The Best of France
July 24 - August 4th, 2010

 

Join us for a wonderful way to spend an extended summer holiday visiting France in all its glory. 

• Enjoy 3 days on the fabulous French Riviera visiting the chic towns & beaches of Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez and St. Paul Devance.
• Visit the chic principality of Monaco and Monte Carlo
• Spend 4 days in Paris with a tour of its famed sites
• Stroll Monet’s gardens at Giverny
• Visit the amazing palace and gardens at Versailles along with an amazing Laser light show at the Versailles Gardens & Fountains
• Spend 3 nights in the scenic Normandy region, with visits to:
•  The site where Joan of Arc rode and was burned at the stake in Rouen.  
• The scenic cliffside & beachside monastery of Mont St. Michel and the historic World War II D Day beaches and the American military cemetery commemorating the monumental achievements there.

All together, you will enjoy a journey that will leave memories to cherish.

 
DAILY ITINERARY:

Saturday JULY 24th

 THIS EVENING WE WILL DEPART FROM NEW YORK  JFK AIRPORT, FLYING AIR FRANCE’s NONSTOP SERVICE INTO PARIS WITH CONNECTING SERVICE TO NICE ON THE FABULOUS FRENCH RIVIERA.  
Our group will be accompanied by an experienced allsinglestravel.com trip leader on our flights and throughout our tour.

Sunday July 25th
On arrival this morning in Nice, we will be met by our bilingual tour manager and will be escorted to our chartered coach.  Our tour manager will also be with our group for the duration of our tour, giving all passengers, as on any allsinglestravel.com tour, two persons that any passenger may contact for needs that may arise during your tour.
We will enjoy a short tour of scenic Nice, before being transferred to our 4 star hotel in Nice

One of the scenic beaches along the fabulous French Riviera

 

Monday July 26th
Today we will enjoy a full day tour visiting the chic principality of Monaco.  Monaco, the 2nd smallest independent nation in the world, is also one of the wealthiest.  It was home to the legendary Princess Grace (previously known as American actress Grace Kelly.)  Here you can visit the lasting commemoration to Princess Grace at the Palace.
Our tour will take us to Monte Carlo this afternoon where you can see its famed casino.
We will also visit SAINT–JEAN-CAP-FERRAT and its wonderful palazzo Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, the most beautiful French Riviera Palazzo and its nine wonderful gardens. Through the art dealers and experts she befriended, Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild sought out artworks all over the world, transforming the Villa at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat into a collector's paradise. Between sea and sky, overlooking the bay of Villefranche, the nine heavenly gardens are adorned with patios, fountains, ponds, flowered and shaded paths
The gardens are impeccably manicured and simply stunning

   
 SAINT–JEAN-CAP-FERRAT    Gardens at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

On our return to Nice, we will visit the impressive cathedral of Monaco.

 

TUESDAY JULY 27TH
TODAY WE WILL ENJOY A FULL DAY TOUR OF THE CHIC FRENCH RIVIERA TOWNS OF CANNES AND ST. TROPEZ 

CANNES, HOME TO THE ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL THAT BEARS ITS NAME IS ANOTHER PLAYGROUND OF THE RICH.

ST. TROPEZ IS A WATERFRONT HAVEN WHERE YOU WILL SEE MAGNIFICENT YACHTS ALONG ITS HARBOR, ALONG WITH TRENDY SHOPS AND EATERIES.
ON OUR RETURN TO NICE, WE WILL VISIT ST. PAUL DE VANCE, A CLIFFSIDE TOWN THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST PICTURESQUE VILLAGES IN ALL OF FRANCE.
Saint Paul de Vence is a charming hilltop fortified village in Provence, filled with art galleries, boutiques and sidewalk cafes
Located just northeast of Nice and towering at an altitude of 180 meters, this little charming medieval village has conquered the hearts of tourists from around the world.
A walk through its winding streets reveals elegant fountains, vine-covered stone walls and statues tucked into nooks in the walls. There are breathtaking views of mountains and sea. Even the ground below is attractive, as the cobblestones are laid into the shapes of flowers.
The fortified village itself is a site, with its medieval fortress walls surrounding the city.
As you walk through the village, be sure to look up so you don't miss some of the artwork embedded in the walls.
 As an artists' village, it is also filled with more affordable artwork in the form of various crafts

SCENIC CLIFFS ALONG THE FRENCH RIVIERA’S ST. PAUL DEVANCE
Upon our return to Nice we will enjoy one more night at leisure to explore the fun of the local French cuisine and nightlife.

