DAYS
FROM ONLY £599
MONET’ S GARDEN, THE LOIRE VALLEY & FONTAINEBLEAU
• Return rail connections available on selected dates from over fifty regional stations
• Return standard class reserved seat on Eurostar from London St. Pancras International. Upgrades available at a supplement
• Six nights bed and breakfast at excellent quality three-star hotels, plus three dinners
• Visit the most beautiful valley in France
• Visit impressionist artist, Claude Monet’s home and garden – see the ‘Water-Lily’ pond and ‘Japanese Bridge’
• Explore the finest of France’s stunning châteaux; Chinon, Chenonceau, Villandry and Fontainebleau
• Visit to Chartres and its stunning gothic Cathedral displaying Europe’s finest stained glass
• Visit medieval Tours, royal Amboise and Leonardo da Vinci’s house
• Guided tour of Fontevraud Abbey, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site
• Visit to Saumur and the Ackermann wine cellars • Escorted by our experienced tour manager
The chateaux, once the epitome of aristocratic excess but architectural gems in their own right, combined with the inspirational natural beauty of Monet’s garden and rural France in its purest form
DAY 1 - ARRIVAL IN VERNON Travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras International (exact time of travel will be indicated on travel documents, arriving at Paris Gard du Nord approximately 2hrs 15 mins later). A coach will take you to Vernon near Claude Monet’s house and garden, where you stay on half-board at the three-star Hotel Normandy.
DAY 2 - MONET'S HOUSE Today you visit Monet’s house and garden. You have all seen Monet’s paintings reproduced in calendars and birthday cards, but to be here, in this spectacular display of colour, is simply an unforgettable experience. Your journey continues to Chartres, where the cathedral is arguably the most magnificent in France with perhaps the most intricate 13th-century stained glass in Europe eventually arriving in the picturesque city of Tours, where you will be staying for four nights’ bed and breakfast at either the three-star superior Kyriad hotel, four-star Alliance or Mercure hotel.
DAY 3 - TOURS & CHATEAU OF VILLANDRY After breakfast we enjoy a guided tour of the wonderfully preserved historic centre of Tours. After
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time for lunch we make our way down the beautiful Loire Valley to the Chateau Villandry, famous for its unique gardens, consisting largely of colourful vegetables.
DAY 4 - FONTEVRAUD ABBEY & SAUMUR This morning we visit the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fontevraud Abbey, for a guided tour. Arguably the greatest monastic establishment left standing in France. Later we head to Saumur, described as the ‘pearl of Anjou’, the town is a delightful spot to stop for lunch. No visit here would be complete without sampling some of this famous produce, so this afternoon we visit the Ackermann wine cellars. Next we visit the charming town of Chinon, medieval in character dominated by the imposing castle where Joan of Arc first met the Dauphin. This evening you dine in a charming restaurant, full of atmosphere so unique to France.
DAY 5 - AMBOISE This morning you visit Amboise, a delightful little town nestling on the banks of the river where a royal castle sits, as does Leonardo da Vinci’s house, which has been restored with many models of his inventions
on display. You then visit Chenonceau, home of Mary Queen of Scots and probably the most stately of the Loire châteaux, majestically hovering on the waters of the River Cher, before returning to your hotel.
DAY 6 - FONTAINEBLEAU After breakfast you depart Tours for a morning’s drive to visit the beautiful château of Fontainebleau, just south of Paris, where Napoleon departed to his exile on the island of Elba. It is decorated in fantastic style, with intricate frescoes and parquet floors inlaid with exotic woods. Most impressive is the vast display of exquisite furniture and the formally designed, extensive grounds. Fontainebleau encompasses everything you imagine about a French château: style, opulence, grandeur – even outrageousness. This evening, you stay at the nearby Mercure Paris Sud Parc du Coudray or Novotel Fontainebleau Ury plus also have dinner.
DAY 7 - RETURN EUROSTAR Today you drive to the railway station, at the appropriate time, to return home. PLEASE NOTE: The above itinerary is for 2017 departures only, for 2016 departures please see our website.
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