An Exciting Experience
Experience an unforgettable adventure by joining us for a 12-day stay in France and Italy. You’ll gain an intimate knowledge of two historic and cosmopolitan cities—Paris and Florence—while enjoying conducted trips to attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Uffizi Museum. The trip will have a special focus on art, and the students will have the opportunity to participate in professionally led art lessons in Florence as well as a workshop at the Louvre Museum.
What to expect on this amazing tour
Paris & Florence
Paris, the capital and largest city in France has been one of Europe’s major centers for art, fashion, food, science, music and commerce since the 17th century. Its 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine. Beyond such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower and the 12th-century, Gothic Notre-Dame cathedral, the city is known for its cafe culture and designer boutiques along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. With an illustrious artistic pedigree – Renoir, Rodin, Picasso, Monet, Manet, Dalí and Van Gogh are but a few of the masters who have lived and worked here over the years – Paris is one of the world’s great art repositories, harbouring treasures from antiquity onwards.
Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is an open-air museum which has become more beautiful over the centuries. It’s a city-size shrine to the Renaissance enclosed by ancient walls that safeguard some of the greatest artistic treasures in the world. Its buildings and monuments tell stories of art, war and life. Its streets, today huddled with tourists, are the same ones through which Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Machiavelli, Dante and many other of the most brilliant minds in human history, threaded their way.
A Beautiful Setting
Highlights of what you’ll experience on your 12-day trip to France and Italy
Itinerary
Spring Break and Summer
Day 1-2: Arrival in Paris
Fly to Paris and arrive at Charles de Gaulle airport in the morning. Sightseeing tour of Paris city center. Visit to Notre Dame Cathedral and the Musée Picasso in the afternoon. Transfer to hotel. Dinner, Check-in and accommodation.
Day 3: Paris sightseeing
Visit to the Eiffel tower in the morning. Tour of Champs Elysées with free time on the famous avenue. Guided visit to the Musée D’Orsay in the afternoon. Continue to Montmartre to visit the Salvador Dalí museum and free time to discover Montmartre.
Day 4: Versailles
Transfer to Giverny in the morning to visit Monet’s house and gardens. Visit to Versailles with a guided tour of the palace in the afternoon. Return to Paris in the evening.
Day 5: The Louvre
Guided visit of the Louvre Museum in the morning. Participate in a workshop at the museum with a professional artist. Guided visit of the Opera House with free time for shopping in the area afterwards.
Day 6: Modern Art Museum
Transfer to the Centre Pompidou in the morning. Guided visit of the National Museum of Modern Art. Transfer to the Charles de Gaulle airport to catch flight to Italy. Arrive in Florence in the evening. Meet your host family and have your first home-cooked Italian meal.
Day 7: Florence
Guided orientation tour around the old part of Florence in the morning – time to explore and get familiarized with the city. Lecture on the history and art of the Renaissance. Guided visit to L’Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s statue of David.
Day 8: Uffizi Museum
Drawing lessons in the morning. Guided visit of The Uffizi which houses some of the most famous paintings of all time.
Day 9: Bargello Museum
Drawing and painting lessons in the morning. Guided visit to the Bargello Museum which houses a large collection of Renaissance sculptures.
Day 10: Basilica Santa Croce
Free morning to enjoy Florence. Guided visit to Basilica Santa Croce in the afternoon. This basilica contains the burial places of many important historical figures like Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli among others.
Day 11: Piazzale Michelangelo
Guided walking tour to Piazzale Michelangelo where you can see the best panoramic views in Florence. Visit to Basilica San Miniato al Monte. Afternoon free to do some last-minute shopping and prepare for the next day’s departure.
Day 12: Departure from Italy
Transfer to the airport — End of trip.Canada’s Best Educational Tours
CSLI has provided educational tour programs in Canada since 1997. Our main goal has always been to improve students’ language skills and self-confidence abroad while obtaining a unique first-hand look at the culture and people of the places they are visiting. Our focus on value and affordability, along with making our trips the most complete and of highest quality compared to our competitors is what truly makes a CSLI tour the best. We make all of the necessary arrangements for our tours, alleviating headaches for teachers and trip organizers making the trip more enjoyable and giving you time to truly explore the wonders abroad.
Canadian-owned and run
CSLI Tours is a family-owned Canadian company based in BC, driven by values and a real passion for travel. We have an excellent track record for the best customer satisfaction and have never compromised on the quality of the services we provide. Every tour we offer was designed to inspire your students and enrich their learning experience, while increasing their self-confidence and understanding of other cultures.
Safety & security
For more than 22 years the safety of our groups has been our top priority. All of our tour directors are first aid certified and well-trained to manage challenging situations. We always have contingency and emergency plans in place and we are always available 24/7 through our direct contact line to provide assistance to teachers, students, parents and school administrators if anything comes up before or during the trip.
Complete reliability
As a group leader, your travel is absolutely free and includes all meals and accommodation at carefully selected hotels. Because one of our representatives will stay with you 100% of the time, the teachers get to relax during the evenings and explore the sights and sounds of the cities they visit. We’ll make all the room checks and ensure that each evening, the students are safe in their hotel suites or with their host families.
The CSLI Experience
Program price includes
Round-trip airfare from Vancouver on major carriers
All entrance fees to attractions as per itinerary
Three meals per day
All transportation by comfortable private motor coach
All the tips
All guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
10 overnight stays with host families and at hotels
Language and history lessons
24/7 services from our professional tour director
Professional tour guides at all attractions as per itinerary
$5,200
A deposit of $300 per person at the time of registration is required. A cancellation, medical insurance is mandatory, and can be purchased at time of enrollment. Payments can be made by cheque, Visa, MasterCard or American Express – a surcharge will apply for credit card payments. Taxes not included.