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Activity note: Hotel check-in 2:00 p.m.
Afternoon: Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. In additional to the Group Leader, we will be accompanied by a local instructor who will attend scheduled field trips to provide expert commentary. In addition to expert led lectures and field trips, two outstanding benefits of this program are the included Paris Visite Pass (Metro Pass) and Paris Museum Pass we will use for some field trips. They will make your free time and personal independent exploration easier and more rewarding. For further information on the Museum Pass, please visit: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/ Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. This is a Road Scholar INDEPENDENT program. It is designed for participants who want high-level Road Scholar instruction, a few group activities, and who are capable and comfortable setting out on their own for a significant part of the day/night. There will be several hours each day of educational content, a number of meals on your own (excluded from the program cost) to enjoy what you like, and substantial free time for personal independent exploration. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. In addition to free time suggestions from the Group Leader, you can find information on local events by visiting: https://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/major-events/what-to-do-in-paris.
Dinner: At a restaurant near the hotel, enjoy a 3-course plated and served meal featuring traditional French food, plus a glass of wine; other beverages available for purchase. In France, meals are accompanied by complimentary bread (“pain”) and water (“eau” or “l’eau”), so you need not ask for them.
Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow participants, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach; afternoon field trip via Paris Métro, accessed by walking up and down flights of stairs; elevators/escalators not available in most stations; be prepared to stand on metro is no seats are available; walking up to 3 miles throughout the days on cobblestone streets; standing for up to 2 hours; crowds expected at all monuments.
Breakfast: At the hotel, the breakfast buffet offers cold and hot choices including eggs, breads and pastries, juice, coffee, and tea.
Morning: We will hear a lecture by our local instructor (who is also a licensed Guide) on the origins of Paris from Roman development through the Middle Ages. Archaeologists estimate that the area has been inhabited for about 9,000 years. What eventually became Paris began in the 3rd Century BCE when members of the Parisii tribe settled on an island in the Seine River. We will board a motorcoach for a panoramic view of some of the most famous monuments and Paris sites as our Paris expert instructor continues to present aspects of the city's history and architecture through the ages. We will also stop for photos as permitted in approved areas. Our motorcoach exploration concludes on the Île de la Cité in the vicinity of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Afternoon: After eating lunch independently we will regroup and go to the Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame. Construction on the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris began in 1163 and was not completed until 1345. Damaged and restored a number of times, it remains one of the largest and finest examples of Gothic architecture anywhere.
Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you would like.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Use of Paris metro; must be prepared to go up/down stairs and possibly stand while on metro; walking up to 3 miles in the Morning on uneven ground. The exact time of the Seine cruise is subject to change based on museum availability. If scheduling conflicts arise, the Seine cruise may be moved to another time or day in the itinerary.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: At the hotel we will hear an expert lecture presented by our local instructor on the Paris during the Renaissance period into the 18th century. We will head out on foot with the local instructor, to experience the Latin Quarter like a student. The University of Paris and its core college, the Sorbonne, were founded on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) about 1257, one of the first universities in the world. This quickly became the intellectual heart of the city, called the Latin Quarter as Latin was the language of the educated classes. Over succeeding eras, it attracted artists, writers, and bohemians. Among the highlights we will see are the Sorbonne, Cluny Museum, and Boulevard St Michel.
Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like. There are many options to choose from in the Latin Quarter.
Afternoon: Free Time. This would be a good opportunity to spend more time in the Rive Gauche neighborhood known as St. Germain des Prés. Once a gritty haven for artists, philosopher, and writers, many of whom frequented the famed Café Les Deux Magots or the Café de Flore, it has become an upscale neighborhood that still retains much of its historic ambience. It is also the home of Café Le Procope, the oldest café-restaurant in France (1686) that was a favorite — at different times! — of Voltaire, Danton, Hugo, Balzac, Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.
Dinner: On your own.
Evening: Depending on the time of year, enjoy either a late afternoon or evening cruise along the Seine to view the magnificent monuments lining the river.
Activity note: Use of Paris metro; walking up to 3 miles in the Morning; expect crowds at market.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: With the Group Leader, we will enjoy a market visit. We will head out on foot and via metro to experience the sights, sounds, and scents of a traditional open-air market and experience Paris like a Parisian.
Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like. You might want to create a picnic lunch from specialties at the market or dine at a nearby café. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.
Afternoon: We will meet our expert instructor to discover the Marais District. This area, known as the Jewish Quarter, was once the most populous Jewish community in Europe. Perhaps the most famous feature is the superb Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris, built by King Henri IV in the early 1600s.
Dinner: At a local restaurant.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Use of Paris Metro; going up/down stairs; walking up to 4 miles throughout the day; standing for up to 2 hours during visits.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: At the hotel, our expert Instructor will speak to us about the masterpieces found at the Louvre Museum. We will take the metro to the Palais-Royal. This “village in the city” that faces the Louvre was a seat of power and high position for centuries. It was built by Cardinal Richelieu in 1629 and bequeathed to King Louis XIII. It went through a series of royal owners and became the focal point of a lively social scene with notable theaters, restaurants, and promenades that attracted many visitors. The Palais-Royal was also a center of free speech in the period leading up to the Revolution. We will explore some of the covered passageways, hidden courtyards, and learn about its history through the centuries.
Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like.
Afternoon: After lunch we will head over to the Musée du Louvre for a visit with our expert instructor. The largest museum in the world; the Louvre's unrivaled collection includes the “Mona Lisa,” and the “Venus de Milo” as well as thousands of other masterpieces.
Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like.
Evening: We will come together at a designated time and place to go enjoy a performance together. The performance offered varies by date, and will be confirmed in the Final Information Packet.
Activity note: Use of Paris Metro; going up/down stairs; walking up to 4 miles throughout the day; standing for up to 2 hours during visits.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: We will head out via metro to the Musée d'Orsay. Led by our Instructor, we will explore the world's largest collection of Impressionist paintings at the Orsay Museum on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) of the Seine. The first work of art is the building itself, the former Gare d’Orsay railway station, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. The collections of painting, sculpture, and decorative objects show the tremendous diversity of artistic creation in the western world from 1848-1914, showcasing many of the most remarkable works of the early modern era including the Impressionist, post-Impressionist, and Art Nouveau movements.
Lunch: On your own. The museum has three options for dining, or you might like to eat at a nearby brasserie.
Afternoon: Free Time. The Group Leader is available to bring you over via Métro to the church of Les Invalides in the Musée de l’Armée with the extraordinary Tomb of Napoleon or the Rodin Museum and sculpture garden for independent exploration.
Dinner: On your own.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Use of Paris Metro; going up/down stairs; walking up to 4 miles throughout the day; inclined terrain at Montmartre; standing for up to 2 hours during visits.
Breakfast: At the hotel.
Morning: At the hotel, our expert instructor will give a lecture on Paris in the 20th century. Led by the instructor, we will take a field trip to explore the collections of the Musée de l'Orangerie and view Monet's magnificent Nymphéas (Water Lilies). Situated in the heart of Paris at the corner of the Tuileries Gardens, the museum was constructed in 1852 as an actual orangery (shelter for orange trees), with a variety of uses in subsequent eras. When it was repurposed and refurbished after 1921, the great Impressionist artist Claude Monet began work on eight huge panels of “Les Nymphéas” (Water Lilies) — regarded as the ultimate expression of his artistic ideas — that were installed after his death. The museum also contains works by Cézanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso, Renoir, and other great artists of Impressionism and Modern Classicism.
Lunch: On your own. For those interested, the Group Leader is available to accompany participants via metro to Montmartre for lunch and free time.
Afternoon: Free time. The Group Leader will be available to accompany participants via métro up to the “village” of Montmartre, home of many artists during Impressionist and post-Impressionist periods. This is an opportunity to explore popular Place du Tertre (Artist Square), Sacré Coeur Basilica, or simply to meander through the neighborhood and see streets that inspired so many artists.
Dinner: Our congenial farewell dinner in a nearby restaurant features a 3-course meal with choice of entrée and wine; other beverages available for purchase.
Evening: At leisure. Say farewell to new Road Scholar friends and prepare for departure in the morning. If you need assistance with transfer arrangements for travel tomorrow, please consult with the Group Leader.
Activity note: Hotel check out 12:00 Noon.
Breakfast: At the hotel. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
