France Explorer: Paris, Versailles and Normandy

Flight from your preferred airport to Paris.

Upon your arrival in Paris, you’ll be greeted at the airport by your Travel For Teens guides, who will accompany you for the duration of your journey. After getting settled into the hotel, we’ll have lunch and head down to the impressive Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame, where you can climb the towers for your first view of Paris. Finish off the day with your first taste of authentic French cuisine at one of our favorite bistros.

Begin your first full day in the City of Light with a guided tour of the Musée du Louvre to see firsthand some of the world’s most impressive masterpieces. We’ll enjoy a picnic lunch in the Tuileries Gardens and have some free time to explore the area around the Hôtel de Ville, Chatelet, and Rue de Rivoli. We’ll then have a bike tour through “hidden Paris”, which is always a student favorite! Cycle with our local guide through the Marais, past Bastille, across the Seine and to the ancient heart of Paris. As always, dinner will be traditional, local cuisine at one of our favorite authentic restaurants.

No trip to Paris would be complete without going all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and that’s how we’ll start our day! Have lunch at a classic boulangerie before splitting up for the afternoon choices. We understand that student travelers have diverse interests and needs, so our staff does their very best to accommodate everyone’s must-sees. Students can choose to visit the Musée d’Orsay, home to Post-Impressionist masterpieces by van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Cézanne, Signac, and more, or check out the modern art at the Centre Pompidou, where the museum itself is just as much a work of art as what’s within. The group will reconvene in the hip artistic neighborhood of Montmartre, where we’ll see the infamous Moulin Rouge and enjoy the view from the Sacré-Coeur Basilica before a fantastic dinner.

Take a short train ride out of Paris to the spectacular Château de Versailles, a hunting lodge-turned-palace. Our staff will teach students about the most important historical moments that have taken place here, including the reign of the Sun King, the French Revolution, the Treaty of Versailles signed in the Hall of Mirrors, and more. Stroll through the gardens and see Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet before picking up fresh lunch ingredients in the Versailles farmers’ market. After returning to Paris, have free time to explore the Latin Quarter before enjoying a traditional dinner of fondue and raclette. Cap off this amazing day with a twilight river cruise down the Seine to see Paris lit up at night.

After breakfast, check out a traditional Parisian street market to see where locals do their shopping. Depending on the day of the week, we could visit the markets on Rue de Mouffetard, Rue Cler, Clignancourt, or the “Marché aux Puces” at Saint-Ouen. Climb the impressive Arc de Triomphe before having free time for souvenir shopping on the world-famous Champs-Élysées. Now’s the perfect time to buy macarons from Ladurée! Savor one last dinner in Paris before preparing to head north to Normandy tomorrow.

This morning, board the train from Paris to Caen, where we’ll visit the Caen Peace Memorial and learn the history of the crucial WWII battles that were fought in France. After lunch, take a guided tour of the D-Day Landing Beaches. Led by an expert from the Memorial, we will have a guided tour of Omaha Beach, Arromanches Harbor, Point du Hoc, and the American War Cemetery. In the evening we’ll get settled into our hotel in Caen and have a dinner of galettes, or savory crêpes.

Today we’ll visit the world-famous UNESCO site, the Abbey at Mont Saint-Michel. This impressive castle perched on top of a tiny island is an internationally recognized symbol of France, and students will be amazed at the beauty and history found here. We’ll return to Caen and have some free time for last-minute souvenir shopping before enjoying an upscale final dinner to celebrate the end of an amazing journey.

Your TFT guides will accompany you to the airport in Paris and assist you with check-in for your flight. Wave goodbye as you head through security and sit back and relax on your flight home.