Performing Arts: London & Paris

England boasts a long and rich history that continues to intrigue visitors to this day. Over centuries, its people have made a significant impact throughout the world in trade, colonization, religion, literature, art, and industry. No amount of time here ever seems enough to fully experience all that the country has to offer! Then it's on to France, an enchanting country that evokes elegance, opulence, and richness. Each region is unique, and amid the beauty of the mountains, coastline, and cities, there are charming small towns filled with friendly people who embrace the true meaning of joie de vivre.
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Day 1 Start tour
Day 2 Hello London
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Details: London city walk
Step outside your hotel for a stroll through the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, royal parks to street art. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques
Details: Trafalgar Square
See Trafalgar Square, often used for community gatherings and political demonstrations.
Details: National Gallery visit
Visit the National Gallery, which contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning seven centuries, from the late 13th to the early 20th. The largest portion of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including works by da Vinci, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Botticelli; but the collection also features works by the Spanish giants El Greco, Goya and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens and Rembrandt; and there is also an immense French impressionist and post-impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Cézanne.
Details: Piccadilly Circus
Visit Piccadilly Circus, a shopping and entertainment area brightly lit with video displays and neon signs.
Details: Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, which itself may be referred to as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Details: Leicester Square
Leicester Square is perfectly situated in the heart of London's West End, with Trafalgar Square to the south, Piccadilly Circus to the west, Covent Garden to the east, and China Town to the north.
Day 3 London
Details: British Museum visit
Explore the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, and the Sutton Hoo Treasure.
Details: St. Paul’s Cathedral visit
Visit St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's Renaissance-style masterpiece and yet another home to a stunning resident choir. Our visit will include an ascent to the Whispering Gallery, an acoustic marvel in which the faintest whisper can be heard clearly on the opposite side. We also will visit the American Memorial Chapel. If we are lucky, we will be present when the organ is being played.
Details: London choir performance
Potential venues include (but not limited to): Southwark Cathedral, The Community of St. Stephens, Victoria Park Bandstand, St. Gabriel's Church Pimlico, the lively Spitafields Market, Hillsong Church, Christ Church Spitafields, or an exchange with a local school, university or community group. Additional options such as Cadogan Hall or St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square are available at additional cost.
Day 4 London
Details: Westminster Abbey visit
Visit Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. Our Blue-Badge Guided Tour will include the Royal Chapels, containing the tombs of the English monarchs. It also will feature the Poets' Corner, featuring memorials to many famous British literary figures.
Details: Tower of London visit
Get up close and personal with the Tower of London. Towers, rather. Twenty stone towers, as well as tunnels, winding staircases and narrow passageways comprise this huge fortress covering 18 acres on the banks of the Thames. A royal residence from the 11th - 16th centuries, the Tower also served as a jewel safe and a prison. The headless skeletons of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (Henry VIII's former wives who were executed here) are believed to be buried here. The Crown Jewels are housed here, including the largest cut diamond in the world (530-carats). Beefeaters (guards) lead tours through the Tower.
Day 5 London--Paris
Paris city walk
Île de la CitéNotre-Dame CathedralÎle St. LouisLatin Quarter
Details: Eurostar Chunnel crossing
Take the Eurostar under the English Channel. Faster than you can say... anything, in French, you'll whiz through a tunnel and arrive in Paris.
Details: Paris city walk
This city was made for walking. Stroll grand boulevards with sweeping views of the city, pristine parks with trees planted in perfect rows, and narrow streets crowded with vendors selling flowers, pastries and cheese. Then head to the Île de la Cité, a small island in the Seine, to see Notre Dame Cathedral. Please note Notre Dame Cathedral is currently closed due to fire damage.
Details: Notre-Dame Cathedral
View the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Work began in 1163 on a spot that had been a holy shrine since Roman times. Over the centuries, the cathedral has been the scene of some of France's most momentous occasions, including the coronation of Napoleon.
