Ms. Shirley's Le Tricolore

79 Days until departure

May 31, 2025 - June 8, 2025

Trip ID: Shirley-7508

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Tour Itinerary print itinerary

Day 1 Overnight flight to France (Paris)

Day 2 Bonjour Paris

Meet your tour director and check into hotel

Day 3 Paris

Half Day Introduction to Paris

Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides,

Details: Notre-Dame Cathedral

View the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Work began in 1163 on a spot that had been a holy shrine since Roman times. Over the centuries, the cathedral has been the scene of some of France's most momentous occasions, including the coronation of Napoleon.

Details: Louvre Museum visit

The world's largest art museum, the Louvre is housed in a Medieval fortress-turned-castle so grand it's worth a tour itself. You walk through the 71-foot glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei and added in 1989, and step into another world--one with carved ceilings, deep-set windows, and so many architectural details you could spend a week just admiring the rooms. The Mona Lisa is here, as well as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory (the headless statue, circa 200 BC, discovered at Samothrace). The Louvre has seven different departments of paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and antiquities. Don't miss the Egyptian collection, complete with creepy sarcophagi, or the collection of Greek ceramics, one of the largest in the world. (Please note the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.)

Day 4 Paris

Optional $89

State Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, Gardens of Versailles,

Details: Eiffel Tower ascent

Line up to climb to the top floor of this iconic landmark for a spectacular birds-eye view of the glittering City of Light.

Details: LEAP Seize the Château!

A lively role-play puts you in the shoes of the monarchy, clergy, nobility, bourgeoisie, or peasantry to explore the issues underlying the French Revolution.

Day 5 Paris--Normandy

Travel to Normandy via Giverny & Rouen

Rouen Cathedral visit

Details: Giverny visit (April-November only)

Claude Monet discovered this tiny farming village when he looked out the window of a stopped train. Impressed by its beauty, in 1883 he and his family moved into the pink stucco house where he spent the next 40 years planting his extensive gardens and creating some of the world's most beautiful Impressionist paintings. Spend some time wandering through the riot of natural color in the Clos Normand and watching soft light shine on the delicate Japanese bridge and lush water lilies that inspired some of his most famous works. See Monet's studio, preserved just as he left it, with supplies and sketches scattered around. Neglected for years and badly damaged during WWII, the house and gardens took 10 years to restore, but are now back in their full glory. Which just leaves one question: With all that weeding and fertilizing, how did Monet have time to paint?

Day 6 Normandy--St. Malo

Travel to St. Malo

Dance Lesson

Details: LEAP Soldiers' Stories

Step into the shoes of U.S. servicemen as they land in Normandy on D-Day. Learn about their lives and their experiences to gain personal and historical perspective.

Details: Arromanches D-Day Museum visit

Ingenious military engineering allowed the Allied forces to land at Arromanches on D-Day. Barges towed 600,000 tons of concrete across the English Channel, sinking them to create an artificial harbor, and then 33 jetties and 10 miles of floating roadways allowed the troops to land in France. Learn about this feat and other at the Arromanches Museum, where dioramas, interactive displays, and models detail the Allied landing.

Details: American Military Cemetery and Memorial visit at Colleville-sur-Mer

Visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer that honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II.

Details: LEAP Medieval Merriment!

Grab your dancing shoes and learn the visual language of medieval dance. Discover the important role it played during French medieval times, where there was a dance for every occasion, and a special meaning behind each step in the choreography.

Day 7 St. Malo Area--Loire Valley

Breakfast

Travel to Loire Valley

Cooking class and dinner

Details: Mont-St-Michel visit

Stop to see Mont-St-Michel, an enormous abbey that seems to rise up out of the water, completely isolated from any connecting land. Perched on an enormous rock just off the Normandy coast, the granite Abbey of Mont-St-Michel actually is linked to the mainland—by a narrow causeway that is covered with water during high tide. The Benedictine Abbey was founded in the 10th century, and has undergone many transformations since. Now it is a memorable complex of various buildings and styles—including rounded Romanesque arches and lacy Gothic vaulting—all culminating in a dramatic pointed spire. A major pilgrimage site for centuries, it was turned into a prison during the French Revolution, and the Benedictines did not return until 1966.

Details: LEAP Bon Appetit!

Slice, dice, and stir! Savor the French country lifestyle by creating (and eating) traditional Loire Valley cuisine.

Day 8 Loire Valley--Paris

Azay-le-Rideau visit

Travel to Paris

Day 9 Flight home from Paris

Tour Includes

Round-trip airfare and other transportation described in the itinerary
Basic Medical, Dental, Emergency Evacuation Insurance during trip
Up to three college credits upon course completion (grades 9-12) or high school credit (grades 6-12)
Centrally located three- and four-star hotels
Plentiful daily breakfast to start the day energized and ready to go
Appetizing, culturally representative, three-course dinner daily
Full time, multilingual, WorldStrides tour director who is LEAP-trained in experiential education
Local guide at sites and on city tours as described in the itinerary
LEAP! Learning through Exploration and Active Participation; trademarked immersive approach of learning by doing
Entrances and transportation to sites and activities described in your itinerary
Local guide and local bus driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
24/7 On Tour Emergency Support
Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, any required passport or visa fees, optional excursions, or recommended Tips for the Tour Director or multi-day Bus Drivers. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid tips, or other individual/group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.

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Ms. Shirley's Le Tricolore

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Tour Includes

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