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The French Revolution

Paris 4 nights Price from £2,489 per person
Departs: 22 Apr 2024
Departs: 22 Apr 2024

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Join Hugh Macdonald-Buchanan as he traces the story of one of history’s most important events. The French Revolution burst on the scene at Versailles where Louis XVI had convened the Estates General in 1789, then spread to Paris and the rest of France. It also provoked a world war that lasted 23 years. Ironically a French King with an Austrian wife was removed by the guillotine, eventually to be replaced by an Emperor with an Austrian (second) wife. In the interval there were horrific scenes of violence during the “Terror”, a civil war in France, and international conflict that ravaged Europe. Napoleon imposed an Empire that stretched from the Atlantic to the Russian frontier, but the whole edifice eventually was beaten down at the bloody Battle Of Waterloo in 1815.

 

THE RISE & FALL OF NAPOLEON A SEVEN NIGHT COMBINED HOLIDAY


Join Hugh Macdonald-Buchanan for both The French Revolution and The Battle of Waterloo, to create a seven night holiday which follows the complete trajectory of this dramatic period in European history, from the storming of the Bastille to the denouement at Waterloo.

Price £3,998 per person (single supp. £796) including a train from Paris to Brussels.

What's included

...when you travel with Kirker

  • Return Eurostar in Standard Premier
  • Four nights' accommodation with breakfast
  • Two dinners and one lunch
  • All sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities
  • The services of a Kirker Tour Lecturer

Itinerary

  • Day 1 - Arrival

    Travelling by Eurostar to Paris, we will be transferred to the 4* deluxe Hotel Westminster for the duration of our stay. This comfortable and elegant property is located just off Place Vendome, within a few minutes’ walk of the Tuileries Gardens. In the afternoon, we visit the Musee Carnavalet which tells the history of Paris, and which has excellent exhibits illustrating the Revolution and the Napoleonic era.
  • Day 2 - Versailles

    We start where the Revolution began, with a private tour of Versailles to see the King’s apartments and the stairway where a mob of women from Paris broke in and threatened the Queen. In the afternoon, we will visit the Petit Trianon where Marie Antoinette established her bucolic retreat.
  • Day 3 - walking tour and the Picpus Cemetery

    This morning Hugh Macdonald-Buchanan will lead a walking tour through the central streets of Paris most associated with the Revolution. You will see the position of the guillotine, the site of theTuilleries Palace stormed by the mob, the church of St Roche where the young Buonaparte gave the mob a whiff of grapeshot, and the Palais Royale where demagogues like Camille Desmoulins exhorted the mob to storm Les Invalides and the Bastille. In the afternoon, we visit the Picpus Cemetery (the only private cemetery in Paris) where 1,300 beheaded victims were flung en masse into two pits. Lafayette is buried here as his wife’s family are amongst the victims.
  • Day 4 - Conciergerie

    In the morning, we visit the Conciergerie, the ancient palace of the medieval monarchs that was used as a prison during the Terror. Marie Antoinette was held here before her execution, and her friend, the Princess de Lamballe was butchered in the courtyard. Afterwards, we see where Napoleon is buried in the church at Les Invalides. You also have the option of visiting the superb 18th and 19th century galleries in the military museum next to the church. The afternoon is free.
  • Day 5 - end day

    In the morning, we visit Napoleon and Josephine’s palace at Malmaison before returning to the Gare du Nord for our Eurostar to London. Alternatively, you may wish to continue to Brussels with Hugh to join our Battle of Waterloo tour - see below and opposite.

Flight Details

Eurostar:
Depart London St Pancras 12:31, arrive Paris Gare du Nord 15:58
Depart Paris Gare du Nord 16:12, arrive London St Pancras 17:30

Times subject to change – flights from regional airports available upon request.

Departure Dates and Prices

22 Apr 2024

Status Available

Price from£2489

Single Supp.£496

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Included Hotels

Hotel

Westminster
Deluxe
Paris, France, Europe

With a fantastic location on the prestigious shopping street Rue de la Paix, close to the Place Vendôme, this is one of the oldest hotels in Paris. Its 102 rooms are all furnished in the Louis XV style, and we recommend staying in a renovated room (complete renovation of all rooms due to be completed over winter 2022/23).

Hugh Macdonald-Buchanan

Hugh MacDonald-Buchanan

Tour Leader

More Info

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