Details: Seine River cruise
See the city from the water on an hour-long cruise along the River Seine. The Seine cuts right through Paris, dividing the city in half. See the Eiffel tower rising up on the Left Bank, the walls of the Louvre on the Right Bank. A guide will point out other monuments and architectural marvels as you pass, many of which are illuminated by clear white light at night.
Day 6 Paris
Versailles guided excursion
State ApartmentsHall of MirrorsGardens of Versailles
Details: Versailles guided excursion
The ultimate palace, Versailles was built by Louis XIII, and housed the royal family and its groveling court from 1682, when the Sun King moved in, to the French Revolution. Everything in Versailles is worth a look, from the 250-foot-long Hall of Mirrors, with themed salons- "war" and "peace" -on either side, to Marie Antoinette's faux country hamlet. When being a queen became too much to bear, she would pretend to be a commoner, tending her sheep and wearing peasant clothes. (Please note Versailles is closed on Mondays.)
Details: Paris choir performance
Potential venues include (but not limited to): La Trinité, where Messiaen served as organist and where Hector Berlioz had his funeral, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, The American Church in Paris, and the Église de la Madeleine, which is another of our most popular venues for attracting good audiences. Finally, the Église St-Roch regularly hosts concerts. It is an excellent venue for visiting choirs and has good facilities and very organized publicity.  
Day 7 Paris
Details: Louvre guided visit
The world's largest art museum, the Louvre is housed in a medieval fortress-turned-castle so grand it's worth a tour itself. You walk through the 71-foot glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei and added in 1989, and step into another world-one with carved ceilings, deep-set windows, and so many architectural details, you could spend a week just admiring the rooms. But check out the art on the walls. The Mona Lisa is here, as well as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory (the headless statue, circa 200 BC, discovered at Samothrace). The Louvre has seven different departments of paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and antiquities. Don't miss the Egyptian collection, complete with creepy sarcophagi, or the collection of Greek ceramics, one of the largest in the world. (Please note the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.)
Details: Arc de Triomphe ascent
Climb to the top of this triumphal arc, which honors all of the soldiers who fought for France during the Napoleonic Wars, for a breathtaking view of Paris.
Details: Paris choir performance
Potential venues include (but not limited to): La Trinité, where Messiaen served as organist and where Hector Berlioz had his funeral, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, The American Church in Paris, and the Église de la Madeleine, which is another of our most popular venues for attracting good audiences. Finally, the Église St-Roch regularly hosts concerts. It is an excellent venue for visiting choirs and has good facilities and very organized publicity.  
Day 8 Paris
Montmartre tour director-led sightseeing
Sacré CoeurPlace du TertreMoulin Rouge
Details: Musée d’Orsay visit
Visit the Musée D'Orsay, which is housed in a former railway station. It features mainly French art from 1848-1915, and is best known for its impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Cezanne.
Details: Paris choir performance
Potential venues include (but not limited to): La Trinité, where Messiaen served as organist and where Hector Berlioz had his funeral, Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, The American Church in Paris, and the Église de la Madeleine, which is another of our most popular venues for attracting good audiences. Finally, the Église St-Roch regularly hosts concerts. It is an excellent venue for visiting choirs and has good facilities and very organized publicity.  
Details: Montmartre tour director-led sightseeing
If you’re coming to Paris, you absolutely need to take a walk in Montmartre! This area will wake the artist in you up. Its narrow alleys, windmills, little details, and soul are some of the things that make Montmartre so unique. As you walk in Montmartre, you will quickly understand how it has inspired so many artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh. As you walk up the hill make sure to take in all that surrounds you, because in Montmartre you are likely to find surprises around every corner!
Details: Dinner in Montmartre Area
Tonight we will ascend to the Montmartre area of Paris, where we will have dinner in a local restaurant. This area was made famous in the late 19th century as an artists’ haunt. We will also spend time in the Place du Tertre, a square known for its local artwork.
