June 17 trip Paris, Normandy, Brittainy and Loire Valley

Vivi

To anyone that has travelled on this tour previously....Was there something you wished you had seen or had more time for? I am traveling with my 18 yr old grand daughter and will arrive a day early to see more of Versailles Palace and will also stay an extra night at end of tour. Any suggestions, much appreciated.

Dixie Chick

We went on this trip in September, 2014, and it is my favorite of our Tauck trips so far. We also arrived a day early and stayed an extra day. We booked a "behind the scenes" tour of Versailles that gave us access to the royal apartments and other rooms not on the regular tour of the palace. It was a small group with an English speaking guide, which was nice because Versailles is crazy crowded. We also walked the grounds and went to the smaller palaces. Tauck provides one ticket good for one day for Versailles. We had to get another ticket for the extra day. Go to the Versailles website and get information about tours and tickets.
We also went to the Palais Garnier which is the home of the Paris opera, as in Phantom of the Opera. It is not on the Tauck tour. In my opinion, it is the prettiest building in Paris. There are guided tours in English that you can book---well worth it. There is a gorgeous gallery of mirrors and chandeliers, patterned after Versailles.

Very close to the opera, on Boulevard Haussmann, is Galeries Lafayette, a multi level upscale department store with a beautiful glass dome. There are a couple of cafes where you could have lunch or get coffee and pastries. On the top level by the dome is an outside area that has a great view of the city. We skipped the guided walk on the afternoon of the Musee d'Orsay visit and wandered around on our own.
We did not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, nor did we go to the Louve. We did go to see Monet's lilly paintings at Musee L'Orangerie. You must pre purchase tickets..get them from the concierge or online. The line is ridiculous. We did not get to Montmartre. There is so much to see and do in Paris, we ran out of time. I guess that means that we must return.

Have a fantastic time with your graddaughter. Vive la France!
Nancy

Penguini

We went on this trip April 22, 2016 and loved it. Our tour guide Marianne was wonderful. We arrived 2 days early and went through Versailles, the garden, the Grand Trianon Palace and Le Petite Trianon. We loved the Versailles garden, but it could be a lot of walking, we walked 9 miles that day. If I only had one day, I would visit the Grand and Petite Trianons. The buildings are small but the grounds were very nice. This year Tauck started having a tour of the Versailles Chateau before it opened to the public. This was great, we had the whole palace to ourselves.

We stayed an extra week in Paris and never ran out of sights to see. If I only had one day I would go up the Eiffel Tower and see the Louve. The ticket lines for the Louve are long, so get them before you go. We got them at the hotel. The problem with the Eiffel Tower is the lines to go up are long. You will also need reservations too. We had a fabulous lunch in the tower so we didn't have to wait in line. Very pricey though and it might be booked up by now, Jules Verne restaurant.

Most of the sites in Paris were within walking distance, but to save time I would use Uber. We took Uber 14 times while we were in Paris. Easier that the Metro or Taxis.

Have a great time.

Will

MCD

I took this trip that began on April 29. I had arrived a day early and had gone to Versailles Palace before the tour started, but I wished that I had not taken the time to do so, because the "before hours" visit to the State Apartments on the first full day of the tour provided an opportunity to see enough of the palace (including the Hall of Mirrors). I learned that Tauck would offer that special visit just before I left the States (a week before the tour started), and had already purchased tickets. Check with Tauck to make sure that you will have the opportunity for that special visit without the crowds.

If you have time in Versailles before the tour begins, do walk around the Versailles Gardens and go to Marie Antoinette's estate.

Bring your bathing suits to take advantage of the opportunity to relax in the "aquatonic" hydrotherapy spa at the hotel in St Malo. Only 3 of us out of 16 on the tour took advantage of the spa experience. It was great!

Our tour director, Dixie, offered optional walking tours of St. Malo and Montmarte. I had other plans in Paris, so couldn't go to Montmarte, but did take advantage of the one in St. Malo. If you get the opportunity, take the optional tours. If Dixie is your guide, tell her that Maureen says "hello."

Bon voyage!