#3 best destination in the world
Vieux Nice
- Historic part of the city of Nice, a medieval village with narrow streets curving between old, red-tile roofed buildings
Eiffel Tower
- Iron lattice tower constructed from 1887-1889, as the entrance to the World’s Fair
- #13 of the top 25 landmarks in the world
- Initially it was criticized by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design
- Now it is one of the most recognizable structures in the world
- 81 stories, it’s the tallest structure in Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris
- Medieval Catholic cathedral widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture
- #15 of the top 25 landmarks in the world
- Contains relics such as the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nail
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Disneyland Paris
- Most visited theme park in Europe
- #20 of the top 25 amusement parks in the world
- 4,800 acres compasses 2 theme parks, resort hotels, shopping, dining, an entertainment complex, and a golf course
- Opened in 1992
Walt Disney Studios Park
- Theme park dedicated to the movies, production, and behind the scenes of show business
- #21 of the top 25 amusement parks in the world
- Opened in 2002
Musée d’Orsay
- Museum on the bank of the Seine housed in a railway station built between 1898 and 1914
- #3 of the top 25 museums in the world
- Includes paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography
- Houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world by painters like Monet and Van Gogh
Louvre
- World’s largest art museum with approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century
- Most visited art museum in the world
- Originally a museum housed in the Louvre Palace
Seine
- River and commercial waterway in Paris
- 37 bridges within Paris span the river including the Pont Alexandre III
Palace of Versailles
- Royal château in Versailles that is now a museum
- Village dating back to the 11th century, now a wealthy suburb of Paris
- Building the château and maintaining the court there was phenomenally expensive, but did a good deal to establish the dominance of French style and taste in the whole of Europe, giving French luxury manufacturing advantages
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Grande Île (Strasbourg)
- Island in the historic center of the city Strasbourg, a medieval city
- Former home of the city’s tanners, millers, and fishermen
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mont Saint-Michel
- Island commune in Normandy, off the country’s coast
- The island is 247 acres and houses only 44 people
- Was a strategic fortification since the 8th century because when the tide came in, it drove off or drowned would-be assailants
- Exemplifies the feudal society that constructed it: on top, God, the abbey and monastery; below, the great halls; then stores and housing; and at the bottom, outside the walls, houses for fishermen and farmers.
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Carcassonne
- Fortified town inhabited since the Neolithic period
- Located on a key trade route and on a hilltop, which was strategically defensible, the Western Roman Empire occupied the town until its demise
- In the 5th century, the town was taken over by the Visigoths
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Notre-Dame de la Garde
- Catholic basilica built on the foundations of an ancient fort
- Built in 1864
- Consists of a Romanesque style crypt carved from the rock, and an upper church of Neo-Byzantine style decorated mosaics
Alpana Excursions en Mer Day Tours
- Tour boat that goes to the Gulf of Porto to visit the Scandola Nature Reserve, the village of Girolata, and the Calanques de Piana sea excursion
Promenade des Anglais
- Promenade along the Mediterranean at Nice
- In the 18th century, the English aristocracy spent winters in Nice
- In 1820, when a harsh winter brought an influx of beggars to the town, some of the English proposed they work on construction of the walkway
- The city of Nice was so pleased with the promenade that they increased the scope of the work
Normandy D-Day Tours & Sightseeing Shuttles from Bayeux
- Guided tours of the American, Canadian, and British D-Day beaches and shuttle services to Le Mont St Michel
Costs
all flights $1,065
food $44/day x 21 days = $924
hotel $42/day x 19 days = $798
tickets (all attractions) $78
TOTAL for whole itinerary $2,865
