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★ Hosted by Claire Couche
Catholic Pilgrimage · 11 Days · France

Pilgrimage to France with Claire Couche and Fr. Bryan Stitt

Join Fr. Bryan Stitt and Claire Couche on a pilgrimage to France. This trip will visit Lisieux, Normandy Beach, Mont St. Michel, Paris, Lourdes and more!  

Dates
September 28 – October 8, 2025
Departs New York
Duration
11 Days
Trip code 25RS09FRCC
From
$4,095
The Pilgrimage

Walk in the Footsteps of Faith

Join Fr. Bryan Stitt and Claire Couche on a pilgrimage to France. This trip will visit Lisieux, Normandy Beach, Mont St. Michel, Paris, Lourdes and more!

Claire Couche
Your Host

Claire Couche

Founder of Finding Philothea, Catholic content creator, and etiquette instructor

Claire Couche is the founder of Finding Philothea, a Catholic lifestyle and formation ministry focused on faith, virtue, beauty, and gracious living. A wife, mother, registered nurse, content creator, and etiquette instructor, she studied history and theology at Franciscan University and later earned a nursing degree. Her previous clinical work included oncology nursing. Through writing, teaching, media, and pilgrimage leadership, she encourages women and families to pursue holiness through prayer, hospitality, culture, and everyday Catholic life.

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Know Before You Go

What's included

✓ Included

  • ✓Roundtrip airfare New York to Paris x Toulouse to New York
  • ✓Airline surcharges, fuel, and airport taxes are subject to change until the time of ticketing
  • ✓First-class hotels for 9 nights
  • ✓Service charges and hotel taxes
  • ✓Buffet breakfast daily
  • ✓6 Hotel dinners (standard 3-course menu; beverages may be purchased at an additional cost)
  • ✓Lunch at the famous La Couronne Restaurant with wine (TBC)
  • ✓Seine River Cruise with dinner and wine
  • ✓Farewell dinner with wine
  • ✓All transfers with a private A/C motor coach as per itinerary
  • ✓Professional English-speaking Christian tour guide throughout
  • ✓TGV train tickets from Paris to Lourdes (coach class)
  • ✓Entrance fees are included to sites specifically listed (outside view means no entrance is included)
  • ✓Luggage handling at hotels (one piece per person in / out)
  • ✓Select International Tours Travel Portfolio
  • ✓Confirmation of daily private Mass
  • ✓Whisper sets

× Not included

  • ×Travel protection -we recommend you consider purchasing CFAR Travel Protection
  • ×Tipping /Gratuities for the guide(s), driver, and wait staff (please refer to the suggestions we will provide for you with your final documents) Suggested budget is $180.00.
  • ×Any items not explicitly mentioned in the listed inclusions
  • ×Beverages at meals unless otherwise noted
  • ×Meals not specifically listed at the end of each day (B. L. D)
  • ×Church donations (budget $2.00 - $5.00 per Mass)
  • ×Airport transfers for land-only passengers unless at the airport at the same time as the group
  • ×Personal expenses
  • ×ETIAS European Travel Authorization
  • ×Any airline baggage charges
  • ×Baggage handling at train stations, airports, and hotels in excess of one suitcase per person
  • ×Any charges incurred due to excessive luggage including the cost of an additional baggage vehicle or porterage charges

Tipping /Gratuities for the guide(s), driver, and wait staff (please refer to the suggestions we will provide for you with your final documents) Suggested budget is $180.00.

Day by Day

Your pilgrimage, mapped out

Tap any day to explore. Meals: B breakfast · L lunch · D dinner.
Day 1September 28, 2025
DEPART FROM USA
+

Depart from New York on a nonstop Delta flight to Paris. Dinner and breakfast are served on the flight. Quotes for add-on flights and optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request. We work with group tickets that do not permit us to assign airplane seats. If seat location is important to you, please purchase the Land Only package and plan to book airfare on your own.

Day 2September 29, 2025
PARIS - ROUEN
+

Upon arrival in Paris, France, we are welcomed by our English-speaking tour manager, who will be with us for the entire trip. Our first stop is Rouen, where we retrace the footsteps of St. Joan of Arc. Rouen offers a restored medieval quarter and the marvelous Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame, often painted by Claude Monet. Throughout its turbulent history, the city was destroyed several times. During the Middle Ages, it was devastated by fire and the plague. The English occupied Rouen during the Hundred Years’ War when the French heroine Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) was tried for heresy and burned at the stake in the central square in 1431. During WWII, Allied bombing raids laid waste to large parts of the city, especially the area south of the Cathedral. Still, the city has been meticulously rebuilt over the last six decades. We tour the city on foot and celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Joan of Arc. Enjoy a late lunch at La Couronne, the restaurant that inspired Julia Child to become a chef (TBC). We arrive in Lisieux in the late afternoon, check into our hotel, and enjoy dinner and a restful overnight. (Special Lunch. D)

