Paris ? 3 nights

Arrival to Paris, France’s fashionable, dynamic ? and very historic capital city. Upon arrival meet your local guide in the terminal’s arrival hall for a panoramic city tour of Paris’ best attractions by private bus en route to the hotel. See the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, the Hotel Invalides, the Louvre and the River Seine. During the tour your group will also ascend either the Eiffel Tower or the Montparnasse Tower to appreciate the spectacular view of Paris in all her glory. The tour will finish at the hotel. After check-in and time to freshen up, walk to a nearby local restaurant for a Parisian group dinner.

Day 2:

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will meet its local guide in the lobby for a guided tour of the world renowned Louvre Museum, the most visited museum in the world. See Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Nike of Samothrace and Jacques-Louis David’s The Coronation of Napoleon as well as works by Titian, Raphael, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and many more.

After the museum visit, you will be dropped off in the Latin Quarter. After time for lunch on own, enjoy a 90-minute walking tour of the historic heart of Paris. Here in the 5th arrondissement, this Parisian neighborhood was happening during the Roman times on through the Middle Ages right up to the present. See the Boulevard St-Michel, the Sorbonne, the Caveau de la Huchette jazz club, the very narrow Rue du Chat-qui-Peche and the Church of St-Etienne-du-Mont. Once the walking tour has finished, your group will be dropped back at the hotel. The evening is free to enjoy Paris.

Day 3:

After breakfast in the hotel, your group will travel to the Palace of Versailles for a half-day excursion. Constructed primarily in the 17th century, this magnificent royal palace was home to Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV (the Sun King). Your group will tour the chateau including the Grands Appartements, the Chapel and the Hall of Mirrors. Afterwards, there will be time to explore the palace’s superb gardens before returning to Paris. The afternoon is free. All group members should be back in the hotel by the early evening for a sightseeing cruise on the River Seine. After embarking at the base of the Eiffel Tower, see the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Ile de la Cite and the river’s beautiful bridges. Once the cruise has finished, proceed to a local restaurant for a group dinner.

London ? 3 nights

After breakfast and check-out, your group will transfer by private bus to the station. Travel first class by train to London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom. As the train pulls into the station, a local guide will meet your group on the platform and lead it on a panoramic city tour of London’s best sites en route to the hotel. See St. Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and more. Once the tour finishes at the hotel, group members will have free time to check in and fresh up before dining together in the hotel this evening.

Day 5:

After breakfast in the hotel, travel by private bus with a local guide to the fascinating Tower of London for a guided tour. The Tower’s origins date back to the 11th century, and today it is an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the Crown Jewels, which have been on display here since the 17th century. The Tower was the site of the executions of Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Margaret Pole and many others.

After the tour, your group will have free time for lunch. Consider fish & chips or a steak & kidney pie at a local pub. After lunch, your group will walk down to the Tower Pier on the River Thames. (This is how prisoners were traditionally bought into the Tower) for a cruise down to Westminster Pier. The private us will pick you up at the pier and return your group to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon is free. London has an excellent theatre scene, and this evening your group will attend a theatre performance.

Day 6:

After breakfast in the hotel, enjoy a guided tour of one of London’s terrific museums. Choose for example between the Victoria & Albert Museum (art & design), the British Museum (antiquities), Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition, the National Portrait Gallery or the Tate Modern (contemporary art). (Note: your group will need to decide on selected museum before departing the US). Once the museum tour has finished, enjoy free time to have lunch, shop and relax. This afternoon your group will enjoy a traditional afternoon tea. Your last evening in London is free.

Day 7:

After breakfast and check-out, your group will travel to the airport for its return flight to the US.