PARIS EXPLORER with Jean Wallace – 7 Days Tour [05 June – 11 June, 2023]

Upon arrival in Paris, claim your bags and proceed towards arrival hall.  Our representative will meet you and assist you with your transfer to hotel. (Standard check-in time is 3:00 pm)

If you have arrived early, you might like to take a stroll on the streets of Paris

Overnight in Paris

Morning enjoy your breakfast. After your hotel pick up, you will immerse into Paris’ Black History.

Meet your tour guide for their Black Paris Orientation! We will board our bus and proceed to Arc de 1. at 9:30 am Meet guests at their hotel for a 30-minute Black Paris Tours Orientation providing history and cultural “cues” needed to master Paris.

We will start with a stroll to the Arc de Triomphe for their Black Paris Orientation! We then stroll over to the Arc de Triomphe, where your guide tells of the first great wave of African Americans coming to Paris in the 1800s. We describe the exploits of Black soldiers who distinguished themselves on French battlefields during World Wars I and II and the Champs-Élysées Mansion where Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings came together in 1787, the beginning of a 38-year relationship.

A short bus ride takes us to beautiful Parc Monceau to follow in the footsteps of Frederick Douglass, Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, Henry O. Tanner, Mary Church Terrell, Ida B. Wells, Carter G. Woodson, Countee Cullen, Bessie Coleman, Langston Hughes, and Mary McCloud Bethune. We stroll two blocks to stand before the monument recognizing France’s abolition of the African slave trade in the West Indies and recalling the exploits of Napoleon’s most famous Black general. Steps away, another statue is dedicated to the General’s son, Alexandre Dumas… the most famous French writer in history. A third statue recalls the literary achievements of his son, the dramatist, Alexandre Dumas.

With the Haitian Consulate overlooking this square, you’ll hear the story of Toussaint L’Ouverture, who led the successful 1791 revolt … making Haiti the first free Black Republic in the new world. Another bus ride takes us past the building where author Dumas lived, then past the church dedicated to the African Saint Augustine — a founder of the Catholic Church!

Next, we’ll see the Place de la Madeleine, the church where Josephine Baker’s was given a state funeral April 15th, 1975.  We’ll pause at Place Concorde where the guillotine took the heads of thousands during the French Revolution, and where the US Embassy is headquartered. Place Concorde is home to the oldest monument in Paris today, the African Obelisk …. an astronomical device used to chart the sun and the stars at the Temple of Thebes in Luxor, it was brought to Paris in 1831.

We will then head to Olympia Concert Hall. This hall has played host to an amazing lineup of legendary African American musical greats — Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Josephine Baker, the Nicholas Brothers, Hazel Scott, Lionel Hampton, Clara Ward, Nat King Cole, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela, Quincy Jones, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner, the Jackson Five, the Supremes, Jackie Wilson, Jimmy Hendrix, James Brown, Dee Bridgewater, Nathalie Cole, Al Jareaux, Brian McKnight — just to name a few!

We will continue to Opera Garnier – America’s greatest Black operatic talents have graced this stage including Ira Aldridge, Blind Tom, Sissie Retta Jones, Lillian Evanti, Paul Robeson, Grace Bumbry, Gloria Davis, William Warfield, Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett, Marian Anderson, Mahalia Jackson, Jessye Norman, Janet Baker, Barbara Hendricks.

Head to “Little Africa” to see the colorful outdoor market at Chateau Rouge. You’ll feel as if you’ve been transported to a market in some of the biggest cities of West Africa.

Next drive through historic Montmartre called “The Harlem of Paris” between WWI and WWII. Tour the lesser-known corners in the Latin Quarter, Montparnasse, Lower Montmartre, and the Champs-Élysées area, writers James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Diaspora intellectuals in the Latin Quarter. Featured are several Josephine Baker sites, Jazz in the 1920s Lower Montmartre around the Moulin Rouge, Sally Hemings, Harlem Hell fighters and sites of artists’ exhibitions near the Champs-Elysees, plus the Alexandre Dumas family statues.

We will stop at African Restaurant for Lunch Post Lunch, we will visit the Church of the Black Madonna. The church notably contained a Black Madonna, the Notre Dame de Bonne Délivrance (Our Lady of Good Deliverance), also known as the ”Black Madonna of Paris”. The statue dates from the 14th century, replacing an 11th-century version. It is 150 centimeters (59 in) tall and made from painted limestone. The Virgin wears a white veil and dark blue mantle ornamented with fleur-de-lis over a red robe.

We stop at Place Josephine Baker in the 14th Arrt (Metro: Edgar Quinet) for a group photo. Rue Gaitie is where Mme Baker last performed on April 10, 1975, at Bobino Cabaret in a show titled “Josephine”. Her body lay in state at Bobino before her funeral cortege made its way to the Church of the Madeleine the day of her funeral. April 15, 1975.

You will be dropped -off at the hotel.

Spend the evening getting to know your surroundings. Wander through the leafy boulevards and winding lanes of the French capital, stopping for a leisurely café au lait while watching sophisticated Parisians go by.

Overnight in Paris

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

After breakfast, our Paris sightseeing tour begins with hotel pickup. With your private guide, enjoy exploring the city in a more intimate and personalized setting than a bigger bus tour. Settled comfortably into your private vehicle, pass by iconic attractions like the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the opera house (Palais Garnier), Place Vendome, Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées.

Then, head to the Eiffel Tower for lunch on the first-floor terrace. Inside a heated transparent bubble dome, indulge in a French-style gourmet meal while enjoying panoramic views of the Seine and Paris.

