Historic Normandy (1 day)

The first stop on your journey will be ROUEN, the capital of Upper Normandy that has been developing since the Romans. You will start with a stroll through the old town where you will have a close look at the house of the Exchequer, the 15 C Archbishop Palace, the splendid 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 Square0 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, immortalized over 20 Times by Claude Monet.

After the discovery of Rouen, you will continue your journey driving to the lovely, romantic town of HONFLEUR, located on the Seine estuary, that has a holiday feeling all year around> Its character and ambiance have inspired painters, writers and musicians since centuries.

You will delight in walking around the old dock, the narrow winding streets where the fishing fleet unloads fresh fish and shellfish every day, stopping to admire the slate facades of the old houses.

After enjoying lunch in one of the typical bistros 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 onto our 3^rd destination: BAYEUX, the first French town to be liberated by the Allies on June 7^th 1944, very fortunate not to have been damaged during the War.

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.

After a glass of chilled Norman cider, your guide will drive you back to your hotel in Paris.