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Tauck Luxury Escorted Tours – Normandy, Brittany, Paris and the Loire Valley Tour 2010
Normandy, Brittany, Paris and the Loire Valley tour
Our journey through Normandy tours Brittany and the lovely Loire Valley as well, capped off with three nights in Paris. Visit Normandy’s poignant D-Day beaches, magnificent Mont-St-Michel and Monet’s beloved Giverny; take a private cruise on the Gulf du Morbihan; enjoy a private visit to a family-run Calvados estate and tour France’s famous national riding school; see the Bayeaux and Apocalypse Tapestries; dine at a private Loire Valley estate, where you’ll experience a hunting hound demonstration; explore Musée d’Orsay in Paris and embark on a romantic farewell dinner cruise on the Seine.
Itinerary
| Day 1 | Welcome to France!Tour begins: 6:00 PM at Trianon Palace Versailles. A transfer is included from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Trianon Palace & Spa in Versailles. If you wish, you may take an included independent visit to Château de Versailles that can be arranged through the hotel concierge. Meet your traveling companions for this most intriguing of Normandy tours at a welcome reception and dinner this evening at 6:00 PM at the hotel.
Meals: Dinner Lodging: Trianon Palace & Spa, Versailles, France |
| Day 2 | Ancient Chartres and LangeaisTravel from Versailles to Chartres. Watch a demonstration of the time-honored art of creating stained-glass at the International Stained-Glass Centre, then see some of the world’s greatest examples of the art – more than 27,000 square feet of it, created by artisans of the 12th and 13th centuries – inside Chartres’ famous Gothic cathedral, among the most impressive in all of Europe. After touring the town of Chartres, continue on to Langeais in châteaux country; spend the next two nights at Château de Rochecotte, once the private estate of diplomat Prince Tallyrand and the Duchess of Dino.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner Lodging: Château de Rochecotte, Langeais, France |
| Day 3 | The Loire Valley’s châteaux countryExperience the charm of the Loire Valley on visits to two stately châteaux… and then some. First, take a guided tour of Le Cadre Noir du Saumur, France’s national riding school, followed by a private visit to the vineyards of Le Moulin Bleu in Bourgueil for lunch and a wine tasting. Later, visit Château Villandry – reputed to have the most spectacular gardens in all of France. Tonight, enjoy an immersive Loire Valley experience at Château de Champchevrier, a private country estate, where you’ll meet the Baron and his family, enjoy a reception and dinner, and witness a hunting hound demonstration in full regalia.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Lodging: Château de Rochecotte, Langeais, France |
| Day 4 | Angers, Guerande and Port du CrouestyIn the midst of the wine-growing area of the Loire Valley lies the 13th-century Château D’Angers, home to the famous Apocalypse Tapestry, the longest tapestry in the world. After a visit to this medieval fortress and its celebrated tapestry, experience the salt marshes of Guerande, where fleur de sel (flower of salt) is harvested by hand. Continue on to Port du Crouesty to enjoy a two-night stay in the elegantly furnished and quite unusual Miramar Crouesty.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner Lodging: Miramar Crouesty, Port du Crouesty, France |
| Day 5 | The Golfe du Morbihan and Rochefort-en-TerreTauck’s most delightful of France and Normandy tours continues with a sightseeing cruise among the islands of the scenic Golfe du Morbihan, followed by an excursion to Rochefort-en-Terre. This lovely village has earned a reputation as one of France’s top floral towns thanks to a century-long tradition, begun by painter Alfred Klots, of blanketing the town with pink and red geraniums each spring.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch Lodging: Miramar Crouesty, Port du Crouesty, France |
| Day 6 | From Vannes to Josselin to St-MaloBrittany’s medieval history reveals itself as you take a walking tour, view the Cathedral and meander along the Promenade de la Garenne in Vannes. Visit the ancient town of Josselin and explore its castle, Château Josselin, one of the oldest châteaux in western France and the residence of the aristocratic Rohan family. Your guided tour reveals the castle’s turbulent history and includes a collection of rare dolls in its Doll Museum. Wind your way through idyllic villages to St-Malo, where you’ll spend the next two nights.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner Lodging: Le Grand Hôtel des Thermes, St-Malo, France |
