3-day Private St.Malo Cancale - D-Day - M. St-Michel - Honfleur - Etretat, 3 Loire Castles.

07:30 Departure from Paris to Etretat

07:30  Departure from from Your hotel in Paris destination Etretat by our air conditioned comfortable Mercedes minivan (213 km). It takes up to 3 hours.

10:30 Arrival in Etretat

10:30 Arrival in Etretat. Walking tour.

10:30 - 12:00  Arrival in Etretat. Walking to the Cliffs. 

Étretat is famous for its chalk cliffs, including three natural arches and the Needle, which rises 70 meters (230 ft) above the sea. Etretat was a popular spot in the past for impressionist artists including Claude Monet, the founder of French Impressionist painting. Today it is a classic seaside resort nestled between two sets of chalk cliffs. You can walk on the beach or climb for excellent views. Along the seafront, there are many restaurants/cafés all of which do variations on a theme of Moules/Frites. Free time.

12:00 Departure Honfleur. It takes about one hour drive.

13:00 Arrival in Honfleur. Walking tour

Day 1 : 13:00 Arrival in Honfleur. Walking tour.

13:00 Arrival in Honfleur. The walking city tour takes about 1 hour.

Walking tour of Honfleur with its famous port. Honfleur, the main defensive port of Normandy of the XV century, transformed into a charming resort town with a picturesque Bay, much-loved by the artists of the XIX century. Honfleur was first mentioned in 1027, when it belonged to the Norman Duke Richard III. The owners of the city changed several times during The Hundred-Years War. In the XV century, there were French pirates, corsairs who ravaged the English coast. A little later, in the XVII-XVIII centuries, the city became significantly rich in trade with the American colonies. After the port was closed, the city's economy declined and Honfleur became a suburb of Le Havre. Today it is one of the most known tourist cities in Normandy.

Free time for Lunch.

14:30 Departure from Honfleur to Collville-sur-Mer. It takes 1,5 hours (120 km)

16:00 Normandy American Cemetery & Visitor Center in Colleville-sur-Mer

16:00 Arrival and Visit of the Normandy American Cemetery & Visitor Center in Colleville-sur-Mer and overlooking Omaha Beach. It contains 9,387 U.S. soldiers, most of whom were killed during the Normandy Landings and the Wall of the Missing with the names of 1,557 soldiers missing in action. The cliffs leading down to the beaches contain the remnants of the German defences, including concrete casemates with memorials to the soldiers. At Normandy American Cemetery you’ll see as well the semicircular memorial colonnade with the sculpture “Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves” and large maps of military operations; and the most beautiful, idyllic spot on Planet Earth. 

17:15. Departure to Omaha Beaches. It takes just 10 minutes (5 km).

17:30 Arrival at Omaha Beaches.

17:30 Arrival at Omaha Beaches. Learn about the huge sacrifice made by the 34 000 men who landed here on D-Day. Omaha Beach is the most popular travellers destination of the D-Day Beaches. 

18:00 Departure to Pointe du Hoc. I takes 15 minutes (10 km).

18:15 Arrival at Pointe du Hoc

18:15 Arrival at Pointe du Hoc, a prominent cliff between Utah and Omaha Beach. This point was important because it was the highest land between Omaha and Utah beaches and could thus fire upon both of them. The site was a gun battery, fortified with concrete casemates and gun pits, forming part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall defences. Visiting the Pointe du Hoc You will learn about the 2nd Ranger battalion sacrifice to take this crucial gun battery on the cliffs of Omaha Beach on June 6th 1944. Many of the original fortifications and bunkers remain on the site and are open to the public, including the fire control casemate, on top of which there is a monument to the 2nd Ranger Battalion.

19:00  Departure destination Mont Saint-Michel. It takes about 1,45 hour to reach Your hotel near to Mont Saint-Michel.

20:45 Arrival in Mont Saint-Michel area

20:45  Arrival in Mont Saint-Michel area. Accommodation at the hotel.

08:30 - 12:00 Visit of Mont Saint-Michel and the Benedictine Abbey

08:30 - 12:00  Visit of the UNESCO World Heritage Mont Saint-Michel and visit of the Benedictine Abbey. 

