VIRGILIO TRAVEL
DETAILED ITINERARY
(Subject to Change)
Friday,
September 25
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Depart your home airport for the journey to France! The group flight (i.e. the one those purchasing LAND + AIR will be flying on) departs from New York-JFK to Paris – Charles De Gaulle at 8:51 PM (DL 266) and arrives in Paris at 10:00 AM on Saturday.
Saturday,
September 26
Everyone needs to be in the Arrivals Hall by 10:30 AM to meet Lino, Fr Dave, Tyler, and Brett. We’ll hop on the buses and head to Rouen where we’ll have a nice group lunch. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the town of Rouen – including St. Joan of Arc church, Place du Vieux (site of Joan of Arc’s martyrdom) and Rouen Cathedral. After a tour of the Cathedral, we’ll have our opening Pilgrim Mass. Then we’ll hop back on the buses and head to our hotel in Trouville. After check-in, you’ll finally have a chance to wash off those nasty airplane germs before a welcome group dinner.
Sunday,
September 27
Today we head for the Normandy Beaches. We’ll visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-Sur-Mer, honoring the American troops that died in Europe during World War II. We’ll be able to celebrate our group Mass here. After lunch, we see Utah Beach among other sites. We then return to the hotel with time to freshen up before another fun group dinner.
Monday,
September 28
.
This morning we head to Lisieux. We begin with a visit to the beautiful Basilica, where we’ll have the chance to see relics and personal items that belonged to St Therese. We’ll then have Mass as a group before visiting her family home. We will then tour the Carmelite Convent, where she entered and where she is now buried. There will be plenty of free time for prayer, shopping and lunch. We then board our bus and head to Paris. We’ll check-in to our hotel and get together for yet another great group dinner.
Tuesday,
September 29​
We start our day at one of Paris’s most iconic monuments: The beautiful Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Sitting atop Butte Montmartre, we’ll have fantastic panoramic views of the city. We then get to have Mass in the Basilica. After a group lunch, we’ll do a great tour of Paris and see the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triômphe, Tomb of Napoleon, Place de la Concorde, Opéra, Bastille Square, and more. You’ll then have free time and dinner on your own tonight to explore this amazing city.
Wednesday,
September 30
Today we begin with a visit to Rue de Bac. We visit the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal and get to have Mass celebrated there. Just a few blocks away, we go to visit the Shrine of St. Vincent De Paul and venerate his saintly remains. We then proceed to one of the highlights of our trip: the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral. After that tour, we visit Sainte-Chapelle and its gorgeous stained-glass windows. After a really packed morning, we’ll give you the afternoon at leisure to relax and tour some of the city on your own. In early evening, we do a dinner and cruise on the Seine River seeing some of Paris’ most iconic sites from the water.
Thursday,
October 1
We have an early morning as we check out of our hotel and head to Montparnasse Train station where we take the TGV train to Lourdes. Traveling on high speed train through France is always a great time. Upon arrival in Lourdes, we head to our hotel to check-in and freshen up. Dinner will be as a group tonight before heading to the Sanctuary this evening for the Rosary and Torchlight Procession, beginning at 09:00pm.
Friday,
October 2
Today we have the full day in Lourdes. We begin with a walking tour ‘In the Footsteps of Bernadette.’ We visit the Cachot (former jail cell that once served as the Soubirous family’s home); the parish church; Fr. Peyramale’s Presbytery; and more. We then have our final pilgrimage Mass. After lunch, you have the afternoon free to enjoy the beauty and sacredness of Lourdes. We then have a great Farewell Dinner planned that night.
Saturday,
October 3