Heart of France: Paris, Normandy, Loire Valley & Champagne

11 days
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
Map not provided by operator
Additional images not provided by operator
Video not provided by operator
4.9/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
99%
Save this trip to your favorites or other list
preferred

USTOA

Group Tour
Discover the heart of France on this enchanting tour taking us from the famous “City of Lights” through historic Normandy and on to the lovely Loire Valley and Champagne region. No visit to Paris is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, and Arc de Triomphe plus enjoy dinner in the city’s famous Montmartre area. We’ll also take in the c...

Overview

Trip type
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

Highlights

    • City Tour of Paris—Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe & more!
    • Monet’s House & Gardens (Giverny)
    • Versailles Optional Excursion
    • Mont St. Michel (Normandy)
    • Normandy Beaches
    • Normandy American Cemetery
    • Château de Chambord (Loire Valley)
    • Château de Chenonceau (Loire Valley)
    • Wine tastings in Loire Valley & Champagne region

What's this trip about?

    Discover the heart of France on this enchanting tour taking us from the famous “City of Lights” through historic Normandy and on to the lovely Loire Valley and Champagne region. No visit to Paris is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, and Arc de Triomphe plus enjoy dinner in the city’s famous Montmartre area. We’ll also take in the country’s natural beauty with visits to Giverny and Monet’s House & Gardens which inspired the famous impressionist painter’s most famous works. Explore Mont Saint-Michel with its medieval abbey and take a step back in history to learn about one of our most famous days in history: D-Day. In the Loire Valley and the Champagne region, we’ll visit some of France’s most stunning châteaux like Château Chambord and Château de Chenonceau and enjoy wine tastings!

Compare to similar trips

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - 12 max
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportAll internal ground transport included
Start CityUSA
End CityUSA

Travel Themes

  • Culinary & Wine
  • Cultural

Destinations

Attractions

  • Eiffel Tower
  • Loire Valley
  • Mont Saint-Michel
  • Normandy
  • Paris
  • Reims

Activities

  • Culture
  • Educational/ learning
  • Nature
  • Wine Tasting

Trip includes

    • Round-trip airfare from New York Area
    • airfare taxes, fees & fuel surcharges
    • Intra-France ground transportation and transfers
    • Accommodations at first-class hotels
    • 15 meals: 9 full buffet breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 4 dinners
    • Glass of wine with included dinners
    • Comprehensive sightseeing tours including admissions fees
    • Experienced English-speaking Tour Director throughout

View Similar Trips

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart USA
Your fascinating Heart of France tour begins this evening with an overnight flight to Paris.

Day 2: Arrive In Paris (France)
Meals: Dinner Arrive in the beautiful city of Paris, also known as the “City of Lights.” For centuries, Paris has been one of the world’s most important cities and certainly one of the world’s most beautiful. Not only is Paris the capital of France, but it is considere...
Day 3: Paris
Today we’ll enjoy a guided orientation tour of this magnificent city. We’ll see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Latin Quarter, Pantheon, Place Vendome, and the Paris Opera and more. The tour will end with the afternoon free to exp...
Day 4: Paris
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Today we’ll enjoy a guided orientation tour of this magnificent city. We’ll see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Latin Quarter, Pantheon, Place Vendome, and the Paris Opera and more. The tour will end wit...
Day 5: Mont Saint-Michel
Meals: Breakfast

Note: Mont Saint-Michel is hilly with lots of stairs and might pose a challenge for those with difficulty walking. Today we’ll travel to the rugged coast of Normandy and savor breathtaking views of magnificent Mont Saint-Michel which was built on an isolated island in th...
Day 6: Normandy Beaches/American Cemetery & Memorial
Meals: Breakfast

Today we’ll experience and learn about one of the most famous days in history: D-Day. We’ll visit the Normandy Beaches including Omaha Beach near the coastal village of Colleville-sur-Mer. Omaha was one of the principal beachheads where the U.S. Army stormed ashore on D-...
Day 7: Normandy/Château De Villandry/Loire Valley
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner This morning is free to explore Caen (Normandy) independently before we travel to the Loire valley, famous for its old-world villages and charming châteaux (castles). En route we’ll pay a visit to the Château and Gardens of Villandry, the ...
Day 8: Château De Chambord/Château De Chenonceau/Wine Tasting
Meals: Breakfast This morning, we’ll visit Château de Chambord, the undisputed crown jewel of the region and arguably the emblem of the French Renaissance. Originally King Francois I’s weekend hunting lodge in the early 16th century, the Château evolved into one of the...
Day 9: Loire Valley/Reims
Meals: Breakfast After breakfast, we’ll transfer to the Champagne Region by coach.  En route, stop in Château-Thierry which was the site of one of the first actions by the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during WWI.  We’ll visit the Belleau Woods & Château Thie...
Day 10: Champagne
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch After breakfast, we’ll enjoy a tour through the famous Champagne Region visiting two local wineries with an included tasting and a farewell lunch. Our tour will end at our hotel with the evening free at leisure.

