Come in the footsteps of the greatest impressionist painters from Monet to Pissarro via Boudin and Sisley.
4 to 5 days, departure from Paris:
Stage 1: Giverny: The House and the gardens where Monet, one of the founders of the artistic movement, spent the last days of his life.
Step 2: Rouen: The Cathedral and the ports were painted many times by artists.
Stage 3: La Bouille: This rock village crossed by the Seine was the favorite spot of the painter Sisley!
Stage 4: Caudebec-en-Caux: Another atypical village also crossed by the Seine which offered a spectacle of a tidal bore, a wave more than 2 meters high from which Boudin painted La Seine à Caudebec-en-Caux.
Step 5: Le Havre: the city values creators saw the birth of the movement with the canvas Impression of the Rising Sun by Monet. Boudin lived there a good part of his life and he loved to paint the Le Havre coastal landscapes. To pay homage to him, the Malraux Art Museum exhibits his paintings.
Stage 6: Honfleur: Its quays and its Vieux Bassin district were highly appreciated by the Impressionists. There is even the museum dedicated to Eugène Boudin.
Step 7: Trouville: when the painter Mouzin discovered Trouville it was only a fishing port. Over time, it was transformed into a listed seaside resort where the Impressionists painted the beaches, the boards, the hotels, etc.; As an anecdote, Boudin died there.
You can make your own Impressionist circuit with the idea of this website: seine-maritime-tourisme.com/fr/je-choisis/une-balade/chemins-impressionnistes.php
TOUR N°2 :
THE ABBEYS TOUR
Discover architectural treasures that have survived the centuries without having aged a bit!
1 week, departure Saint-Nicolas-de-Verneuil:
Step 1: Abbey of Saint-Nicolas-de-Verneuil-Sur-Avre: built in the 17th century, it housed the Benedictines until 2001! It can be visited by guided tours, reservation at: accueil@normandie-sud-tourisme.fr
Step 2: Notre-Dame-du-Bec Abbey: Its name comes from the knight Herluin who founded it in 1084, on the edge of a beak (stream in Scandinavian). Since 1948, blessings resumed their activities. You can visit it through guided tours at the place: accueil@abbayedubec.com
Stage 3: Abbey of Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville: It is located near the Seine, founded in the 12th century. In 2004, it received the Jardins Remarquables label because its Classical-inspired garden was made from period documents. It can be visited through guided tours at the following email address: museums.departementaux@seinemaritime.fr
Step 4: Abbeys of Jumièges: According to Victor Hugo 'The Most Beautiful Ruin of France', founded in the 7th century by Saint-Philibert. Since 2007, it belongs to the Department of Seine-Maritime. Its particularity is to be able to visit it on a cruise. It can be visited through guided tours provided you book, you can also rent the park for events at the following email address: abbey-of-jumieges@seinemaritime.fr
Step 5: Abbey of Graville : It became a place of pilgrimage in the 9th century thanks to its statue of the Black Virgin located in its garden. You can discover it through guided tours at: museums.history@lehavre.fr
Step 6: Abbey of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives: Founded in the 11th century by the great aunt of William the Conqueror to welcome nuns. If you want to book guided tours with the city's Tourist Office: officedetourisme@mairie-saint-pierre-sur-dives.fr
Step 7: Lucerne Abbey: Founded in the 12th century in the Gothic style, it was classified as a Historic Monument in 1928 and renovated by Abbé Lélgard from 1959 to 2009. If you wish to book a guided tour on the site: lucerne@abbaye-lucerne.fr
Stage 8: Mont Saint-Michel Abbey: The Norman Abbey par excellence! It is the first French monument to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979! So hurry to book your tickets to visit this marvel: tickets.monuments-nationaux.fr/fr-FR/products-sessions
You can make your own route of the Abbeys thanks to the interactive map of the website dedicated to the circuit: abbayes-normandie.com/prepare-your-stay/card-access/
TOUR N°3 :
THE DDAY TOUR
Relive the Normandy landings of June 6, 1944 through a circuit of memory that will move you.
1 to 2 weeks, departure from Sword Beach:
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Step 1: Sword Beach: night of June 5 to 6, 1944, located in Ouistreham, the Bénouville bridge was stormed by British paratroopers to liberate the surrounding towns. It was renamed the Pegasus Bridge.
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Stage 2: Juno Beach: June 6, 1944, to support the British blocked at Sword, the 3rd Canadian Division must make its way to Courseulles-sur-Mer. Despite a 50% loss, they managed after a month of struggle to retake the surrounding towns.
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Step 3: Gold Beach: June 6, 1944, the 50th British Division's mission is to build an artificial port to transport men, weapons and supplies by liberating Arromanches and Bayeux and helping Canadians in difficulty at Juno. Mission accomplished in a flash on June 7th!
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Step 4: Omaha Beach: June 6, 1944, American troops landed in the morning without imagining the nightmare they were going to experience. Not only did his physical geography not help, he had to climb rocks to cut barbed wire, but the Nazis were well hidden in heavily armored bunkers. Fortunately, after incalculable losses, the allies succeeded in retaking the coast at noon. Pay your respects at the American Cemetery .
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Stage 5: Pointe du Hoc: June 6, 1944, it is linked to Omaha Beach and was taken by the Americans from the hands of the Nazis. You can still admire the craters formed by the aerial bombardments of the allies and German bunkers.
