Treasures of France Including Normandy
Experience Overview
Travel from Paris to the D-Day Landing Beaches of Normandy and on to the beautiful Loire Valley on this in-depth France and Normandy tour. Imagine life as a French noble as you are welcomed to a 17th-century chateau and learn about the battles that were fought here through the ages.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 4 Dinner (D)
- 7 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
Be My Guest
- Le Mans: Walk among the wild hyacinths in the beautiful gardens of the 17th-century Chateau d'Eporce, during a unique Be My Guest experience. Enjoy a selection of local wines and taste some home-cooked specialties created by the chateau’s resident culinary expert, Lydia.
Iconic Experience
- Paris: Explore the iconic sights and streets of Paris on an orientation drive this evening.
- Honfleur: Admire the harbor town of Honfleur and its beautiful colorful storefronts.
- Normandy Beaches: Step inside one of Normandy’s oldest working distilleries, where Calvados has been crafted since 1820. Learn about the traditional production process and the region’s deep connection to apple brandy. After exploring the distillery, enjoy a tasting that offers a true flavor of Normandy.
- Normandy Beaches: Spend the morning visiting the American Rangers Memorial and pay tribute to those who lost their lives on D-Day Landing Beach.
- Omaha Beach: Join an emotive journey tracing the story of the D-Day landings and visit Omaha Beach.
- Mont-Saint-Michel: Savor your first sight of the fortified island of Mont Saint-Michel and cross the causeway to explore the tidal island town.
- Amboise: Visit the Amboise Royal Château with your Local Specialist where you will see the home of Leonardo da Vinci's tomb.
- Chateau Chenonceau: Visit Château de Chenonceau or commonly known as 'Ladies Castle' which got its name from the many women who influenced its construction.
- Chartres: Bask in the beautiful religious architecture from the 13th century as you explore the town of Chartres.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
- Amboise: Visit Maison Bigot in Amboise, a charming family-run chocolate shop. Immerse yourself in rich traditions as you learn about the craft and indulge in a lovely tasting experience.
Must-see Highlights
- Explore Mont-Saint-Michel and Châteaux of the Loire Valley and Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches
- Discover Rouen, Honfleur, Chatres and Paris
- Visit the Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches, the monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel, the Châteaux of Amboise and Chenonceau and Chartres Cathedral
- View the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Trip Details
Product Code: 22430
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+
Tour Operator:
Trafalgar (CA)
Supplier Code: 631.1720B
Starts: Paris, France
Finishes: Paris, France
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Whats Included
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $3,667 ($458 /day)
Itinerary
Bienvenue! The 'City of Light' welcomes you as you prepare to embark on an unforgettable journey through France. Join your fellow travelers and Travel Director this afternoon for an orientation drive to admire the glittering cityscape of Paris – past grand boulevards and iconic sites like the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe and get to know your traveling companions over dinner this evening.
Accommodation: Occidental Paris Levallois
Meals: Dinner
Leave Paris behind and travel to Rouen, the city where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. From here, you'll continue to Honfleur, a harbor town known for its colorful shopfronts and artistic heritage. Take time to explore its streets and soak up the views that have inspired painters for centuries. Changing pace, visit Distillerie Busnel, one of Normandy’s oldest working distilleries. Walk through the distillery, learn about the time-honored craft of Calvados production, and round off the experience with a tasting that captures the flavors of the region.
Accommodation: Mercure Omaha Beach
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today you'll explore the poignant D-Day Landing Beaches in the company of your Local Specialist. Begin with a visit to the American Rangers Memorial at Pointe du Hoc. Pay tribute to the brave souls who lost their lives at Omaha Beach, imagining the mingled sense of terror and triumph felt on the fateful day when Allied forces set foot on mainland Europe. We stop for lunch in the seaside town of Arromanches, the setting for the Mulberry Harbor, once at the heart of the Normandy landings.
Accommodation: Mercure Omaha Beach
Meals: Breakfast
Travel through the Normandy countryside admiring the land of Calvados before exploring the UNESCO World Heritage-listed bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel. Your Local Specialist reveals the history of the impressive medieval Benedictine Abbey perched on the hilltop. In Brittany enjoy the afternoon your way or perhaps, discover the beauty of the port city Saint-Malo with a Local Specialist on an Optional Experience.
Accommodation: De l'Abbaye Le Tronchet
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Journey onward through scenic countryside, stopping to Connect With Locals at a lunch with wine in a 17th-century château during a Be My Guest experience set within beautiful grounds. Later, continue to the beautiful Loire Valley, where we will spend the next two nights.
