Today is all about majestic Madrid as we explore a city that is overflowing with palaces, museums and grand squares. Tonight we’ll share a group welcome dinner. [B,D]

Our day begins at the top of Mt Artxanda before we head downhill to tour the fascinating city of Bilbao, including the Santiago Cathedral, Plaza Nueva and Mercado de la Ribera. We also explore the Guggenheim Museum, home to one of the world’s largest art collections. [B]

Our sightseeing in Pamplona includes a visit to the 16th century Ciudadela and the city walls. Later we cross the border into France and journey into the wine region of Bordeaux. [B]

We travel north to the ‘Garden of France’, Tours, where it is said that the locals speak the ‘purest’ form of French. Tours is a perfect base from which to discover more of the nearby Loire Valley. [B]

Our journey continues to Normandy via Mont Saint-Michel, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed settlement on a tiny island just off the Normandy coast, before arriving in Caen, the final resting place of William the Conqueror. [B]

Our reflective theme continues with a visit to the small town of Villers-Bretonneux which was recaptured by the Allied Forces in WWI after 24 hours of German control, at the cost of more than 1,200 Australian lives. [B]

SPECIAL EXPERIENCE: We visit the Villers-Bretonneux Australian War Memorial to pay our respects.

This morning we begin exploring the grand city of Paris. Our tour takes us by the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Panthéon before travelling along the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. Our day ends at the iconic Eiffel Tower. [B]

We bid au revoir to Paris and journey south through the wine region of Burgundy before arriving in Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed city. [B]

We travel to Cannes via a section of the Napoleon Route known for its spectacular mountain scenery, stopping along the way at the towns of Sisteron and Grasse. [B]

We say goodbye to the glamorous French Riviera as we make our way inland to explore Aix-en-Provence before arriving 
in Avignon. [B]

We explore the narrow streets of the fortified medieval city of Carcassonne, one of the best preserved of its type in Europe. [B]

After breakfast we continue to explore Barcelona, visiting Gaudi’s famous La Sagrada Familia, and see Casa Batllo and Casa Mila. The afternoon is at leisure before tonight’s group farewell dinner. [B,D]