Best of Europe: France (2002)

Stars: Rudy Maxa

Host Rudy Maxa models hassle-free ways of getting to great places, discovering the world’s vitality and character, and plotting memorable, independent trips. Maxa, a well-known travel personality, writer and lecturer, is an MSNBC business travel columnist, a Pulitzer Prize nominated reporter and the original host of public radio’s "The Savvy Traveler."


Program One: Paris
Discover the real Paris, city of style, art, and pastries! You'll visit the Eiffel Tower, take in the stunning masterworks housed in the Louvre, and visit intimate neighborhoods such as the bohemian Latin Quarter and artistic Montmartre.

Program Two: Provence
Explore the villages, countryside's and cities of Provence. On the itinerary are driving tours of the Alpilles and Luberon regions, visits to the delightful cities of Arles, Avignon and Alx-en-Provence, and a dip in the Mediterranean at the seaside village of Cassis.

Program Three: Riviera
Rudy knows all the hot spots along the Mediterranean's famous Cote d'Azur, and you will, too. Visit the beaches and superb modern art museums of Nice. Then it's on to wealthy Monaco, Glamorous Cannes, and stylish St. Tropez. Your Riviera adventure concludes with a trip to Grasse to make your own perfume, and a magnificent medieval hill town.

Program Four: Normandy
Enchanting villages, stunning abbeys and sparkling seaports beckon. You'll visit Giverny's museums, where Impressionism was born, honor the soldiers who fought on Normandy's beaches on D-day, and marvel at the awe inspiring Abbey of Mont-St-Michel.