Top 10 reason to travel with your alumni association:
- Travel with fellow alums
- Exciting itinerary especially designed for young alumni
- Superior or first class hotels at great rates
- Reward for your hard work
- Reliable quality programs with many great experiences included
- Network and bond with former classmates and young alums - make friends for a lifetime!
- Save 40% on cost over 'do-it-yourself packages'
- Perfect balance between arranged itinerary and free time
- Experiences that will broaden your world view and provide and advantage in today's global job market
- Once-in-a lifetime experience!
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Day 1: Travel to Paris, France
Get ready for the "City of Lights” as your overnight flight whisks you away to bustling Paris.
Meals: In-flight
Day 2: Paris
Arrive in Paris and transfer to your hotel. Attend our welcome orientation tonight, then join our French bistro dinner. Afterward, depart for a romantic cruise on the glass-topped Bateaux Mouches gliding down the Seine through the heart of the city.
Meals: In-flight meals, French bistro welcome dinner
Day 3: Paris
On your city sightseeing tour on the "L'Open Bus Tour," see unforgettable landmarks, the Opera, Arc de Triomphe, Sorbonne, Napoleon's Les Invalides and the hunchback "Quasimodo's" Notre Dame Cathedral. See Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine once stood and the Eiffel Tower's steel lacework. Also join your tour director for a visit to a local perfume center, Fragonard.
This afternoon consider an optional excursion to Louis XIV's splendid palace of Versailles. You'll be held spellbound b y the magnificent Royal Chapel, the intriguing Hall of Mirrors, the gorgeous gardens and fantastic fountains.
Tonight consider an optional can-can show at the world-famous Moulin Rouge. Immortalized by artist Toulouse-Lautrec - the Moulin Rouge always presented sumptuous shows to audiences from around the world.
Meals: Breakfast
Optional Activities: Versailles Excursion, Moulin Rouge French Cabaret
Day 4: Paris - First Class Train to Bordeaux
The morning is yours to explore, will it be shopping along the grand boulevards, or visiting the Musée D'Orsay? If modern art is more your style, don't miss the Pompidou Centre, or have your caricature done by an artist in the Place du Tertre. Alternatively, join an optional French cooking class this morning.
This afternoon board your train and travel south to the world’s wine capital, Bordeaux. A tremendous architectural heritage, great wines, and superb cuisine await. Famous for its exceptional lifestyle, Bordeaux also features some of Europe's most charming and impressive examples of 18th-century architecture. Tonight, find a charming bistro (we'll be happy to recommend a favorite) and enjoy dinner on your own.
Meals: Breakfast
Optional Activities: French cooking class
Day 5: Bordeaux - Wine Harvest
Wine growers of this Bordeaux region open the doors of their wineries at harvest time. Spend the morning with a secateur (pruning shears) in hand, picking grapes and the afternoon in the winery with a glass for tasting. Enjoy this hands-on experience of picking grapes with the locals and learn about blending and winemaking from the experts.
We return to our hotel with some free time to explore the city. Bordeaux boasts marvelously renovated warehouses along the river banks. These were the homes of traditional wine merchant families – their nickname was l’aristrocracie des bouchons (the cork aristocracy). The pedestrian-only historic district is perfect for a stroll down cobbled streets lined with buzzing cafés and chic boutiques. You are invited to a lovely French dinner at a local restaurant tonight.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6: Bordeaux - Wine Country and Your Personal Wine Sign - OvernightTrain to Nice
It really is possible to combine tradition with modernity and to be a Bordeaux château owner-wine trader and a contemporary art lover. Château d'Arsac has earned its rightful place among the elite. The estate includes 277 acres, 134 of which are in the Margaux appelation. After a visit t to Château d'Arsac, including a wine tasting, we continue to “La Winery.” Located in a 64-acre park, the Winery offers you a unique and exciting experience. In an exceptional avant-garde setting, learn about 1001 French and foreign wines with a themed tasting session. Find out your own “Wine Sign” to help you identify your favorite tastes. Our session includes the tasting of six different wines and you are invited to express the way you feel about them by using an electronic panel. Your information is collected and analyzed by a special computer program which determines your wine profile. Whether you turn out to be "gourmet,” "trendy" or "adventurous,” you will leave the session with a personalized cellar book adapted to your wine tastes and budget. After lunch and a snack at the wine bar, we return to Bordeaux.
Enjoy a few hours at leisure before we board our overnight train to Nice.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 7: Nice
Spectacular panoramas abound as we travel to Nice, "Queen resort of the Côte d'Azur." The city itself is an attraction: the rich blue-green sea, diverse shopping, splendid dining and lovely art-deco façades. But there are several spots that are a must-see, such as the Cours Saleya Flower Market, the Matisse Museum, ancient Roman ruins, the Russian Cathedral and more. Nice is second only to Paris in the number of museums and galleries it boasts.
Enjoy your day exploring all of Nice's sights or simply relax in one of the royal blue chairs lining the beach. Watch locals roller blading, biking or jogging along the famous palm-lined promenades while sampling crepes and refreshing drinks by the glistening Mediterranean. In the evening, try one of the many delightful seaside restaurants. Splurge on a chaise lounge, and let waiters bring you cocktails and appetizers on the beach.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Nice - Monte Carlo Excursion
Explore another playground of the rich and famous when we visit the elegant Principality of Monaco. See the famous Grand Casino, the Royal Palace, which was Grace Kelly's home, and streets that make up the Grand Prix race course.
Later sunbathe or swim in the Mediterranean, people-watch from the outdoor cafe or just stroll with the jet-set under the palms before joining our farewell “Flavors of France” dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Farewell dinner
Optional Activities: Monte Carlo Excursion
Day 9: Travel Home
After breakfast this morning, your land tour comes to an end. Wave au revoir to France and your new friends and jet home filled with sunny memories that are sure to last a lifetime.
Meals: Breakfast, In-flight