Wed July 28th.
Today we will take the TGV high speed train where are passengers will ride in the 1st class seating to Paris, the city of lights.
Upon arrival we will enjoy a tour of the sites of Paris.  We will see famed sites including the Arc d Triomphe, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eifel Tower.
Following our tour we will be transferred to our 4 star hotel for the next 4 nights.  Tonight, enjoy an evening at leisure to explore the fabulous restaurants of Paris.  If you wish, take in one of the famed cabaret shows such as the Lido or Moulen Rouge, or take a scenic sunset cruise on the beautiful Seine River, where you will see many of the sites of Paris aglow after the sun sets.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Stain glass windows at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

 

Thurs. July 29th
Today, choose between a fabulous morning tour to visit the home and Gardens of Claude Monet in nearby Giverny, followed by a full afternoon at leisure back in Paris or enjoy a full day at leisure to explore Paris at your own pace and your own interests.

Our visit to Giverny, the former home and gardens of famed French Impressionist painter Claude Monet, you will be able to stroll the same gardens as did Monet.  View the ponds where the water lilies he painted still float effortlessly and tour the house in which he lived.  Giverny is just 1 hour from Paris, so those choosing to make the visit will be back in Paris by mid day with a full free afternoon to visit the exquisite museums of Paris, including the famed Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa

Monet's Home at Giverny

The gardens of Monet at Giverny

The scenic water lilies in Monet’s gardens at Giverny

Friday July 30th
Today is a full day at leisure to explore Paris at your own pace. You can visit the famed museums such as the Louvre, home of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.  You may also wish to visit the Musee De Orsee, home to many masterpieces of the Impressionist movement.

Also worth a visit is the Invalides Museum, home to the tomb of napoleon and a fantastic historical exhibition of World Wars I and II.
You may also wish to visit the beautiful cathedral of Sacre Coure at the top of Montmartre Hill.

The exterior of the most famous museum in the world – the Louvre, Paris

Be sure to stop for French Crepes at one of the many Creperies that dot the streets of Paris

Carousel at the foot of Montmartre, with the Cathedral of Scare Coure in the background.

Saturday July 31st.

This morning is at leisure.  In the afternoon, we will enjoy a visit to the famed palace of Versailles, the masterpiece of King Louis XIV built in 1682. Versailles was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790.
 The palace has 700 rooms, with over 6000 works of art inside.

The marble court. It contains a great marble slab
.
The salon of Mirrors, was used by Louis XIV as a council room. The furnishings of the apartments were looted or destroyed during the Revolution, but later renovated by Napoleon

 Napoleon's Bedroom. It is decorated in a suitably imperial style. During the French Revolution, much of the furniture was auctioned off. Napoleon and his wife, Marie Louise stayed there.

After our tour, we will enjoy a free evening in the town surrounding the palace, where our passengers can dine at their leisure at one of the quaint restaurants.
Following dinner, we will return to Versailles for an amazing show in its gardens.  The show features lasers, music, holographic images and more.  Passengers are free to explore the enormous grounds of the palace gardens at their leisure and witness the amazing variety of artistic displays, amongst the fountains and expansive gardens.

 Versailles has many fountains around its gardens and each is lit up in unique ways during the show.

One of the many fountains at Versailles that you can walk along during the spectacular show tonight.

Following the show, a grand fireworks show caps off the event.

We will return to our hotel at approx. 11 pm tonight for one final night in Paris.

Sunday August 1st
This morning we will leave Paris and take our chartered air conditioned coach to the Normandy region, approx. 2 hours from Paris.  We will arrive in the town of Rouen and enjoy a city tour, featuring the square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, as well as the fabulous cathedral of Rouen.
After our city tour of Rouen we will be taken to our 4 star hotel in Rouen, where we will stay for the final 3 nights of our tour.

