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Marseille, Arles, Avignon, Paris and Versailles
Itinerary
- Day 1 : DEPART FOR FRANCE
- Fly through the night to Marseille, France.
- Day 2 : MARSEILLE
- Meet your Prométour Tour Director at the Aéroport de Marseille Provence.
- Transfer to the city center and enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of France’s 2nd biggest city & largest commercial port. You’ll discover many sights which include; the Old Harbour, the Corniche, Notre-Dame de la Garde, the Prado, Abbey of St-Victor, the Velodrome soccer Stadium, and the Castellane Square.
- Transfer to your centrally located hotel in Marseille for check-in.
- Drop-off your bags, freshen up and then get to know the neighborhood of the hotel with your Tour Director; use this time to exchange money.
- Enjoy your first dinner in France with your group.
- Day 3 : MARSEILLE / ARLES
- Have breakfast and then head towards the quai des Belges and transfer by boat for a visit of the Château d'If, best known as the penal setting for Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. The 16th century castle and its cells are well preserved, and the views back towards Marseille are fantastic.
- Have lunch on your own back in Marseille and hop on your bus for a transfer towards Arles, a UNESCO world heritage site. It was an important centre of Provençal life that was an inspiration for Van Gogh and Gauguin.
- Visit the impressive Roman ruins such as the amphitheatre, Alyscamps (Necropolis), and the Thermae of Constatine.
- Have dinner with your group.
- Day 4 : ARLES / AIGUES-MORTES / NÎMES
- Have breakfast and then drive through the Parc Régional de Camargue home to more than 400 species of birds with the brine ponds providing one of the few European habitats for the greater flamingo. It is also famous for The Camargue Bull and the Camargue horse.
- Make a stop at the museum which will give you insight on the flora, fauna, and the history of the area.
- Head towards the Commune of Aigues-Mortes in Petite Camargue. The city was founded in 102 BC and its walls & ramparts dating from medieval times are well preserved.
- Hop on your bus after lunch and transfer to Nîmes. The city is steeped in history and was one of the finest & richest Roman cities of Gaul. You’ll have the chance to admire the elliptical amphitheatre, Maison Carrée, the Temple de Diane, the Porta Augusta and les Quais & Jardins de la Fontaine.
- Enjoy dinner with your group.
- Day 5 : NÎMES / AVIGNON / PARIS
- This morning after breakfast, see the impressive Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct built in the middle of the 1st Century A.D.
- Transfer towards Avignon for a visit the majestic Palais des Papes, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. It’s where the Popes lived for much of the 14th Century.
- Have lunch in the afternoon (not included) and then board your TGV that will take you to Avignon. Your bus will be waiting for you upon arrival.
- Enjoy a guided bus tour of Paris upon arrival in the early evening. You’ll understand why it’s called the city of light when you see all the famous landmarks such as the Louvre, Cathédral Notre-Dame, Champs-Elysées, and the Tour Eiffel all illuminated.
- Transfer to your centrally located Parisian hotel for check-in.
- Dinner with your Prométour Tour Director.
- Day 6 : PARIS
- While in Paris travel as the locals do, by foot and metro!
- Visit l’Hotel National des Invalides, a hospital for Napoleon’s Army, an Army Museum and the resting-place of the Emperor.
- Walk through the Jardin des Tuileries to the Place de la Concorde. Notice the Egyptian Obelisk at its center.
- Visit Philippe Auguste's Louvre where you’ll see master pieces such as the Mona Lisa. With a record 8.3 million visitors annually, it is by far the most visited art museum in the world.
- Have lunch in the afternoon and then explore Île de la Cité & St-Louis; two natural islands in the Seine.
- Enter the magnificent Notre-Dame Cathedral, a magnificent religious edifice which is one of the supreme masterpieces of French gothic architecture.
- Visit Sainte Chapelle, with its incredible stain glass windows.
- On to the Quartier Latin to see the Luxembourg Gardens Le Panthéon, and the Sorbonne University.
- Have dinner in the area in a typical French Bistro.
- Day 7 : FULL DAY EXCURSION IN THE LOIRE VALLEY
- Hop on your bus after breakfast & head to Amboise in the Loire Valley.
- Enjoy a visit of the royal Château at Amboise, a favorite residence of French kings.
- Have lunch and then take time to explore this beautiful city.
- Visit the Château Chenonceau also known as Le Château des Dames. This amazing castle built on the Cher River has to be seen to be appreciated.
- Return to Paris in the evening and have dinner with your group.
- Day 8 :HALF DAY EXCURSION TO VERSAILLE / PARIS
- This morning after breakfast, board your private bus and head for a visit of the Château de Versailles.
- See the State Apartments, the King’s Chamber and the Hall of Mirrors.
- Later, head for the elegantly landscaped gardens. You’ll see the massive gilded fountains with mythical creatures, lines of statues, and gardens that seem to go on forever.
- Return to Paris in the afternoon and visit the Musée d'Orsay which was originally a railway station. Admire its extensive collections of paintings, sculptures, architecture, and literature drawn from the 19th and 20th century.
- Walk on the famous Champs-Elysées towards the Arc de Triomphe & see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Head to the Trocadero for some wonderful photo opportunities.
- Admire the view from the 3rd floor of the Eiffel tower.
- For your final evening in France, enjoy dinner at Altitude 95. A wonderful meal awaits you.
- Day 9 : RETURN HOME FROM FRANCE
- After breakfast, transfer to the airport.
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