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Step 6: Utah Beach: June 6, 1944, American troops land when the tide has fallen to sabotage and destroy the traps set up by the Nazis. Another positive point of the attack, the Allied bombardments weakened the Nazis. It is absolutely necessary to recover Utah which is at the crossroads of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Cherbourg and Carentan, the 3 strategic points to connect Omaha in order to save the troops on the spot. Successful operation the next day! Visit the church of Sainte-Mère-Eglise .
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Step 7: Carentan: from June 6 to 12, 1944, the Americans fought fiercely between hedgerows and fog to liberate the city which was a strategic site to win the war and connect the 2 beaches taken by the Rangers. After endless shelling and machine-gun fire, they succeeded in retaking the city and its surroundings by intimidating and exhausting the enemy.
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Step 8: Cherbourg Liberation Museum: Cherbourg had the first liberated port of the Second World War. The museum commemorates the whole process of its liberation in 1944 by the allies.
You can create your own DDAY circuit through this website which will give you some tips: mytriptailor.com/en/circuit/landing-in-the-channel/
TOUR N°4 :
THE CIDER ROAD TOUR
Taste local Normandy through the famous 40-kilometre route dedicated to its most common alcohol: cider. You will not be able to get lost since since 1974 signs indicating Cru de Cambremer crisscross the road to local partner farms who are there to welcome you and give you a taste of their know-how.
1 week, departure from Beuvron-en-Auge:
Stage 1: Beuvron-en-Auge: the 'postcard' village which is one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France with its old 16th century manor, its old 18th century inn and its half-timbered houses. For visits and tastings, inquire at the Tourist Office: beuvron-en-auge@ncpa-tourisme.fr
Stage 2: Victot-Pontfol: its Renaissance-style defensive castle now houses a magnificent quality purebred stud farm. Come and visit Domaine Dupont for your tastings: reservation@calvados-dupont.com
Stage 3: Cambremer: visit its former coaching inn Poste Le Cadran, the 12th century Romanesque-style Saint-Denis church and the medieval castle of Crèvecœur. To taste cider nothing better than the Huet distillery active since 1865 with its 30 hectares of orchard. To contact them: calvados.pierre.huet@wanadoo.fr. For 25 years in May, the biggest festival of AOP/C products in France has been held there.
Stage 4: Saint-Ouen-le-Pin: its 12th century Romanesque church. Its cemetery is home to historian François Guizot and the Schlumberger brothers who revolutionized petroleum engineering.
Stage 5: Bonnebosq: its half-timbered houses, its washhouse and its 12th century Romanesque church make this village a charming village to visit during your journey. Taste local ciders at the farmers' market on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Contact the town hall: mairie-bonnebosq@wanadoo.fr or 02 31 65 11 65.
Stage 6: Beaufour-Druval: the last stage of the circuit with the best for last and the Desvoye family farm. It has existed since 1826 and it was in 1927 that it took its current name. She won the Cambremer festival in 2019 and the Normandy cider competition in 2020. You can contact them by email: cavedesvoye@gmail.com . Namely that the village is also one of the Most Beautiful Villages of France.
You can create your own Cider Route circuit by going to the site: routeducidre.com/
TOUR N°5 :
THE CABOURG VILLAS TOUR
The city offers an unusual circuit that will please you! An overview of its 150 villas, each more wacky than the other, built during the discovery of Cabourg.
1 half day or 1 day, departure from the city's Tourist Office :
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Step 1 : Tourist Office.
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Other and final stages : Follow the predefined route of 30 well-known villas from Villa de la Mer to Villa Bon Abri on the attached PDF map.
You can contact the Office of Cabourg for any information : cabourg@ncpa-tourisme.fr or 02 31 06 20 00
TOUR N°6 :
THE LACE TOUR
Disembark in the lace region, where the Point d'Alençon was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage Site in 2010!
5 days to 1 week, departure from La Perrière,
Step 1: the Perriere: between 1850 and 1890 the women of the village worked the net technique: diamond or square stitches tied on a drawn grid. The city had 3 sectors: the Husset, Hervieux and Reine houses. Another technique made the city famous: the pearl net technique, which is a weaving of pearls, saved by fashion designer Chantal Thomass. You can visit the Lace Museum for more details on it.
Step 2: Alençon: the famous stitch of the same name offers a unique quality to weaving: an assembly of small pieces of fabric made by hand and with a small needle that no machine can reproduce! To get an idea, it takes between 7 to 10 years of learning to master the technique. You can visit the Museum of Fine Arts where there are permanent exhibitions on the subject.
Step 3: Argentan: it is the same technique as the Alençon stitch but in the shape of cells. The Lace Museum exhibits this noble lace made for 300 years in the city appreciated by Marie-Antoinette.
Stage 4: Caen: between Caen and lace, it's a love story that has lasted since the 17th century. In 1624 nuns settled there, embroidering linen with a bobbin. Then at the end of the century came silk, which was shinier than linen and which earned it the name of blond lace.
Step 5: Bayeux: bobbin lace and white cotton landed there in the 17th century. In the 19th century, the city became a very large industry with 15,000 lacemakers. Its decline is due to the appearance of mechanization but despite everything the Maison Lefébure has succeeded in safeguarding the know-how by creating luxury lace. Come and discover this other marvel offered by the city with the Baron Gérard Museum of Art and History.
Stage 6: Villedieu-les-Poëles: bobbin lace was practiced there from the 18th century. The lacemakers specialize in torchon lace made on looms with a specific shape of the city. Come and see how this lace is made in the former 17th century workshop, listed as a Historic Monument. : the Museum of the Lacemaker.
