• Day 1 - Arrive Paris ( 2 nights )
  Welcome to Paris, the elegant capital of France! After check-in you are free to explore this beautiful city or just relax. Later this afternoon, enjoy a Welcome Drink with your Tour Director and meet your fellow travellers. Hotel: Holiday Inn Paris La Villette
   
• Day 2 - Paris Sightseeing and At Leisure
  Today’s sightseeing tour with a local guide includes the ascent of the Eiffel Tower to its second level for wonderful views over the city. Other highlights include views of Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysées before we enjoy a visit of Les Invalides with its golden dome. As part of the Army Museum, its most important relic is the tomb of France’s most influential ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte. For the rest of the day you may choose to stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens, visit the Louvre Museum or relax over a ‘café au lait’ in a sidewalk café. Tonight perhaps enjoy the world famous cabaret show at the Moulin Rouge? ( Buffet Breakfast )
   
• Day 3 - Paris - Loire Valley Chateaux - Tours
  First we drive to Chartres – famous for its mighty Cathedral with its blue stained glass windows. Built on a ley line, this spot has always been said to have mystical power! Then down to the valley of the quiet River Loire with its many beautiful villages and resplendent castles, home to French royalty over the centuries. We will stop at Chambord to see the impressive chateau, and then visit fairytale Chenonceau, straddling the River Cher, before continuing to our hotel. This evening we enjoy a ‘Be My Guest’ dinner of mouth-watering specialties in a local restaurant. ( Buffet Breakfast / 'Be My Guest' Dinner )
  Hotel: Holiday Inn Tours City Centre
   
• Day 4 - Tours - Bourges - Lyon
  Today’s journey takes us through the very centre of France. First we stop in Bourges, to see the Palais Jacques Coeur, the Cathedral of St. Stephen and the delightful archbishop’s gardens. Then into the very centre of the ‘hexagon’, as the French often call their homeland, as we drive through the village of St. Amand Montrond. We continue via the volcanic hills around Clermont Ferrand and on to Lyon – a gourmet’s paradise on the Rhone and Saône Rivers. A guided walking tour of the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, reveals the city’s rich and cultural past. It is the largest Renaissance district in France with its narrow streets, inner courtyards and ‘traboules’. We will also drive up the Fourvière hill to admire awe inspiring views over the city. Then on to our hotel for dinner and overnight. ( Buffet Breakfast / Dinner ) Hotel: Park & Suites Part Dieu
   
• Day 5 - Lyon - Chateauneuf du Pape - Avignon - Nice ( 2 nights )
  Our first stop this morning is in the wine village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape where we stop to see the amazing vistas from the ruined fortress and visit one of the Cote du Rhone wine cellars to sample some of the delicious wine. Then on to Avignon, where we see the Papal palace and famous ‘Pont’ (bridge) over the Rhone. Finally we arrive in Nice where an orientation drive shows us the Promenade des Anglais and the Place Massena, before we continue to our hotel for the next two nights. ( Buffet Breakfast ) Hotel: Boscolo Park
   
• Day 6 - Nice - Monaco Excursion
  A free morning to relax and perhaps take a stroll along the Promenade or shop in the trendy boutiques! Then we will enjoy a scenic drive along the Côte d’Azur to visit the Principality of Monaco. There we will view the Royal Palace of the ruling Grimaldi family and see the maginificent casino built by Charles Garnier in the 19th century. Later we are at leisure for the balance of the day. ( Buffet Breakfast )
   
• Day 7 - Nice - Cannes - Barcelona ( 2 nights )
  A short drive to ‘la Croisette’ in glamorous Cannes where we have time to admire the yachts in the marina and go celebrity-spotting! We’ll see the Film Festival Centre before re-joining the highway to drive through Provençal landscapes reminiscent of Van Gogh paintings. Then on past the Camargue National Park and to the border with Spain. We cross over the foothills of the Pyrenees and are soon in the region of Spanish Catalonia. Past olive groves and vineyards we approach the ‘avant-garde’ city of Barcelona – a cosmopolitan port on the Mediterranean. ( Buffet Breakfast / Dinner )
  Hotel: Catalonia Plaza
   
• Day 8 - Barcelona Sightseeing and At Leisure
  Our morning sightseeing tour with a local guide takes us on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter with its impressive cathedral. We also see Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia plus many of his other eccentric architectural masterpieces. Later, we will view the Columbus Monument and the Ramblas. Afterwards enjoy time at leisure in this sophisticated city, and tonight maybe enjoy a dramatic Flamenco Show with dinner? ( Buffet Breakfast )
   
• Day 9 - Barcelona - Zaragoza - Madrid ( 2 nights )
  We start our day with a drive through the arid Aragon hills to the city of Goya’s birth – Zaragoza on the River Ebro. It is here where the Virgin Mary met St. James, leaving the pilar on which she appeared as testimony to the event, hence the name of the Basilica - El Pilar. We will visit this pilgrimage church and see the ancient Cathedral of La Seo before continuing into the heart of Spanish Castile and Spain's capital, Madrid. Tonight maybe try one of Madrid's many open air restaurants and enjoy the night time atmosphere of this vibrant capital city. ( Buffet Breakfast ) Hotel: Rafael Ventas
   
• Day 10 - Toledo Excursion and Madrid Sightseeing
  First we enjoy an included excursion to Toledo, capital of Castile. Here sightseeing with a local guide includes a visit to the synagogue, the Church of Santo Tome and a steel workshop. Then we return to Madrid where our guided tour shows us the Plaza España, the Puerta del Sol, the Cibeles Fountain and Gran Via. Then time to join our newly made friends and Tour Director for a Farewell Dinner with wine in a typical restaurant. ( Buffet Breakfast / Farewell Dinner )
   
• Day 11 - Depart Madrid
  This morning it is time to bid farewell to Madrid, our Tour Director and fellow travellers as our tour of France and Spain comes to an end. Airport transfers are available, conditions apply. ( Buffet Breakfast )

11 Days From US$1825

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10 months US$145