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Though one could spend years in Paris and never exhaust her richness, an excursion to one of the many historical sites, royal palaces or amusement parks can add something special to a Paris vacation.
These convenient day trips from Paris begin when your driver picks you up at your hotel. Relax and enjoy the countryside as you head out to these wonderful destinations. Click on any of the links to read more about these tours. Children are half-price for most of these tours.
D-Day Tour: Normandy Battlefields and Landing Beaches
Champagne Discovery Tour
You will be picked up from your hotel in Paris and accompanied by your driver-guide for a splendid day discovering the colorful vineyards of the most noble of wines. You will visit the cellars of one of the most prestigious Champagne House, Moet & Chandon. You will then travel through the Montagne de Reims area and make a stop in the village of Hautvillers, the Cradle of Champagne, famous since the 18th century thanks to a monk, Dom Perignon. We will spend the afternoon in Reims, the capital of the Champagne Region and the City of Coronations. Included are visits to another famous wine cellar and to the Reims gothic cathedral, a famous landmark where most of the French kings were crowned.
Fontainebleau & Barbizon
Visit the Fontainebleau castle, a royal residence from the 12th century, hunting lodge of François I and place of Napoleon Bonaparte's abdication, with its collection of paintings, furniture and a museum devoted to Napoleon I. Enjoy a walk in the gardens on the edge of one of the most beautiful forests in France. You will also discover the village of Barbizon, well known for having inspired the 19th century painters, such as Jean Francois Millet.
Bruges - Pearl of the Flanders
During your Paris vacation, take the opportunity to discover Bruges, a true jewel of architecture. The Market is in the heart of Bruges, with the medieval Belfry Tower that dominates the town center and the Town Hall (built in the 14th century). Bruges is also known as the "Little Venice of the North" because of its beautiful canal.
Giverny + American Museum
Entering Normandy, you will visit Claude Monet's home, the "Father of Impressionism". Discover the famous gardens created by the impressionist painter and the well known Japanese bridge in the midst of flowered paths and water-lily ponds. This tour includes a visit to the Musée d'art Américain Giverny, Franco-American contributions to the history of art.
Versailles & Giverny
After meeting at your hotel in Paris, your guide will take you on a wonderful day outside of Paris. You will be driven to the Versailles Palace, residence of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Here, you will discover the famous "a la Francaise" gardens, as well as the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette's Hamlet. Within the palace you may visit the Grand Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors and the Queen's apartments. This tour will also take you to the border of Normandy where you will visit Claude Monet's home, the "Father of Impressionism". Discover the famous gardens created by the impressionist painter, and the well known Japanese bridge amongst flowered paths and water-lily ponds.
Loire Valley Castle Tour
You will be chauffeured by your driver-guide to a wonderful day in the Loire Valley. Discover the famous castles of the Renaissance.
Beyond Paris, all of France, Marseilles, Rochelle and more, read about one family's villa vacation experiences in beautiful, France. Beaches, travel, French-cuisine, hotels/ villas, French products/books, travel, real estate in France-Europe.
Beyond Paris are the famous wine growing regions of the Champagne, the Bourgogne and the Bordeaux.
This site offers solid advice on planning and visiting wineries in the Bordeaux Region:
French Wine Tasting Tours.
For wine lovers everywhere, wine tasting tours are about the best way to travel. These tours really let you get into the culture, taste all the best foods, and of course, let you experience the regional wines the way they were meant to be experienced.
If you like walking and hiking and learning the history of the area you are hiking through, then you'll enjoy this website of Scott Anderson's. It's called The Enlightened Traveller.
Scott offers tours with a strong historical theme, either walking with a group or a self-guided tour.
The latest offering by Scott is a walking tour through the Languedoc Region called Walking With the Camisards.
And here is the history that compliments the walk: The Protestant Uprising in the Cevennes.
For more hiking excursions and ideas, look into Walking in the Languedoc.
“Walking in Languedoc" specializes in themed self-guided hiking tours in Languedoc and in Provence with a pay-as-you-go approach to hotels, car hire and luggage transfers.
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