The Ageless Inspiration of Normandy. 8 Days.
We encourage you to arrive in Paris a day or two early to enjoy the delights of the City of Light. No matter how often you’ve descended on Paris, you’ll always discover something new to love about the city.
We suggest a morning departure for your drive to Normandy. Our first taste of the region? Tiny Le Bec Hallouin and its 11th-century abbey.
Our car wends its way though the Normandy countryside, between historic villages and towns. Caen was a favorite haunt of William the Conqueror and his queen. The more recent history here—that pertaining to World War II—is rich as well.
Walk the bomb-scarred terrain of Pointe-du-Hoc and Omaha Beach, imagining for a moment the dawning of 6 June 1944. D-Day. We stand on hallowed ground.
Pay your respects at the American Cemetery, the war memorial to American youth, the Wall of the Missing.
From Strong Point 62, the Germans controlled the beach—at least for a while. Their canon battery still stands at Longues-sur-Mer.
Arromanches was the site of one of two artificial harbors built (nearly overnight) by Winston Churchill. There’s time at the Invasion Museum here.
In La Cambe, see where German soldiers have been laid to rest, and in Ste.-Mère-l’Eglise, where Private Steele landed—on a church spire.
Utah Beach landings turned the tide of World War II in the European Theater. The name still haunts.
Bayeux is among the Normandy towns liberated early on by Allied forces. The age-old pride and joy here is the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery that tells the tale of Duke William’s conquest of England in 1066. While in town, pay your respects at the British Cemetery, where nearly 4,000 soldiers rest in peace.
Mont St. Michel is a freestanding chapel-in-an-island built after the Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert in A.D. 708.
Stop in Villedieu Les Poêles for a look at the ancient art of metallurgy; in St. Lô for a fresco by Léger; and in Balleroy for a castle that snatched the heart of Malcolm Forbes.
Then into the Calvados countryside. Think apple cider with a kick and a flavor that’s out of this world.
Deauville has been a preferred retreat for wealthy Parisians for generations. The harbor in Honfleur is a favorite of the painterly set.
Richard the Lionheart lived in Rouen; Joan of Arc died here. Claude Monet fell in love with the cathedral. In Les Andelys, a château’s plumbing would prove to be the undoing of the English monarch in 1203. To Giverny, Monet’s splendid home. Field Marshal Rommel set up headquarters in La Roche-Guyon. Nearby is the artists’ colony of Vetheuil, known for its dramatic white cliffs and a beautiful ancient church. Finally, back to Paris and home.
Have a look at our other suggested destinations for two-couple travel: Tuscany & Umbria; Burgundy; Scotland; Russia.
To request a detailed itinerary for this journey (and others), click here.