La Bretagne

Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, Notre Dame Cathedral visit

The world's largest art museum, the Louvre is housed in a Medieval fortress-turned-castle so grand it's worth a tour itself. You walk through the 71-foot glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei and added in 1989, and step into another world--one with carved ceilings, deep-set windows, and so many architectural details you could spend a week just admiring the rooms. The Mona Lisa is here, as well as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory (the headless statue, circa 200 BC, discovered at Samothrace). The Louvre has seven different departments of paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and antiquities. Don't miss the Egyptian collection, complete with creepy sarcophagi, or the collection of Greek ceramics, one of the largest in the world. (Please note the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays).

State Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, Gardens of Versailles

Journey to the Loire Valley, stopping to see Chartres Cathedral on the way.

Built on an ancient worshipping ground to house a piece of the Virgin Mary’s veil (which is still on display), this 13th-century Gothic church is best known for its windows. With over 20,000 square feet of stained glass, visiting Chartres can be like walking around inside a large jewel. But don’t spend all your time looking up—on the floor is the only surviving medieval labyrinth. The faithful travel the winding 300-yard path on their knees to reach the image of paradise at the center.

LEAP Activity | Seize the Château!

This costume workshop is a lively role-play activity that puts you in the shoes of the monarchy, clergy, nobility, bourgeoisie, or peasantry to explore the issues underlying the French Revolution.

Carnac is a commune on the south coast of Brittany, known throughout the world for its unique rows of ancient standing stone monoliths and oyster farms.

Stop to see Mont-St-Michel, an enormous abbey that seems to rise up out of the water, completely isolated from any connecting land. Perched on an enormous rock just off the Normandy coast, the granite Abbey of Mont-St-Michel actually is linked to the mainland—by a narrow causeway that is covered with water during high tide. The Benedictine Abbey was founded in the 10th century, and has undergone many transformations since. Now it is a memorable complex of various buildings and styles—including rounded Romanesque arches and lacy Gothic vaulting—all culminating in a dramatic pointed spire. A major pilgrimage site for centuries, it was turned into a prison during the French Revolution, and the Benedictines did not return until 1966.

Optional add-on.

LEAP Activity | Medieval Merriment!

Grab your dancing shoes and learn the visual language of medieval dance. Discover the important role it played during French medieval times, where there was a dance for every occasion, and a special meaning behind each step in the choreography.

Ingenious military engineering allowed the Allied forces to land at Arromanches on D-Day. Barges towed 600,000 tons of concrete across the English Channel, sinking them to create an artificial harbor, and then 33 jetties and 10 miles of floating roadways allowed the troops to land in France. Learn about this feat and other at the Arromanches Museum, where dioramas, interactive displays, and models detail the Allied landing.

Reflect on the journey you've experienced and the memories you've created over an appetizing dinner in Paris.

LEAP Activity | Soldiers’ Stories

Step into the shoes of U.S. servicemen as they land in Normandy on D-Day. Learn about their lives and their experiences to gain personal and historical perspective.

Take the Eurostar under the English Channel and experience London for days 10-12. Visit the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Buckingham Palace.