Paris, the Basque Coast & Madrid

Day 1 – Depart USA

Fly overnight to France.

Day 2 – Paris

Welcome to Paris, the City of Lights. Your guided Paris City Tour includes the Arc de Triomphe, the historic Latin Quarter, the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries, the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and other highlights. Visit Notre Dame, the Gothic cathedral of glorious rose windows and snarling gargoyles. In 1804 Napoleon crowned himself Emperor in this masterpiece of architecture.

Day 3 – Paris

Tour the Louvre, home to the enigmatic Mona Lisa, the triumphant Winged Victory and the graceful Venus de Milo. The afternoon is free for discovery with your advisors. This evening, experience the lights, sights and monuments of Paris on a Bateau Mouche cruise along the Seine. Sail past the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadero, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Palais du Tokyo,and the Alexandre III Bridge. Glide between the Ile de la Cité and the Ile St. Louis. Make a wish as you pass under the Pont-Marie.

Day 4 – Biarritz

Board France’s high-speed TGV train south to Bordeaux, then transfer to Biarritz, a Basque Coast resort renown for its beaches. The prosperity of this former fishing village was ensured when the Empress Eugénie built a palace here for herself and her court. Enjoy a Biarritz Overview to see the area’s splendid beaches, promenades and gardens.

Day 5 – Biarritz

Today is free to benefit from all the pleasures that the Bay of Biscay and its mild maritime climate have to offer.Option: Visit the scene of the running of the bulls in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Pamplona offers a wide green belt of parks and gardens, a lovely cathedral, and a quarter of old houses lining narrow streets and ramparts.

Day 6 – Burgos

Transfer through the Basque country of Spain via the resort of San Sebastián, known as the Pearl of the Cantabrian Coast. Visit the incredible Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, a fantasia of futuristic design containing works by the most prominent artists of the last forty years. Arrive in Burgos, the cradle of Castile and home of the famous mercenary leader Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1026-99), also known as El Cid.

Day 7 – Madrid

Travel by way of Segovia, where you will visit the turreted Alcázar, and see the old town with its impressive cathedral and the wellpreserved Roman ruins. Make a picture stop at El Escorial, a magnificent monastery and palace built by Philip II, with 2673 windows and 1250 doors. Arrive in Madrid in time for a Tapas Dinner followed by a Walking Tour to the lively Plaza Major, the capital’s main square.

Day 8 – Madrid

On today’s Madrid City Tour you will see the Plaza de Espana, the statue of Cervantes, the Royal Palace and other highlights. Later explore the palatial Prado Museum, located in the heart of Bourbon Madrid. While at the Prado, don’t miss Goya’s Majas, Rubens’ The Three Graces, and Spain’s favorite painting, Las Meninas by Velázquez. Option: Thrill to the click of castanets and the stamp of heels at an exciting Flamenco Show.

Day 9 – Depart

Board your flight home with magnificent memories of your days in Paris, the Basque Coast and Madrid.