose, and lavender.
- Travel to Provence
-
Provence sightseeing tour
Explore the beauty of Provence with visits to:
– Avignon
– Pont du Gard
– Nîmes amphitheatre
– Les Baux de Provence
Explore legacies of the Roman Empire like the Pont du Gard aqueduct, a sophisticated work of engineering that is intact after more than 2,000 years, and visit the Nîmes amphitheatre. Built by the Romans, it was once the site of gory gladiator and animal combat and is still used today for performances and bullfights (some things never change). See the medieval ruins of Baux-de-Provence, a fortress sitting in the Alpilles mountains that was once used to protect the three bordering villages.
- Travel to Carcassonne
- Carcassonne interactive sightseeing activity The turrets and ramparts of this medieval citadel look as if they were drawn by a storybook illustrator. The oldest sections of the wall were built by the Romans in the 1st century, but most of Carcassonne's current character is from the 13th century. From the battlements, you can see over green plains and hills all the way to the Pyrenées. Follow your Tour Director on an interactive adventure through this preserved city that will bring the portcullis and drawbridge, restored houses and watchtowers to life!
- Travel to Bordeaux via Toulouse Travel to Bordeaux, the city that is synonymous with the wine trade, by way of Toulouse. Nicknamed "the pink city" because of its brick buildings, Toulouse has a quiet Mediterranean feel and often seems more Spanish than French.
- Toulouse city walk
-
Bordeaux sightseeing tour
After two decades of renovation, Bordeaux now stands firm as one of the most elegant and dynamic destinations in Europe: a thriving cultural hub, capital of the famous wine region. Your Tour Director will lead you on a walking tour along the neo-classical waterfront and the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with visits to:
– Place de la Bourse
– Puerta de Cailhau
– Pont de pierre
- Excursion to St Emilion and Archachon Two of the most beautiful towns in the region are the walled city of St. Emilion and the resort town of Arcachon. Arcachon sits in a pine forest and is a popular boating centre. St. Emilion is filled with houses of golden limestone and surrounded on all sides by vineyards.
- Travel to Loire Valley via Vendee
- Marais Poitevin guided rowboat tour Aboard a traditional flat rowing boat, take a guided tour through the Green Venice of Western France. As your expert boatmen guide you through the lush and wild marshlands, they will share their knowledge of the scenery unfolding and the traditional 'cabanes' houses on the river's edge.
- Authentic French brasserie dinner
- Loire châteaux sightseeing tour Your Tour Director will lead you on a tour of renaissance castles with a visit to Azay-le-Rideau and Château de Chenonceau
- Troglodyte Village guided visit
- Dinner in Troglodyte Village
- Travel to St. Malo
- St. Malo interactive sightseeing activity With your Tour Director, embark on an interactive adventure that will bring St. Malo to life! Including a visit to the Cathedral St. Vincent, begun in the 11th century but not finished until the spire was mounted in 1987
- Crêperie dinner Indulge in one of France’s most delicious culinary traditions—the crêpe. These thin pancakes can be wrapped around tasty fillings from fromage (cheese) to chicken. For dessert, have a sweet crêpe with chocolate, Nutella, or just a slathering of butter and a sprinkle of sugar.
- Mont-St-Michel monastery visit Perched high on a tidal island at the mouth of the Couesnon River, the Mont-St-Michel Monastery rises impressively from behind the fortified walls of an old fort. Explore the narrow streets and old buildings before climbing to the centre of the island to see the church itself.
- See the D-Day beaches See the D-Day beaches where on June 6, 1944, thousands of Allied troops landed in an effort to recapture the coast from Germany. All along the beaches, deserted German bunkers have been turned into memorials and the stark white crosses and stars that mark the cemeteries are grim reminders of the war.
- Arromanches Museum visit Ingenious military engineering allowed the Allied forces to land at Arromanches on D-Day. Barges towed 600,000 tons of concrete across the English Channel, sinking them to create an artificial harbor, and then 33 jetties and 10 miles of floating roadways allowed the troops to land in France. Learn about this feat and other at the Arromanches Museum, where dioramas, interactive displays, and models detail the Allied landing.
- Travel to Paris via Rouen
-
Rouen sightseeing tour
– Rouen Cathedral
– Old Clock
Your Tour Director will take you through the medieval cobblestone streets of the city where Joan of Arc was burned in 1431. See the Old Clock surrounded by half-timbered houses and shops, and visit Notre Dame cathedral, a favourite subject of Claude Monet. With its lacy Gothic façade and mismatched spires, Rouen’s cathedral is one of the most compelling in France
- Final farewell Say au revoir to Paris as you board your flight back to Australia.
