Bonjour, France

Days 1-2

Your group will take an overnight flight into Paris where your Joshua Expeditions guide will meet you at the airport. Your exploration of Paris will begin with a walking tour that includes a visit to the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral, and in the evening you will even get the chance to climb the Eiffel Tower. Following dinner in the city, you will have a little free time before returning to the hotel for evening devotions.

Day 3

Today you will visit the famous Louvre museum, the largest museum in the world and home to such masterpieces as Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Later, a walk through the gardens will lead you to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, where you will have some free time for shopping. In the afternoon, your group will head over to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur for a bird’s-eye view of the city, and then you will have time to explore the art market before dinner. Your day will conclude at the hotel with devotions and discussion.

Day 4

Your group will follow the Seine this morning and head west to Normandy, stopping at Rouen for lunch and exploration. In this city, said to be France’s most ancient and historic city, you will see the martyring site of Joan of Arc, and you can choose the optional activity of going into the Joan of Arc Museum or into the Musée des Beaux-Arts to view the enormous tapestries and famous paintings by Caravaggio and Valezquez. (Fees for optional activities are not included in the price of the trip.) You will also want to take some time to view the gothic cathedrals, like the Saint-Maclou and the Saint-Ouen. Your journey will continue after lunch with a trip over to Caen where a visit to the Memorial Museum will teach you the events of D-Day and the summer of 1944. Following dinner, the group will check into the hotel and share a time of devotion. (This day may be open for a half-day ministry opportunity in addition to the sights.)

Day 5

History will come to life today as you visit the Normandy beaches, including the infamous Omaha Beach, and the city of Pointe du Hoc, where American Rangers assaulted a fortified German gun site on a cliff and which was later memorialized by President Reagan. Nearby is the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, a village where American paratroopers landed on D-Day and which keeps a parachute hanging from a church steeple as a reminder of its liberation. These memorable tours will linger in your thoughts as the group returns to Caen in the evening for dinner and devotions.

Day 6

This morning your group will travel across northern France to Mont Saint-Michel for a tour of the remarkable abbey, and then head over to Saint-Malo to wander the cobblestone streets. You will have opportunity to explore the city, visit the market, climb up onto the ramparts for a wonderful view of the sea and the city, as well as enter Porte Saint-Vincent. After dinner, the group will check into the hotel and have a time of devotions and discussion.

Day 7

Your final full day in France will allow more time to explore the rich history of Saint-Malo. Your group will head inside the castle to view the museum of the city in its old days of piracy, colonialism and slave trading, and you will have a chance to climb the 169 steps up the castle keep for a magnificent view. Your group will return to Paris in the evening and share one final night of devotions.

Day 8

Your time in France concludes this morning as you take your flight back to the States.