Join a guided tour of Chartres Cathedral, whose towers rise above the plains of the Beauce region. Explore this landmark of French Gothic architecture and take in the scale and detail of its historic interior.

Chartres is especially renowned for its medieval stained glass, which fills the cathedral with coloured light and preserves centuries-old imagery. A guided visit brings the building’s craftsmanship and spiritual significance into focus at one of France’s most important cathedral sites.

Cross to the fortified island of Mont Saint-Michel and explore its hilltop abbey with a Local Expert. Pass through the compact medieval village and discover the abbey’s halls and vaulted spaces high above the surrounding sands.

For centuries, this tidal landmark has drawn pilgrims to the borderlands of Normandy and Brittany. Its layered stone buildings rise dramatically from the bay, making the guided visit as much an encounter with medieval ingenuity as with a remarkable coastal setting.

• 3 Dinner (D)
• 7 Breakfast (B)

• Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Insight Vacations

• Business class coach with extended leg room
• Top-rated dining, from farm-to-table to local restaurants
• 4 & 5-star stays

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over an included welcome dinner at a local Paris restaurant. Enjoy cuisine inspired by fresh, home-made recipes while getting to know the people sharing your journey through France.

Dining together offers a relaxed introduction to the capital’s restaurant culture, where conversation is as much a part of the evening as the meal. It is a welcoming way to settle into Paris before exploring Normandy, Brittany and the Loire Valley.

Walk through Rouen’s historic centre to admire its Gothic cathedral, the ornate Great Clock and the streets around the Old Market. Claude Monet painted the cathedral’s facade repeatedly, capturing the changing light on its carved stone.

At Place du Vieux-Marché, see the square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 and the modern church that commemorates her. Timber-framed buildings and narrow lanes preserve the atmosphere of Normandy’s medieval capital.

Explore Honfleur’s old harbour, where tall, narrow houses frame the water and fishing boats recall the town’s maritime past. Wander the nearby streets to discover the textures and colours of this Normandy port.

Honfleur’s changing harbour light attracted painters including Claude Monet and Eugène Boudin. The waterfront remains a distinctive place to appreciate the connection between Normandy’s coastal life and the artists who helped shape Impressionism.

Visit a family-owned apple farm near Honfleur and meet a local producer keeping Normandy’s orchard traditions alive. Learn how selected apples are pressed and transformed into juice, cider and Calvados, the region’s apple brandy.

Taste apple juice, cider and Calvados to compare their flavours and discover how production methods shape each drink. Among the orchards of Normandy’s cider country, the tasting reveals why apples have long been central to local farming and food culture.

Follow the route of the US Army Rangers at Pointe du Hoc, the clifftop position between Utah and Omaha beaches that they assaulted on D-Day. Visit surviving bunkers and the Rangers Memorial while looking out across the English Channel.

The steep cliffs and remains of German defences make the difficulty of the 6 June 1944 operation tangible. This visit places one of the Normandy landings’ most demanding missions within the landscape where it unfolded.

Visit the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer with a Local Expert and take time for reflection above Omaha Beach. Walk among the rows of white headstones honouring American service members who died during the Normandy campaign.

Overlooking one of the principal D-Day landing beaches, the cemetery connects the scale of the Allied operation with individual lives. Your Local Expert provides historical context for this solemn place of remembrance.

Choose to visit the D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains and learn how the Allies supplied their forces after the Normandy landings. Look across the bay to see remnants of the artificial Mulberry harbour built offshore.

The harbour was an extraordinary engineering response to the need to unload troops, vehicles and supplies without capturing a major port. This is one of two included Insight Choice activities; travellers select it instead of the Bayeux Cathedral visit.

Choose to visit Bayeux Cathedral and admire its Norman and Gothic architecture, from the great towers to the richly detailed interior. Discover the cathedral’s long connection to the town’s religious and civic life.

Learn about the site where the Bayeux Tapestry was originally displayed, linking the building to the story of the Norman Conquest of England. This is one of two included Insight Choice activities; travellers select it instead of the Arromanches D-Day Museum visit.

