Check into your hotel and explore the French capital on own. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travellers.

Enjoy a full day to explore the "City of Light," known throughout the world for its fashion, art, museums, cuisine, and joie de vivre. Enjoy included sightseeing with a local expert to see many of the best-known Parisian sites, including views of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.

Start the day with a visit to Giverny*, home of impressionist painter Claude Monet. The famous water garden at Giverny was the inspiration behind some of Monet's finest work (gardens open from April to breakfast this morning. (B) October). Continue to Rouen to visit its great cathedral. Next, enjoy a stop in lovely Honfleur, situated on the Seine estuary, and then continue to the seaside resort of Deauville.

Visit the legendary beaches of Normandy, where Allied troops landed more than 75 years ago. The highlights are Arromanches and the American Cemetery at Omaha. On to Bayeux, famed for its lacemaking and the worldrenowned Bayeux tapestry depicting the story of William the Conqueror and Harold, Earl of Wessex-who led the Norman and Saxon armies in 1066 to conquer England. Then, discover spectacular Mont St. Michel, which stands on an island accessible by a causeway.

Drive along the Brittany coast to the fortified seaside resort of St. Malo to admire its cathedral and ancient walls. Later, visit Rennes with its traditional, colourful, timber-framed houses, then reach the enchanting Chateaux Country.

Spend a whole day at leisure or to take advantage of a fascinating optional excursion to Chateau of Chenonceau, now privately owned, and the most visited castle of the Loire Valley. Visit Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life.

Visit picturesque Blois with its renaissance castle, once occupied by Louis XII. Later, stop in Chartres, home of the famous Gothic cathedral. Arrive in Paris to enjoy an optional evening excursion

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning.