Final-year school trip to Paris and the Loire châteaux: the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Chambord, Chenonceau and Beauval (8 days)

Day 1: Departure from your school and arrival in Paris

• Departure from your school early in the morning, at the time agreed with you, and drive to Paris (about 300 km, 3½ to 4 hours depending on your school).
• Our drivers drive for a maximum of 3 hours, then take a 30-minute break, day and night.
• Lunch at your own expense, then visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral, reopened after its restoration (free), and a walk on the Île de la Cité.
• Stroll through the Latin Quarter to the Panthéon and the Luxembourg Gardens.
• Check-in at the accommodation for three nights, dinner and supervised evening.

Day 2: From the Eiffel Tower to the Champs-Élysées

• Trip up the Eiffel Tower (on request).
• The Trocadéro, then lunch at your own expense.
• The Champs-Élysées and a climb up to the terrace of the Arc de Triomphe (on request).
• Cruise on the Seine, from the Pont de l’Alma to the Île Saint-Louis.
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 3: The Louvre and Montmartre

• Visit to the Louvre, from the Mona Lisa to the Venus de Milo (on request).
• Walk through the Tuileries Garden, then lunch at your own expense.
• Afternoon in Montmartre: the Sacré-Cœur Basilica (free) and the Place du Tertre with its painters.
• Dinner and last supervised evening in Paris.

Day 4: Versailles and Chambord

• Rooms vacated after breakfast and drive to Versailles (about 20 km).
• Visit to the Palace of Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors and the gardens (on request).
• Lunch at your own expense, then drive to Chambord (about 170 km, 2 hours).
• Visit to the Château de Chambord and its double-helix staircase.
• Check-in at the accommodation between Blois and Tours for four nights, dinner and quiet evening.

Day 5: Chenonceau and Amboise

• Visit to the Château de Chenonceau, built on arches over the Cher (on request).
• Drive to Amboise (about 15 km) and lunch at your own expense by the Loire.
• Visit to the Royal Château of Amboise (on request).
• Visit to the Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s last home, and its park of giant models (on request).
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 6: Canoeing on the Loire and the gardens of Villandry

• Canoe trip on the Loire or the Cher, supervised by instructors (on request).
• Lunch at your own expense, then drive to Villandry (about 50 km).
• Visit to the Renaissance gardens of Villandry and their ornamental kitchen garden (on request).
• Late afternoon in Tours: the old town and Place Plumereau.
• Dinner and supervised evening.

Day 7: A day at Beauval Zoo

• Drive to Saint-Aignan (about 40 km, 45 min).
• Day at Beauval Zoo, one of the largest zoos in Europe, with its giant pandas, equatorial dome and shows (on request).
• Lunch at your own expense in the park.
• Return to the accommodation, dinner and last supervised evening.

Day 8: Return to Belgium

• Departure after breakfast.
• Daytime drive back to Belgium via Orléans (about 550 to 700 km) with regular stops.
• Lunch at your own expense during a stop on the way.
• Arrival at your school in the evening.