The North of France is never more beautiful than in September, and we have chosen some of its loveliest and most colorful regions for this autumn tour. We start with a 4-day "as you like it" visit to Paris, where you choose how to see the city: follow our guides on daily excursions or plan your personal agenda. (Our guides are always available to advise.)

Starting on day 5 our minivan will take us through the Seine River Valley for a 5-day exploration of Normandy. We'll visit some of the beautiful sites that inspired Impressionist artists and villages where the memory of William the Conqueror lives on. We will walk the D-Day Landing Beaches, spend a night on the island fortress-monastery, the Mont-Saint-Michel, and sample fine Norman cuisine as we go.

On day 10 we will head east to spend 3 days in Champagne, where we'll do much more than sample the famous bubbly. We will see the beautiful Cathedral of Reims, where tradition dictated that French kings had to be crowned, among them a reluctant Charles VII led by the triumphant Joan of Arc. And we will discover a typical medieval village as we wander through the old town of Troyes.

For our last 5 days we will find almost a different country in Alsace, with its flower-bedecked villages, cities where animated streets lead to quiet canals, historic monuments, and a countryside of rolling hills and vineyards that make every visit a festival of delights.