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| Normandy, Mont-Saint-Michel, Castles of the Loire valley, Chartes and Versailles. |
| 6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS |
This tour proposes an overview of Normandy with a tour of the WWII landing beaches and
a discovery of the loveliest Loire castles, with the most refined France has to offer.
(West and Centre) :
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DAY 1
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| Paris / Giverny / Rouen / Caen / Bayeux |
| About 1h from Paris towards Normandy start in Giverny, visit Claude Monet's house and studio and the gardens the artist created as a subject for his paintings, one of the nicest in France. Continue with Rouen, Capital of Upper Normandy, walking tour in the old town with its gothic churches and half timbered houses and the old market square where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake, lunch. In the afternoon, enter Lower Normandy and visit the Battle of Normandy Memorial in Caen which retraces the beginnings, the action and the consequences of the second World War. Overnight near Bayeux at Chateau d'Audrieu 4* or at le Lion d'or 3* in Bayeux. |
| DAY 2 |
Bayeux / Landing beaches / Mont-Saint-Michel |
In Bayeux, you can see the tapestry of Queen Mathilda, 70 meters long, retracing the epic of William the Conqueror's expedition to England in 1066, wooven a few years after the events.
Omaha beach and the moving American cemetery. Then drive along Omaha beach where your guide will show you some of the German defenses, bunkers and machine-gun nests.
Pointe du Hoc where the heroic Rangers batallions under the command of colonel James Earl Rudder climbed the cliff to destroy a German battery, key action for the success of D. Day.
Overnight on Mont-Saint-Michel Auberge Saint-Pierre 3*
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| DAY 3 |
Mont-Saint-Michel / Angers / Saumur |
| Mont-Saint-Michel : the granite island, 80 meters high in the middle of a bay forms a monumental and picturesque sight with its village houses huddled close together and encircled by walls and on top, the old abbey founded in 708 with its gothic "Marvel". During equinoxes, watch the highest tides in Europe. Visit the abbey. from Mont-Saint-Michel, drive through the border regions of Maine (capital town : Le Mans) to the Anjou (capital town Angers ) into the Loire Valley. Dinner and Lodging at Le Prieuré 4* (The Priory) in Chênehutte-les-Tuffeaux, overlooking the river Loire. |
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DAY 4 |
| Saumur / Ussé / Villandry / Langeais / Azay-le Rideau |
Saumur, visit of a wine producer, interesting sculpted chalk cellars, tasting. Ussé, the castle which inspired Charles Perrault for his 'Sleeping beauty' seems actually to come out from a fairy tale. Villandry, with its fascinating ornemental kitchen garden and romantic flower garden representing outlined in boxes, four allegories of love. Langeais, very nice middle-age castle with a draw-bridge, a sentry walk and inside, apartments with beautiful period furnishings and colorful tapestries that exude a genuine medieval atmosphere. Azay-le Rideau, gem of the Renaissance set on the banks of the Indres. Accomodation at Chateau d'Artigny or Domaine de Beauvois.
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DAY 5 |
Chenonceau / Amboise / Chambord / Esclimont |
Chenonceau, Castle-bridge built over the river Cher, where the unique beauty of its architecture reflects in the water, nicknamed "le Château des Dames", it owes a large part of its charm to women. Amboise Royal castle and gardens overlooking the river and the blue-slate roofs of the town. The Saint Hubert chapel houses the tomb of Leonardo who died in Amboise. Chambord
The Château is the largest in the Loire Valley. Extravagant structure with massive tours and terraces holding hundreds of chimneys where the court and the women used to attend the king coming back from hunting. Of all the architectural wonders of Chambord, the most famous is the double-spiral staircase, core of the building. Overnight at Chateau d'Esclimont. |
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DAY 6 |
| Esclimont / Chartres / Versailles / Paris |
Chartres boasts the most beautiful and the largest cathedral in Europe. Triple masterpiece of French Gothic Art : by the architecture, the sculpture, and the superb 13th century stained glass windows. (their surface extends over more than 3000 square yards). The Château and the gardens of Versailles count among the most prestigious monuments of the world's artistic heritage, a finest and most complete achievement of 17th century French art and the sumptuous theatre of history from Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Guided tour of the State Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors and the 250-acre gardens designed by André Lenôtre. Return to Paris. |
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The Berry and the Loire, large and smaller castles :
from Jaques Cœur to Talleyrand. Cheeses and wines.
