Today: We will enjoy a full-day tour of the “City of Lights”, including inside visits to the famous Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle which was built to house Our Lord’s Crown of Thorns, and Montmartre (Mount of Martyrs) with its magnificent Basilica of Sacre Coeur. On Montmartre on August 15, 1534, near the Chapel of St. Denis on Rue Antoinette, St. Ignatius of Loyola and his band of six students at the University of Paris, including St. Francis Xavier, made their first vows. We will make also outside visits to the Eiffel Tower, the Opera House, and the Arc de Triomphe.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: Following breakfast, drive through the classic Normandy countryside to Lisieux, home of St. Theresa the “Little Flower of Jesus”. Visit the home where she lived as a child and the Carmel Convent where she was a nun. After Mass, visit the Basilica of St. Theresa, its Crypt, and the 13th Century Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter. Continue on to Mont-Saint-Michel, the principal shrine of the Archangel Michael.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: In the morning enjoy a complete visit of the Benedictine Monastery at Mont-Saint-Michel including the Church of Saint Michael. In the afternoon, drive south through the beautiful French countryside to the city of Poitiers, an important pilgrimage destination largely because of the influence of its first bishop, Saint Hillary.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: Your morning sightseeing in Poitiers includes visits to the Saint Hillary’s Baptistry of Saint John, the church of Norte-Dame-la-Grande, and the tomb of Saint Hillary at Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand. In the afternoon drive to Nevers, where St. Bernadette spent her life as a nun following her visions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: Following breakfast, depart for Paray-le-Monial where Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary to promote devotions through His Most Sacred Heart. Following Mass at the Visitation Chapel and a visit to the Basilica to see the tomb of Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, continue to Lyon, France’s second-largest city, dramatically sited on the banks of the Rhone and Saone rivers. This city is packed with restaurants, ranging from simple bouchons (bistros) to some of the most opulent tables in France.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: This morning drive to the train station and take the train to Toulouse. After arrival in Toulouse, board our motor coach and drive to Lourdes, one of the great pilgrimage shrines in the world. It was here where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette in 1858 proclaiming herself the “Immaculate Conception”.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: We will have all day to experience the special atmosphere of this beautiful town. Attend Mass at the Grotto of Massabielle, the site where the Virgin appeared 18 times. Also, visit the Basilica of Pius X (the world’s largest underground church), see the house where Bernadette lived during the Apparitions, and visit several of the sites where the miraculous cures have taken place. This evening we will participate in the Blessed Sacrament Procession and the Candlelight Procession.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: Depart Lourdes this morning by train and return to Paris.  The remainder of the day is free to discover the city of lights on your own.

Evening: Dinner and overnight accommodations will be at your hotel.

Today: This morning we will transfer to the airport to catch our return flight home.