Charm & Traditions
PARIS - NORMANDY - BRITTANY
9 days
Day 1: YOUR REGION – PARIS
Arrival at PARIS airport or train station and pick-up by our driver and guide. Coach transfer to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: PARIS
Breakfast. Guided tour of Paris, city of history, and its magnificent monuments: the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Grands Boulevards, Opéra, Concorde, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Hôtel de Ville, Notre-Dame Cathedral… Lunch. Boarding for a river cruise with commentary down the Seine to see Paris’ most famous bridges: Pont Alexandre III, Pont de la Concorde, Pont Neuf, and also the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Orangerie, Orsay Museum, the Louvre, Notre-Dame... Free time, dinner and overnight stay.
Option: Show with 1/2 bottle of Champagne at the ‘Moulin Rouge’ cabaret.
Day 3: PARIS – ROUEN – PONT-L’ÉVÊQUE
Breakfast. Departure for ROUEN, exploration with your guide of the capital of Upper Normandy: Notre-Dame Cathedral, a flamboyant Gothic masterpiece, rue du Gros Horloge, the town’s liveliest area, the place du Vieux Marché with the cross marking the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake... Lunch then free time in the town center. We continue towards JUMIEGES, tour of the beautiful abbey ruins. We cross the Tancarville Bridge, one of the largest suspension bridges in Europe, and arrive in PONT-L’ÉVÊQUE. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: PONT-L’ÉVÊQUE – DEAUVILLE – SAINT-MALO
Breakfast. Departure for HONFLEUR and tour of the town. Honfleur is at the mouth of the Seine estuary, a charming town with the wooden church of Saint Catherine, the streets of old Honfleur and the fishing harbour. Tour of a Cider and Calvados cellar. We carry on to TROUVILLE and its magnificent soft sandy beach. Lunch. Then on to DEAUVILLE, a famous resort popular since 1830, which today owes its global reputation to the luxury and elegance of its facilities and events. Stop and free time. Motorway to CAEN, AVRANCHES, SAINT-MALO, dinner and overnight stay.
ALTERNATIVE: To replace day 4: ‘THE NORMANDY LANDING BEACHES’..
Day 4: PONT-L’ÉVÊQUE – CAEN – SAINT-MALOBreakfast. The morning is given over to a guided tour of the extraordinary Caen Memorial, a museum of Peace that offers a journey through history from 1918 to the present. Buffet lunch on site. Departure with a local guide for the ‘Normandy Landing Beaches’ tour: COURSEULLES-SUR-MER, ARROMANCHES and its artificial harbour, the American Cemetery at COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER and the Interpretation Center in homage to the American soldiers who fought during the Second World War, Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc, a symbol of the bravery of the 225 rangers under Colonel Rudder who climbed the cliff in the morning of 6 June 1944… Continuation to SAINT-LÔ, SAINT-MALO, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: MONT-SAINT-MICHEL – CANCALE
Breakfast. Departure for a tour of the Mont-Saint-Michel, the rock and the bay are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Visit the medieval town, the Parish church and the abbey. Free time in this remarkable place. Lunch. Then on to CANCALE to visit the Marine Farm and shell museum with 1500 species from all over the world. Discover the difficult profession of oyster farming through the history of the oyster and its environment. Oyster tasting session. Return to SAINT-MALO, passing by the Pointe du Grouin. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: SAINT-MALO – PERROS-GUIREC – BREST
Breakfast. Tour of Saint-Malo, city of buccaneers. Then departure for SAINT-BRIEUC, LANNION, with a stop at PLOUMANACH to see its curious piles of pink rocks, and PERROS-GUIREC, a popular seaside resort. Lunch. We carry on to BREST, with a stop to visit the beautiful Breton Parish closes at SAINT-THEGONNEC and GUIMILIAU: close to the church, a cross in sculpted granite tells the story of the Bible through a series of scenes and figures, bearing witness to the faith and mysticism of the local community at the time. On to BREST, and a panoramic tour of the town. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: BREST – QUIMPER
Breakfast. Discovery of ‘Breton-speaking Brittany’: the Cliff Road of Térénez has some wonderful viewpoints over the harbour, the unarmed naval ships, Crozon Peninsula and Longue Island, where our nuclear submarines are housed. CAMARET, the largest lobster fishing harbour in France, the Tas de Pois and the magnificent Headlands of Penhir and Les Espagnols, and MORGAT. We make a stop at LOCRONAN, doubtless the most beautiful village in Brittany. Lunch in a traditional Breton restaurant. Visit DOUARNENEZ, a sardine fishing harbour, then Trépassés Bay, followed by the Raz Headland, a long spear of land piercing the ocean, best discovered on a stormy winter’s day. Through AUDIERNE, then Eckmühl and its lighthouse, the Penmarch Headland and PONT-L’ABBÉ. Arrival at QUIMPER, capital of the Pays Bigouden. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: QUIMPER – CARNAC – NANTES
Breakfast. Guided tour of the Gothic cathedral of Quimper, housing a remarkable collection of the 15th century stained glass windows. Mini-train ride through the old districts of the town to the famous HB-Henriot faience factory where the guide takes you on a discovery of the manufacture and decoration workshops. On to CONCARNEAU, lunch. Free time to stroll through the Ville Close, surrounded by 14th century thick walls. On to LORIENT, for a final stop to visit the mysterious monolithic alignments at CARNAC, followed by a visit to the shop ‘La Trinitaine’ to taste Breton biscuits. On towards VANNES and arrival in NANTES, dinner and overnight stay.
Alternative: Dinner cruise on the Erdre, a magnificent river lined by numerous castles.
Day 9: NANTES – YOUR REGION
Breakfast then coach transfer to NANTES airport or train station. End of our services.
INCLUDED:
- Tour in a luxury long-distance coach (package with transport).
- 3* hotel accommodation(1) in a double room.
- Full board from dinner day 1 to breakfast day 9.
- Tours and visits mentioned in the program.
- Tours of Paris and Quimper with local guides.
- Presence of a guide during the trip.
- One free booking for every 40 participants.
NOT INCLUDED:
- Single room supplement.
- Cancellation and assistance insurances.
- Drinks.
(1) 2*or 4*hotels available on request. Ask us for details.
