London & France | Educational Travel

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Length: 7 days

Highlights: London City Tour, Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Caen Overview, D-Day Beaches Tour, Château Amboise, Château Chenonceau, Paris City Tour, Notre Dame, Palace of Versailles, Paris Sewers Tour

Itinerary: London (2), Caen (2), Loire Valley (1), Paris (2)

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Day 1 – Depart

Fly through the night to London.

Day 2 – London

Your TSA Tours guide will meet you at the airport and escort you on a London City Tour. See Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben. Also visit glorious Westminster Abbey, site of royal weddings and coronations.

Day 3 – London

Tour Windsor Castle, country residence of the royal family. Your afternoon is free to further explore other attractions, perhaps the British Museum, Harrod’s Department Store, or attend a session of the houses o f Parliament. As an option this evening, attend a West End theatre performance.

Day 4 – Caen

Travel to France by way of the imposing Gothic splendor of Canterbury Cathedral, destination of Chaucer’s pilgrims in his Canterbury Tales. Journey under the English Channel via the Chunnel and arrive in the Normandy port of Caen. Your guide will give you an overview of this region that was the subject of dispute between England and France in the 100 Years War.

Day 5 – Caen

Normandy probably has more significance to North American visitors than any other part of France. Visit the D-Day Landing Beaches, including the Utah and Omaha beaches, where the heaviest D-Day casualties were incurred. Also visit the American Cemetery of Saint-Laurent overlooking Omaha Beach. Nearby, atop the cliffs, are the remains of the German Longues Batteries, well-preserved casements still armed with guns. Head inland to spend the night in the beautiful Loire Valley, known as the “garden of France,” unfolding an architectural variety of more than 120 castles.

Day 6 – Loire Valley

Visit Château Amboise, where Leonardo de Vinci spent his last days and is buried, and Châte au Chenonceau, perhaps the most beautiful castle in France; its Renaissance splendor spanning the river. Arrive in the France’s glorious capital city of Paris and begin exploring the City of Lights with your advisors.

Day 7 – Paris

On your Paris City Tour, see the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries, and drive past haute couture palaces nestled around the Place de l’Opera. You’ll have a guided tour of Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the oldest buildings in the city, with its splendid rose windows and snarling gargoyles. Also tour the Palace of Versailles, where Louis XIV ruled in dazzling splendor. The Sun King remodeled this former hunting lodge into one of the most impressive buildings in the world.

Day 8 – Paris

What better way to spend the morning than strolling through the underground? Your Paris Sewers Tour gives you more than a passing acquaintance with the intricate water system, the evolution of technology, and the ins and outs of these routes. In the museum of Les Egouts see a video presentation explaining the city’s efforts to manage water throughout history. You’re free in the afternoon to explore and discover more unusual details; perhaps climb to Quasimodo’s belltower atop Notre Dame or wander among the bookstalls of the Left Bank.