France: Architecture

Depart from Home for Paris, France

• Arrive in Paris, France
• Airport Private Bus Transfer
• Check-in, Relax & Refresh
• Orientation Walking Tour – The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc. 
• Les Invalides – The dome was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, who employed a style known in France as ‘jésuite’ because it derives from the Jesuits’ first church in Rome, built in 1568. By using the classical elements more freely than had been done in Rome, the French made it something recognizably Parisian.
• Welcome Dinner – The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets.

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Eiffel Tower & Champ de Mars – The tower shines like a beacon each night with 40km of illuminated garlands made up of 20,000 light bulbs.
• Lunch Break
• Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Élysées

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Louvre Museum – Home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Louvre is considered the world’s greatest art museum, with an unparalleled collection of items covering the full spectrum of art through the ages.
• Lunch Break
• Visit Sainte Chapelle – Is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century
• Sacre Coeur – The Sacre Coeur basilica crowns the peak of hilly Montmartre in Paris. Learn why it’s such an iconic Parisian site.

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Visit Versailles – The Palace of Versailles is a magnificent example of French Baroque architecture, is the most famous royal chateau in France.
• Transfer to Nantes (approx. 2 hours)
• Check-in, Relax & Refresh
• Orientation Walking Tour

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Historical, Cultural & Architecture Walking Tour of Nantes
• Machine of the isle of Nantes – The Machines of the Isle of Nantes (Les Machines de l’île) is an artistic, touristic and cultural project. In the old covered buildings of the former shipyards in Nantes that were at one time used for ship construction (les nefs), and later used as business sites.
• Unité d’Habitation, Nantes-Rezé – The Unité d’habitation is a modernist residential housing design principle developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso.

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Private Bus Transfer to Mont Saint Michel
• Mont Saint Michel – The architecture of Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey is evidence of the mastery and expertise of several generations of builders.
• Lunch Break
• Saint Malo Bay – St Malo has several districts, the most popular being intra muros or ‘inside the walls’. The tall granite buildings, most of which were restored after being bombed during the war, house an interesting mix of cosy hotels, restaurants to suit all tastes and shops by the dozen.
• Return to Nantes

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Transfer to Paris (approx. 2 hours)
• Free Day in Paris
• Farewell Dinner & Program Closing

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Airport Private Bus Transfer
• Depart Paris, France for Home