Day 11: Reims/USA
Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast, we’ll say “au revoir” to France as we head to the airport for our return flight to the USA. Our exciting journey ends as we touch down in the U.S.

Want a tailor-made trip instead?

Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:

  • You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
  • Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Design custom trip

Dates & Availability

Price From $3,599
Price per day$327
Last Updated: 2/17/2023

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with SmarTours.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

SmarTours Reviews & Ratings

4.9/5  Excellent
Excellent
996
Great
111
Average
1
Disappointing
2
Terrible
5
Write a Review

Other SmarTours Reviews

A

Amy G

Jun 2024

Written on

I did a tour to San Remo / Menton/…

I did a tour to San Remo / Menton/ Turbine and my tour guide was Smiley - she was great knowledgable, educated. One of the best tours I have taken. Highly recommend ...

T

Tour Guide Spoke Unintelligible English

Jun 2024

Written on

Company Failed to provide value and service

traveled with Smartours to Japan on a 12 day trip in May 2 024. This was the tour guide’s first trip working for Smartours. She spoke unintelligible English. Smartou...

c

customer

Feb 2024

Written on

BUYER BEWARE

BUYER BEWARE. We were to leave on a tour of Egypt/Jordan 5 days after the Hamas attacks on Israel. This outfit took about 5 minutes consideration to decide that it...

Write a Review

Travelers also viewed

Tour Operator

SmarTours

preferred
View Profile

smarTours was founded in 1996 with one goal in mind: to provide high quality, exciting group tour packages to some of the most fascinating countries in the world at the lowest possible price.  The team at smarTours believes deeply that high quality international travel should be affordable, and we work tirelessly to deliver affordability.

At smarTours, most of our travelers in any given year are repeat customers – they had such great experiences with us before that they decided to travel with us again.  And many of our customers are so happy with smarTours that they have made traveling with us an annual tradition, reaching 5, 10, even 15 trips with smarTours!  In other words, we must be doing at least a few things right.

Unbeatable Value: We provide exceptional value for your money, and it does not take that much time visiting our website to figure that out.  However, it can be difficult to compare the value provided by different tour operators because the tours are so intricate and multifaceted.  If you take the time to really peel back onion and evaluate the tours offered by smarTours, we are confident that you would come to the conclusion that our loyal customers have – that smarTours provides unbeatable value.

Phenomenal Tour Guides: If you ask anyone who has been on an escorted tour, they will tell you that the tour guides are an essential ingredient to making the trip a success.  The importance of tour guides is not lost on us at smarTours, which is why we are relentless in our pursuit and retention of the very best tour guides.  We are proud to say with confidence that our tour guides are phenomenal, and many of them have become celebrity-like figures within the smarTours community.

smarTours Price Protection: We have had a price protection policy since we started in 1996, and we thought it was time to share it with you.  If you reserve a spot on a tour and we later lower the price, we will make up the difference for you!  We do not penalize you for booking early, so you can reserve your spot with confidence that the price will not get any better (lower) for that particular date.  Also, to be clear, if you reserve a spot on a tour and we later increase the price, we will not raise your price to match the new price!

Focus: Unlike most of our competitors, we focus exclusively on providing affordable group tours to foreign, largely exotic destinations.  In the travel business, it is particularly easy to get distracted by new trends and themes, but we have chosen to focus on what we do best.  We are extremely deliberate in introducing new tours because we have set a standard that our loyal customers have come to rely on, and we are committed to meeting and exceeding your expectations.

What they’re known for
Low-cost international tours to bucket list destinations for travelers looking to maximize their holiday budget.

Associations

About Travelstride

Find your perfect trip

An epic selection of pre-planned trips on every continent, for every style. Thousands of itineraries from over 1,000 trusted travel companies.

Save time

Use simple search and comparison tools to easily find the best trip. Don't sweat the logistics — travel providers plan for you.

Save money

Book directly with the operator. See inclusive packages for the best values, and get access to amazing deals.

Travel confidently

Read unbiased user reviews, pick the operator that suits your needs, and connect with them directly.

Logistics

Accommodation

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Meals Included
9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch and 4 Dinners
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Additional Information
Trip ID
smartours-HeaFraSma

Become a member

(it's free)
  • Save up to $700 per person
  • Access members-only specials
  • Personalize trip recommendations
Sign up and save
Top Tour Companies on Travelstride:
All 1,600+ companies >