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Tel: 03 364 3400
Freephone: 0800 747 737
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London to Paris via the Channel Islands

12 day small group tour

Venture from Great British culture to Gallic charm on this trip from London to Paris, immersing yourself in the Channel Islands’ natural beauty and fascinating history along the way. Hear about Guernsey’s wartime occupation, uncover Western Europe’s best-preserved Neolithic sites in Jersey, enter a bygone world on Sark and admire Saint-Malo’s exquisite coastal landscapes.

Your tour highlights

  •  Spend a day on beautiful Sark, the iconic ‘Dark Sky Island’
  •  Explore the only part of the British Isles to be occupied during World War ll
  •  Wander the enchanting island village of Mont Saint-Michel

Tour itinerary

Day
1
London (England)

An epicenter of rich history and innovation, London is where we’ll meet for the start of our incredible journey. Tonight, we’ll get to know one another over a delicious welcome dinner. Accommodation: Wellington by Blue Orchid (or similar)

Day
2
London - Winchester - Dorset

After breakfast, we’ll travel to our first stop: the collegiate city of Winchester. Here, we’ll take some time to tour the magnificent Gothic cathedral before exploring the city’s old-worldly centre at our own pace. En route to our hotel, we’ll visit the sublime Corfe Castle – a site with over 1,000 years of diverse history. Then, a delicious meal awaits us at our Dorset hotel. Accommodation: Mortons Manor Hotel (or similar)

Day
3
Dorset - Guernsey (Channel Islands)

This morning it’s all aboard the ferry for the journey to Guernsey. Depending on our arrival time in St Peter Port, we may have the opportunity to tour the grand Sausmarez Manor and its charming gardens – before enjoying some free time to wander the cobbled streets, marina and stores at your leisure. Tonight, we’ll enjoy an included dinner together at the hotel. Accommodation: Duke of Richmond Hotel (or similar)

Day
4
Guernsey - Sark - Guernsey

The famous ‘Dark Sky Island’, Sark, will be our next stop – and here the day will be yours to spend as you please. No cars are allowed on the island, giving it a unique ‘olde worlde’ charm. Enjoy a leisurely walk to the various viewpoints around the island including the lighthouse and Pilcher Monument. Or embark on the strikingly beautiful walk along La Coupée to Little Sark. There’s even the option to admire the island’s captivating landscapes from aboard a horse-drawn carriage, if you’d prefer. After returning to Guernsey on the ferry, take the leisurely walk into town for dinner at a local restaurant or enjoy a relaxing evening at the hotel. Accommodation: Duke of Richmond Hotel (or similar)

Day
5
Guernsey

First on the agenda today: a stop at the enchanting Little Chapel, a work of art built entirely from seashells. Afterwards, we’ll visit the fascinating German Occupation Museum. Beginning as a schoolboy hobby, the museum has expanded into an extensive collection of Occupation memorabilia and rare artefacts. Returning to our accommodation in the afternoon, there will be some free time to explore Guernsey your own pace*. Accommodation: Duke of Richmond Hotel (or similar)

Day
6
Guernsey - Jersey

Our morning in Guernsey will be a relaxed one as we ready ourselves to depart for our next stop: Jersey. Upon our arrival, we’ll familiarise ourselves with the beautiful harbour village of St Aubin – exploring the Bulwarks, quaint streets and pubs at our leisure. Tonight, we will reconvene at the hotel and share stories of our day over an included dinner. Accommodation: Hotel L’Horizon (or similar)

Day
7
Jersey

Today we’ll uncover one of Western Europe’s best-preserved Neolithic sites: La Hougue Bie. Stand inside the chamber of the passage grave and feel the heart of this centuries-old place of worship, before discovering more at the geology and archaeology museum. Then, we’ll press on to the imposing Mont Orgueil Castle – a medieval fortress that has overlooked the beautiful fishing port of Gorey for more than 800 years. This afternoon you’ll be free to relax before we move on again. Saint-Malo is coming up tomorrow! Accommodation: Hotel L’Horizon (or similar)

Day
8
Jersey - Saint Malo

Elizabeth Castle has played a huge role in Jersey’s history for more than 400 years. Choose to take the Castle Ferry or walk out along the causeway at low tide. Then, enjoy some free time to explore the grounds at your leisure – uncover wartime bunkers, marvel at the hermitage where Saint Helier is thought to have lived, and take part in living history demonstrations. Later this afternoon, we’ll swap Britain for France as we sail into the dramatic port town of St-Malo. Be tempted by an array of restaurants in the town centre and savour some downtime relaxing in the fresh coastal air. Accommodation: La Maison des Armateurs (or similar)

Day
9
Saint Malo

Saint-Malo’s labyrinthine streets are best explored on foot, so we’ll begin today with an orientation walk with our expert Tour Leader. Then, the rest of the afternoon is yours to wander the medieval ramparts surrounding the town, visit the cathedral or enjoy a walk in the sunshine along Bon-Secours Beach. This evening, take the opportunity to indulge in some classic French cuisine. Bon appétit! Accommodation: La Maison des Armateurs (or similar)

Day
10
Saint Malo - Dinan - Mont Saint Michel - Saint Malo

Today we journey to Dinan, a quaint town nestled upon a hilltop overlooking the Rance Valley. After spending some time exploring its medieval walls, cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses, we’ll wind our way along the coast of Normandy to magical Mont Saint-Michel – a rocky islet topped with a medieval monastery. Here we’ll have some free time to explore the abbey and Logis Tiphaine Museum before finding lunch in the island village. This afternoon, we’ll return to Saint-Malo for an evening of leisure. Accommodation: La Maison des Armateurs (or similar)

Day
11
Saint Malo - Fougeres - Maintenon

Our morning begins with a visit to the Château de Fougères, the largest medieval castle in Europe. It features 13 majestic towers, beautiful gardens and is surrounded by the River Nançon. Following a stop for lunch in the Old Town, we then journey to Maintenon. Tonight, we’ll regroup at the hotel and enjoy one final dinner together. Accommodation: Castel Maintenon (or similar)

Day
12
Maintenon - Chartres - Paris

We’ll end our tour with a trip to the Cathedral of Chartres – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and beautifully preserved example of Gothic architecture. Our final stop will be Paris, where we’ll say ‘au revoir’.

