France: US/Europe Relations (D-DAY Beaches)

Transfer to Bayeux, Normandy (approx. 3 hours)

Check-in, Relax & Refresh

Orientation Walking Tour - The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc. Additionally, an in-depth safety briefing will be provided for what to do in case of an emergency.

Welcome Dinner - The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets.

Walking tour of Bayeux - Bayeux medieval center contains cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, and the towering, Norman-Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame.

Cathedral of Bayeux - A national monument, it is the seat of the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux and was probably the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry, still preserved nearby.

Free Time and Cultural Immersion

Tapestry Museum - The famed 68-meter Tapisserie de Bayeux is an 11th-century tapestry depicting the 1066 Norman invasion of England. It is on display in an 18th-century seminary.

Memorial and Military Cemetery of Bayeux - Completed in 1952, the cemetery contains 4,144 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 338 of them unidentified. The Bayeux Memorial bears the names of more than 1,800 men of the Commonwealth land forces who died in the early stages of the campaign and have no known grave.

Train to Caen (approx 15 mins)

Day trip to Caen - Caen is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried there, and for the Battle for Caen, heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the city.

Caen Walking Tour - See the Abbeys, Castle, and Medieval quarter.

Memorial Museum - This is a museum and war memorial commemorating WWII and the Battle for Caen. More generally, the museum is dedicated to the history of the twentieth century, mainly focused on the fragility of peace.

Public Bus to Arromanches-les-Bains (approx 20 mins)

Arromanches-les-Bains - Arromanches-les-Bains, located to the west of the landing zone, was taken by Allied forces late afternoon on June 6.

Visit the Artificial harbor - While preparing for Operation Overlord, the Allied strategists decided to build two artificial, prefabricated ports in Normandy. These were considered essential for bringing reinforcements and equipment to the Continent. The remains of the port of Arromanches are still visible today as silent witnesses to this bold gamble and stunning technical achievement.

Musée du Débarquement - This museum commemorates WWII Normandy campaign & D-Day landings.

Arromanches 360 - Circular cinema on WWII, in the heart of the D-Day beaches. Visitors can watch a film on the Battle of Normandy inside.

Longues-sur-Mer Battery - This was a World War II German artillery battery constructed near the French village of Longues-sur-Mer in Normandy. The battery was sited on a 60 m cliff overlooking the sea and formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications.

Fishing town of Port-en-Bessin-Huppain Vauban tower - The Tour Vauban (Vauban Tower), initially known as the tour de Camaret, is an 18m-high polygonal defensive tower built to a plan by Vauban on the Sillon at Camaret-sur-Mer, as part of the fortifications of the goulet de Brest.

Day Trip to Omaha Beach and Utah Beach w/chartered bus

Normandy American Cemetery - The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial sits on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel. It is a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer that honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II.

La Cambe German War Cemetery - This is a Second World War German military war grave cemetery, located close to the American landing beach of Omaha.

Utah Beach - Utah, commonly known as Utah Beach, was the codename for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, during World War II.

Sainte-Mère-Église - This is known for having been among one of the first liberated towns in 1944. Located just a few kilometers from the Utah Beach, German troops lost control over this landing beach when American soldiers parachuted into town the day before D-day.

Pointe du Hoc - La Pointe du Hoc is a promontory with a 35-metre cliff overlooking the English Channel and was the location of a series of German bunkers and machine gun posts.

Day Trip to Mont-Saint-Michel w/chartered bus- Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany stand the 'Wonder of the West', a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site.

Free Day and Cultural Immersion

Day Trip to Honfleur and Etretat w/chartered bus - Honfleur is best-known for its old port which was an important trading port during the Middle Ages. The city is also quite famous for its wooden main church and its association with impressionist artists such as Gustave Courbet, Eugène Boudin, and Claude Monet. The white cliffs and three natural rock arches of Etretat are some of the best-known sights in Upper Normandy in France and a popular day-trip destination. Etretat is famous for its three natural arches and white chalk cliffs that tower high over the Atlantic Ocean.

Full Day Visit of Cheese and Cider Farms w/chartered bus - Taste your way through the flavors of Normandy.

Train to Rouen (approx 2.5 hours)

Day Trip to Rouen - Important in the Roman era and Middle Ages, Rouen has Gothic churches, such as Saint-Maclou and Saint-Ouen, and a cobblestoned pedestrian center with medieval half-timbered houses. The skyline is dominated by the spires of Cathédrale Notre-Dame, much-painted by Impressionist Claude Monet.

Rouen Cathedral - It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, built and rebuilt over a period of more than eight hundred years, has features from Early Gothic to late Flamboyant and Renaissance architecture.

Free Day and Cultural Immersion

Train to Paris (approx. 2.5 hours)

Check-in

Sainte Chapelle - The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité. It was the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century

Notre-Dame & Île de la Cité - (see from outside as site is still closed)

Paris Walking tour - See the Latin Quarter, Luxembourg garden, and Pantheon.

Carnavalet Museum - This museum is dedicated to the history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau.

Paris Walking Tour - The Marais

Victor Hugo Museum - The writer's house museum located where Victor Hugo lived for 16 years between 1832 and 1848.

Père Lachaise Cemetery - Among the famous people buried here are Molière, Jacques-Louis David, Frédéric Chopin, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Jim Morrison.

Louvre Museum - This is the world's most-visited museum, and a historic landmark in Paris. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

Arc de Triomphe - The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Under its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War.

Montmartre Walking Tour - This area is primarily known for its artistic history and for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur on its summit.

Versailles - This is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about 12 miles west of Paris. It is one of the greatest achievements in French 17th century art. Access the whole estate of Versailles (Palace, Estate of Trianon, and the gardens) and to the exhibition "Louis XV, Passions of a King".

Musée d’Orsay - This museum is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography.

Eiffel Tower in the evening- This worldwide iconic landmark was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "La dame de fer", it was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair.

Cooking class

River Boat Cruise - Accompanied by a guide, you will go back in time on the most beautiful historical axis of Paris: the Seine. You will discover all its secrets through numerous anecdotes.

Farewell Dinner and Program Closing

Airport Transfer

Depart Paris, France for Home