FRANCE & SWITZERLAND PARIS, LYON, CHAMONIX AND GENEVA 10 days / 8 nights - March 17-26, 2017 (Travel dates to be confirmed upon flight booking)
DAY 1: USA / FRANCE (Friday) Fly through the night to Paris, capital of France. DAY 2: PARIS (Saturday) Welcome to France! Meet your Forum Tour Manager at the airport in Paris. Transfer by private motor coach to your hotel and drop your bags. Then, head for a stroll down the most famous avenue of the capital, the Champs-Elysées, and see the Arc de Triomphe. Then, admire the view from the third floor of the Tour Eiffel. Back on the ground, board a glass-topped bateau mouche. Enjoy a refreshing cruise on the Seine. Dinner with your group at a local restaurant. Night accommodation at a hotel in Paris. DAY 3: PARIS / VERSAILLES / LISSES (Sunday) After breakfast at your hotel visit the Musee d'orsay step into 19th century Paris, literally. This art museum was once a cavernous railway station. Return to your hotel, pick up your bags and board your private bus to Versailles. Discover the Château de Versailles; walk in the footsteps of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette and of President Jefferson and Wilson. Later, explore the elegantly landscaped park! Later, board your bus to Lisses/Bondoufle and meet your host family. Dinner and night accommodation with your host family. LISSES EN FAMILLE Located 35 km south of Paris, the family network is made up of families living in Lisses and in surrounding towns (Bondoufle, Evry among others). The home of the family network consists of typical French towns that belong to the same community or communauté d agglomération. Paris is easily accessible by RER train, on the D Line, from Evry-Courcouronnes station to Châtelet-Les Halles (40 min. total). Students will stay 2 per family and contact information of the family will be sent approximately 2 to 4 weeks prior to departure. Host families are usually located 5-15 minutes from the station (by bus). The Family network has been in place for over twenty years and Forum by Prometour has sent numerous groups over the last 10 years.
DAY 4: LISSES / PARIS / LISSES (Monday) After breakfast with your hosts, take the RER to Paris. Discover Musée du Louvre and some of its wonderful masterpieces. Explore the Marais Quarter with your Forum Tour manager. Then, head up to the highest point in Paris, Montmartre (known locally as La Butte). Climb the steps to reach the Sacré-Cœur, Montmartre s hilltop church and most famous landmark. Return to Lisses for dinner and night accommodation with your host family. DAY 5: LISSES / PARIS / LISSES (Tuesday) After breakfast take the RER train to Paris. On arrival, enjoy a stroll with your group on Île Saint-Louis Then visit the Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame, a magnificent religious edifice and one of the supreme masterpieces of French art. Climb the 387 steps to see the gargoyles! At a short distance, enter the Sainte-Chapelle, another Gothic masterpiece. From there head to the always lively, Quatier Latin! Return to Lisses for dinner and night accommodation with your host family. DAY 6: PARIS / LYON (Wednesday) After breakfast say bye to your host families and board your private bus to Paris. Head to the train station and catch the TGV high speed train to Lyon. Transfer to your hotel, drop your bags and have some free time for lunch. This afternoon meet a local guide for a walking tour of Vieux Lyon. Start by seeing the imposing Palais de justice historique de Lyon, visit the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, wander around the narrow streets of Quartier Saint-Jean with their medieval feel and architecture. Don t miss the famous Traboules, which are passageways through buildings to cross from one street to another. Dinner and night accommodation in Lyon. DAY 7: LYON (Thursday) After breakfast, visit the Musée Lumière and learn the story of the brothers inventions. After free time for lunch, Climb the hill of Fourvière, and visit the Théâtre antique de Lyon, the oldest theatre in France built by Augustus in 15 BC. Then visit the Gallo-Roman Museum. After visit the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. With its Romanesque and Byzantine grand architecture, the basilica is quite stunning and rises above Lyon the same way the Sacré-Cœur dominates Paris. Dinner and night accommodation in Lyon.
DAY 8: LYON / GENEVA (Friday) After an early breakfast, transfer by private bus to Geneva. Enjoy a guided tour of the Palais des Nations / United Nations. Continue with a visit to the Red Cross. Emotion, discovery, reflection: the permanent exhibition of the Museum offers a unique experience of the initiation of humanitarian efforts. Then meet your local guide for a walking tour of Geneva. Admire the Jet d'eau, the city s landmark. Dinner with your group in a local restaurant. Night accommodation in Geneva. DAY 9: GENEVA / CHAMONIX / GENEVA (Saturday) Today after breakfast at your hotel, board your bus to Chamonix. Take a cable car from Chamonix to the Aiguille du midi where you will enjoy a unique view of Mont Tacul, Mont Maudie and Mont Blanc - the rooftop of Europe at 4810 meters (its official altitude). This afternoon, visit the Musée Alpin. Located in a former palace, the museum tells the history of Chamonix. Return to Geneva later in the afternoon. For dinner, enjoy a traditional fondue! DAY 10: GENEVA / USA (Sunday) After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight back home.
PRICE PER PERSON SHEET This is a privately operated tour - you will not be combined with another group! PRICE PER PERSON PAYMENT SCHEDULE 25 to 29 participants $ 3,630 May 10, 2016 $ 500 20 to 24 participants $ 3,780 August 10, 2016 $ 1100 15 to 19 participants $ 3,995 October 10, 2016 $ 1100 12 to 14 participants $ 4,250 December 10, 2016 Balance PRICE INCLUDES: Airfare* from Cincinnati to Paris, returning from Geneva Departure taxes and Airline fuel surcharges at $710 per person Associated transportation costs while in Europe 3 nights, double occupancy with a host family in Lisses or Bondoufle (full board with lunch box) 5 nights multiple occupancy (3/4 per room with private bath) in quality 3 star hotels Single beds not guaranteed. 5 hotel Breakfasts / 0 Lunches / 5 Dinners (Includes one beverage and a vegetarian option) All cultural and aforementioned visits, activities, tours and admissions as per itinerary Service of a dynamic professional bilingual Forum Tour Director with the group on tour PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Meals not indicated in the daily program Tips are at your discretion these are standard guidelines - Forum Tour Director: 3 Euro per day, per person - Bus Drivers: 1 Euro per day, per person ADULT AND ROOMING SUPPLEMENTS: Twin Room Guarantee Supplement $40 pp/day - Single Room Guarantee Supplement $80 pp/day Adult Activity Supplement $10 pp / day NOTES *Forum By Prometour has purchased the Student Deluxe Protection Plan from Travel Insured International on behalf of all participants. Cancel For Any Reason is an available option that must be purchased at the time of trip deposit. *Airlines have the legal right to increase fuel surcharges to flight tickets after bookings have been made. In the event of an increase in airline taxes and/or fuel surcharges, Forum reserves the right to update prices accordingly. *Forum has quoted this package at an exchange rate of 1Euro = 1.15 1.20 USD Date of quote: April 6, 2016 Prices are valid until: First payment deadline Your Forum Tour Consultant: Jamye Sharp