Normandy & Brittany LUXURY Trip

SEE NORMANDY & BRITTANY LUXURY TRIP ITINERARY BELOW

B=breakfast / L= lunch / D=dinner

Day 1 | PARIS TO GIVERNY AND HONFLEUR

Friday - L / D

Landing early morning in Paris, we will hit the road immediately. If you didn’t sleep on the plane, time to catch some rest on the way to Normandie. Our first stop will be Giverny to visit Monet’s house and gardens.

SUGGESTION: Arrive a day earlier in Paris to enjoy what could be a difficult first day after a night in a plane and 6 hours or more time difference.

We will have lunch and a walk in cobbled streets of the charming port of Honfleur. A stroll in the meandering lanes will allow you to admire medieval and traditional Normand houses, the 15th-century Sainte-Catherine church, with a bell tower separated from the principal building is the largest church made of wood in France; the Saint Etienne church built in the 14th-century, the two remaining “Grenier a Sel” (salt barns) which were used to store tons of the precious preservative for the fishing industry. This picturesque old port, characterized by its slate-covered frontage houses, is where artists including Courbet, Boudin, Claude Monet, and Jongkind, were inspired to paint. These artists founded École de Honfleur which contributed to the birth of the Impressionist movement.

Superb dinner and night in a wonderful hotel in Honfleur.

day 2 | HONFLEUR TO BAYEUX

Saturday - B / L / D

Driving west toward Bayeux, we will stop by a distillery for a tasting of the local beverages, hard cider, and the famous Calvados, you will be able to buy some bottles directly at the farm.The picturesque villages of Beuvron, Cambremer, the 19 century resort towns Deauville and Trouville along the way are typical of Normandy.

Before checking in at our Bayeux hotel for two nights, we will go to the city museum for the Queen Mathilde Tapestry, the first historical “comic strip” (dated 1077). The tapestry is more than 200 feet long and describes the invasion of England by the Normand of Guillaume le Conquerant in great details. Hint: an easy way to figure out who is who is to look at the men; the Englishmen wear a mustache while the Normand have their face and neck shaved.

Night and dinner in Bayeux. The three kings of Normandy: Camembert, Pont L'evêque, and Livarot cheese will probably be tasted each evening in this region.

Day 3 | D-DAY TOUR

Sunday - B / L

We will spend the full day with a guide historian exploring some of the most important sites of this pivotal point in the war, from the cliff of Pointe du Hoc to Arromanches, Omaha beach and the American cemetery, to help us better understand this special moment in history.

Lunch on the road.

Dinner on your own and second night in Bayeux.

Day 4 | Mont Saint Michel, CHEESE & CALVADOS TASTING

Monday - B / L / D

Morning drive to the Mont Saint Michel. Aubert, bishop of Avranches built the first church on the island, consecrated October 16 of the year 709. Then in 966 to the request of the Duke of Normandy a Benedictine community was established building the pre-romanesque church before the year 1000. Lunch on the island before an afternoon visit guided by a historian.
Dinner in Cancale at the superb Chateau de Richeux (Michelin table) and night in their lovely cottages “Les Rimains” facing the sea.

day 5 | Dinard, SAINT-MALO, & Ft. de la Latte

Tuesday - B / L / D 

We will spend the morning in Dinard and the walled city of Saint-Malo where we will have lunch. During the Middle Ages, Saint-Malo was a fortified island at the mouth of the Rance River; later it became the home of corsairs (privateers) and pirates. The corsairs were forcing English ships passing up the Channel to pay tribute; controlling all trade they brought great wealth to the town. Jacques Cartier, the discoverer of Canada, lived in and sailed from Saint-Malo.

Driving along the jagged Northern Brittany coast we will stop by the Fort de La Latte for an interesting visit of this spectacular site. The harbors of Tregastel, Ploumanech, Perros-Guirec are on the way to our lovely four-star hotel Lan Kerellec. The Daubé family owns and runs this hotel; built at the start of the last century on the slopes of the Pink Granite Coast the manor was the vision of artist painter Pierre Gervais. The dining room overlooks a Breton landscape of wild islands and colors of rare intensity. A young chef, definitely Breton judging by his name, Mathieu Kergourlay, invites all senses to voyage and discovery.

Dinner in Trebeurden and first night at Lan Kerellec.

day 6 | MORLAIX AND CARANTEC

Wednesday - B / L / D

Bretagne has a very strong identity, it is a region of traditions with a specific culture and dark legends, the ancient Gaelic tongue is still spoken today and taught in school. Let’s discover this wonderful region by driving along the “Emerald” taking us to the bay of Morlaix, a superb road following the river eponymous all the way to the harbor of Carantec facing the Fort du Taureau.

