Depart From: International flight to France

Arrive To: After arrival in France, transfer by coach to Normandy and the first program site, Bayeux.

Lunch: Light lunch en route to Bayeux

Afternoon: Check-in at hotel and have time to freshen up and relax before meeting for a welcome orientation and program briefing.

Dinner: Welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Churchill Hotel

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel

Morning: On-site Lecture / Field Trip: Your WWII expert will lead you to Pegasus Bridge and from here, along the British and Canadian sector of the D-Day operation. Learn the importance and creation of the "Mulberry Harbours" and the stubborn German Battery at Longues sur Mer.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Independent Discovery of the legendary tapestry that is part of UNESCO's "Memory of the World" registry. Take some time to linger over each of the 58 scenes which depict in exquisite detail the Norman invasion of England.

Dinner: Dinner on your own in Bayeux to explore local cuisine.

Lodging: Churchill Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel

Morning: On-site Lecture: "The Landing at Omaha." This morning your expert leads you through the American landing on Omaha Beach. You will learn about the ferocity of this battle and look at the landing from a number of perspectives.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: Field Trip and On-site Lecture: Start the afternoon with a wreath laying ceremony at the US Normandy American Military Cemetery, then continue on to Pointe du Hoc to learn about the Ranger Assault. Finish the day with a tasting of the region's renowned apple brandy at the Chateau d'Englesqueville, where the first US monument to WWII soldiers was built.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant

Lodging: Churchill Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel

Morning: On-site Lecture/ Field Trip: "The Battle of the Hedgerows." This morning you travel to Saint-Lo to explore the hedgerows, which proved to be a very unique and difficult obstacle for American soldiers.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: This afternoon your WWII expert returns to lead an on-site discussion of the operations in Ste. Mere l'Eglise and Utah Beach. Ste. Mere l'Eglise was at the center of the US paratrooper landing and is known for the US soldier whose parachute got stuck on the church's steeple, leaving him stranded overnight.

Dinner: Dinner on your own in Bayeux

Lodging: Churchill Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel

Morning: Enjoy a few hours of free time to explore Bayeux at your own pace before your mid-morning departure.

Lunch: Lunch at a local farm/restaurant en route to Mont Saint Michel

Afternoon: Explore a place the locals call "le Mont" - better known as Mont Saint Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant

Lodging: Churchill Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel

Morning: Free Time: Enjoy a relaxing morning to pack your belongings and and see some final sites in Bayeux before your departure.

Lunch: Lunch at the Caen Memorial

Afternoon: Excursion: The Caen Memorial is a major museum dedicated to the history of 20th century. This is a self-guided visit, and you may wander at your own pace through the different galleries focusing on WWII, the Cold War, and Peace. In the late afternoon you will continue on to Honfleur to board the river barge.

Dinner: Dinner onboard

Lodging: MS Botticelli

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet onboard

Morning: Field Trip: Enjoy unique architecture during a tour of Historic Honfleur. Learn why this city has one of the few remaining all wooden churches and the important role of this city in the settlement of New France.

Lunch: Lunch onboard

Afternoon: Independent discovery of the Eugène Boudin Museum, which is named after Honfleur's most famous painter and contains works by Boudin as well as other Impressionists. Located in a 19th century chapel and two modern extensions, the museum houses some 1200 square metres of permanent exhibitions in 9 rooms.

Dinner: Dinner onboard

Lodging: MS Botticelli

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet onboard

Morning: Field Trip: A short distance from Caudebec you will find Fontenelle Abbey, or the Abbey of St Wandrille. Your local guide will take you through the monastery, founded in the first century by Wandregisel or Saint Wandrille. Although much of the abbey has been rebuilt, the chapel of St-Saturnin remains standing on the hillside overlooking the abbey and is one of the oldest ecclesiastical structures still in existence. After exploring the abbey you will have the option of attending mass with the Benedictine monks as they sing Gregorian chants.

Lunch: Lunch onboard

Afternoon: Onboard Lecture: Impressionism and Claude Monet in Giverny." With your Study Leader, explore 19th century painting, the Academy, Manet and Monet as you sail along the Seine.

Dinner: Dinner onboard

Lodging: MS Botticelli

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet onboard

Morning: On Site Lecture/ Field Trip: Explore historic Rouen, its magnificent cathedral where Monet studied and painted the effects of changing light, and its famous half-timbered houses. Your expert guide walks you through this unique city's history, also taking time to pause at the site of the burning of Joan of Arc.

Lunch: Lunch onboard

Afternoon: Onboard Lecture: "Robert Capa". With your Study Leader, learn about the fascinating photographer who captured some of the most well-known images of the D-Day invasion and the Liberation of Paris.

Dinner: Dinner onboard

Lodging: MS Botticelli

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet onboard

Morning: Field Trip: Discover Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny and the stunning foiliage that inspired the great artist.

Lunch: Lunch onboard

Afternoon: Onboard Lecture: "War and Discoveries". With your Study Leader, explore some of the new discoveries that emerged during World War II, such as Penicillin, jet aircraft and nylon.

Dinner: Dinner onboard

Lodging: MS Botticelli

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet onboard

Morning: On-site Lecture/ Field Trip: Accompanied by an expert lecturer and Paris resident, you will explore Medieval Paris and the Île de la Cité on a walking tour.

Lunch: Lunch onboard

Afternoon: Free Time: Take some time this afternoon to enjoy Paris at your own pace.

Dinner: Dinner onboard

Lodging: MS Botticelli

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet onboard

Morning: Field Trip/Lecture: The Occupation and Liberation of Paris. With your local expert guide, discover areas of Paris under German occupation and discuss the resistance and liberation. Begin at the Hotel Meurice, once the German Headquarters, and end at the statue of Charles de Gaulle on the Champs Elysées. Later in the afternoon you will check in at your hotel in Paris for one night.

Lunch: Lunch on your own in Paris. This is your chance to explore some of the world-famous cuisine offered by the city's sidewalk cafes and renowned restaurants.

Afternoon: Free time to continue your explorations of Paris or join the group for a self-guided visit of the Louvre using an audioguide created exclusively for Road Scholar participants, containing informative commentary by lecturers sharing their passion for highlights of the Louvre.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at a restaurant near your hotel

Lodging: Villa Montparnasse

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at hotel

In Transit: Transfer to Charles de Gaulle Airport for return flights to the U.S.

Meals Included: Breakfast