Later we will proceed for a guided tour of the Louvre Museum, we will start with a special Private Tour – Black Image in the Louvre (2 hours): Your licensed guide will take you through many rooms in the magnificent Louvre, pointing out images of Black people. Easily overlooked in these large pieces, she will explain the significance of their presence both artistically and culturally.

The guide will continue showing you the main rooms and masterpieces including the Venus de Milo, Coronation of Napoleon I, and the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Gain insight into centuries of rich artistic history. Enjoy free time to explore further at your leisure.

Return to your hotel.

Optional–Seine River Cruise with Dinner – USD 245 Per person (minimum 15 Pax)

Evening we have ensured a memorable night out in Paris with a gourmet dinner cruise along the Seine River. Float past the city’s famed monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Ile de la Cité aboard a luxury Bateaux Parisiens riverboat. Soak up the magic of Paris from an onboard dining room while enjoying a gourmet 3-course meal. Please note that Champagne and live music are also included on select 8:30 pm departures. Evening cruise along the Seine River Sip on a glass of Champagne when you board your boat (for 8:30 pm dinner cruises only) Enjoy a 3-course à la carte dinner with wine See iconic Paris attractions that line the Seine’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed riverbanks

Overnight in Paris

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

The day is free at leisure. Spend the day soaking up the sights and sounds of this elegant European capital. You may wish to experience a full-day Optional Experience on the Normandy coast to uncover the poignant history of the D-Day Landings. Spend your evening at leisure exploring the city’s glittering sights at night.

Optional–Day trip to Mont-Saint-Michel from Paris–USD 160 Per person on a Seat-In-Coach basis (does not include hotel pickup and drop-off)

Depart Paris and travel through the French countryside by an air-conditioned bus to the amazing fortified city of Mont Saint-Michel off the Normandy coast. Sit back and relax and get stunning views of the countryside along the way. Stop for a break at a nearby village dating back to the days of the Normans, and stroll the winding streets and narrow pathways to find the best views of the bay. Continue to the mouth of the Couesnon River, where Mont-Saint-Michel was built on an islet just a few hundred meters from the mainland.

Spend the afternoon exploring the remarkable monuments of the walled city, classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO since 1979. Discover the rocky islet at your own pace. Climb along the ramparts to make your way up to the abbey at the top of the town.

Visit the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel with an included entrance ticket. This Benedictine building has played a vital role in the history of the commune and the feudal society it represents. Marvel at this magnificent example of Gothic architecture from the early 13th century.

Admire views of the surrounding bay before leaving Mont-Saint-Michel in the late afternoon. Be driven back to the French capital to get dropped off at the starting point.

Optional–Day trip to Normandy D-Day Beaches Mont-Saint-Michel from Paris–USD 195 Per person on a Seat-In-Coach basis (does not include hotel pickup and drop-off)

Board the luxury air-conditioned coach in central Paris and get set to enjoy a unique day in Normandy. Relax and admire the beautiful landscapes of the French countryside. Visit the well-known American Cemetery at Saint Laurent. Explore this 170-acre site that features 9,387 white marble headstones lined up perfectly across the grass, a memorial, a chapel, and the Garden of the Missing. Follow a small trail down to Omaha Beach, too.

The next stop is in Arromanches, a historic town known for its artificial port that was built to assist the Normandy landings. On D-Day, the harbor saw the unloading of almost 10,000 tons of equipment. You can still make out the floating reinforced concrete Phoenix constructions in the water.

Before returning to Paris, make a short stop near sandy Juno Beach and its cemetery, one of the key D-Day landing beaches for Canadian troops on June 6, 1944.

See everyday objects from life under occupation, maps, and models of military vehicles, as well as film screenings recreating the emotions of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy

Overnight in Paris

Meals: Breakfast

This day will be dedicated” to the “Bronze Venus,” and “Jazz Cleopatra”: all nicknames given to the fabulous Josephine Baker throughout her life. Paris was an incredibly special place to the American-born singer — it was here that her explosive career first started. She famously said: “I don’t want to live without Paris… It’s my country. I want to be worthy of Paris.” In a time when the States was not ready to accept performances like hers, Paris

She lived in the Parisian suburb of Le Vésinet, less than half an hour’s journey from Paris however, and it is here that her “villa” which is called “Beau Chêne” can be found. She lived there from 1929 to 1947.

Enjoy lunch at Parisian Restaurant serving French cuisine. Post lunch proceeds to Luxembourg Garden.

Explore the Luxembourg Garden and the surrounding area to learn about the histories of such luminaries as Richard Wright, Chester Himes, Alexandre Dumas, and Victor Séjour. View the landscape captured by painter Loïs Mailou Jones and see the contemporary sculpture that commemorates the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. This tour, which involves about 90 minutes of walking and standing, proceeds at a moderate pace. A roughly 5- to 10-minute narrative is made at each stop. Each stop requires standing, but, if weather permits, sitting is possible at some of the stops. Participants should be able to walk the full length of the tour at a moderate pace without having to sit down to rest. The walk requires climbing a flight of thirteen steps.

Return to your hotel. Spend your evening at leisure exploring the city’s glittering sights at night.

 Optional – Moulin Rouge Show with Transfers  – USD 240 Per person (minimum 15 Pax)

Feast your senses on the vibrant color and charisma of the ‘Féerie’ show at Paris’ iconic Moulin Rouge during an extravagant evening in the City of Light. Take a seat in the atmospheric theater and prepare for a dazzling spectacle of drama, dance and music. See elaborately dressed show girls dominate the stage; marvel at dancers as they perform compelling choreography; and opt to upgrade to include a French feast and fine Champagne before the show starts.

Overnight in Paris

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

And it’s time to say goodbye!  Today you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home. Thank you for spending the time with us