A little bit of history about this fort: In 1520, after the failure of the “Camp du Drap d’Or” meeting, England made an alliance with Charles Quint of Spain against France. Two years later, the English attacked Cherbourg and sailed towards Morlaix. The date chosen for the aggression was the annual fair of Guingamp where all the population, soldiers and nobles will be, leaving Morlaix defenseless. A fleet of 60 ships approached the coast after disembarking hundreds of soldiers disguised in merchants who entered Morlaix at night; not encountering any resistance, they sacked, burned, plundered, ate and drank everything they could find. In the meantime, the warships were blocked by cut trees thrown in the river’s bed. The next morning, alerted by fleeing inhabitants, the army or Guy XVI de Laval arrived to massacre the entire troop of English soldiers, still drunk and sleeping. A fort built at the river’s mouth to prevent another invasion was completed in 1544.

Second night and dinner at Lan Kerellec.

day 7 | NORTHERN to southern BRITTANY COAST

Thursday - B / L / D

We will stop by Ste. Thegonnec, the most representative of the “enclos paroissiens” (enclosed parish), a religious ensemble of structures, only found in this region. Sailing was using a lot of linen and hemp (sails, clothes, and ropes); all regions who were growing, weaving and trading entered an extraordinary period of wealth allowing the construction of these parish close.

An enclos must have at least five of the following eight elements: a church, an ossuary, a reliquary chapel, a surrounding wall, a triumphal gate, a cemetery and a fountain. Rare are the edifices who can claim the name of enclos paroissien. Considered as “people’s art”, always set away from urban centers, they are deeply rooted in local culture but largely open to outside influences as were Bretons of the time. The construction period of the enclos coincides with the steady development of international maritime trade. Commercial ships from Bretagne were found in harbors all around the world; so much that during the 16th-century and at the beginning of the 17-century, Breton was the international commercial language almost like English today. Each village was competing with its neighbors to have the most magnificent enclose. Guimiliau and Lampaul are only two kilometers apart. This ostentatious rivalry to own the most ornate enclose is also explained by the “counter-reform”. When Protestantism required religious buildings to be sober and without ornament, the most baroque décor was encouraged by the Catholic Church. The enclose also reveal the very particular cult of the local saints and the cult of the dead in the rural Breton populations, fed with the marvels and magic of pagan Celtic legends and naïve piety.

A detour inland brings us to les “Monts d’Arré”, remnants of the world oldest mountains. After 300 million years not much is left of the original 40,000 ft. high mass but a very distinctive landscape. Not as old is the village of Locronan. Austere and charming at the same time, the town is representative of the 17th and 18th-century wealth of the region. The village stemmed from the success of local weavers and merchants, who supplied fine sails not just to the French navy, but also to English and Spanish clients. Locronan’s grandest houses, with their remarkable dormer windows, are mainly 18th-century. The local celebrity was Ronan; after having successfully spread the Christian word in western Brittany, he retired quietly to Locronan in the 6th century. With the invention of steam power, local trade dried up, and Locronan stayed pickled in the past. Filmmakers have frequently shown Locronan’s charms on the silver screen.

We will stay at the Manoir de Locquenolé above the Blavet sea inland and dine at its Michelin table. With only eighteen rooms between forest and ocean on 250 acres property, the historical manor is full of charm.

day 8 | vannes, quiberon and la baule

Friday -/B / L / D

Pushing South, we will spend most of the day around the small city of Vannes and the Gulf of Morbihan. A walk along the stones “alignements” of Carnac will bring us back to early Neolithic times, 3500-4500 BCE. The “stones” are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites, consisting of alignments, dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs. More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany.

Rochefort-en-Terre, one of the most charming and well preserved villages of France is our next stop.

Dinner and first night in La Baule, a town resort facing a splendid bay of fine sand. If the schedule of an extra low tide cooperate we can walk in the bay for a “peche a pied” (fishing walk) expedition.

Day 9 | la baule, SALT MASHES and GUERANDE

Saturday - B / L

Short morning drive to the city of Guerande. Developed in the 11th century but it wasn’t until the 14th century that Guerande took the fortified form that we see today. The town is entirely surrounded by ramparts, which are pierced by four gates. The most enjoyable thing to do is to wander around its narrow streets filled with arts and crafts galleries and food shops. The town prospered in the Middle Ages and again in the 19th century thanks to its salt marshes covering about 7 square miles. Around 10,000 tonnes of coarse salt is produced each year but only 300 tonnes of the delicate fleur de sel. This industry dates back more than 1,000 years.

Dinner on your own and second night in La Baule.

Day 10 |Cote sauvage and Le pouliguen - DEPARTURE BY TRAIN BAULE TO CDG OR PARIS

Sunday - B / L

For our last day, you could simply enjoy your hotel and the city of La Baule, take a drive along the Cote Sauvage to the harbor of Le Croisic where large racing boats are often moored or enjoy the very animated Sunday outdoor market of Le Pouliguen, our last lunch together will be in this small harbor before boarding a train late afternoon from La Baule arriving CDG airport at 08:16 pm (hotel night at the airport included). Alternatively, you may take a different train to be in Paris city at 07:20 pm. Please note: This exact schedule could be modified.by the train Company.

Day 11 | Fly home   

Monday

Stress free departure from CDG, landing home same day.

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