From €3,200

French Treasures

Code: 139

THE TRIP

An experience to remember

We will live an exciting adventure through the southwest of France that combines history, culture, nature and spirituality. We will leave in Caen, a city full of history, and advance towards the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the largest in France, with landscapes ranging from the Atlantic coast to vineyards. We will discover architectural and cultural treasures in Mont Saint-Michel, Tours and Bordeaux. We will finish in Lourdes, an important place of Catholic pilgrimage.

STEP BY STEP

Itinerary

Day 1. Arrival in Caen

We will meet our local host to recore Caen city centre. We will visit the Castle of Caen, built around 1060 by William the Conqueror and which stands on a hill flanked by the Romanesque abbeys of Saint-Étienne and Sainte-Trinité, both from the same time. Continue to the Mémorial multimedia museum, dedicated to World War II, the Battle of Normandy in 1944 and the Cold War. We will also end up visiting the Catholic Church of St. Peter. Afternoon off. Overnight in Caen.

Day 2. Mont Saint – Michel

We will travel through the beautiful Norman countryside to Mont-Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This amazing and beautiful place has captivated the imagination for a long time. The story of how the mountain came to be a great Christian pilgrimage site dates back to the early 8th century, when Aubert, bishop of the nearby town of Avranches, claimed that Archangel Michael himself had pressured him to build a church on top of the waterfront island. We will visit the abbey with our local host, who will tell us some of the secrets of the medieval monastery, and then, we will walk through its picturesque streets. Overnight in Mont de Saint-Michel.

Day 3. Tours

We will head to Tours, a former Gallo-Roman settlement, today a university city and traditional gateway to explore the castles of the Loire Valley region. We will meet our local host to visit the main monuments, such as Saint-Gatien Cathedral, whose brand new Gothic façade is flanked by towers with 12th century bases and Renaissance auctions, or the Musée du Compagnonnage. Overnight in Tours.

Day 4. Bordeaux

In Bordeaux, we will enjoy an exciting walking tour of this dynamic city rich in history, with half of its area declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We will explore Gothic and medieval monuments, such as the Saint-Michel district, Maucaillou square, known as “the stomach of Bordeaux”, the iconic “Great Bell”, and Pey Berland and Camille Julian squares. We will discover emblematic cultural places, such as the Hotel de Ville, the Pey Berland Tour, the Saint-Pierre Parliament and the Grand Theatre. Overnight in Bordeaux.

Day 5. Lourdes

We will arrive in Lourdes, an important Catholic pilgrimage destination. We will visit the Shrines of Notre-Dame de Lourdes and the Grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in 1858. Overnight in Lourdes.