Daily Itinerary

Sat 7 September (Day 1) Departure. Individual departures from USA to Brussels, Belgium.

Sun 8 September (Day 2) Arrive Brussels International Airport. Proceed to our hotel next to the airport.  Evening wine reception and tour overview briefing. Remain Overnight (RON)-Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel

Mon 9 September (Day 3) Waterloo & World War II.  Tour Waterloo Battlefield and Museum, site of Napoleon’s famous defeat in 1815.  Visit Ardennes American Cemetery where 5,162 Americans rest from actions in World War II.  RON-Van Der Valk Selys Liege Hotel. Meals: (B)

Tue 10 September (Day 4) Bastogne, WWII Maginot Line fort and a visit to General George Patton’s grave.  We will proceed to Bastogne, where American forces stopped the Germans in horrible weather conditions as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge.  Stop off for a tour of a Maginot Line fort.  Head to Luxembourg American Cemetery to pay respects to 5,070 service members buried there, including Patton.  RON: Verdun – Les Jardins du Mess. Meals: (B)

Wed 11 September (Day 5) WWI Battle of Verdun and French Revolution battlefield. We will journey to the famous, or infamous, Verdun battlefield.  This 1916 attack by the Germans to “bleed the French Army white.”   We begin our exploration of the Battle of Verdun with the excellent Verdun Museum in Fleury. We will also visit Fort Douaumont and Douaumont Ossuary.  In addition, we will see the vast areas of shell craters (some areas are still off-limits due to thousands of unexploded munitions).  In the afternoon, we will take you to the spot where Louis the 16th and Marie Antionette were captured by the revolutionaries and would remain captives until their eventual execution.  We’ll then visit the Cannonade of Valmy, where French volunteers won an upset victory over the French monarchists during the time of the French Revolution in 1792.  RON-Verdun – Les Jardins du Mess. Meals: (B/D)

Thur 12 September (Day 6) WWI Meuse-Argonne and Blanc Mont American Battlefield. In the morning we’ll tour the central/eastern portion of the Meuse-Argonne battlefield, stopping at the huge American monument atop Montfaucon, then paying our respects at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery at Romagne, the largest American cemetery in Europe.  We will proceed to the site where on 10 November, the last night of WWI, two battalions of the Fifth Marine Regiment crossed the river on a footbridge under heavy fire.  We will end the day at Blanc Mont and tour the Marine (2nd Infantry Division) battlefield where the seizing of Blanc Mont ridge was called by French General Henri Petain, “The greatest achievement of 1918.”  Then it’s on to the historic city of Reims.

A note on Reims:  Reims is an ancient city founded circa 80 BC.  After the fall of the Roman Empire it was the site where most of the French kings were crowned at the famed Notre-Dame de Reims.  Reims is located in the heart of the Champagne region of France.  You will have a chance to see the town in the evening and perhaps have a taste of the champagne or see the lovely cathedral lit up at night.  RON-Holiday Inn Reims Centre. Meals: (B) 

Fri 13 September (Day 7) Belleau Wood Battlefield.  We will begin our morning by visiting the inside of Notre-Dame de Reims.  We will then proceed to the iconic Marine battlefield at Belleau Wood, a site at or near the top of most Marines' “bucket lists.” Here, you'll see fighting positions, trenches, medical aid stations, machine-gun nests in and around the woods and view Les Mares Farm, Hill 142, Lucy-le-Bocage, Bouresches, “The Wheatfield,” and much more. You'll also have the opportunity to drink from the legendary “Bull Dog Fountain.” We'll head to Paris with the evening & weekend at leisure. RON Pullman Eiffel Tower Paris. Meals: (B)

Sat 14 September (Day 8) Paris in September. Today, you experience Paris, quite arguably the most beautiful city in the world. Your tour leaders will be available to offer suggestions of things to do and places to visit, as well as how to use the excellent Paris public transportation system. Your choices are endless and a Paris guidebook of your choice, obtained before the tour would be most helpful. You can ride one of the hop-on/hop-off tour buses for an excellent driving tour. Want more military history? Visit Napoleon's Tomb at Les Invalides, where Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces is also entombed and which also houses the National Army Museum, a fabulous collection of French militaria. Had enough military history for the moment? Visit the incomparable art treasures of the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Rodin Museum, Pompidou Center, take in the architectural wonders of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Opera, the Basilica de Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, the Marais, or take an optional tour to Versailles. Or, you can just sit on a bench on the Champs Elysees or at a table at the Cafe de la Paix on the Place de la Opera and watch the world go by.  Overnight: RON: Pullman Eiffel Tower Paris.  Meals: (B)

Sun 15 September (Day 9) Paris. Enjoy another day in Paris on your own.  Perhaps a day trip to the beautiful Chateau de Fontainebleau, Napoleon and Josephine’s favorite spot.  Your tour leaders always have suggestions for you. RON: Pullman Eiffel Tower Paris. Meals: (B)

Mon 16 September (Day 10) Departure for Home. Check out for the flight home or extend your stay in Paris. Meals: (B)