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Tour pricing:

from $8,919

per person twin/double share*

To secure your place now:

Phone: 03 364 3400 or 0800 747 737
Email: [email protected]

Contact Us for details

Tour Inclusions:

Accommodation

  • 11 nights in hand-picked accommodation

Crew

  • Experienced Tour Leader and Driver

Transport

  • Premium mini coach transportation and ferries to Guernsey, Sark and Jersey.

Meals

  • 11 Breakfasts, 5 Dinners

Not included:

We had a fabulous trip away. Insight and Avalon were just wonderful, couldn’t fault them at all. Thank you so much for all your input and help.
Europe in Winter, Nikki & Steve
Everything you organised worked really well. The timings and explanations on arrival at places was brilliant. The hotels were all handily located to centre of old towns. The 2 Intrepid Trips provided extra understanding of the areas as did the 3 day Hurtigruten cruise.
Scandinavia, Bronwyn & Gordon
The "Sea Cloud" experience was above expectation and more! All your plans worked perfectly and we enjoyed the Somewhere Boutique Hotel at Voulagemeni. Absolutely no problem with the flights. Our accommodation was more than adequate, food excellent and the service 5+ star. We would strongly recommend this 'once in a lifetime' experience.
Adriatic, Paul & Ann
Overall its was an absolutely amazing experience, thank you for all clear information you had given us, really helpful to figure out where is our hotel and how to move from one place to another. Thank you so much for organizing this trip and doing such a good job.
Europe, Ai Ngo and Adrian
We really enjoyed the cruise and this was certainly one of the highlights of the trip. The Azamara cruise was ideal being a smaller boat (and numbers of people) but still provided great service and entertainment. The cruise we did from Athens to Venice was perfect with a destination each day to visit and a great variety of places. I would certainly recommend this cruise company and this particular voyage option.
Europe, Rob & Nikki
We’ve had a fabulous time in Portugal, outstanding guide, great food and wine and the National Geographic tour was superb. What a wonderful country, lovely people and great sights.
Portugal, David & Jill
We had a fantastic day at Plitvice today - very wet and overcast but absolutely stunning and loved every minute of our 12kms walking and photographing!! Loving our hotel here too ... another perfect one thank you!
Croatia, David & Joss
Sandra and I are back at home now after a couple of great months away.  The whole trip was great, so thanks for your help with the bookings etc. No issues at all. We very much enjoyed the Rhine cruise with Viking. We couldn’t fault their service and effort, and are happy to recommend them to others.  
Europe, Murray & Sandra
The trip was fantastic thanks very much for all your input.  Everything worked seamlessly with the flights, accommodation, and car rentals that you booked for us.  The places you booked for us were all in a good location.   The cycle trip through Burgundy was also definitely a highlight. It was truly a trip of a lifetime with everything that we managed to squeeze in, and having a lot of it organised for us was a real treat.
Europe, Mike & Nicky
Our trip went very well. We loved Ireland with Back Roads, excellent guide and good group. We think of three things, its green, narrow roads and old stone fences! Very interesting history. Hurtigruten had ungraded us to Cabin 601, right at the front with three windows, nice and spacious so very enjoyable. We had rougher seas around the Hebredies and Orkneys but all good.
UK & Ireland, Barbara
Back safe and sound after a wonderful cruise and Greek Island stay. Barcelona amazing and our little hotel was perfect. So handy to everything. The Viking cruise was pure luxury . Food, cabin décor entertainment , just perfect. My favourite places visited were Sicily, all the Croatian coast, towns and villages. Our Greek island stay very good with nice family hotel. Not so keen on the ferry. Like being in a plane. Very quick! Business was great and it would be hard to fly any other way now. Anyway Ian thank you so much for organising a great holiday for us. Very much appreciated. I haven’t completely ruled out travelling again!!
Mediterranean, Lois
Thank you Peter for once again, your meticulous planning for us. The trains worked admirably and we had plenty of time for connections. It is sometime since we have travelled in Europe but we have had a fabulous time despite only three sunny days in UK and Europe. Free use of public transport in Basel and Geneva great. Oyster card worked well in London. Lauterbrunnen was Swiss fairytale. A three day pass meant we did heaps and the weather cleared on our last day so we enjoyed Jungfrau plus views of The Eiger. Lots of Indian tourists/ has featured in a Bollywood movie. Weather didn’t clear in Zermatt/ so didn’t see Matterhorn. Left 42 degrees in Dubai. Sunday breakfast up the Burj. Thanks Peter you are an excellent travel agent.
Holland & Switzerland, Alison
A big thank you for organising bookings for us. Everything went according to plan. Managed to catch everything, nothing delayed , except Easyjet which you kind of expect.
Europe, Lesley
We had an absolutely fabulous holiday.  I adored Switzerland, the people, the scenery, just everything.  Every day was better than the day before, couldn't fault anything. The hotels and transport were spot on.  Simon skied 5 days and I found plenty to do.  It was easy meeting people and exploring by myself. Thank you so much for all your organising.  This trip has given me so much confidence to explore other European countries and winter climates.
Switzerland, Lynne