After arriving at CDG Airport, meet your driver for a private transfer to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at your leisure to rest or explore your surroundings. Take advantage of your Paris TripBuilder; a convenient pocket sized 60-page guide featuring comprehensive city information plus a full city, fold-out map highlighting all major tourist sites. Wander around the Marais district, as the old Jewish Quarter is now the trendiest part of the city. On the eastern fringe lies Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris and lined with galleries and restaurants. And this fashionable district is not just boutiques. You can visit Maison de Victor Hugo, where the author lived and wrote, as well as one of the more creative museums in Paris, the Musee Carnavalet. It traces the history of Paris using paintings and imaginative scale models. A short walk away is Musee Picasso. It features approximately 5,000 works by Pablo Picasso, and also showcases works by Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas and Henri Matisse. Dinner is on your own this evening, and your options are unlimited, whether it's a haute cuisine restaurant or a simple bistro. If you have a specific restaurant in mind that you've been wanting to try, have your hotel make a reservation. You'll find that it's customary in all France, and more importantly, guarantees you a table this evening.

(Accommodations, Paris)

You will come to find out that Paris needs many visits to really know the city but your half day tour today gives an excellent overview of how it evolved during its 2,000 year history. The excursion begins with the ascent to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower for a panoramic view of Paris (Note - there is not enough time for you to go up to the top observation deck of the Eiffel Tower during the tour). A 70-minute cruise on the Seine with its unforgettable 38 bridges and viewing of many of the major monuments in the city is next. After the cruise the tour will continue via minibus to drive by Concorde Square, the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and Moulin Rouge to name a few. The Bonne Franquette Restaurant is the location for lunch, which includes a glass of wine.

After lunch the tour continues through the village of Montmartre, passing by the Sacre Coeur Basilica and the famous Place du Tertre where artists and painters used to display their works. There will be a short stop (15-20 minutes) to stroll in the narrow streets of this village. Later on your guide will drive you by the Opera, Vendome Squares, the Louvre, the Marais district, Notre Dame Cathedral, and on to the left bank through the Latin quarter, the Pantheon, Luxembourg Gardens, and the Invalides Church before returning to your hotel.

(Breakfast, Accommodations, Paris)

After breakfast, you have the day at leisure to explore and experience the City of Lights. Don't forget the Invalides, the museum relating to the military history of France, and the site of Napoleon's burial site. Not far away is the Pantheon where many French national heroes are interred, such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille, Marie Curie, and most recently, Alexander Dumas. For the impressionist art lovers, there is the Musee d'Orsay and the Orangerie, as well as the Picasso and Rodin museums. And for the Revolutionary War buffs, the relatively unknown Picpus cemetery, where victims of the Reign of Terror lie, including the well-kept honored grave of Marquis de Lafayette.

(Breakfast, Accommodations, Paris)

Normandy's dramatic 360-mile rugged coastline from the Seine Maritime to the World Heritage Site of Mont Saint Michel matched with the interior's timber framed cottages, traditional farming and ever-changing landscapes, has been home to a population descending from Vikings for over a thousand years. Pick up your rental car at one of several convenient locations in Paris and begin your leisurely drive through the Normandy countryside. While on your way to Bayeux or Caen, consider a stop in Giverny; the former residence of Claude Monet and his garden. Well worth a visit is the medieval town of Rouen, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. And in Bayeux, don't miss the renowned Bayeux Tapestry, where William the Conqueror's invasion of England is literally woven in great detail.

(Breakfast, Paris; Accommodations, Normandy)

After breakfast, depart on your half day tour where you’ll visit three major sites in the American sector. During World War Two, the Nazis were in the process of building the Atlantic Wall, a series of fortifications from Norway to the border of France and Spain. Stretching for over 2000 miles, it was considered impregnable by the Nazi high command. One such site was located at the Pointe Du Hoc in Normandy. Consisting of 6 long range gun positions and many other concrete bunkers, it posed a real threat to allied shipping on D-Day. The task of silencing this formidable gun battery was given to American Rangers. Their job was not an easy one, as the site is protected by almost 100 feet of sheer cliff.

Omaha Beach has become synonymous to D-Day due to the horrific casualties the American forces suffered on the morning of June 6th 1944. The 4.2 miles of coastline that is now referred to as Omaha Beach was assaulted at 06:30 on D-Day morning by American Rangers, the 29th Infantry Division and the 1st Infantry Division. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong and American forces suffered enormously. Through sheer determination and incredible leadership, US forces finally managed to make small break outs which would eventually snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Finally you will visit the Normandy American Cemetery which covers 172 acres and is the final resting place for 9,387 service men and women. Here you can spend your free time in the cemetery visitor center.

(Breakfast, Accommodations, Normandy)

Today you have several options on your last day to explore other interesting sites as you wish, including Honfleur, a picturesque port city, favored by impressionists like Monet; the twin towns; Deauville, a chic seaside resort, Trouville, a traditional fishing port, and Falaise, birthplace of William the Conqueror and site of a famous WWII battle. No visit to Normandy would be complete without stopping at Mont-Saint-Michel (St. Michael's Mount). A traditional pilgrimage destination and the 4th most visited tourist site in France. A project to restore the maritime character around the mount has begun, and now a direct shuttle runs from Pontorson to Mont St Michel. This rocky tidal island, located one half mile off the coast, has been the site of a cathedral and village that today is the highlight of many Normandy holidays.

(Breakfast, Accommodations, Normandy)

After breakfast, return your rental car and continue to your next Avanti destination!

(Breakfast, Normandy)