3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS
If you have already seen Chambord and Chenonceau and you want something different, this tour is for you :
DAY 1
Paris / Fontainebleau / Route Jacques Cœur / La Verrerie |
Fontainebleau residence of the sovereign from François 1er to Napoléon. Chapelle d'Angillon small 12th century castle, residence of princesse de Clèves and minister Sully - Menetou Salon chalky-clay hillsides close to Sancerre produce very good, expressive, fresh and balanced white (Sauvignon) and red wines ( Pinot Noir). Overnight at La Verrerie a lovely castle (see pictures above) built in the 15th century, nestled alongside a romantic lake and surrounded by a large forest, between the Sancerre vineyards and the Loire Valley castles. |
DAY 2
Bourges / Valencay / Montrésor / Montbazon (overnight) |
Bourges, St Etienne cathedral, guided tour of Palais Jaques Cœur. Born in Bourges around the year 1400, Jacques Coeur rapidly rose to the top of the social ladder. After he became Finance Minister to the King Charles VII and a nobleman, he began the construction of his Palace, which was finished around 1450. This monument unique in France for its time illustrates the original personality of its builder. Valençay, is geographically speaking in the Berry region but belongs by the style and the huge size to the castles of the Loire Valley.
Lodging at the Chateau d'Artigny in Montbazon.
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DAY 3
Azay-le Rideau / Ussé / Fontevraud / Langeais / Paris |
Azay-le Rideau, gem of the Renaissance set on the banks of the Indres. Ussé, the castle which inspired Charles Perrault for his 'Sleeping beauty' seems actually to come out from a fairy tale. Fontevraud, the largest group of monastic buildings in France with intriguing Romanesque kitchen of Byzantine influence. Recumbent figures of the Plantagenêts representing henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard the Lionheart. Langeais, very nice middle-age castle with a draw-bridge, a sentry walk and inside, apartments with beautiful period furnishings and colorful tapestries that exude a genuine medieval atmosphere. Return to Paris. |
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Other overnight tours and round trip suggestions
Normandy - Loire Valley. |
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| Loire - Normandy 2 Days / 1 Night |
DAY 1
Departure from Paris around 8 am, drive to Chambord (2h) and discover the largest castle in the Loire Valley dreamed and realized by French King Francois I with the inspiration from Leonardo Da Vinci. Then drive along the peaceful and luminous Loire river from the city of Blois down to Amboise for lunch. In the afternoon, visit Chenonceau the castle-bridge "of the 6 ladies" over the river Cher or the medieval-like castle of Langeais with its beautiful tapestries before settling down at a very nice Chateau-hotel 4* near Tours.
(or at a private castle receiving guests upon request).
DAY 2
Departure from Tours, drive to Caen via Le Man and visit the battle of Normandy Memorial which retraces the beginnings, the action and the consequences of the second World War in stunning style. Then see the remains of the amazing artificial port in Arromanche built thanks to Churchill's vision within a few days after D. Day. This "temporary" port was used to disembark an army with all the men and supplies necessary to to liberate Europe. Continue with Omaha beach and the very moving American cemetery, then see Pointe du Hoc where the Ranger heroes of colonel James Earl Rudder climbed the cliff to destroy a German battery, key action for the success of D Day and therefore victory in World war II !
In the evening, return to Paris via Bayeux.
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NORMANDY 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT |
DAY 1
Departure from Paris 9h - Giverny - Rouen - Honfleur - Deauville (overnight)
DAY 2
Caen - WW II Landing Beaches - Bayeux - return to Paris around 6 pm. |
NORMANDY 3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS |
DAYS 1 et 2
same as above then direction and overnight near or at Mont-Saint-Michel
DAY 3
Visit of Mont-Saint-Michel - Return to Paris. |
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NORMANDY - CASTLES OF THE LOIRE 3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS |
DAY 1
Chambord - Amboise - Chenonceau Tour or Angers (overnight)
DAY 2
Mont-Saint-Michel - Bayeux (overnight)
DAY 3
WW II Landing Beaches - Honfleur - Paris |
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CASTLES OF THE LOIRE 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT |
DAY 1
Paris - Blois - Chambord - Chenonceau. Overnight near Tours
DAY 2
Azay - Ussé - Villandry - Langeais - Paris |
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NORMANDY - CASTLES OF THE LOIRE 4 DAYS /3 NIGHTS |
DAY 1
Paris - Blois - Chambord - Chenonceau. Overnight near Tours.
DAY 2
Azay - Ussé - Villandry - Langeais - Overnight near Angers.
DAY 3
Mont-Saint-Michel - Bayeux (overnight).
DAY 4
WW II Landing Beaches - Honfleur - Paris. |
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MEMORY
OF THE GREAT WAR. |
From Verdun to the Meuse and the Argonne, from the Chemin des Dames to the Somme battlefields, retrace the World War I front lines, understand and feel the intense and dramatic history of the "Great War".
Verdun and the Argonne : 3 days / 2 nights accommodation in a beautiful 4* castle-hotel along the Meuse river.
Verdun, the Argonne, le Chemin des Dames, the Somme battle-fields and memorials: 4 or 5 days.
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