Normandy and Brittany - independent travel. Helpful Hints

Brittany, Normandy.
Day fourteen. 2 October. Unfortunately, I only booked one night at the Hotel de Roche. Eh, I would like to stay here at least a day for 3. No hurry to take a walk along the seashore, sail on a pleasure boat to the “Seven Islands”, but alas ...

Pleasure boats departing for the Seven Islands.

We are waiting for the “Trail of customs officers”. I studied the plan of Perros-Guirec for a long time, and finally decided that we should drive up to the parking lot in the middle of the trail.

“Path of customs officers” on the plan of Perro-Guirec.

However, the balalaika became stubborn and refused to recognize the correct street. I had to give her the address of the far end of the trail. As a result, she led us to the most prestigious part of Perros-Guirec to Trestraou beach (Trestraou), where the Grand Hotel, the Casino and other delights of resort life are located.

We left the car in a large and completely empty parking lot, lined with palm trees, and went out onto the promenade.

Judging by the map, the “Customs Path” began on the western shore of the bay. We quite cheerfully passed the beach, passed by private property and really hit the trail.

It meandered along the edge of the cliff, there were no beautiful rocks and only a rocky cape was visible in the distance. When I figured that we would have to walk at least an hour to it, and then the same amount of time to return back, I decided not to waste precious time, but to return to Plumana’k and go to the trail from the other side.

This led to the obvious displeasure of the wife. Before a trip, she never reads guidebooks and reports, leaving everything to me, so she often simply does not know what we will see. I knew that I wanted to see and show my wife, but she was just pleased to walk along the seashore. Fortunately, the matter did not come to a divorce. Reconciled us ... a chapel of pink granite in the name of Notre Dame de la Clarte. This temple, not as luxurious as the parish churches, proved to be very worthy.

We returned safely to Plumana'k, parked in the square and walked out to the same beach we had seen the night before. But there was no beach as such. The water rose almost level with the granite wall.

The chapel, standing on the beach, has turned into an island.

The path again turned into a pine forest and soon we found ourselves on the Pink Granite Coast. Trying to describe it in words is impossible. It's just a must see!

Huge granite blocks, sometimes frozen in a very unstable position, coastal rocks on which the surf broke, bright sun and strong wind - these are our impressions of the Pink Granite Coast.

A lighthouse, a chapel, someone's private property and a tourist information center (was closed) were built from the same material.

The time it takes nature to decompose garbage. Very visual.

In the distance, the "seven islands" were visible in the sea.

We went down to the rescue base, where real rescuers dressed some monsieur in overalls, and his friends took pictures.

From the hangar, where the rescue boat stands, rails lead into the sea. I understand that this is a slipway to quickly lower the boat into the water, and then pull it ashore with a winch.

We reached the rocks, called the “devil's castle”. From here the far part of the path, where we were in the morning, was clearly visible.
We returned to the car through the city, reached in just 15 minutes. If we had returned along the shore, we would have hung for at least another hour. Tanya really wants to stay here and come back here… someday. We go further east to Saint-Malo, but on the way we decide to stop at Cap Frehel. This is perhaps the only monument that we can afford today. There simply isn't enough time for the rest. The road to Cape Freel is very picturesque, it goes along the seashore. In the village of Pleherel-Plage we stop at the observation deck.

Pleherel Beach. Far to the right is Cape Freel.

The road goes high above the seashore, wonderful panoramas open on the left along the way. In some places, people dashed off unofficial parking lots - patches along the road for several cars. Entrance to Cap Frehel is paid - 2 euros. We pay, drive another 800 meters and stop at the parking lot. There are cars with numbers of almost all European countries. A lot of English cars - they are very close here. I even got a Skoda from the Czech Republic, but our numbers are the most exotic 🙂 There is a lighthouse on Cape Freel (belongs to the Navy).

We move away from the cliff away and go to the turret, standing at the tip of the cape. Once upon a time there were clearly buildings here, maybe barracks or artillery batteries. Now everything is open and available. Under your feet - the same slabs of pink granite, as well as a hundred kilometers to the west.

On the way back I drive down to the beach, Tanya goes to the sea, and I just stand and look at the water.

Just a beach in Plöerel-Plage. View of Cape Frehel from the beach.

On the way to Saint-Malo, we stopped at a boulangerie-patissrie store in the village of Frehel. There is fresh bread, some groceries and a whole rack of wine 🙂 .

We drive to Saint-Malo via Dinard.