Your guide will bring you up the narrow streets of the medieval village toward the top of the Island. You can admire panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and bay and enter the Benedictine Abbey. Entrance tickets into the Abbey include audio-guides in many languages.

The whole island with the Bay is classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site. It remains practically the same since the Middle Ages as it was the goal of pilgrims from all over the world. Mont Saint Michel remains the most visited site in France.

Free time for Lunch and visiting of the city and the Bay.

12:00 Departure from Mont Saint Michel to Cancale (50 km).It takes about one hour going driving by national roads.

13:00 Arrival in Cancale. Oysters Tasting.

13:00 Arrival in Cancale (Brittany)  - the Oysters capital of France. Oysters Tasting on the local fishermen's market. You can buy a tray from a stallholder to take away to eat them at place admiring the bay of Cancale.

If You mention Cancale to a Frenchman he well say "oysters", which have been cultivated in this fishing village for hundreds of years. In Cancale You enjoy also breathtaking views over the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel.

Time for Lunch.

14:30 Departure to Dinan. It takes about half an hour.

15:30 Arrival in Dinan

15:30 Arrival in Dinan, a walled town in Brittany the river Rance.

17:30 Departure to Angers. It takes about 2,5 hours drive (180 km)

20:00 Arrival in Anger. Hotel accommodation

20:00 Arrival in Anger. Hotel accommodation

08:00 Departure from Angers to Chateau de Chenonceau

08:00 Departure from Angers to Chateau de Chenonceau. It takes about 2 hours (160 km).

09:30 - 11:30 Arrival and visit of Château de Chenonceau

10:00 - 12:00 Arrival and visit of Chenonceau Castle.

Duration: 2 hours. Skip-the-line access.

Skip-the-line access with Guide to Chenonceau Castle nicknamed the "ladies’ castle", remarkable for its feminine history of famous women of France such as Catherine de Medici as well as for it’s stunning architecture as well as unique aches over the River Cher. The Renaissance-style gardens Gardens of Chenonceau with their more than 130,000 flowerings plants will impress You as well. You will also get a brochure with explanations of each room.

Free time to walk around the gardens.

12:15 to 13:00 Visit of the local Winery

12:15 to 13:00 Visit of the local Winery with Wine Tasting at a local family winery existing for many centuries. You will learn how wines have been made for centuries and afterwords have a wine tasting of local wines with explanations.

13:00 Departure to the Amboise city.

13:15 Arrival in Amboise. Lunch time. There are many cafes and restaurants at the main walking street of Amboise near the entrance to the Castle. So You will have the best choice for Lunch.

14:00 to 15:00 Visit of Château Royal d'Amboise.

14:15 to 15:30 Skip-the-line access  to Château Royal d'Amboise with Histopad explaining to You the history of this Castle and of each room. Amboise is the grand 15th-century residence of King Charles VIII and an example of the transition of Gothic to Renaissance architecture. Learn the history of the castle Amboise on your guided tour is known as birth place of princes, the reign of Kings, and the death of the greatest Renaissance master, Leonardo Da Vinci! You can see his grave in the chapel.

Departure to Chambord Castle. It take about one hour drive. The road leads You along the Loire river crossing small villages of the Loire Valley.

16:15 - 18:00 Arrival at Château Chambord.

16:30 - 18:30 Arrival at Château Chambord. Visit of the Castle. The guide will tell you about the history of the castle and its construction.

The Château de Chambord is one of the most popular castles because of its French Renaissance architecture. The building was constructed (1519–1547) by Francis I (Francois 1-er) and is nowadays the biggest castle with its 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 84 staircases. The castle is also known because of its open double-spiral staircase. The two spirals ascend the three floors without ever meeting. Leonardo da Vinci may have designed the staircase.

18:30 Departure to Paris. There are approx. 180 km to drive on highway. It takes 2,5 hours. One stop will be made at the rest area.

21:00 / 21:30 Coming back to Paris.

21:00 / 21:30  Coming back to Paris. Drop Off at Opera Garnier steps or Your hotel if Pick up option booked.