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PARIS
Veterans
of our spring tour in 1998 specially requested a return visit
to Paris and a chance to discover other fascinating areas of "la
France profonde." This
tour does just that: 5 days in Paris to revisit familiar favorites
and explore places that will be completely new.
Day
1: Arrival day: (Hotel in Paris)
Check into your hotel near the Champs-Elysées. Afternoon:
Walking tour of your neighborhood. Evening: apéritif
hour and rest before dinner.
Day
2: (Hotel in Paris)
Morning: Guided bus tour of Paris for newcomers
to the city. Veterans may opt for a visit to a site just outside
Paris: either Chantilly, famous for its château and its
race horses; Malmaison, home of Joséphine after her divorce
from Napoléon; or Saint-Denis, where many of the kings
of France are buried. Afternoon: Walking
tour of the Latin Quarter and a ride up to the top of the
Montparnasse Tower for a spectacular view. Evening:
Optional program possible -show or concert.
Day
3: (Hotel in Paris)
Morning: Visit the Louvre. Afternoon:
Walking tour of the islands of the Seine: the Ile-de-la-Cité
for a tour of Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Sainte-Chapelle
and the Conciergerie; then the Ile-Saint-Louis to
enjoy the charm of "Old Paris":17th century houses, wrought-iron
balconies, massive nail-studded doors opening onto secluded courtyards.
(And how about trying some of Berthillon's famous sorbet as you
stroll?) Evening: Your private coach will take you
to the château of Vaux-le-Vicomte, model for the great
palace of Versailles, for dinner and the brilliant "candlelight
evening," when the state rooms are illuminated by thousands of
candles, as they were at the time of Louis XIV.
Day
4: (Hotel in Paris)
Morning: visit the Orsay Museum, housing
a superb collection of Impressionist works, as well as other 19th
century treasures. Afternoon: explore another of
Paris' neighborhoods, as desired. Evening concert or show possible.
Day
5: (Hotel in Paris)
Your last day in Paris. Free day. Ask us at En France Tours for
suggestions.
Day
6: (Hotel in Nice)
Board the TGV express train for the 8-hour ride to Nice.
Check into hotel. Evening walk along the Promenade des Anglais.
 >Top
CÔTE
d'AZUR
 The
French Riviera was colonized by the Greeks early in the first
millennium, but it was only in the late 19th century that the
area's balmy climate made it the favorite winter resort for the
wealthy. Soon artists were attracted to the region by the extraordinary
light and intensity of colors, and it became a center for many
of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century.
Day
7: (Hotel in Nice)
Morning: Visit Nice's colorful open-air market,
then tour the Matisse and Chagall Museums; leisurely
walk in the stately Cimiez neighborhood overlooking the city and
the beaches of the Mediterranean.
Day
8: (Hotel in Nice)
Your coach will take you for a day in the back country of the
Côte d'Azur, where so many 20th century artists lived and worked.
Visits to Cagnes-sur-Mer, home of Renoir; Vence,
site of the beautiful little chapel that Matisse designed;
St-Paul-de-Vence, home of the ultra-modern collection of
the Maeght Foundation and a beautiful village full of treasures
to take home; Biot, famous for its flowers, its pottery
and its Fernand Léger Museum; other villages, as you wish.
Day
9: (Hotel in Nice)
Morning: Free time to explore Nice. Afternoon:
Visit the principality of Monaco and the casino of Monte
Carlo.
Day
10: (Hotel in Toulouse)
Six-hour train ride across southern France to Toulouse.
Check into hotel on the edge of the old city. Pre-dinner walk
possible.
LANGUEDOC
 This
huge area of southern France is now divided into 3 separate regions,
all offering grand scenery, great works of art and architecture,
friendly people proud of their differences from the Parisians,
and a fascinating history of great power and utter destruction.
In the 12th century the Counts of Toulouse hosted the most elegant
courts in the land. In the 13th century church and state joined
forces in the bloody Albigensian crusade against the heretic Cathars,
crushed the power of the region and made it a part of France.
