Pilgrimage to France
Date
Activity Level
Moderate – High
Book By
Group Limit
30
Pilgrimage Overview
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque is a French nun who experienced visions of Christ. In 1673, she experienced Christ’s presence in an extraordinary way while in prayer. She heard Christ explain that he desired to show his love for the human race in a special way, by encouraging devotion to “the heart that so loved mankind.” She described that His Heart was on fire and surrounded by a crown of thorns.
Book With Confidence
Book With Confidence
All new travel bookings automatically come with our Book with Confidence Travel Plan*—free of charge. This plan gives pilgrims the ability to move their booking to another destination or simply a different available departure date in our vast travel portfolio, no questions asked. They just need to let us know 120 days* before departure and we’ll waive all penalties and get them booked on a new pilgrimage.
*The Book with Confidence Travel Plan allows for any new booking made with Holy Land Travel Center to be changed to a different destination or to another available departure date. Notice of change in travel plans must be given 120 days before departure; standard cancellation penalties will apply for full cancellation without rebooking or changes made within 120 days to departure. Applicable price and eligible promotions for the new tour will apply; if new trip is less expensive, a future travel credit will be issued for the difference in price. Cannot be applied to Passion Play Pilgrimages. No cash value. Credit is fully transferable. Offer reliant on space availability. Effective 10.7.2020. May be withdrawn at any time. Additional restrictions may apply; see Travel Terms & Conditions for details.
Itinerary
Itinerary
DAY 1
Depart USA
Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight(s). Meals served on board.
DAY 2
Arrive Lyon
Transfer to hotel: Upon arriving at Lyon airport, make your way to the baggage claim area and collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrival hall, where you be greeted by your Holy Land Travel Center tour representative. Embark on the scenic drive to Paray Le Monial. Check-in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3
Paray Le Monial
After breakfast, we visit the Church of St. Claude de la Colombiere and the Chapel of the Visitation. Here is where Jesus exposed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the seventeenth century. The apparitions allowed St. Margaret to rest herself upon Jesus’ Sacred Heart, which allowed her to experience the unconditional love for humanity. During your visit to this Holy place, you will have the opportunity to view relics of the beloved Saint, located beneath a wax figure of her image. We enjoy an afternoon at leisure and in the evening, we transfer to Taize for a special evening prayer experience stopping along the way at Clune Abbey Ruins before returning to our hotel.
DAY 4
Orleans
We depart Paray le monial, stopping first in Nevers where we have free time for lunch then visit Saint Gildard Convent and encounter the life, the incorrupt body of Saint Bernadette, and the peace of Bernadette. Her love of God is felt in this holy place. We continue to Orleans where we have dinner at our hotel.
DAY 5
Mont St. Michel
Before we depart Orleans, we attend Mass. Our first stop today is Château Galliard near Amboise. Then we continue to Mont St. Michel. En route we stop for a wine tasting in a wine cave or vineyard. We end the day with dinner at our hotel in Mont St. Michel, our home for the next two nights.
DAY 6
Mont St. Michel
This morning we transfer to explore Mont Saint Michel and the Benedictine monastery that had its greatest influence in the 12th and 13th centuries. It is described as one of the most enchanting sights in France. In is encircled by sea and now linked to the mainland by a causeway. We have some free time this afternoon in this UNESCO world heritage site.
DAY 7
Lisieux
We spend the full day exploring the sites associated with D-Day including Omaha Beach and its cemetery, the German artillery battery and observation post (used in the filming of “The Longest Day”) at Longues-sur-Mer, and the artificial harbor at Arromanches. We stop at the Caen Peace Memorial, dedicated not only to the Normandy invasion, but to the international cause of peace. We continue to our hotel in Lisieux for Mass nearby and dinner.
DAY 8
Lisieux
We begin the day at the Basilica St. Thérèse, where we celebrate Mass together. Next, we visit the convent that St. Therese entered as a 15-year-old girl and see the family home of Les Buissonets and learn about her life. We then transfer to Rouen where we visit Cathedral Notre-Dame de Rouen, the final resting place of Joan of Arc before we return to our hotel in Lisieux for dinner and overnight.
DAY 9
Paris
Versailles: After Mass, we depart for the Château de Versailles, just outside of Paris for a guided visit before we continue our way to Paris. Upon arrival we enjoy a panoramic city tour, taking in such sites as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Palais Garnier and the Place de la Concorde. We pass by Ile de la Cité where the Notre Dame Cathedral stands. Sadly, it will be years if not decades before the cathedral is restored from the tragic fire damage to its former impressive statute. We check into our hotel for our dinner and overnight.
DAY 10
Paris
This morning we have an early breakfast and have Mass at the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, the site of three apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1830. We have some time to explore the Shrine on our own before continuing to the Shrine of Saint Vincent de Paul. The church dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul is in the chapel of the Vincentian Fathers. Upon entering the Church, we’ll see the glass reliquary containing his body high above the main altar. We have lunch on our own on our way to Chartres where we will have a guided tour of the Cathedral of Chartres. The Chartres Cathedral is one of the greatest achievements in the history of architecture; it is almost perfectly preserved in its original design and details. The Cathedral has housed the tunic of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sancta Camisia, since 876. The relic was said to have been given to the cathedral by Charlemagne, who received it as a gift during a trip to Jerusalem. We return to Paris for dinner and our evening fellowship.
DAY 11
Return Home
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 4-5 Star Hotels
- Roundtrip Flights
- Air-conditioned Motor Coach
- Professional Licensed Tour Guide
- One Checked Bag
- Accommodations (based on double occupancy)
- Entrance Fees as per itinerary
- All Meals per itinerary
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Passport and Visas (Refer to the section below for Passports or Visas help)
TRAVEL INSURANCE
We recommend that all travelers purchase a travel protection plan to help protect themselves and their trip investment. Travel protection plans can provide coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical expenses and emergency evacuation/repatriation, trip delay, baggage delay, and more. Please go to the link below to learn more Click here for Travel Insurance Details.
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