| Day 7 | A day in medieval St-MaloOnce the infamous base for French corsairs, the medieval port town of St-Malo offers much to discover on a guided walking tour of its atmospheric walled center, La Ville Intra-Muros, with your Tauck Director. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore as you wish or indulge in the hotel’s spa.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch Lodging: Le Grand Hôtel des Thermes, St-Malo, France |
| Day 8 | Magnificent Mont-St-Michel, Bayeux and HonfleurConsidered to be one of the Western civilization’s premiere achievements, the impressive Abbey of Mont-St-Michel was once totally unreachable at high tide. Discover the range of architectural styles it embodies – with lots of walking up and down hills. Head across the countryside on this most satisfying of Normandy tours to the coast, and view the famous Bayeux Tapestry. Continue on to pretty Honfleur for a private visit to Manoir d’Apreval, a family-operated Calvados distillery, including a tasting and dinner. Arrive in the seaside resort town of Deauville and your accommodation for the next two nights, a spectacular 5-star Anglo-Norman country mansion that is the epitome of Belle Époque.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner Lodging: Royal Barrière Deauville, France |
| Day 9 | The beaches of D-DayA poignant moment in all Normandy tours is a visit to the beaches on which Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944 to begin the World War II liberation of Europe and the long march to Berlin. A scenic drive along the region’s Yellow Roads leads to the Pegasus Bridge Museum, where your visit includes an introduction by a local historian; to Arromanches to view a 360-degree-film and what’s left of a “Mulberry” artificial harbor; and to Pointe du Hoc – the 100-ft. cliff taken by the 2nd Ranger Battalion on D-Day – Omaha Beach, and the American Military Cemetery. Your explorations at sites connected to “the longest day” make for a day you’ll never forget.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch Lodging: Royal Barrière Deauville, France |
| Day 10 | Rouen, Giverny and on to ParisDepart Deauville and travel to Rouen for a tour of this ancient city with a local guide, including a stop at the Church of Ste. Joan of Arc – a modern structure dedicated to the French heroine and saint who was burned at the stake here in 1431. Continue on to Giverny to tour the home and gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet, and see a special exhibition of his works at the Musée d’Art Américain. Your final destination today is legendary Paris – where your home for the next three nights is the city’s first Art Deco hotel, set in Saint-Germain des Prés on the Seine’s stylish Left Bank.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner Lodging: Hotel Lutetia Paris, France |
| Day 11 | Sights and sounds of remarkable ParisCheck out such famous Parisian landmarks as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the glamorous Champs-Élysées on a morning city sightseeing tour, then explore the “City of Lights” as you please for the remainder of the day and evening.
Meals: Breakfast Lodging: Hotel Lutetia Paris, France |
| Day 12 | The Musée d’Orsay and a dinner cruise on the SeineImmerse yourself in the soft beauty of the works of the Impressionists during a locally guided visit to the famous Musée d’Orsay, whose great collection of art is displayed in the restored Gare d’Orsay, a former railway station built around 1900. Exchange memories with your new friends this evening as you glide along the River Seine during our farewell dinner cruise, bidding Paris adieu as your most fascinating of France and Normandy tours draws to a close.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner Lodging: Hotel Lutetia Paris, France |
| Day 13 | Journey HomeTour ends: Paris. A transfer is included from the Hotel Lutetia Paris to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Allow a minimum of 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in.
Meals: Breakfast |
Price Guide
13 Days from $4,990
| 2010 Price per Person | Double | Single | Triple |
| April, July and August | $4990 | $6778 | $4942 |
| May, June , September, October | $5190 | $6978 | $5142 |
All prices are per person in U.S. dollars.
About The Tauck luxury Escorted Tours Experience