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Day 9 

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    Day 9 Paris--Rome
    Fly to Rome
    Rome city walk
    Spanish StepsTrevi FountainPantheonPiazza Navona
    Details: Rome city walk
    Take a walk past Rome's most beautiful and unusual Baroque fountains. At the foot of the Spanish Steps, elegant cafes surround the central fountain. The water pressure here was so low that the artist had to sink the fountain into the ground to get any water going through it, so he went ahead and designed the fountain to look like a sinking ship. There's no shortage of water pressure at the nearby Trevi Fountain, a Baroque extravagance designed by master sculptor Bernini.
    Details: Trevi Fountain
    View the Trevi Fountain, where it is traditional to toss a coin into the fountain to ensure a safe return to the Eternal City.
    Details: Piazza Navona
    We will spend some time in the Piazza Navona area. Built on the foundations of Domitian's Circus, this magnificent square was designed by Borromini in 17th century. It is full of life and is highlighted by one of Rome's most spectacular fountains, the Four Rivers designed by Bernini. The square is often filled with local artists. The surrounding neighborhood is also one of the best places in Rome to get a tasty tartufo or gelato ice cream
    Day 10 Rome landmarks
    Details: Ancient Rome guided walking sightseeing tour with Whisper headsets
    The ultimate symbol of Ancient Rome, the Colosseum still dominates the modern city. Tour the amphitheatre with your local licensed guide. Built by the emperor Vespasian in A.D. 72, the structure held almost 50,000 spectators but was so well organized that the entire place could be emptied within 15 minutes. Inside, the spectacles varied from gladiator battles to immense naval contests to wild beast shows, in which thousands of exotic animals like giraffes and ostriches were popped into the stadium through trap doors and left to fight Roman hunters. See the system beneath the floor that operated the trap doors and housed the animals, then continue on to the relative calm of the Forum. Ancient Rome’s commercial, religious and political center, the Forum held markets, temples and the Senate House. Near the Rostra, or speaker’s platform, you can still see game boards scratched into the marble by bored politicians--anyone up for a game of tic tac toe?
    Details: Forum Romanum visit
    Tour the ruins and excavations of the Roman Forum, which features the remains of magnificent temples, basilicas, and triumphal arches that once formed the heart of the Empire.
    Details: Rome choir performance
    Potential venues include (but not limited to): The Pantheon, St. Peter's Basilica, the gardens of the Vatican, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore or Sant'Agnese in Agone just off the Piazza Navona. Choral groups may wish to perform during a mass, or have a separate concert. Exchange opportunities with local schools, universities or community groups are also an option.
    Day 11 End tour
    Tour Includes:
    • Round-trip airfare and other transportation described in the itinerary
    • Accommodation in three- or four-star hotels in twin (or occasional triple) rooms with private facilities guaranteed throughout
    • Plentiful daily breakfast to start the day energized and ready to go
    • Appetizing, culturally representative, three-course dinner daily
    • Full time, multilingual, WorldStrides tour director who is LEAP-trained in experiential education
    • Local guide at sites and on city tours as described in the itinerary
    • All of the venue arrangement fees and promotional costs for included concert performances
    • LEAP! Learning through Exploration and Active Participation; trademarked immersive approach of learning by doing
    • Entrances and transportation to sites and activities described in your itinerary
    • Local guide and local bus driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
    • Basic Medical, Dental, Emergency Evacuation Insurance during trip
    • 24/7 On Tour Emergency Support
    • Up to three college credits upon course completion (grades 9-12) or high school credit (grades 6-12)
    • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
    • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, costs for rental, transport of instruments or music stands, any passport or visa fees, or tips for the Tour Director or multi-day bus drivers. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid tips, or other customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.

    We are better able to assist you with a quote for your selected departure date and city over the phone. Please call 1.888.378.8845 to price this tour with your requested options.

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    5549.00 total fee
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