Accommodation: Novotel Amboise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
In the morning, you are invited to taste hand-crafted chocolate at Maison Bigot for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience. Afterwards, you'll spend the day admiring the beautiful châteaux of the Loire Valley and join a Local Specialist for a visit to the Amboise Royal Château. It is here that King François I hosted Leonardo da Vinci, whose tomb now lies in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert adjoining the château. You will continue with a visit to Château de Chenonceau, built on the Cher River. The château is often referred to as the 'Ladies Castle', due to the many women who influenced its construction and development. Today it contains priceless collections, including Renaissance furniture, tapestries and masterpieces by Rubens and Tintoretto.
Accommodation: Novotel Amboise
Meals: Breakfast
Your first stop today is the town of Chartres and its beautiful Roman Catholic cathedral, regarded as one of the most authentic and complete works of religious architecture from the early 13th century. You'll then journey back to Paris this afternoon and spend the rest of your day in the 'City of Light'. Celebrate with your Travel Director and newfound friends this evening at a dinner with local wines at a Parisian bistro.
Accommodation: Renaissance La Défense
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
For now it's time to say a fond au revoir to France and your fellow travelers at the end of a memorable trip.
Meals: Breakfast
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Tour Operator
Trafalgar (CA)
Family owned and run since 1920, The Travel Corporation (TTC) is the world leader in immersive travel experiences across an extensive range of travel categories. Each year TTC's 40 award winning hospitality and travel brands connect over 1 million happy travellers to the world. We give you access to the 12 DMC’s behind these brands, so you can build your business by capitalizing on the extensive experience, local expertise, and financial assurance of TTC. LOCAL EXPERTISE The world leaders in travel for over 100 years, we offer unparalleled local expertise with a global footprint. Our 12 DMCs, led by experienced in-destination teams, deliver experience rich travel solutions in more than 80 countries. Additionally, our market based teams are on hand to support across our 40 offices worldwide
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
Treasures of France! The service was great. I felt that I didn’t have to worry about any details of the trip, since everything was taken care of by our wonderful tour director, Arnaud. I follow a plant-based diet, and Arnaud made sure that I was able to have something at all the included meals. He was able to give recommendations for places where I could eat for the meals that were not included. It was a great itinerary. We took advantage of all the optional tours as well. The tour guides were very knowledgeable. Mr only comment is that the narrations went into to great depth, but after about 20 minutes, my focus began to fade.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/15/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
Everything was excellent. The tour director, side trip guides and hotels were excellent.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/14/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2014
Amazing tour, Eve was a fabulous guide and made it a truly great experience. Loved all the planned trips and accommodation plus the optionals were fabulous.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/29/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
A lovely taste of Normandy! Our coach driver was safe, helpful, efficient - bags waiting for us in our rooms a special bonus. Our tour leader handled details efficiently and still managed to make us a cohesive group within a few days. It's a busy tour, covering a range of activities, and took me to places I wouldn't have gone to myself. This tour offers the well known highlights such as D-Day memorials and religious sites along with the unknown, such as cider producers, chocolatiers and wine makers. There are enough optional activities to give you your own time if you want. But I would recommend you do them. A wonderful exposure to a beautiful region, led by our fantastic leader, Eve. She streamlined the transitions so they seemed effortless.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/16/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
A fulfilling, thrilling, & memorable tour of the "treasures" of France! The TD, Chantal, and driver, Sam, made an awesome team to lead and safely take us on this wonderful adventure and tour. We can't say enough nice things -- friendly, helpful, professional, informative, and just helped to enhance the joys of the trip and tour The 8 Day Tour of the D-Day Beaches, Mont-Saint-Michel and the Loire Valley was an eye-opening and amazing journey -- truly a wonderful glimpse of the "treasures of France" outside of Paris! From the historic and scenic towns like Rouen and Honfleur, the Normandy beaches, memorials, and cuisine, picturesque Mont-Saint-Michel and St. Malo, and the beautiful Château d'Eporcé, Royal Amboise, and Chenonceau in the Loire Valley -- it gave us a fulfilling, thrilling, and memorable experience!.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/18/2024
Robert Deslauriers Jr - Traveled, June 2024
Get a sense of France. Driver and Tour Director were excellent, hotels were good, and the meals included were good as well. A great way to see many different locations around France.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/18/2024
Diana Treusch - Traveled, June 2024
Fantastic trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/19/2024
Donald Cook - Traveled, May 2024
Upon arrival I was not met at the airport. I had to take a taxi at a cost of 100 euros. I would have been nice to actually spend time in one or more of the museums in Paris.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/22/2024
Jae Hur - Traveled, May 2024
