We arrived in Paris via high-speed train from Basel, Switzerland and were met at the train station with our private transfer company. Our driver took us to our hotel, which would become our home base for the next 7 nights. Our hotel was located within walking distance of shopping, cafes, restaurants, Arc de Triomphe and of course, one of the most famous shopping streets in Paris, Avenue de Champs Elysées.

After checking into our hotel, we took some time to unpack our suitcase. There was a board in the entrance indicating our meeting time but we also had all of the information in tour travel documents. We had some free time and spent the afternoon getting to know our surroundings before our 4:30PM welcome meeting with our travel director and fellow travellers.

We met Jonathan, our travel director; at 4:30PM in the hotel conference room. The first thing we did was introduce ourselves to the group. Jonathan reviewed the itinerary, gave us an overview of what to expect during the next week and went over a few housekeeping items. He also provided a printed copy of some insider secrets which included dining recommendations and areas to visit within a 5 to 10 minute walk from the hotel. He also went through the optional experiences that were available and we had a chance to ask questions before signing up for any that we were interested in. We got a chance to mingle and talk with other travellers before we walked next door to the restaurant for our Welcome Dinner. The food, drinks and service at Le Sud were fantastic. After supper, we walked back to the hotel where we went into the lounge area to listen to some music before heading back to our room for the night

After breakfast, we met our travel director at 9:00AM for a city tour. We got to view the grand Champs Elysées, Place de la Concorde and Arc de Triomphe. We visited one of Paris’s most historic neighborhoods. After tasting some of the best pastries, we went to Fragonard Parfumerie where we got to create our own unique fragrance. We even got to take it home. After we were finished, we strolled through the Latin Quarter. Our entire group had signed up for the optional experiences so our Tour Director was able to change the itinerary a bit. We stopped for lunch at Café Panis before heading to Notre Dame Cathedral for our tour. This was another insider restaurant on our list and was also amazing. After lunch, we walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral to start our tour. Words cannot describe the magnificent structure, with its artifacts and history. The building 850 years old. Jonathan had us captivated as he walked us through some of the history. After our tour, we went back to the hotel for some leisure time before our scheduled departure for our river cruise on the Seine. This was a perfect way to discover the city.

Unfortunately, our river cruise was overshadowed by the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. Our Tour Director received word as we were departing for our river cruise that there was a fire at Notre Dame Cathedral. This fire turned out to be catastrophic for the Cathedral, causing upwards of 1 billion dollars in damage. We were extremely grateful we got to visit before the fire. After our river cruise, we drove back to the hotel where we sat in the lounge to listen to some local jazz entertainment.

This morning we had an early rise as we signed up for the optional guided D-Day Beaches tour at Normandy. Some travellers stayed back to enjoy a leisure day in Paris.

Co-incidentally, June 6^th, 2019 marked the 75^th anniversary of when the Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy (France). Our coach departed at 7:15AM where we started our 2 hour drive to Normandy. We got to see some scenic landscape and drive by some quaint little towns along the way. Our Tour Director gave us some D-Day history and told some fascinating stories along the way. One involved Charles de Gaulle, a French army officer and statesman who led the French Resistance against Nazi Germany in World War II. We visited the battle-scarred cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, the American cemetery at Omaha Beach and the gun battery at Longues-sur-Mer. We also got to visit the new Operation Overlord Museum before continuing to Arromanches for views of Gold and Juno Beaches. Although we were the only 2 Canadians on the tour, we stopped at Juno Beach where we got to learn a little more information. After we left Juno Beach, we visited Bény-sur-Mer, one of two Canadian war cemeteries in France that is the final resting place for over 2000 Canadians, including 359 Canadians from D-Day.

We stopped at a local restaurant for lunch and feasted on fresh fish and sampled Normandy cider. After lunch, we started our trek back to Paris. We did a recap of our day and unanimously agreed it was one of the best experiences we have been a part of. In keeping with the Normandy theme, we watched “The Longest Day” on the bus TV screen.   This is a 1962 epic war film based on Cornelius Ryan's 1959 book The Longest Day (1959). It takes you through the story of the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II. This was a nice end to our Normandy trip as we had a better understanding after visiting and hearing the stories. Our Tour Director capped it off with offering another taste of Normandy cider.arrived back at the hotel around 9:00PM where we stopped into the lounge for a snack before heading back to our room after our busy day.

Today we have a full day tour to the Palace and Royal Estate of Versailles. We left the hotel at 9:30AM and arrived at Versailles to see a massive lineup outside but once again, we able to skip the lines. We toured through the Palace and walked through the Hall of Mirrors and Battles Gallery. We walked in the footsteps of French nobility and strolled through the picturesque Royal Gardens and visited the Petit Trianon to see how the French Royal Family lived in private before discovering Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet.   The Palace and gardens were breathtaking. After our guided tour, we had some free time to wander around on our own and then go get some lunch. We decided on one of the recommended Creperie’s, La Place. Once again, the food was fantastic.

