Explore France ~ September 7th - 21st, 2023

Trip Leader: Debbie Steininger

(click photo to see trip photo album)

From the Alps to the Ocean, our Explore France trip was full of adventure and beautiful sights. We had 25 members join us on this trip from September 7-21, 2023. Our trip started with 5 nights at the Hotel Alpina in Chamonix. The hotel was very nice and close to the city center. The top floor had a panoramic view of the town. We had 2 1/2 free days. Some of the activities were: visiting the Ice Cave, riding a gondola for gorgeous views of Mont Blanc (some continued the gondola ride to Italy), shopping, enjoying the spa and hiking. Our two day trips, with guided tours, were to Annecy, Evian Les Bains and Yvoire. We had 2 wonderful boat rides as well. Next it was on to Clermont Ferrand (2 nights) with a group lunch and short sightseeing time in Lyon. In Clermont Ferrand we had a city tour and road a panoramic electric train to the top of the volcano, Puy de Dome. We even had one of our members paraglide down the bottom. We stayed at the Hotel Kyriad which was close to restaurants and the city center. We continued our journey by traveling to Amboise (2 nights). We stopped at a Troglodyte restaurant, where we had lunch in a cave. We toured 2 castles, Le Chateau Royal d’Amboise and Chateau de Clos Luce. The Hotel Clos D’Amboise was gorgeous and we had gourmet meals there both nights. The next day we toured the stunning Loire Valley castles, Chenonceau and Chambord. We finished our stay with 3 nights in Bayeaux at the lovely Hotel Domaine De Bayeux. Some went to see a 1,000 year old tapestry in town. The next day was full of history, touring Pointe du Hoc, Arromanches, Omaha beach and the American Cemetery. What a moving day. Our last tour was of Mont Saint Michel where we toured the village and the Abbey. We drove to Paris for flights home. The hotels, transportation, city tours, tour manager (Luca Zanon), and group meals were all top notch. This was a custom trip with the help of Sheri Agnew of Group Travel Simplicity.