Another perfect trip with Trafalgar! I keep going back to Insight and Trafalga as I know that there will be no surprises. The tour is run systematically. The hotels were very nicely selected and the tour guide was excellent. The only thing that can improve was the restaurants. The restaurants chosen for the first and the last night were both unmemorable.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/14/2023
Karen Potter - Traveled, June 2024
A great trip and value. Will definitely do again. I felt like the quality we got for the price was very good. I thought our local historical experts (tour guides) were very smart and knowledgeable. I particularly loved the tour guide in Normandy. I think we got more information at each location than we would've gotten had we tried to source the tours ourselves. I really loved our trip to Paris, Normandy, Brittany, and the Loire Valley. Arnaud, our guide, was very knowledgeable and friendly. We had some unexpected changes due to it being the 80th anniversary of D Day, and everything went relatively smoothly despite the chaos of that. JoJo, our driver, was also very skilled and nice despite not knowing much English. I particularly loved our time in Normandy, though it would've been nice to go to the WWII museum that is there. We went to the Point Du Hoc and the Cemetery which were really spectacular. I also enjoyed the Mont St Michel, which was perhaps my favorite stop on the trip. I would say my least favorite part of the trip was our optional excursion to Tours. Overall, the food was really good. Most breakfasts were buffet style with lots of yummy food and really good variety. Most dinners were 3 course, and it is very clear that the French take pride in their cuisine. I was initially surprised that the age range for the group was a lot older than I was expecting. However, we met some really cool people and we will definitely consider Trafalgar in the future when traveling through Europe.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/29/2024
Pamela Williams - Traveled, May 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed tour but just a little bit too busy but also realise with D Day celebrations the itinerary and accommodation required changing. Absolutely enjoyed our Tour Guide .... Stephano ... one of the BEST!!!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/08/2023
Trusted Customer - Traveled, May 2024
Birthday Trip! Responsive to guests' needs. I enjoyed all of the destinations on this itinerary.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/17/2024
Rosario Bravo - Traveled, May 2024
It was a beautiful journey.! The Director Stephan is an amazing person, very kind and we all love him.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/18/2024
- Traveled, April 2024
Treasures of France and Normandy! They delivered the trip just as the itinerary said in the advertisement for it said. They took care of everything like even getting our luggage to our hotel room! Each hotel was so nice and clean and comfortable. We saw so many places and sites! All the tour guides and the bus driver where great. We learned so much about France, D Day, Normandy and Paris. Love the whole trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/13/2024
Gregory Kooyman - Traveled, April 2024
Outstanding!! A trip of a lifetime. Our tour guide Arnaud was fantastic, very knowledgeable, friendly, and ready to answer questions. JoJo our coach driver was great, knowledgeable. I don’t know how he was able to get from point to another with such precision and safety. I would definitely travel with Trafalgar again. Thank You!!!!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/20/2024
Lisa Kuehl - Traveled, April 2024
It was fine. It was fine, except they didn’t provide a packing list ahead of time specific to the trip, just a general one. They didn’t tell you that you needed to bring a washcloth. They also said that we would be getting a call from our travel guide, but we just got an email. Just say it’s going to be an email. It is fast paced and you will walk an average of 2 and 1/2 miles per day. The meals were wonderful, and it was interesting to learn about many historical sites off the beaten path, to experience the French countryside, and to see the infamous beaches. You will need to bring your own washcloth, as some hotels don’t have them.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/18/2024
Eddie Sassoon - Traveled, April 2024
Excellent experience
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/16/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, April 2024
I think that some of the optional tours should be included in the tour as part of it. It’s a little bit ordinary if you don’t take the extras.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/28/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, April 2024
Wonderful places, excellent Tour Director and super driver
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/21/2024
- Traveled, April 2024
I left my heart in Paris! We cannot stop reminiscing about our wonderful experience we had had. Everything was so wonderful from the details of the bus to the dinners. The food was amazing. The hotels were very nice and we got to sleep in a castle which was unexpected. We met so many wonderful people and wish to still continue our friendships past our time together, if anybody is thinking of a vacation, just do it it won’t be disappointed. I was a little skeptical about being possibly the youngest family on this tour and I had to say everyone was excellent. I can’t say enough about Stephan our tour guide. He was amazing and went beyond his call of duty being a great host he had shared every detail for us along with picking up little goodies at each location, which he really did not have to do, we were thrilled by all the details that went into our tour unfortunately, the tour had to come to an end and we are still reminiscing a week later of all the goodness that we have experienced. I would highly recommend this company and Stephan, who is the best tour guide I am not sure that he can be matched in the future, but we are ready to rebook a new tour.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/19/2024
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