LD
Day 3September 30, 2025
NORMANDY BEACHES
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This morning, we drive through the beautiful French countryside toward the Normandy Beaches. The 54 miles of Atlantic stretching from Utah Beach in the west to Sword Beach in the east are littered with WWII museums, monuments, cemeteries, and battle remains left in tribute to the courage of the British, Canadian, and American armies that successfully carried out the largest military operation in history: D-Day. On these serene beaches, at the crack of dawn on June 6, 1944, the Allies finally gained a foothold in France; from this moment, Nazi Europe was destined to crumble. This morning, we drive through beautiful Normandy scenery toward Omaha Beach, where we see the American Memorial and Cemetery. We celebrate Mass near Omaha Beach and remember our brave, fallen soldiers. Return to Lisieux for dinner and overnight.

BD
Day 4October 1, 2025
LISIEUX
+

After breakfast, we participate in the feast day of St. Therese the Little Flower. We visit the Carmel Convent, where we celebrate Mass, and then continue to Les Buisonnets, the childhood home of the Saint. We see the magnificent Basilica of St. Therese and its crypt and have time to visit sites on our own and for prayer and reflection. Dinner and overnight in Lisieux.

BD
Day 5October 2, 2025
MONT. ST. MICHEL
+

After breakfast, we enjoy a wonderful excursion to see the unique beauty of Mont-Saint-Michel, one of the most famous abbeys in the world due to its location. Perched on a rock in the Gulf of Saint-Malo, Mont-Saint-Michel becomes an island fortress surrounded by the sea during high tide. The Mont-Saint-Michel monastery, dating to the 8th century, was built to get “as close to heaven as possible.” Mass will be celebrated. We will return to Lisieux for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

BD
Day 6October 3, 2025
CHARTRES - PARIS
+

After breakfast, we drive to Paris with an en route stop in Chartres to explore one of France’s most impressive attractions on a tour of Chartres. Visit the largest European cathedral with magnificent stained glass windows, incomparable architecture, and a historic crypt. We have time to explore the little town on our own and have lunch before continuing our journey to Paris. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Paris.

B
Day 7October 4, 2025
PARIS
+

After breakfast, enjoy a panoramic city tour of Paris followed by a visit to the newly rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris’ most beloved church. We continue to the Montmartre section of Paris to explore the city’s Bohemian quarter and the magnificent Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart Basilica), where we celebrate Mass. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to explore the city on your own, perhaps visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, or some of the city’s churches. Tonight, we enjoy the sights of Paris from the Seine RIver as we marvel at the beautifully lit-up city and the light show on the Eiffel Tower viewed from the lounge of our dinner cruise ship. Overnight in Paris. (B.Special dinner on the Seine River cruise)

BD
Day 8October 5, 2025
LOURDES
+

This morning, we celebrate Mass at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal and see the incorrupt body of St. Vincent de Paul in the chapel of Maison-Mere before we take the TGV train to Lourdes. Upon arrival in Lourdes, we are transferred to our hotel. Following dinner, we join pilgrims from all over the world for the Candlelight Procession. Overnight in Lourdes.

BD
Day 9October 6, 2025
LOURDES
+

We celebrate Mass, visit the Basilica and the Grotto, where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette, and drink water from the miraculous spring that has healed so many. Our group will have the opportunity to see Boly Mill, the birthplace of St. Bernadette, and the “Cachot,” an abandoned prison where Bernadette’s impoverished family lived. Pray the Stations of the Cross, and attend Blessing of the Sick in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes.

BD
Day 10October 7, 2025
TOULOUSE
+

Following Mass in Lourdes, we depart for Toulouse, where Dominic of Osma founded the Dominican Order. The Jacobin Church was the heart of life and a teaching center in the 12th century, and now is where St. Thomas Aquinas is buried. Standing majestically in the city’s heart, the huge Gothic structure contains the tomb and the saint’s relics. We have a guided tour of the church. Tonight’s dinner is at a local restaurant with a choice of beer or wine. Dinner and overnight in Toulouse. (B. Special dinner)

BD
Day 11October 8, 2025
RETURN TO USA
+

After breakfast, we are transferred to the airport for our flights home.

B
Pricing

Choose how you travel

Land and Air
$4,995per person

Land and Air. Main trip package.

Most popular
Land Only
$4,095per person

Land Only. Main trip package.

Single Room Supplement
$895additional

Single Room Supplement. Additional supplement.

ETA Required
Confirm requirements with Select for this destination.
Deposit
A deposit of $500.00 per person by check should accompany the enrollment form and a copy of your passport picture page by June 16, 2025.
Final Payment
Final payment is due by July 30, 2025.
Passport Validity
Your passport must be valid through April 8, 2026.
Pilgrimage Information

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This pilgrimage has ended

Completed

This departure has ended. Registration is closed.