Upon arrival at the airport, you will be transferred to the hotel in Paris. After check-in, you will have time to get settled in and relax. In the evening, join your fellow travelers for a special Seine cruise welcome dinner. Enjoy the sights and sounds of Paris with views of the City of Light during your meal. Return to the hotel by coach.

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Note: if you wish to spend more time in Paris, ask your Personal Vacation Manager about the optional hotel extension—which will add one or two nights to your Paris hotel stay.

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Enjoy breakfast in the hotel before check-out and then transfer south to the city of Tours. As you drive into the Loire Valley, you’re entering one of the world’s largest UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which stretches for 173 miles along the river and includes all the chateaux and towns that lie within this section of the central Loire Valley. Along the way, you will make a stop at the largest and most visited chateau in the Loire Valley, Chateau de Chambord. Constructed between 1519 and 1547, the chateau is a masterpiece of French Renaissance architecture known for its distinctive double helix staircase, which allows two people to ascend or descend without ever meeting. The chateau’s 440 rooms and 282 fireplaces reflect the grandeur of its creator, King Francis I, who commissioned it as a lavish hunting lodge in the heart of the Loire Valley. Following the chateau visit, you’ll have lunch at a local restaurant before arriving in Tours for hotel check-in and the evening at your leisure.

After breakfast, meet your guide for a walking tour of the Old Town of Tours and your base for the next four nights. Experience the charming Place Plumereau in Tours’ historic center, a lively square surrounded by well-preserved medieval half-timbered houses that offers a taste of the city’s vibrant café culture and bustling atmosphere. Then depart the city to visit the Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau, one of the jewels of early French Renaissance style. Built on an island in the Indre river in 1527, its façade and location make it one of the most photographed chateaux in the region. The home’s most ornate feature is the grand staircase that rises 3 floors and offers double bay windows on each landing overlooking the courtyard. Inside you will find many 16th and 17th century tapestries. Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant before returning to Tours for an evening at your leisure. Perhaps return to Place Plumereau, perfect for people-watching and sampling local cuisine.

After breakfast, we set off to Rigny-Usse to see the castle that is said to have inspired Charles Perrault to write Sleeping Beauty. Situated on the edge of the Chinon forest overlooking the valley, the Chateau d’Usse seems purposely built for a fairytale story, even inspiring Walt Disney’s many castles. Following the tour, we’ll drive to Villandry to visit the spectacularly restored Renaissance Villandry Gardens. Originally constructed in 1532, the estate fell into disrepair until the Spanish doctor Joaquin Carvallo purchased the home in 1906 with the mission to recreate the property’s gardens. First, you’ll enjoy a Farmer’s Market Menu lunch of salads and cheese from the Touraine area and homemade desserts in the chateau’s restaurant before you embark on your tour of the grounds. Discover the ornamental Kitchen Garden, the crown jewel of the estate. In true Renaissance style, it consists of patches all the same size, but each with a different geometric motif of vegetables and flowers in alternating colors, giving the impression of a multicolored checkerboard. Today, Joachim’s great-grandson is the current owner and continues the family tradition of improving and expanding the home’s garden. Return to Tours for the remainder of your evening at leisure.

Today we spend the morning in the picturesque village of Amboise, nestled on the Loire river. We will start with a tour of Chateau d’Amboise, home to King Charles VIII. As the place where he held court during his reign, Amboise was once the center of French power. The chateau’s chapel is also the final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci. Following lunch in a local restaurant, enjoy free time in Amboise to stroll the town’s quaint streets. You’ll then depart for Vouvray to learn the region’s winemaking process from vine to bottle. You’ll get to visit a wine cellar dug into the limestone cliffs (typical for the region), before a tasting of the winery’s specialties. Return to Tours for the evening at your leisure.

Today we will travel by coach to Chenonceaux, a small commune in the heart of the Loire Valley, to visit one of the best known chateaux in France, Chateau de Chenonceau. The iconic renaissance gallery spanning the river below it was built by Jean Bullant, whose work on other famous projects include the Tuileries and Louvre palaces in Paris. The chateau boasts an extraordinary collection of furniture, tapestries and paintings of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The home has many aristocratic owners including Catherine de’ Medici and was also given to the favorite mistresses of King Henry II and King Henry IV. It became designated a “Monument Historique” in 1840 by the French Ministry of Culture because of its importance to France’s historical, architectural and cultural heritage.

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Then board a boat on a tributary of the Loire, the Cher river, where you’ll take in the beautiful surroundings while participating in a tasting of the regions delicious wines. After the cruise, return to Tours for a special cooking class experience where you’ll learn how to prepare a French dish as your dinner this evening.

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After breakfast, check-out of the hotel and transfer back to Paris for your flight to Barcelona. Upon arrival in Barcelona, you will be transferred to the hotel for check-in and an evening at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast and the day at your leisure in Barcelona to explore on your own. Perhaps view the surreal architecture of Antoni Gaudí by exploring the iconic Sagrada Família and Park Güell, or enjoy the lively atmosphere and shopping of La Rambla. This evening, reunite with the group for a farewell Flamenco show with tapas dinner.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer to the port, where you will board the Celebrity Eclipse for a 13-night transatlantic cruise to Fort Lauderdale.

Ports of call include Lisbon and Madeira (Funchal), Portugal and King's Wharf, Bermuda.

Enjoy breakfast onboard, then disembark the Celebrity Eclipse.