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Follow in the footsteps of America’s greatest warriors from the golden beaches of the Côte d’Azur in Provence to the mountains and valleys of Alsace on the German border, sampling the world’s finest wines and cuisine.
April 26 - May 2, 2026
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Walk the very ground where the subjects of Alex Kershaw’s books, The Liberator and Against All Odds, fought to liberate France. Explore Lyon, at the heart of French resistance activities, and visit the very spot where Audie Murphy, the most decorated U.S. soldier of WWII, earned the Medal of Honor. Led by Friends Resident Historian Alex Kershaw, this immersive tour offers five days of spectacular WWII history, expert storytelling, and visits to significant battlefields, cemeteries, and resistance sites—from St. Tropez to Colmar.
We gather in one of the most beautiful spots on the Côte d’Azur. Led by Friends' Resident Historian and New York Times best-selling author, the “Champagne Campaign” begins as guests check into our five-star hotel in St Tropez. After a briefing on the journey of the US 7th Army from St Tropez to Colmar, meet your fellow travelers at a welcome dinner, and start sampling the finest local wines in one of the most beautiful spots on the Côte D’Azur.
We visit the invasion beaches and the very spot where Audie Murphy earned the Distinguished Service Cross. Today’s tour highlights the spectacular landing beaches at St. Tropez and St. Maxime, where Allied troops, including Lt. Colonel Felix Sparks, the subject of Kershaw’s book, The Liberator, came ashore on 15 August 1944. They were part of the highly successful amphibious invasion, Operation Dragoon, designed to liberate the French Riviera before pushing the Nazis back along the Rhône Valley toward Germany. The drive north from the golden sands of the Côte D’Azur through the finest vineyards in the world would be dubbed The Champagne Campaign. Some troops landing in St. Tropez were greeted by French waiters carrying silver trays filled with champagne flutes. After visiting the beach where Sergeant Audie Murphy, WWII’s most decorated soldier, waded ashore, we head inland to the vineyard where he earned the Distinguished Service Cross. After lunch, we explore the enchanting seaside town of St Maxime, where Sparks landed with the 157th Infantry Regiment, his fourth amphibious invasion.
Remembrance and the Pursuit North. We follow the Allies to the gastronomic capital of France. We follow the Allies inland, through cypresses and olive trees, to Le Muy, the first town inland liberated by Allied troops during the Champagne Campaign. We enjoy the best of Provençal cuisine at lunch before visiting the haunting Rhône American Cemetery at Draguignan, where we pay our respects to some of the thousands of US soldiers killed in the Champagne Campaign and have a special wreath-laying service. We then travel first-class on a high-speed train through the heart of Provence, zipping past lavender fields in the lee of the Alps, to the gastronomic marvel that is the ancient city of Lyon, on the banks of the Rhône.
[Baggage is sent ahead of clients and will await them in their hotel rooms.]
We delve into the heart of the French Resistance. This morning, we have an exclusive tour of Lyon’s Resistance Museum and hear stories of incredible courage, particularly about the French resistance leader Jean Moulin. We also learn about the dramatic Allied liberation of the city in September 1944 and the quest to bring Gestapo figures such as Klaus Barbie to justice. We enjoy lunch at a traditional Lyonnaise restaurant, and then explore with Alex Kershaw the secret passages – the “traboules” - where the resistance operated with increasing success. At dinner, we sample the best of Burgundy wine and Lyonnaise cuisine, regarded by many as the finest in the world.
Toward the Third Reich. We trace the advance of the 7th Army to the Rhine. Following the route of Allied liberators, we head to Besancon, nestled between the Vosges Mountains and the Alps, and scene of some of the most brutal fighting by the 3rd Infantry Division as it chased the Germans toward Nazi Germany. After lunch, we learn how in Besancon, Robert Maxwell, whom Kershaw interviewed at length, became one of forty “Marne Men” from the most decorated division of WWII to earn the Medal of Honor. We then travel to the heart of the Alsace region, celebrated for its spectacular white wines. We have dinner in the ancient city of Colmar, headquarters to heroes such as Colonel Earl Rudder, the legendary World War II combat commander, and other soldiers of the oft-forgotten Battle of the Colmar Pocket, viewed as the toughest of World War II by many veterans of the 3rd Division.
We visit sites where Americans earned the highest award for gallantry. Today is devoted to several of the greatest warriors in US history – men from the Third Infantry Division, subjects of Kershaw’s book, Against All Odds, who earned the Medal of Honor in the infamous Colmar Pocket in early 1945. We visit the exact spot where WWII’s most decorated soldier, Audie Murphy, single-handedly held off hundreds of German troops. After lunch, we explore Sigolsheim, where Lt. Colonel Keith Ware, the only draftee ever to become a general officer, saved his battalion, for which he received the Medal of Honor. We end our day by toasting the many brave men who earned victory in the Champagne Campaign at a farewell dinner in Colmar.
We bid farewell to our fellow travelers. Onward travel can be arranged by our operator to Paris and Strasbourg, as well as transfers to international airports.
This exciting trip includes hotel accommodations at 5-star hotels, three meals daily, sightseeing with author and historian Alex Kershaw, all museum entry fees, and private transfers on tours.
April 26 - May 2, 2026
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