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Day 1 Saturday
Departure day
Board your overnight flight from New York to Paris.
Day 2 Sunday
Paris
Upon arrival, transfer via private car to the Hotel Regina, located in the very heart of Paris. Opened in 1900 for the Paris World's Fair and built on the site of the Louvre Palace's Carousel, the Regina offers all you would expect from
the great French hotel tradition. The balance of the day is yours to spend exploring the most romantic city in the world. HOTEL REGINA
Day 3 Monday BD
Paris/Depart on cruise
Paris is the world capital of art and culture with some of the most famous museums and monuments in the world. The morning is free for you to start your exploration. This afternoon, transfer to the Libellule, a deluxe 20 passenger
canal and river cruiser, moored in Conde sur Marne. The scenery changes gradually as you leave the bustle of Paris behind and cross the fertile rolling hills of the Champagne region. You will have time to stroll into the village before
a welcome reception and dinner are held on board. LIBELLULE
Day 4 Tuesday BLD
Cruise the Marne/Cumieres/Reims Cathedral
Breakfast is served on board as the Libellule casts off early and cruises upstream on the Marne. As the morning advances, the river valley gradually narrows and becomes more steep-sided, its slopes covered in vineyards and dotted
with a number of remarkable properties and picturesque hamlets which owe their existence to the affluence brought by their produce. Just after lunch, moor at Cumieres, a charming riverside village surrounded by Premier Cru vineyards and
overlooked by the former Benedictine monastery of Hautvillers where, at the end of the 17th-century, the celebrated cellarman Dom Perignon first blended grapes to make champagne. This afternoon, tour the cathedral at Reims, regarded
as one of the greatest Gothic edifices in the world, with a history inextricably linked with the French monarchy since the conversion of Clovis to Christianity in 496 AD. The coronations of 25 kings of France have taken place at Reims.
Enjoy a visit, with tasting, of the cellars of one of the great champagne houses (Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Mumm or Taittinger). Return to the Libellule moored at Cumieres, where the vessel’s expert chef prepares a candle-lit
dinner. LIBELLULE
Day 5 Wednesday BLD
Epernay/Moet et Chandon
This morning cruise to the town of Epernay, center of the champagne wine trade. After breakfast, a short walk or a very short ride in the coach will bring you to the Avenue de Champagne, where the offices of several of the great wine houses
are housed in ornate mansions. You will visit the famous cellars of Moet et Chandon, founded in 1743, and have the opportunity to taste this renowned vintage. Afterwards you have time to explore the town of Epernay before returning to the
Libellule for lunch. The towpath, which was once used by horses and mules and even by people hauling heavily-laden barges, still exists along this part of the canal and several locks make it possible to disembark and stroll alongside
or take a bicycle into one of the nearby villages. Tonight, enjoy your farewell dinner aboard, complete with several of the vintages you have discovered over the last few days. LIBELLULE
Day 6 Thursday B
Vaux le Vicomte/Ecole Ritz Escoffier
An early departure after breakfast takes you south to Vaux le Vicomte on the way back to Paris. A visit to this magnificent chateau, built in the 17th-century by Fouquet, Louis XIV's minister of finance, is a highlight. The tremendous
wealth acquired by the owner allowed him to employ the most famous architect, decorator and landscape gardener of the day. Returning to Paris this afternoon, another culinary highlight awaits. Chosen by Cesar Ritz as the first master chef
for the famous Hotel Ritz, Auguste Escoffier created a culinary legend that lives today at the Ecole Ritz Escoffier. You will enjoy a detailed demonstration of a complete menu or several pastries presented by one of the hotels chefs, but
will especially appreciate tasting the gourmet results. HOTEL REGINA
Day 7 Friday BD
Paris/Cruise on the Seine/Moulin Rouge
Today is yours to discover Paris on your own. Alternatively, Maupintour could assist in planning excursions to the Chateaux Country, Versailles, Claude Monet’s home and studio in Giverny or a variety of tours in and around "the
City of Light." Dine tonight at the Altitude 95 restaurant at the Eiffel Tower. After dinner, take a leisurely cruise on the Seine, which highlights the city's most romantic sites illuminated at night. Cap off the evening with a performance
at the infamous Moulin Rouge. HOTEL REGINA
Day 8 Saturday B
Departure day
After breakfast at the hotel, will transfer via private car to the airport and your return flight home. We hope you have enjoyed your independent holiday to Paris and the Champagne region. Please join us again soon.
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