VIP MONT SAINT MICHEL AND HISTORIC NORMANDY

During the VIP Historic Normandy and Mont Saint Michel tour, your personal driver-guide will give you first an introduction to the history of Normandy. You will begin the day by a private visit of the impressive fortress of Château Gaillard, built by the King of England Richard Lion Heart in 1196 to bar the way to Rouen to the King of France. From there, you will enjoy a fantastic view over the Seine Valley. Then, your personal driver-guide will take you to the Abbey of Jumièges that is without doubt one of the most extraordinary ruins in France. You will have a look to the galleries, the South Aisle, the nave, the transept crossing, the chancel and the roofless cloisters. After this private visit, we will book lunch for you in a very nice, typical French restaurant or brasserie (not included in the price). After this culinary break, your personal driver-guide will lead you to Rouen, the capital of Upper Normandy that has been developing since the Romans. There, you will make a break in a French “patisserie” enjoying one of their delicious pastries. In Rouen, your personal guide will take you for a stroll through the old town where you will discover the House of the Exchequer, the Archbishop Palace, the Renaissance Palace of Justice, the “Grosse Horloge”, Rouen’s most popular monument, a clock from 1527 with its superb belfry topped by a dom. You will stop at the Place du Vieux Marche (Old Market Square) where Joan of Arc was burnt on a stake, before having a private guided visit of the cathedral Notre Dame de Rouen, one of the most beautiful examples of French Gothic. You will spend the night in Rouen where (hotel not included in the price), if you need, we could book your dinner in a restaurant or brasserie

The second day will begin by the lovely, romantic town of Honfleur, its character and ambiance have inspired painters, writers and musicians since centuries. You will enjoy a stroll around the old dock where the fishing fleet unloads fresh fish and shellfish every day, stopping to admire the slate facades of the old houses. After this nice walking tour, we will book lunch for you in a very nice, typical French restaurant or brasserie (not included in the price) on the picturesque quayside of the old dock, you will have a closer look at the St Catherine’s church, a rare example in Western Europe constructed entirely of wood with its narrow massive oak belfry covered in chestnut wood. Then, your personal driver-guide will take you to Deauville, the very elegant seaside resort that owes its worldwide fame as much to the luxury and refinement of its establishments as its festive events such as the racing Grand Prix, the Polo World Championship and the prestigious American Film Festival. You will walk along the “Planches”, a dark brown wood from Equatorial Africa, have a look at the impressive Casino de Deauville, the suspended gardens and fountains of the Centre International and the Yacht marina. You will finish the tour by Bayeux, the first French town to be liberated by the Allies on June 7th 1944, very fortunate not to have been damaged during the World War II. You will visit the beautiful 12C cathedral that still keeps watch over this charming, old fashioned town with its stone and timber framed old houses, nicely restored, its pedestrian precinct through which you will wander before your guide takes you to the Centre Guillaume le Conquerant (William the Conqueror’s Center) to give you a private guided visit of the Tapestry of Bayeux, a jewel of Romanesque (the oldest tapestry in the world 1067 by 203 feet long), that relates in a very realistic account the events of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and that is without doubt one of the most accurate and lively documents to survive from the Middle Ages, providing detailed information of the cloths, ships, arms and general lifestyle of that period. You will spend the night in Bayeux (hotel not included in the price) where, if you need, we could book your dinner in a restaurant or brasserie.

On the third day, you will discover the “Marvel of the Occident”: the world renowned Mont Saint Michel, some say that it is to the sea what the pyramid of Keops is to the desert, some describe it as an imaginary manor-house, stupefying as a dream palace, others say that is not dry land and yet not the sea. Surrounded by the sea with one of the highest tidal ranges in the world the Mont St. Michel is simply unique. On the Mont St. Michel, the tour will begin with a private guided visit of the Abbey founded by Aubert at the beginning of the 8th Century and that became a major cultural and pilgrimage center during the Middle Ages. You will admire the Romanesque Church, the Gothic “Marvel” with the monk’s Cloisters and Refectory, the Knights Room, the Guest Room, the Undercroft, the Refectory, as well as various chapels. After that, we will book your lunch in a very nice, typical French restaurant or brasserie (lunch not included in the price) before making a stroll through the steep-sided narrow streets of the town and its ramparts. On the way back, your personal driver-guide will do a stop in the town of Villedieu les Poêles (if time), famous for its numerous craftsmen-shops selling exceptional creations of leather goods, lace, copper and tin goods. Then, he will drive you back to your hotel in Paris. This tour due to the VIP treatment that we provide will leave you without doubt outstanding memories of these 3 days in Normandy