DAY 1: MILAN - FRANCE
Meeting with tour leader in Milan and beginning of the trip by motor coach to Chiasso and Switzerland. Free lunch along the way. In the afternoon we continue into French territory. In the evening arrival in Fontainebleau/Nemours/Troyes according to hotel availability. Hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 2: FONTAINEBLEAU - CHARTRES - RENNES
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Brittany. Stop in Chartres and free visit to the cathedral, a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Free lunch along the way. In the afternoon, arrive in Rennes, capital of Brittany, a city of art and history. Tour of the historic center with local guide. Hotel accommodation. Dinner at hotel or restaurant. Overnight.
DAY 3: RENNES - MONT SAINT MICHEL - CANCALE - SAINT MALO - RENNES
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning departure for Mont SaintMichel, a famous monastic complex and historic pilgrimage destination, perched on a small island opposite the Normandy coast at the point where it welds to the Breton coast. Whipped by strong winds and lapped by high tides, surrounded by shifting sands and accessible only at low tide via a causeway, the abbey rises superbly on the hilltop. Mont Saint Michel has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided tour of the abbey, a masterpiece of Gothic art. Free lunch and time at leisure. Continue to the Emerald Coast with a stop at the port of Cancale, famous for the excellent quality of oysters raised in the bay. In the afternoon arrival in Saint Malo, the city of the Corsairs. Panoramic tour of the fortified citadel enclosed within ancient walls: there are stupendous views of the English Channel and islands from the ramparts. In the evening return to Rennes. Dinner at hotel or restaurant. Overnight.
DAY 4: RENNES - PINK GRANITE COAST - CALVARI - QUIMPER
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the Pink Granite Coast, characterized by pink cliffs that wind and sea erosion has shaped into fantastic shapes. Scenic stops at Ploumanach to admire the beautiful beach with the famous lighthouse and Tregastel. Free lunch along the way. Leaving the coast we reach Finistère, from the Latin "finis terrae," the westernmost region of France. Visit the area of the Calvaries or Parish Complexes, dating back to the late -medieval period, evidence of the devotion of traditional Breton Catholicism. Visit the Calvaries of St. Thegonnec and Guimiliau, the most famous in Brittany. Continue to Quimper, the oldest town in Brittany and capital of the ancient Duchy of Cornwall. Hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 5: QUIMPER - CONCARNEAU - VANNES
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning visit Quimper: the medieval old town with typical Breton houses is dominated by the grand St. Corentin Cathedral with its stained glass windows. Quimper is also famous for the production of porcelain known as "Faience," dating back to the 17th century. Continue to Concarneau and scenic tour of theVilleClose, a fortified citadel surrounded by pink granite walls. Free lunch and time at leisure. Continue to Vannes, a picturesque medieval-looking town and small port on the southern Breton coast. Tour of the picturesque old town with the tour guide. Hotel accommodation. Dinner at hotel or restaurant. Overnight.
DAY 6: VANNES - NANTES - FONTAINEBLEAU
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Nantes, the ancient capital of Brittany. Guided tour of the city center gathered around the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, built in the 15th century as a defensive fortress surrounded by towers and ramparts at the behest of Francis II, the last duke of Brittany, and his daughter Anne, twice queen of France. The Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul houses the tombs of Francis II and his wife. Free lunch. Depart for Fontainebleau with arrival in the evening. Hotel accommodation. Dinner at hotel or restaurant. Overnight.
DAY 7: FONTAINEBLEAU - MILAN
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Italy via Auxerre, Dijon, Besançon, Basel and Switzerland. Free lunch along the way. Continue to Milan and in the evening return to the place of departure.
