I'm going to Paris, bitch.
Day 1 Flight
Overnight flight to France * Enjoy jet accommodations
as you fly through the night across
the Atlantic.
Day 2 Paris
Arrival in Paris * Disembark in Paris, cosmopolitan
City of Light. After clearing customs, you'll
meet your tour director, who will remain with you
throughout your stay.
EF walking tour of Paris * Join our walking tour
of the chic Opéra district and the haute couture
boutiques of Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré. Stroll
through Place de la Concorde, the city's largest public
square, built to honor Louis XV. The next Louis
was not so lucky-he was beheaded here during the
Revolution, along with Marie Antoinette. Continue
through the geometric gardens of the
Tuileries as you make your way to Place Vendôme, a
vast square wrapped in 17th-century façades. Pass
the Ritz hotel at no. 15, a favorite haunt of Ernest
Hemingway. (The exact walking route may vary depending
on your hotel location and other activities.)
Day 3 - free day in Paris
Day 4 - Guided sightseeing of Paris * Discover the city
on the Seine: from the imposing Arc de Triomphe,
commemorating Napoleon's Grande Armée, to the
Île de la Cité, birthplace of Paris. Take a drive down
the elegant Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde.
Pass the Conciergerie, where prisoners of the
Revolution spent their final days, and see Les Invalides,
Louis XIV's grand retirement home for
wounded soldiers. You'll also see the École Militaire,
where Napoleon graduated to Lieutenant and was
told he'd go far if circumstances allowed. Next, make
a photo stop at the Eiffel Tower to marvel at the
6,000-ton centerpiece for the 1889 World's Fair.
Learn why this impressive, yet controversial, symbol
of Paris was spared the wrecking ball in 1909.
Visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral * Victor
Hugo once described the sculptured façade of Notre
Dame as "a vast symphony in stone." However, had
it not been for the creation of his famous hunchback,
Quasimodo, the cathedral might never have
returned to her former glory. Hugo's novel, The
Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831), helped inspire a
23-year restoration of the cathedral that began in
1841. Step inside to admire her stained-glass rose
windows and seemingly weightless vaulted ceilings.
Built between 1163-1361 over the remains of an
ancient Roman temple, it was here that Napoleon crowned himself
emperor in 1804.
Optional excursion to Versailles * Join an
optional excursion to Versailles, the elaborate palace
of Louis XIV. Here the Sun King held court in the
most lavish style imaginable. At one point, 1,000
nobles were attended by 4,000 servants inside the
palace, while 15,000 soldiers and servants inhabited
the annexes. Stroll through the elegantly landscaped
gardens, designed by André Le Nôtre, tour the State
Apartments of the King himself, walk through the
historic Hall of Mirrors, and admire the ornate
decor of the State Apartments of the Queen. (Please
note: Because of the extreme popularity of Versailles,
guided visits of the interior cannot be guaranteed
during peak seasons. In this case, your group will
hear a presentation from your guide before entering
the palace). On occasions when Versailles is closed
(as in every Monday) you'll instead take in the regal
splendor of Château de Fontainebleau, a 12th-century
royal residence that was a favored hunting
palace for Napoleon and other rulers of France.
Seine river cruise * This evening, take a narrated
river cruise along the Seine. As your boat glides from
one graceful bridge to the next, sit back and gaze
at the illuminated landmarks of Paris as they pan
into view.
Day 5 Paris * Night train
Visit to the Louvre * Built to defend the city in
the 13th century, the Louvre safeguards one of the
world's greatest art collections. Enter the museum
through world-renowned architect I.M. Pei's 1989
modernist glass pyramid. Inside, discover priceless
antiquities from Asia, Greece, and Rome. You'll also
see precious objects from the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance, as well as paintings by European
masters, including the Mona Lisa.
Night train to Florence * Tonight, enjoy
couchette accommodations aboard your overnight
train bound for Florence.
Day 6 Florence * Rome
Arrival in Florence * Arrive in Florence, birthplace
of the Italian language, the Renaissance, and
opera.
Guided sightseeing of Florence * Fall under
the spell of the powerful Medici family on your
guided walking tour. See Giotto's Bell Tower and
the imposing marble cathedral in the Piazza del
Duomo. Stand before Ghiberti's legendary Gates of
Paradise (so dubbed by Michelangelo), and pass the
classical statues of the Piazza della Signoria-here
you can see where Michelangelo's David originally
stood. You'll also visit the Chiesa di Santa Croce,
final resting place of Michelangelo, Machiavelli and
Galileo. Later, watch local artisans at work at a local
leather workshop.