We stop for a short time in a traffic jam at the dam of a tidal power plant. The road has been narrowed and is being repaired.

Towards - a sluggish tail of cars, people go home from work. The dam of the power plant offers a wonderful view of Saint-Malo.

Snapshot of the curve, taken on the move from the car. But it's better than none at all.

We booked an Ibis Budget Center in the city. In fact, it was not far from the center. For some reason, I decided to put the car in a paid garage - 8 euros per night, although the hotel had its own (small, crowded) parking lot.

We drove to the center, spun along the parking lots under the walls of the city, and finally got up quite close to the main gate.

All parking around "Intra Muros" (Intra Muros) - the city inside the fortress walls - paid with an inhumane rate of 20 centimes for 15 minutes. It's good that after 19.00 it's free. They insisted on 1 euro 20 centimes.

Parking at the walls of Saint Malo. The photo was taken the next morning.

At first, Saint-Malo disappointed. I read that the city was seriously destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt according to old drawings and drawings. It seems that the restoration was carried out in the same way as ours. The narrow medieval streets are lined with huge six-story houses made of gray granite.

Somewhere really come across old buildings,

A couple of really old houses at the main gate.

but in general, the city gives the impression of an ensemble of Stalinist architecture, adjusted for local customs and building materials.

The houses are quite the same type, sometimes there is a sort of “proletarian classic”. Even the cathedral does not make much of an impression.

Lonely chapel of the early 17th century. In Beaune or Vanna, I would not have paid attention to her. Street in Intra Muros.

On the central streets there are many boutiques, restaurants with seafood (prices are much more humane than in Plumana’k), pancakes.

Confectionery shop.

Quite quickly we passed the city from end to end and rested against the walls. In Saint-Malo, you need to walk along the walls.

They erected monuments to naval commanders and sailors,

Including Jacques Cartier who discovered Canada and founded Quebec.

There is also a monument in the city to the local poet Rene de Chateaubriand.

From the walls there are wonderful views of the bay,

Fort Nacional, where you can go on an excursion at low tide in summer

And a seaport.

It was low tide and on the beach someone depicted a huge tree with their footprints and signed stomped below: “Plant a tree - save the planet!”

Walking the walls reconciled me to this city. Finally, we went down to the beach near the Great Gate and looked at an absolutely fantastic sunset.

Day fifteen. October 3rd. The next morning we again went to Intra Muros. We found free parking just outside the city gates.

Old sailboats moored near the embankment, maybe they were not old, but stylized, but they looked great!

We waited until the travel agency opened to take a city plan and look at the literature. Plan in Saint-Malo paid! Only 20 centimes, but still unpleasant. Everywhere the plan of the city was given just like that. We walked around the city again. In some places in the houses there are through passages under the arches. The streets are very narrow and the suite of arches resembles St. Petersburg's "courtyards-wells".

Suddenly we came to an old 3-storey house. It houses the hotel “Les chiens du guet”, literally “Night watchdogs”. When I was preparing a trip, I saw this hotel in booking.com.

Coat of arms of Saint-Malo with watchdogs on the sides

Watchdogs have an interesting history. In the old days, they were released at night on the sandy beaches around Saint-Malo to protect the city and ships in the port from strangers - foreign warriors, pirates and corsairs. Enemies at any moment could attack the city or plunder port warehouses and ships with expensive cargo. Guet means "night watch" in French. The dogs were released after the signal to put out the fires. They could not harm the inhabitants, because at night the city gates were locked. Residents knew that after the strike of the cathedral bell they were obliged to return home. In the morning it was allowed to leave the house only after the sound of the trumpet. The hotel is located on the square of the same name, named after ferocious dogs. The square, in turn, is located near the Dutch Bastion, where these dogs were kept in the old days.

Two small islands are visible from the embankment: Grand Be and Petit Be. At low tide you can walk to them, but you have to be careful.

We leave Saint-Malo, but the drawbridge at the Vauban pool is blocked. It is forbidden to stand and wait in front of the barrier and we have to go back and look for another bridge. He is also divorced, but at least you can stand here.

In a roundabout way, past the berths and warehouses, we leave for the familiar "Ibis".
Before leaving Saint-Malo, we stop at Carefour to buy home olive oil, cheese, grape juice. To our horror, it turns out to be a hypermarket. Gritting our teeth, we are looking for the products we need, we are waiting for a long time until the young family in front of us pays for the crowded cart, and even receives some bonuses. They didn’t give us bonuses 🙂, although we scored more than 100 euros there. Initially, we wanted to go to Livaro, but we lost too much time in hyper. I had to move the balalaika to Honfleur, especially since we had already bought the Livaro cheese. Balalaika leads the wrong way again - she does not know that the road through the tidal power plant dam is being repaired. Having twisted along the quiet outlying streets of Saint-Malo, we leave on the 176th road towards Caen.

