Make your way to your local airport where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Upon landing into Nice Airport, make your way to the baggage claim area annd collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrival’s hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. Have time for lunch (not included) before transferring to your hotel. Take time relax or explore before having dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Your day begins with breakfast before departing for Cannes harbor. From here, a boat ride brings you to Lerins Island to visit the Cistercian Abbey of Lérins. Founded in the 5th century, this Abbey quickly became one of the greatest centers of western monastic tradition. Attend Mass at the Abbey and then have lunch at the local restaurant on the island. Afterwards you will have time to experience the peaceful atmosphere of the monastery where the brothers live by the rule of St. Benedict : ora et labora (prayer and work). The abbey is particularly known for its production of delicious wines and liquors. We return by boat to Cannes and then depart for the city of Aix-En-Provence. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Following breakfast, you will depart for Saint-Maximin-La-Saint-Baume to visit the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene which houses her relics. According to Christian tradition, Mary Magdalene, Marie Salomé and Saint Lazarus fled Palestine by boat to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and were the first to evangelize Gaul (ancient France). We then leave for Cotignac which is blessed to have had apparitions of the Virgin Mary, the Child Jesus, and Saint Joseph; the only place in the world where the entire Holy Family has appeared! Have lunch with the Community of St. Jean and visit the Sancutary Notre-Dame de Grâces. The Sanctuary was built by Jean de la Baume, a shepherd in the region after the Virgin Mary appeared to him on August 10, 1519 and asked him to build a Church there. Your group then transfers to Le Thoronet to visit the beautiful Abbey of Thoronet. The site is listed as a national historical monument. Next door to the abbey, you will visit the Monastery of the Torrent de Vie where the sisters of the monastic family of Bethlehem and of the Assumption of the Virgin will welcome you. Celebrate Holy Mass in the monastery with the sisters and then transfer to Aix-en-Provence for a relaxing dinner and overnight.

After breakfast at the hotel, Mass will be said at Saint-Sauveur Cathedral. This cathedral is a majestic religious edifice, blending Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. It contains the baptistery of Saint John, one of the oldest in France. Explore Aix-en-Provence and visit sites such as the Rotonde fountain, the Fountain of the Four Dolphins, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Vendôme pavilion, and the roman thermals baths. Take time for lunch on your own before departing for Carcassonne. This beautifully preserved Medieval city is listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site and is a masterpiece of military architecture. Your walking tour will take you through small paved streets, from the chateau to the ramparts (view from the outside), passing by the basilica of Saint-Nazaire and the ancient houses. Enjoy dinner and overnight in Carcassonne.

Following breakfast, we depart for the Abbey of Saint-Mare de Lagrasse. This abbey is a masterpiece of 11th-century Romanesque architecture. The community of Benedictine monks who live here have preserved its spiritual and historical heritage for centuries. Holy Mass will be celebrated here at the Abbey. You will spend the day immersed in the tranquility of monastic life, surrounded by nature’s serenity, and revitalize your spirit by participating in the liturgy of the hours. Lunch will be served at the monastery’s restaurant. After this reflective day, we depart for Lourdes where we will have dinner and a restful night.

Today, after breakfast, you will spend the day experiencing the site of Our Lady’s apparitions in Lourdes. Our Lady first appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858 and announced herself as “The Immaculate Conception” near the Grotto of Massabielle. During her apparitions, Our Lady emphasized God’s love for us and the necessity of performing acts of penance for sinners. You will have the opportunity to attend Mass in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and see the Grotto where Our Lady appeared to little Bernadette. Watch a video presentation that explains in detail the story of Lourdes and drink water from the miraculous spring that has healed many. Experience Christ’s unconditional love as you meditate upon the “life-size” Stations of the Cross that overlook the Grotto of Massabielle. Enjoy time for lunch on your own and then walk in the footsteps of St. Bernadette as you visit her birthplace known as Boly Mill, and the “Cachot,” an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s impoverished family lived. Following dinner at the hotel, you will have an opportunity to attend the candlelight procession (April-October) and pray the Rosary before a restful overnight.

Following breakfast at your hotel, leave to Lourdes Airport for your flight to Paris. We begin our time in Paris by visiting the Chapel of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal, where we will celebrate Mass and then have the opportunity to view the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure. The Saint’s guardian angel led her to the chapel where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her. During apparitions, Our Lady repeatedly instructed the making and purpose of the Miraculous Medal, as well as the green scapular. According to the Blessed Virgin Mary, those who wear the Miraculous Medal and scapular will receive special protection and abundant graces. Following your prayerful and reflective experience, we will walk to Saint Vincent de Paul Church, and have the opportuniity to pray before the relics of this great Saint of charity. Your day ends with dinner and an overnight in Paris.

Your day begins with breakfast at the hotel and then you will depart to see the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris, a jewel of gothic art. Due to the restoration efforts following the tragic fire in 2019,  pilgrims are not yet allowed inside. Your tour continues by visiting Sainte Chapelle, the Holy Chapel commissioned by French King Louis IX to house the holy relics of Christ’s Passion including the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and others. The relics have since been transferred in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Sainte Chapelle’s openwork design and bright colours, as well as huge stained glass windows make this Chapel an architectural feat. After time for lunch on your own, we head to Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica which was built in the 19^th century as an act of reparation, hope and renewal in France. Have Mass in this beautiful Basilica before dinner at a local French restaurant. Following dinner, you will have the opportunity to go to Adoration at Sacre-Coeur Basilica before retiring at your hotel for the night.

Your last full day in Paris begins with breakfast followed by Holy Mass at Saint-Etienne du Mont Church. After Mass, enjoy a guided tour of this magnificent Gothic Church which also houses the tomb of Saint Geneviève (Patron Saint of Paris). Your group will then enjoy a walking tour of the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. After visiting this peaceful site, have lunch on your own before setting off to visit the Eiffel Tower – an iconic symbol of Paris which receives more than 6 million visitors each year. Your tour of Paris concludes with a visit to the Collège des Bernardins. This jewel of Cistercian architecture in the heart of Paris was visited by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. Enjoy a farewell dinner at a local French restaurant before returning to your hotel for a restful overnight.

After breakfast, your group will have the opportunity to go to Mass before heartfelt farewells and your return flights home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.