Jetsettersblog

This Unique and Exciting Vacation Is Based on Top Travel Forum Requests

Insight Vacations is excited to announce it has chosen France for its 2012 Travel Forum Members Tour. Every year Insight past passengers come together on Insight’s Travel Forum to design their own touring itinerary, based on places, sights and destinations they want to explore. This fabulous 19-day tour begins in Paris on September 15, 2012, and covers regional France visiting some towns and cities not usually included on Insight tours.

A vacation filled with the best France has to offer, from great wine to great art, guests will visit stellar vineyards, enjoy outstanding cuisine, and stay in some of the finest hotels and chateaux in the country.

There will also be the option of an add-on three-day extension tour in Paris. This is the ideal vacation for anyone interested in wine, art or history!

2012 Travel Forum Members Tour – 19 days. Begin in Paris with a sparkling illuminations tour of the City of Light.

Follow the Marne Valley eastwards to Reims and enjoy an orientation tour of the Gothic cathedral, one of the finest in France with its spectacular facade and glorious rose windows.

Visit the cellars of one of the great Champagne houses. Stop at Verdun, site of the heroic French stand in the First World War; then onto the regional capital of Strasbourg, situated halfway between Prague and Paris, it is the official seat of the European Parliament with its futuristic buildings.

In contrast, an included canal cruise plies the tranquil waterways of Petite France where craftsmen’s houses were built above the channels of the River Ill.

Travel via the UNESCO world heritage listed city of Besançon to Beaune, home of the famous Hospices de Beaune.

Marvel at the multi-colored roofs of this architectural jewel that has become one of the symbols of Burgundy. In Lyon, you will start your tour with a drive to the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, Lyon’s hallmark church, for a dramatic view of the town built at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône Rivers.

In the Dordogne region of south-west France, begin three days of exploration with nearby Rocamadour, part of the medieval Christian pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela, where Kings and peasants alike once crawled up the Grand Escalier (216 steps) on their knees to the Rocamadour chapel (and further to L’Hospitalet, with its views of the old town) seeking redemption and cures.

Appreciate some of Europe’s oldest art: the 13,000-year-old drawings of Rouffignac Cave. Here you’ll marvel at depictions of bison, horses and rhinos that have been called the “Sistine Chapel of the Prehistoric World.” Then it’s on to Sarlat-la-Canéda, probably the most famous town of Perigord. Sarlat has survived almost unchanged since the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Follow the scenic Dordogne River to the town of Bergerac and on to the renowned wine village of St. Emilion where you will sample some great regional wines. Visit the classical city of Bordeaux .

In the Loire Valley, stop to visit the medieval abbey of Fontevraud, founded by Eleanor of Aquitaine. She still lies buried here along with her husband Henry Plantagenet and son Richard the Lion Heart. A guided tour of Mont Saint-Michel will take you to the hill-top abbey surrounded by sea. A simple oratory was built here in the 8th century, but was subsequently expanded and enhanced over the years. Then it’s back to Paris and home again or an optional post-tour three-day package, which includes sightseeing in Paris and Montmartre.

For the complete itinerary for this outstanding and unique luxury escorted journey, please click here . Priced from $6440 per person land only, based on double occupancy. Please note that Insight will be extending the 12 month Early Payment Discount to bookings confirmed and paid for before January 31, 2012.

Insight Vacations has accumulated an international following by providing outstanding service and quality tour packages to the savvy traveler who seeks better accommodations, choices in dining, and smaller group sizes all while staying in the most desirable locations. For over 30 years, Insight Vacations has been the leader in premium escorted tours and cruises to Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

For more information, contact Insight Vacations at (714) 937-4990. For reservations, agents can contact Insight Vacations at (800) 582-8380. For more information or to order brochures, visit Insight Vacations’ website at www.insightvacations.com