After lunch, we drove to Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet (Hameau de la Reine). In 1783, she built the Hamlet. The central part of the Hamlet was reserved for the Queen’s personal use and the mill, dovecote, guard house, barn, working dairy, model dairy, Marlborough tower and farm were used for agricultural purposes or for service functions. Several people lived here, including the head gardener and the guard responsible for the Queen’s safety. The gardens and trees were beautiful, with flowers and shrubs everywhere in bloom. After we finished our tour, we walked back toward our coach where Jonathan had a treat waiting for us…gelato. This was welcoming in the hot sun. We travelled back to our hotel where we had the rest of the day as leisure time.  

We freshened up and set off for some exploring. We walked to Arc De Triomphe to take pictures and then on to Champs Elysees in Paris for a bit of shopping. Once we finished, we headed to one of the recommended dining locations to use our Brasserie voucher. La Lorraine was an excellent choice for our dinner. The food, wine and service were amazing! We slowly tracked our way back to the hotel, stopping for a piece of chocolate along the way.

The evening was topped off with a beverage and some music in the lounge.

After breakfast, we were off to Montmartre. As the streets are narrow on the mountain, we went up the mountain on the Little Train of Montmartre. We had a guided visit of Montmartre, along with a guided visit of the artist’s quarter. It is a beautiful place to leisurely walk and lounge with a cup of coffee or glass of wine. After our tour, we had free time so we visited the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, another spectacular church with amazing architecture. After we finished, we picked up some fresh sandwiches, along with a glass of wine and sat on the steps of the Basilica where we waited for our return train.

We left Montmartre and went to the Orsay museum for a guided tour. Line ups and wait times are normally long but once again, one of the perks of travelling with Trafalgar is we get to skip the lines. There was literally no wait time as we walked into the impressive the Musée d'Orsay. This is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. It holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures and furniture. Our guide went into detail on various pieces of art and some of the highlights included famous paintings from Monet, van Gogh and Renoir. Jonathan had a way of talking about art and history. He could spin any piece of art or history into the most fascinating story that left you intrigued and wanting for more. We left the museum to return back to our hotel at 4:30PM where we had some free time. Our free time was spent sitting out on one of the terraces.

This evening we had the option to join our director for another optional experience at the Moulin Rouge Cabaret and Dinner. We departed the hotel at 6:30PM. The world famous Moulin Rouge (Red Windmill) is best known as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance and is the original Paris cabaret. It features 60 dancers and entertainers and over 1000 costumes. Once again, we were privy to VIP service as we were seated directly in front of the stage. We even got a chance to dance to some great music on the Moulin Rouge stage before the show started! The dinner and show were great and another must see in Paris.

This morning, we are off to the beautiful Marais district for a walking tour where we saw some of the mansions and courtyards before heading to L’atelier des Chefs for a cooking class. We got to cook alongside of some professional chefs where they shared some of their cooking secrets with us. In the end, we got to enjoy our personally prepared meal of chicken and vegetables, along with a glass of wine. It was a fun, enjoyable experience and would recommend a class for Paris visitors.

After lunch, we had a short walk to Pain de Sucre where we got to taste homemade macaroons. What’s better than sitting outside in the sun with a cup of coffee and macaroons!!

We had the afternoon at leisure so instead of joining our driver for the ride back to the hotel, we took a leisurely walk back to our hotel. Although it was 8KMs away, we had numerous stops along the way. The reward at the end of the walk was a snack and a cold drink out on one of the terraces.

This evening we are off to the Louvre Museum by night! We departed the hotel at 5:00PM and once again, received skip the line passes. We got to dive into different culture as we walked in the footsteps of Picasso, Dali and Van Gogh. Once again, our Tour Director had the ability to draw us in with his knowledge and storytelling. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and hope to be back one day!

Today is our last full day in Paris. This morning we had the option to enjoy a leisure day in Paris before our Farewell supper or to join the optional experience in Giverny to visit Monet’s Garden and country Manor. We departed for Monet’s Gardens at 8:00AM. Our VIP access allowed us to have early entry into Monet’s Garden and country manor, before it opened up to the public. We drove through the village of Giverny and then enjoyed a guided tour of the house, gardens and famous Japanese bridge. We were able to get pictures in the gardens before it opened up to the general public. We had free time before our departure so we walked to the church of Giverny, whose official name is Église Sainte-Radegonde de Giverny to visit Claude Monet’s burial site. We even managed to squeeze in an ice cream cone!

The rest of the afternoon was free until our 5:30PM departure for our Farewell Dinner. We spent our last afternoon walking around the neighbourhood before we freshened up for supper. Our coach left 5:30PM for our drive to Le Procope, the oldest café in Paris. This 1686 legendary restaurant is full of history where the greatest writers and intellectuals met (Rousseau, Diderot, Verlaine…). We had another delicious meal, followed with some great entertainment from one of our fellow travellers. Bill brought along his fiddle where he played us a few tunes. We returned back to the hotel where several of us got together for a drink at the Canadian pub next door.