TOUR – PARIS, VERSAILLES AND FONTAINBLEAU

Meeting with tour leader in Milan and start of tour by motor coach to Chiasso, Switzerland and France. Free lunch. In the evening arrival at hotel located in Fontainebleau/ Nemours/ Troyes area according to hotel availability. Hotel accommodation. Dinner at hotel or restaurant. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, visit (with guide or audio guide) the Château de Fontainebleau, a grand Renaissance-style royal residence surrounded by beautiful gardens. The Château de Fontainebleau, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was a favorite residence of the kings of France and the perfect setting for Renaissance court festivities. Napoleon Bonaparte solemnly designated it the "first imperial residence" and made it his last refuge before his abdication in 1814; Napoleon's objects and mementos are displayed in the Napoleonic wing. At the end of the visit, departure for Paris, the beautiful French capital that, with its colors and refined beauty, never ceases to enchant visitors from all over the world. Free lunch. In the afternoon, first panoramic tour of the city, taking the route from the Eiffel Tower to the Trocadero Gardens, Chaillot Palace, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées Avenue with the Grand and Petit Palais, Elysée Palace, home of the President of the Republic, Place de la Concorde, Opera Garnier and Place Vendôme, and the exteriors of the Louvre with the Tuileries Gardens. Once you have crossed the Seine you will transit to the left bank to admire the Musée d'Orsay, a temple of Impressionist painting, the Palais de l'Assemblée Nationale to the exteriors of the Dom des Invalides, where the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte are kept. The banks of the Seine are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Transfer to hotel. Accommodation in the reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight stay. In the evening illuminated city tour with escort (optional and at extra charge).

Breakfast at the hotel. Full day dedicated to a guided tour of "Historic Paris," the heart of Paris on the Île de la Cité (Notre Dame Cathedral under reconstruction , Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle) and the Left Bank with the Latin Quarter and the Saint Germain des Près neighborhood. Walking along the bustling boulevards overlooked by famous literary cafes such as "Café de Flore" and "Les Deux Magots," famous bistros and bookstores, one can breathe in the air of 1960s Paris. Free lunch. In the afternoon, the visit continues in the Marais, an elegant neighborhood behind the Hotel de Ville: strolling around you can admire some of the Hotels Particuliers, sumptuous private residences from the 17th and 18th centuries, true architectural gems. The heart of the Marais is the romantic Place des Vosges, where the homes of famous Parisians such as Cardinal Richelieu, Molière, and Victor Hugo once stood. Dinner at a restaurant. Possibility to participate in a romantic cruise on the Seine River (optional and at extra charge). Return to the hotel. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning excursion to the Château de Versailles. Guided tour of the interior of the Palace. In 1661 Louis XIV, the Sun King, began construction of the grandiose residence, and for about fifty years the leading artists of the time worked on its realization. For more than a century this sumptuous castle was the seat of the royal court and became the political heart of France until the Revolution in 1789. In the late morning return to Paris and climb the hill of Montmartre where, from the great white Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the whole city can be dominated with your gaze. Free lunch and time at leisure for a stroll through the Place du Tertre, the artists' square, once frequented by artists and literati. Descent on foot through the characteristic alleys of Montmartre. Transfer to downtown and time at leisure in the city center in the area of the Opera, Grands Boulevards and Museums. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, depart for Italy via Beaune, Besançon and Basel Free lunch en route. In the afternoon through Switzerland continue to Lucerne, the Gotthard Tunnel and Chiasso. In the evening, arrival in Milan and return to the place of departure.