Prosperity returned in the 16th and 17th centuries with the lucrative
trade of woad, or blue dye, then collapsed when cheaper
indigo from India replaced woad. Today the region has become
the center for France's aerospace industry, producer of the Airbus,
the Concorde, the Caravelle, and the Ariane rocket.
Day
11: (Hotel in Toulouse)
Morning: Guided walking tour of medieval Toulouse.
Afternoon: Explore the tiny, winding streets
of the "rose city," see the imposing mansions built by those who
made a fortune on the trade of blue dye, spend time in the city's
first-class museums or stroll along the banks of the Garonne River.
Optional evening show or concert possible.
Day
12: (Hotel in Toulouse)
Your coach will take you for a day in the country, with 3 special
visits. First you'll see Martres-Tolosane, since the 18th
century known for its colorful handwork ceramics; next, the caves
of the Mas d'Azil, among the most beautiful of the Pyrénées;
finally, in mid-afternoon the sight of the magnificent cathedral
of Ste-Marie rising up on the hill will tell us that we
are arriving at the medieval village of St-Bertrand-de-Comminges.
The town itself is the most renowned art and history site in the
central Pyrénées; its cathedral a gem of Romanesque, Gothic and
Renaissance architecture, with a treasure of intricate woodcarvings
inside.
Day
13: (Hotel in Albi)
Morning: Leave for Albi, just an hour's drive
north. Like Toulouse, it is a beautiful town of rose-colored brick,
with many palatial mansions built with wealth earned in the blue
dye trade. It is a small city that rewards those who stroll along
its narrow winding streets with glimpses of its long and fascinating
history, including the house where Albi's most celebrated citizen,
the artist Toulouse-Lautrec, was born. You'll have an afternoon
guided tour of the old town to hear about its fascinating history
and visit its enormous fortress-like cathedral.
Day
14: (Hotel in Albi)
A day to explore the foothills of the Massif Central, a landscape
of contrasts, from the dry and arid limestone plateaus known as
"causses" to sunny valleys, where each village offers special
treasures. Your visits will concentrate on the highlights of the
area, among them the hilltop village of Cordes, with its
Gothic houses and 13th century church; Conques, a little
gem set on a hillside overlooking deep gorges, whose pilgrim church
houses some of the finest artwork of the Middle Ages; and Rodez,
proud of its 2000 years of history, including a time of uniquely
confusing administration when it was divided into two distinct
halves, one governed by the bishops of the church, the other by
the Counts of Rodez.
Day
15: (Hotel in Albi)
Morning: Tour of Albi's Palais de la Berbie,
former bishops' palace which now houses the Toulouse-Lautrec
Museum. It has one of the finest collections of the works
of the artist, but even non-art lovers will be delighted by the
site overlooking the Tarn River and the beautiful little formal
garden alongside the river. Afternoon: free to browse,
explore, shop or relax in Albi. Evening performance possible.
 Day
16: (Hotel in Carcassone)
Morning: Two-hour coach ride to Carcassonne,
with stops en route to see the strange rock formations of the
Sidobre and the dramatic ruins of the 4 Cathar castle-fortresses
of Lastours. Afternoon: Guided tour of the
walled city of Carcassonne. Optional evening performance
possible.
Day
17: (Hotel in Carcassone)
A day to explore the countryside south of Carcassonne and to discover
the fascinating story of the Cathars, adherents of a religious
movement in southern France who rejected the materialism and worldly
power of the 12th century Church. Although never large in number,
they included people of influence, were seen as a threat and were
fiercely sought out and destroyed in the Albigensian Crusade.
We will start with an English-language film relating the story
of the Cathars, then will see for ourselves the ruins of the mountaintop
castle-fortresses of Puylaurens and Queribus that
early Cathars built as refuges. At Peyrepertuse, the most
impressive and largest of the fortresses, you will have a chance
to walk among its buildings that seem to grow naturally out of
the rocky outcrop on a crest of the hills. Be prepared for magnificent
views of the valley below! Return to Carcassonne by 5:00 PM to
celebrate your last night in the Languedoc.
Day
18:
Those returning to the states through De Gaulle Airport will take
the train to Bordeaux for transfer to the high-speed TGV.
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