Private Escorted Tours - Baguettes, Bistros and Good Bordeaux ULFR02

Personal Highlights:

• The view from your lunchtime table at the Eiffel Tower
• Discovering our favorite bistros in le Marais, Montmartre, and Montparnasse
• Learning the secret of the perfect baguette

Day 1 Depart USA

You board your overnight flight bound for  Paris, the center of your exploration of French cuisine and joie de vivre.

Day 2 Welcome to Paris…A Moveable Feast

Upon arrival in Paris you are met by your guide and driver as you take an orientation tour of Paris. Whether this is your first or fifteenth trip to Paris it is impossible not to be impressed as you see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, L'arc de Triomphe or the Champs Elysees and know that you are truly in Paris. You will view many of these sites in detail later on but for now we absorb it all. After the tour, your guide takes you to your centrally-located hotel where you have the afternoon to relax or explore the neighborhood around your hotel. Dinner is at the hotel's superb restaurant this evening.

Day 3 A Gourmet Walk from Place de la Concorde to Le Madeleine

Today you meet your guide to explore an entire district dedicated to the glory of French gastronomy. While enjoying the food however, you will also be learning about the history of the area. Your journey starts at Place de la Concorde now well-known as the final stage of the Tour de France but in earlier times the site of the infamous guillotine established during the French Revolution. In the center is an obelisk given in the 1830's to the then King of France by the King of Egypt. Your tour will end at the Madeleine Church but during your walk you will have tasted a variety of Basque foods, pork from the Loire Valley regional cheeses and some good regional wine. It only remains to indulge in some sweet pastries and you have completed both your walk and your lunch. Only in France can you eat and exercise at the same time. The afternoon is at leisure and your guide can suggest the best shopping areas. Tonight, you dine from a selection of restaurants in various parts of the city through our Concierge dining offer and put together through collaboration with your hotel's concierge.

Day 4 Experiencing…and Tasting Montmartre

Perhaps no other place best captures the bohemian and artistic side of Paris than the hilltop village of Montmartre. You will spend the day with your guide exploring this unusual area. While located within Paris, this area has one of the few remaining vineyards in Paris and two windmills one of which was " Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette" painted by Renoir. At various times Montmartre has been home to Monet, Renoir and Picasso and even today you can have your portrait sketched in the Place du Tetre. Your host is knowledgeable about the area and will take you down some narrow alleyways to absorb the true flavor of Montmartre. After your exertion (Montmartre is a hill after all) you stop for lunch at one of our favorite bistros in Montmartre. Following lunch you make your way through streets lined with shops offering a selection of the most famous and amazing sweet specialties in France. Of course, you indulge, knowing that you have walked off many of the calories. sample another Concierge dinner from our list of restaurants.

Day 5 Unique Aspects of Parisian Life

Up until 1971 Les Halles was the wholesale food market located within the heart of Paris. Because of its nocturnal activities its restaurants stayed open at odd hours and it became a tradition for some revelers to finish off an evening by going to Les Halles for French Onion soup before retiring. The market has since been relocated to the suburbs and the old site made into a subway interchange but many of the patisseries, restaurants and gourmet shops that grew up around it are still in existence and thriving. During your gastronomic tour you will have the opportunity to sample olives in all forms, foie gras, wine in a 19th Century bistro and some pastries from the celebrated patisseries. This will suffice for lunch leaving the afternoon free for additional sightseeing on our own. After sightseeing, you can relax over dinner at the hotel.

Day 6 Saxe Breteuil Market, Napoleon’s Tomb and the Eiffel Tower

After breakfast, your guide will meet you at the hotel to take you on a full day of sightseeing and food tasting. Your first stop will be Saxe Breteuil, a colorful market nested in between two of the most famous Paris monuments. You wander the stalls and have a chance to sample some specialties from Savoy and Paris itself before proceeding to Les Invalides, the church where the sarcophagus of Napoleon lies in regal splendor. You then walk by the Ecole Militaire where Napoleon was a student and which features large buildings for Artillery (Napoleon's specialty), Cavalry and Infantry before proceeding to the Eiffel tower where a table has been reserved at Altitude 95 with good food and great views of Paris. After lunch, you visit a bakery to learn the secrets of baguette baking. Tonight sample another Concierge dinner from our list of restaurants.

Day 7 Historical Bistros and Cafés of St. Germain

Today you will start your morning wandering the charming area of St Germain de Pres we have some gastronomic surprises in store but we will only reveal that Chocolat may be involved. You also visit Saint Sulpice Church which will be of interest to DaVinci Code fans. After lunch you have the afternoon free before enjoying a farewell dinner at your hotel along with a bottle of wine with our compliments.

Day 8 Depart for USA

After breakfast, your driver is ready to take you to the airport for your return flight to the USA where you arrive back later that same afternoon.

Services Included

• 1st Class rail travel as indicated on the itinerary
• Superior Rooms at the properties indicated in the accommodations area (We reserve the right to substitute a property of equal quality in advance of departure should the designated hotel be unavailable)
• Private Transfers to and from the airport or rail station at destination
• All meals as indicated on the itinerary by B=Breakfast, L=Lunch and D=Dinner
• Private guides for city explorations and private driver/guide while traveling.
• Entrance fees to all museums, attractions and other venues as indicated on the daily itinerary
• Baggage handling at all hotels
• All applicable taxes and service fees

Services Not Included

• International airfare (round-trip from hometown departure gateway to destination)
• Beverages with included meals (unless otherwise indicated on itinerary page)
• Any meals not indicated on the Itinerary page
• Items of a personal nature e.g. minibar, film, postcards etc.
• Gratuities to Guides and Driver/Guides (we provide suggested guidelines for your selected destination in your pre-departure material)
• Any passport or visa fees or government departure taxes (It is the traveler’s responsibility to secure the latest information regarding passports and visa requirements)

Available Year Round