Transfer to Rome * Eat lunch before continuing
on to bella Roma, the Eternal City. Here Charlemagne
was crowned by the pope in A.D. 800.
Day 7 Rome
Guided excursion to Vatican City * The world's
largest dome is located in the world's smallest country.
See both as you tour St. Peter's Basilica, erected
in Vatican City on the site where the saint was
martyred. Enter the basilica under the watchful eyes
of the brightly dressed Swiss Guard. Inside, admire
Michelangelo's Pietà and try to find the artist's
signature (it is the only sculpture he ever signed).
Then continue on to the Vatican Museum, where
elaborate galleries packed with one artistic masterpiece
after another lead you directly to the Sistine
Chapel. Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo
painted some of the world's finest pictorial images
on the Chapel's ceiling. This was his first attempt at
working in fresco, which he did by standing up and
craning backwards from a scaffold.
Guided sightseeing of Rome * Visit the mighty
Colosseum, where as many as 50,000 cheering spectators
would flock to watch gladiator battles unfold
inside. Then stroll through the grassy ruins of the
ancient Forum Romanum, once the heart of the
Roman Empire, and admire the enduring fragments
of Rome's glorious past. It was here that business,
commerce and the administration of justice once
took place. You'll also see Piazza Venezia, where the
Vittoriano monument marks the center of contemporary
Rome.
Day 8 Rome * Pompeii
Optional excursion to Pompeii and the Bay of
Naples * Learn how wealthy Romans lived 2,000
years ago on an excursion to Pompeii, one of
the richest archaeological sites in the world.
When neighboring Mt. Vesuvius erupted in A.D.
79, volcanic ash completely buried the Roman resort.
Now it is fully excavated, and you can see the
ruins of villas, ancient temples, and Stabian Baths.
Nearby is the beautiful Bay of Naples, known for
its magnificent views of the surrounding islands,
capes, and mountains.
Day 9 Home
Return home * Your tour director assists with the
transfer to the airport, where you'll check in for your
return flight home
Overnight flight to France * Enjoy jet accommodations
as you fly through the night across
the Atlantic.
Day 2 Paris
Arrival in Paris * Disembark in Paris, cosmopolitan
City of Light. After clearing customs, you'll
meet your tour director, who will remain with you
throughout your stay.
EF walking tour of Paris * Join our walking tour
of the chic Opéra district and the haute couture
boutiques of Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré. Stroll
through Place de la Concorde, the city's largest public
square, built to honor Louis XV. The next Louis
was not so lucky-he was beheaded here during the
Revolution, along with Marie Antoinette. Continue
through the geometric gardens of the
Tuileries as you make your way to Place Vendôme, a
vast square wrapped in 17th-century façades. Pass
the Ritz hotel at no. 15, a favorite haunt of Ernest
Hemingway. (The exact walking route may vary depending
on your hotel location and other activities.)
Day 3 - free day in Paris
Day 4 - Guided sightseeing of Paris * Discover the city
on the Seine: from the imposing Arc de Triomphe,
commemorating Napoleon's Grande Armée, to the
Île de la Cité, birthplace of Paris. Take a drive down
the elegant Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde.
Pass the Conciergerie, where prisoners of the
Revolution spent their final days, and see Les Invalides,
Louis XIV's grand retirement home for
wounded soldiers. You'll also see the École Militaire,
where Napoleon graduated to Lieutenant and was
told he'd go far if circumstances allowed. Next, make
a photo stop at the Eiffel Tower to marvel at the
6,000-ton centerpiece for the 1889 World's Fair.
Learn why this impressive, yet controversial, symbol
of Paris was spared the wrecking ball in 1909.
Visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral * Victor
Hugo once described the sculptured façade of Notre
Dame as "a vast symphony in stone." However, had
it not been for the creation of his famous hunchback,
Quasimodo, the cathedral might never have
returned to her former glory. Hugo's novel, The
Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831), helped inspire a
23-year restoration of the cathedral that began in
1841. Step inside to admire her stained-glass rose
windows and seemingly weightless vaulted ceilings.
Built between 1163-1361 over the remains of an
ancient Roman temple, it was here that Napoleon crowned himself
emperor in 1804.
Optional excursion to Versailles * Join an
optional excursion to Versailles, the elaborate palace
of Louis XIV. Here the Sun King held court in the
most lavish style imaginable. At one point, 1,000
nobles were attended by 4,000 servants inside the
palace, while 15,000 soldiers and servants inhabited
the annexes. Stroll through the elegantly landscaped
gardens, designed by André Le Nôtre, tour the State
Apartments of the King himself, walk through the
historic Hall of Mirrors, and admire the ornate
decor of the State Apartments of the Queen. (Please
note: Because of the extreme popularity of Versailles,
guided visits of the interior cannot be guaranteed
during peak seasons. In this case, your group will
hear a presentation from your guide before entering
the palace). On occasions when Versailles is closed
(as in every Monday) you'll instead take in the regal
splendor of Château de Fontainebleau, a 12th-century
royal residence that was a favored hunting
palace for Napoleon and other rulers of France.
Seine river cruise * This evening, take a narrated
river cruise along the Seine. As your boat glides from
one graceful bridge to the next, sit back and gaze
at the illuminated landmarks of Paris as they pan
into view.
Day 5 Paris * Night train
Visit to the Louvre * Built to defend the city in
the 13th century, the Louvre safeguards one of the
world's greatest art collections. Enter the museum
through world-renowned architect I.M. Pei's 1989
modernist glass pyramid. Inside, discover priceless
antiquities from Asia, Greece, and Rome. You'll also
see precious objects from the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance, as well as paintings by European
masters, including the Mona Lisa.
Night train to Florence * Tonight, enjoy
couchette accommodations aboard your overnight
train bound for Florence.
Day 6 Florence * Rome
Arrival in Florence * Arrive in Florence, birthplace
of the Italian language, the Renaissance, and
opera.
Guided sightseeing of Florence * Fall under
the spell of the powerful Medici family on your
guided walking tour. See Giotto's Bell Tower and
the imposing marble cathedral in the Piazza del
Duomo. Stand before Ghiberti's legendary Gates of
Paradise (so dubbed by Michelangelo), and pass the
classical statues of the Piazza della Signoria-here
you can see where Michelangelo's David originally
stood. You'll also visit the Chiesa di Santa Croce,
final resting place of Michelangelo, Machiavelli and
Galileo. Later, watch local artisans at work at a local
leather workshop.
Transfer to Rome * Eat lunch before continuing
on to bella Roma, the Eternal City. Here Charlemagne
was crowned by the pope in A.D. 800.
Day 7 Rome
Guided excursion to Vatican City * The world's
largest dome is located in the world's smallest country.
See both as you tour St. Peter's Basilica, erected
in Vatican City on the site where the saint was
martyred. Enter the basilica under the watchful eyes
of the brightly dressed Swiss Guard. Inside, admire
Michelangelo's Pietà and try to find the artist's
signature (it is the only sculpture he ever signed).
Then continue on to the Vatican Museum, where
elaborate galleries packed with one artistic masterpiece
after another lead you directly to the Sistine
Chapel. Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo
painted some of the world's finest pictorial images
on the Chapel's ceiling. This was his first attempt at
working in fresco, which he did by standing up and
craning backwards from a scaffold.
Guided sightseeing of Rome * Visit the mighty
Colosseum, where as many as 50,000 cheering spectators
would flock to watch gladiator battles unfold
inside. Then stroll through the grassy ruins of the
ancient Forum Romanum, once the heart of the
Roman Empire, and admire the enduring fragments
of Rome's glorious past. It was here that business,
commerce and the administration of justice once
took place. You'll also see Piazza Venezia, where the
Vittoriano monument marks the center of contemporary
Rome.
Day 8 Rome * Pompeii
Optional excursion to Pompeii and the Bay of
Naples * Learn how wealthy Romans lived 2,000
years ago on an excursion to Pompeii, one of
the richest archaeological sites in the world.
When neighboring Mt. Vesuvius erupted in A.D.
79, volcanic ash completely buried the Roman resort.
Now it is fully excavated, and you can see the
ruins of villas, ancient temples, and Stabian Baths.
Nearby is the beautiful Bay of Naples, known for
its magnificent views of the surrounding islands,
capes, and mountains.
Day 9 Home
Return home * Your tour director assists with the
transfer to the airport, where you'll check in for your
return flight home