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Best of Paris and Ile de
France Tour BOOK |
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Many of our customers
have requested that Best of France Travels create a new tour that includes
Paris. We’ve done it just for you! Six days in the French
countryside of “Ile de France” region followed by three days in Paris....(The
focus here is “Things you’ve never done
in Paris”.) Beginning from our base in Versailles at the Pullman
Versailles Chateau we will explore the region at leisure and in depth. Ile de
France Tour Highlights Giverny: An entire day devoted to visiting the house and
gardens of Monet. Monet claimed that his gardens were his greatest work of art!
You will feel like you have fallen into a Monet painting when you walk
through the gardens, over the famous Japanese bridge overlooking the water
lilies. The gardens were designed based on color, height, texture, and
blooming seasons. Tour the home and studio where Monet lived and entertained
so many other impressionist artists. Auvers-sur-Oise: This is the town where Van Gogh spent the last
three months of his life. You can visit the Café Ravoux where Vincent had a
little room that he rented. We will have lunch at the Café Ravoux, the very
place where Van Gogh took his meals when living above the café. Visit the
Chateau, Daubigny’s house, Dr. Gachet’s house (the “doctor” who treated
artists with his homeopathic remedies), the Beaux Arts museum, the famous
cathedral of Van Gogh’s painting. Then
take a leisurely walk past the wheat fields where Vincent shot himself to
visit the cemetery where he lies next to his brother, Theo. Chartres Cathedral and village: Tour the Cathedral with Malcolm Miller, the noted
English guide who has been giving tours of Chartres for over 30 years! Visit
the Maison Picassiette, a home made entirely of mosaic. Wander the charming
village with half timbered houses. Visit the Musee des Beaux Arts. Versailles Palace, Gardens and Marie Antoinette’s
“Petit Hameau”: Just a short walk across
the street from our hotel...The amazing palace of Versailles. We will tour
the chateau, the formal gardens, and the little hamlet where Marie Antoinette
went when she needed to get away from the grind of royal life. Fontainebleau: The palace was built by Francois I, and was later
the favorite residence of Napoleon Bonaparte. After touring the lush
Renaissance and 18th Century rooms and apartments, stroll through
the expansive gardens surrounded by lakes and forests. Tour the Musee
Napoleon which houses many personal items from Napoleon’s military campaigns,
and his daily life at the Chateau. Visit the village of Fontainebleau Malmaison
Chateau: This was the home of Empress
Josephine and this is where she lived after her divorce from Napoleon.
Napoleon returned here for a brief stay after his return from Elba. Joséphine endeavored
to transform her large estate into "the most beautiful and curious
garden in Europe, a model of good cultivation". She actively sought out
flora and fauna along with rare and exotic animals from around the world.
Joséphine wrote: "I wish that Malmaison may soon become the source of
riches for all of France.” Tour of home and the gardens. Three
Days in Paris Fashion
Show- Printemps Grand Magasin on Tuesday. Time for shopping after! Try lunch at
one of the department store’s restaurants. The food is wonderful and the
views of the city are spectacular! L’Orangerie Museum- Home to the two entire
galleries of Monet’s largest water lily paintings. After 7 years of being
closed for restoration, the museum just reopened last year. Angelina’s Café for lunch –Legendary for it’s hot
chocolate served with bowls of whipped cream to top it off! “The
over-the-top extravagance of waiters in tuxedoes, clinking crystal, Parisian
matrons in mint-green Chanel and Hermes scarves..the hot chocolate itself,
which appears in its own pitcher, with enough thick, decadent potion for at
least three cups, finished off with dollops of homemade whipped cream from a
silver pot.” (Washington Post) ...and lunch is wonderful, too! Victor
Hugo’s house- It is
in this apartment that he wrote some of his major works along with much of Les
Misérables. Located In Place des Vosges, this is, where Hugo, his wife,
Adele, and four children lived for 16 years. The authors life story is told
through collections of drawings, paintings, and documents. The restored
dining room includes chinese furniture Hugo chose for Juliette Drouet's (his
mistress) house in Guernesey. Marmotton
Museum the world's largest Monet
collection as well as over 300 paintings from the Impressionist and
post-Impressionist periods. The museum was created when a hunting lodge was
bought by Jules Marmottan and then
later converted into a museum by his son Paul, whose personal collection is
also on display. A great collection shown in this 18th Century
home. |
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In Addition...Discovery walks of the Paris quartiers (neighborhoods), shopping, flea markets, museums, and time to discover Paris on your own. Bon Voyage dinner the night before you depart at a special restaurant!
~Call to book your
trip today~ |
Best of France Travels
115 East Patrick St Frederick, MD 21705
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