Dates:
Friday, October 2 - Monday, Oct 12, 2009 Price: $2,475 per person, double occupancy, land only.

Single Supplement:
$750 USD, Or Hermes Tours can match you with another traveller and waive the single supplement. Deposit due at time of registration: $500 USD per person
Airport Information:
Please arrive into Paris; either Charles-de-Gaule (CDG) or Orly (ORY) airports. Your return airport will be Nice (NCE).

FRANCE -OH LA LA! You can’t help but think that the French have it right. Outdoor cafes that encourage lingering, the finest cuisine, a refined taste for life’s simple pleasures. What’s not to love? Hermes helps you dive right in to the joie d’vivre with a perfect mix of sightseeing and free time. We’ll explore its magnificent side in Paris and the Riviera. Then our small group delves into its smaller but no less spectacular cities of Lyon, Avignon, and Gordes.   HIGHLIGHTS: Paris, including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Basilica Lyon Avignon, including Palace of the Popes Gordes, including Abbey de Senanques Aix-en-Provence Marseilles & Cannes Nice Principality of Monaco, including Princess Grace resting place Accommodations for 9 nights in 3-star hotels Daily breakfast and 2 dinners High speed train transportation from Paris to Lyon Services of a Hermes Tours escort Services of an expert, local guide in all cities $100 per person savings if you reserve 5 months before departure! ITINERARY Date Itinerary Meals Friday, Oct 2, 2009 Departure from Home N/A Saturday, Oct 3, 2009 Arrive in Paris D Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 Paris B Monday, Oct 5, 2009 Paris - Lyon B Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 Lyon - Avignon B Wednesday, Oct 7, 2009 Avignon - Gordes - Abbey de Senanques - Aix B Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 Aix B Friday, Oct 9, 2009 Aix - Marseille - Cannes - Nice B Saturday, Oct 10, 2009 Day tour to Eze & Monaco B Sunday, Oct 11, 2009 Nice B, D Monday, Oct 12, 2009 End of Program - Return Home B     HOTELS: All of our hotels will be 3 star superior category with private facilities. Each is centrally located in the centre of the city. Contact us for more information and rates to extend your stay.   IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Included: Please note that the above cost includes all accommodation in 3 star, gay friendly hotels, with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips and service charges. All activities as outlined in the itinerary; all meals as per itinerary; economy class train between Paris & Lyon; the services of a Hermes Tours Escort throughout the trip; all ground transportation as per itinerary; entrance fees to all sites on itinerary. Not Included: International air to/from Paris/Nice, visas if required, transfers to/from airport on designated days.  Meals and activities not specifically included in itinerary. Any items of a personal nature such as telephone, laundry, alcohol as well as customary tips to your driver and tour guides and Hermes Tours escort. Visas: Canadian and American passport holders are NOT required to have visas to enter the France for tourism purposes. Shots and Immunizations: There are no shots that are required for travel to France but Hermes Tours does recommend that your tetanus booster be up to date. Currency and Money Issues: It is very easy to withdraw money from ATMs located throughout the country as well as to use your Visa or MasterCard. The American Express card is less widely accepted. Travelers checks are also accepted however can carry a heavy commission fee. We recommend to travelers to bring only a small amount of cash and/or travelers checks and to rather use their ATM and credit cards while traveling.   LIABILITIES / DISCLAIMERS Making a reservation with a deposit will be considered to be consent to the following conditions: Hermes Tours reserve the right to accept or decline any person as a member of the tour at any time and to make whatever changes become necessary with or without notice. Guaranteed departure with a minimum of 10 participants. Hermes Tours is not responsible for airline cancellation or change penalties incurred by individual tour participants for air tickets purchased prior to notification that the tour is a confirmed departure. Travel cancellation insurance would cover these costs should the tour be cancelled. Hermes Tours does not accept responsibility in whole or in part for any delay, loss, accidents, personal injury, sickness, medical expenses, or property damage occasioned by fault of any person from whatever cause. All participants are required to sign a standard liability form. Tour Pricing: Like our namesake, we look after our travelers, which is why so many have come to trust Hermes Tours with their vacation plans.  Currencies always fluctuate, but Hermes Tours will guarantee your land price and subsequent land cost increases once you have paid your deposit at our own expense. Prior to receiving your deposit, we reserve the right to modify the tour price.

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Friday, Oct 2 – Depart Fly overnight to Paris, one of Europe’s only cities with an openly gay mayor. Day 2 – Saturday, Oct 3 – Arrive in Paris (D) We meet at our centrally located Paris hotel this morning or afternoon. This evening Hermes hosts a welcome dinner. Later we sample a little of gay Paree when we check out the night life!  Day 3 – Sunday, Oct 4 – Paris (B) Today we discover the City of Light on a guided tour. We’ll marvel at the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Basilica, and so much more. After lunch on your own, you’ll have the afternoon and evening free, perhaps to explore the Marais district, Paris’ “Gai Village.” Day 4 – Monday, Oct 5 – Paris to Lyon (B) Today we whisk to Lyon aboard our TGV high-speed train. Upon arrival in France’s culinary capital, we enjoy a guided tour, then check into our hotel.  Day 5 – Tuesday, Oct 6 – Lyon to Avignon (B) When the popes arrived in Avignon in the 14th century, the city became a second Rome. When we arrive, we’ll see just what captivated them to stick around. We’ll see the Papal Palace, the largest gothic palace in the world; the Petit Palace, which isn’t that petite at all; the low medieval bridge of the famed childhood song; and endless noble architecture. Explore on your own this afternoon. Day 6 – Wednesday, Oct 7 – Avignon - Gordes – Aix-en-Provence (B) Today is a leisurely transfer day. We’ll step back in time in Gordes, an unspoiled hilltop village. We’ll ascend its gallery-lined cobbled streets to the Renaissance chateau. From this vantage, you’ll see why this is one of the most beautiful Provencal towns. We continue to the Cistercian Abbey de Senanques, nestled in a wild valley. By day’s end, we arrive in Aix-en-Provence. Day 7 – Thursday, Oct 8 – Aix-en-Provence (B) Still today, artists are drawn to the light in Provence. You’ll have the day to drink it in for yourself, perhaps strolling the mansion-lined streets of Cours Mirabeau or Villeneuve. Or stop by the birthplace of Paul Cezanne.  Day 8 – Friday, Oct 9 – Aix-en-Provence - Marseille - Cannes - Nice (B) Travel through the lovely Provence countryside, stopping in Marseille, France’s oldest city, and chic Cannes before arriving in Nice. Day 9 – Saturday, Oct 10 – Eze and Monaco (B) Today we drive up to the spectacularly situated town of Eze, perched like an eagle’s nest above the coast. This was a favored spot of Walt Disney, and U2’s Bono has a villa here. We also pay a visit to Monaco. At just 473 acres, it would fit inside New York’s Central Park. We visit its exotic gardens and the resting place of Princess Grace. Day 10 – Sunday, Oct 11 – Nice (B, D) We take in the major sites of Nice this morning. The afternoon is free for you to relax. You might don your suit and hit the beach; the sun is warm year-round here. Stroll the boardwalk. Or browse the Matisse Museum. This evening Hermes hosts a farewell dinner so we can bid each other “au revoir.” Day 11 – Monday, Oct 12 – Depart (B) This morning is the end of our tour. You are free to make your return flight for any time today.