Begin in Paris and travel north into Normandy with its dramatic 360-mile coastline and verdant interior of lush farmland. Gastonomic delights abound from fine cheese like Camembert, Liverot and Pont-l'Eveque to Rouen duck and Calvados (apple brandy).

Stop in Giverny for a visit to Claude Monet's home and his famous gardens, subject of many of his paintings before continuing to Rouen, a town steeped in history with magnificent Gothic architecture and half-timbered houses. The "City of a Hundred Spires" is the final resting place of William the Conqueror and Joan of Arc.

From there, travel to Honfleur, a picturesque port town painted many times by artists and famous for Calvados before continuing to the town of Camembert for cheese tasting. Arrive in Caen, the ducal city of William the Conqueror in the 11th century. From Caen, visit Omaha Beach, the site of World War II's D-day battle and Bayeux, a perfectly intact medieval town famous for its Bayeux Tapestry, a magnificent piece of medieval art.

Continue south to Brittany, one of France's most rugged regions with a fascinating mix of coastline, ancient towns, magical islands and inland woods. A Celtic duchy for more than one thousand years before its annexation to France, it is rich in culture, tradition and history.

Visit Mont St. Michel, composed of granite and rising almost 500 feet above the sea, the island has remained a sanctuary since the Middle Ages and was built on a Celtic Druid temple. It is situated on an important "ley line" that ties it with Mont Carmel in Isreal, Delphi in Greece, La Sacra di San Michele in Italy and on to Glastonbury in the United Kingdom. Enjoy freshly fished oysters in Cancale before arriving in Dinan, a magical, mystical well-preserved medieval town complete with ramparts, towers and a castle.

Next, visit the Forest of Broceliande complete with its megalithic monuments, the last of the ancient forests that once covered Brittany and a center for Celtic Arturian legend in France. Continue to Carnac, a place of Celtic power and influence. While in Carnac, visit the Island of Gavrinis with its massive megalithic tomb and the Carnac Megaliths, a collection of over 3000 stone menhir monuments that stretch for 13 kilometers.

Visit the elegant city of Rennes and the medieval castle the Chateau du Josselin with its exquisite gardens before continuing to Chartres, a beautiful provincial medieval town with winding streets and old gabled houses.

It is the setting for Notre Dame de Chartres Cathedral, a Golthic masterpiece surrounded by mystery and spirituality and is filled with secret codes and lost secrets of the Druids and the Knights Templar. The cathedral is set on a Celtic druidic goddess site where the ancient crypt and the Black Madonna recalls its importance as a site representing the divine feminine with powers to heal. Return to Paris.

OPTIONAL PARIS EXTENSION

*Top off this fascinating tour with an optional extension to Paris, one of Europe's most romantic cities.