Explore Saint-Malo’s walled old town with a Local Expert, following the streets of Intra-Muros to its cathedral. Learn why the Breton port became known as the City of the Corsairs and hear about voyagers associated with it, including Jacques Cartier.

Thick ramparts guard a maze of stone-built streets beside the sea. The walk reveals a place shaped by seafaring, trade and privateering; the fortifications also offer views across the old town and the bay.

Pause in Angers to admire the moated Château d’Angers, a formidable fortress overlooking the Maine River. See its imposing walls and distinctive round towers, built to defend this historic centre of Anjou.

The château’s powerful silhouette offers a contrast to the elegant Renaissance estates found elsewhere in the Loire region. This is a viewing stop rather than a stated interior visit, giving travellers a close look at the valley’s medieval military heritage.

Join a local vintner in Saumur for a guided wine tasting. Sample Loire Valley wines while learning about regional grape varieties and the traditions that shape their production.

Saumur sits within a wine-growing landscape along the Loire, where vineyard sites and winemaking knowledge contribute to a wide range of styles. Speaking with a producer adds a local perspective to each glass, turning the tasting into an introduction to the region’s agricultural and cultural heritage.

Explore the gardens of Château de Villandry, a celebrated Loire Valley estate known for its formal Renaissance-inspired designs. Walk among ornamental flowerbeds, water features and the patterned kitchen garden, where vegetables and herbs are arranged with striking precision.

Villandry’s terraces turn horticulture into living design, balancing beauty with productive planting. Look for the colours and scents of seasonal crops while discovering how the gardens are maintained using sustainable practices that honour the estate’s long gardening tradition.

Explore the Royal Château of Amboise with a Local Expert and discover a Loire Valley residence shaped by the French court. From its terraces, look across the river and the rooftops of Amboise.

Visit the château chapel where Leonardo da Vinci is buried, a reminder of the artistic and intellectual exchange fostered by Renaissance rulers. The château’s commanding position and royal history make it a revealing place to consider the ambitions of the period.

Dine at Le Domaine de la Tortinière, a historic château hotel set among French gardens in the Loire Valley. Enjoy an included three-course, farm-to-table dinner featuring produce from the château’s gardens and local suppliers.

The menu draws on traditional family-style cuisine and the ingredients of the surrounding region. Dining in this château setting connects the flavours on the plate with the valley’s cultivated landscapes and its enduring tradition of generous hospitality.

See the capital’s grand landmarks on a Travel Director-led introduction to Paris. Take in Place de la Concorde, follow the Champs-Élysées and view Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe.

The broad avenues express the scale of Paris’s urban design, while Place de la Concorde carries the history of the French Revolution: a guillotine once stood there. The sightseeing offers a clear sense of the city’s monumental spaces and the events that shaped them.

Visit the coastal town of Cancale for a seafood meal featuring fresh local produce and other Breton specialities. Known throughout France for its oyster beds, Cancale offers a direct taste of Brittany’s close relationship with the sea.

The town’s shellfish-growing tradition gives the meal a strong sense of place, with the flavours of the coast at its centre. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Choose to visit Château de Chenonceau, the Loire Valley château whose gallery stretches across the River Cher. Explore a Renaissance landmark distinguished by its graceful river setting and its association with influential women of the French court.

Known as the Château des Dames, Chenonceau reflects the patronage of figures including Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici. Its architecture and waterside position set it apart from the valley’s other royal residences. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Visit Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, the manor where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years. Explore the house and gardens and examine working models that bring some of his inventive ideas to life.

Leonardo came to France at the invitation of King Francis I, carrying the curiosity that informed his work as both artist and engineer. The visit offers an intimate perspective on his life beyond the better-known paintings. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Experience a Paris cabaret show for an evening of staged entertainment in the City of Light. Enjoy the theatrical energy, music and showmanship associated with the capital’s long-standing nightlife tradition.

Cabaret has been part of Parisian performance culture since the late 19th century, combining spectacle with the pleasure of a night out. The specific venue is not stated, allowing the performance itself to take centre stage. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.