Monday August 2nd
Today we will enjoy a full day tour to visit Normandy’s historic beaches, where the D Day invasions of WW II took place.  See the American military cemetery that overlooks the beach where the heroic Allied forces defeated the German defenses.
Here we will see the site where American and other Allied troops stormed the Normandy coast to challenge the enemy forces of the Nazis in one of the most heroic battles that shaped the future of both our nation and the world
 The walk along the paths in the cemetery is a very moving experience and the views of the beach below that held so much history is dramatic. 
Inside, you can view many historical accounts of the Allied forces strategies from the perspective of commander Eisenhower, General Patton and the many soldiers that give first hand accounts of the invasion planning and operation.
The museum pays tribute to the American soldiers that gave their lives in this historic battle for freedom.  We will have free time for lunch alongside the beach and time to reflect on the historic significance of the area.
If you wish, you can walk down a pathway to the beach and walk along the very stretch of beach where the bold and heroic invasion took place.
Tonight we return to our hotel in Rouen for an evening at leisure.
If you wish, walk to the center of town for one of two free nightly displays of artistry, one on the walls of the enormous cathedral of Rouen , which is lit up with many brightly adorned colors and mirages, set to a bold musical background.

The Landing Beaches - Mother of Pearl and Bessin Coasts
 

A map displays the allied invasion strategy of the successful D day raid

Tuesday August 3rd
Today we will enjoy a full day of fabulous sightseeing.
We will coach to visit the incredible monastery of Mont. St. Michel.
The monastery is located on a unique beachside promenade where the waves come in each morning and crash alongside the monastery, creating the most unique images. 

Mont St. Michel towering over the sea

After touring the monastery with our professional local guide, we will have free time to explore the scenic, quaint town at its base, which is filled with great shops and restaurants.  We will have ample time to explore, shop and have lunch at leisure.

At the end of the afternoon, we will return to Rouen for one final night at leisure.

Wed. August 4th
This morning we will be transferred by our chartered air conditioned coach back to Paris for our return flight nonstop back to New York on Air France.

Our Best of France tour includes:

• Air nonstop on Air France from NY-JFK to Paris, with connecting air France service from Paris to Nice France and return service nonstop from Paris to JFK

• Airport meet and greet service by local bi-lingual tour manager with group transportation from the airport to the hotel on arrival and back to the airport on the final day of the tour.

• Accommodations in 4 star hotels in each city on the itinerary

• Breakfast daily at each hotel

• All tours as listed in the trip itinerary:

• Guided tour of Nice, Cannes, St. Tropez and St. Paul Devance

• Guided tour of Monaco and Monte Carlo

• Guided City tour of Paris

• Excursion to the gardens of Giverney

• Excursion to the Palace of Versailles with guided tour

•   Entrance to the gardens of Versailles for the musical fountains and laser light Show

• Guided tour of Rouen and the site of Joan of Arc’s burning

• Excursion to the D Day beaches of Normandy and the American Military Cemetery

• Guided tour of Mount St. Michel Monastery

• Services of both a local bi-lingual tour manager dedicated to the group, that will assist the group from arrival in France throughout the tour each day as well as an allsinglestravel.com tour leader that will travel with the group from JFK to France and each day of the tour as well

 

TRIP COST: $2999 + air taxes of $410
(taxes are subject to change by the airline)

FREE ROOMMATE MATCHING IS, AS ON ALL OF OUR TRIPS INCLUDED.  FOR THOSE THAT PREFER TO HAVE THEIR OWN ROOM HOWEVER, AN OPTIONAL SINGLE SUPPLEMENT OF $599 APPLIES.

FOR THOSE WISHING TO PROVIDE YOUR OWN AIR, YOU MAY DEDUCT $575 FROM THE $2999 TRIP PACKAGE PRICE AND YOU MAY DEDUCT THE $410 IN TAXES AS WELL.

A $200 deposit is due within 7 days of making your reservation. Deposits can be made either by calling our office at 800-717-3231 MOF 9am-5;30pm EST or 770-664-7437 M-F 9am-7pm EST, or deposits can be made online by clicking the paypal link after completing the reservation form which you may click to at the bottom of this page.

Deposits are refundable if cancelled by April 1st and are non refundable thereafter.

Balance payments are due April 30th and are non refundable at that time.

Travel insurance is available upon request. Ask for details if interested