From the road we notice in the haze the silhouette of Mont Saint-Michel, where we were 2 years ago. We are quite far to go, so halfway we stop to warm up at the recreation area. It seems that this is the same site that Sergei Tikhomirov visited 7 years ago. At least I found a spotting scope pointed at the sequoia. It looks like it really grows there, but I didn’t have enough optics to take a decent picture.

Mysterious picture: “Where is the sequoia?”

On this day, for the first time from Burgundy, it was cloudy, but when we got to Honfleur, the sun came out. We were already in Honfleur 2 years ago, but that time it was a nasty autumn rain. So I decided to try my luck again at the mouth of the Seine.

The attempt was a success - the weather was amazingly sunny in the city, despite the fact that souvenir shops offered T-shirts, napkins and magnets, on which it always rains in Normandy :).
In Honfleur, I found an inexpensive hotel on the outskirts.

The price is from 65 euros per night, the hotel cost us 49 euros.

The receptionist looked at the printout of the armor for a long time, sorted through his notes, climbed into the computer. Looks like they fucking lost our reservation. As a result, we got a room in the attic with incomprehensible pieces of iron on the floor, which turned out to be a fire escape 🙂

Despite the 4th floor and sloping roof, there were 2 comfortable beds, a bath and a table with two chairs. The place turned out to be cool.

We drove to the city center by car, found a place with difficulty and paid for a couple of hours at the parking meter. As it turned out, this evening it was possible not to bother paying for parking. The city was hosting the 21st Shrimp Festival and the police turned a blind eye to the violators. In any case, there was no hint of parking tickets in the neighboring cars. We happily huddled in the crowd, looked at the cheese and sausage counters, walked around the Vieux Bassin (Old Basin) - the most famous place in the city. We went to the Salt Attics, where there was an exhibition of ship models,

A statue... a shrimp in the Salt Attics.

drank kir and beer in a cafe on the embankment,

We walked along the familiar streets past the Church of St. Catherine, art galleries, a monument to oyster pickers

And, finally, miraculously found a place in a restaurant: all tables except one were reserved. Tanya took a plate of “seafood” with oysters No. 3, lobster, shrimps and shells,

I asked for meat, for dessert we took a cheese plate.

They chose kir and a large glass of Leffe as drinks, otherwise I was already fed up with the wine. The ladies at the next table, also drinking beer, looked approvingly at my half-litre glass.

The bill turned out to be quite sane - a little more than 50 euros.
Returning to our "Auberge de la Claire" (Auberge de la Claire), we found that all the parking spaces are occupied. I had to stumble against the window of the restaurant on the ground floor.

Author's tour

Normandy and Brittany are the most northwestern French provinces, and one of the most attractive in the country in terms of tourism. From the north, they are washed by the waters of the English Channel, and from the West, the waves of the Atlantic Ocean splash on the shores of Brittany. The coasts of Normandy and Brittany are the mighty multi-colored rocks of bizarre shapes and the purest white beaches, and the numerous ancient towns of these provinces give us true wonders of Gothic and fachwerk. The sights of these areas will be devoted to our tour to France.

Normandy is the purest sandy beaches of the English Channel and picturesque hills covered with lush meadows and numerous apple orchards, Normandy is a half-timbered Rouen and like a toy old Honfleur, Normandy is a delicious natural apple cider, a kind of apple wine "Pommo" and a unique apple vodka "Camembert", Normandy is the birthplace of the famous French cheese "Camembert".

Let's not forget about the gastronomic features of the regions: delicious both Normandy and Breton apple cider, the famous Normandy "white" Camembert cheese, original Breton buckwheat pancakes with various fillings, and much more that you definitely want to try!

Tour program:

Departure from St. Petersburg

09/21/2019 - recommended Air France flight AF1665 departing St. Petersburg at 06:00 and arriving in Charles de Gaulle (Paris) at 08:35 (transfer after arrival of the Moscow flight)
09/27/2019 - recommended Air France flight AF1464 with departure from Charles de Gaulle at 09:30 and arrival in St. Petersburg at 13:50

Departure from Moscow

09/21/2019 - recommended Air France flight AF1845 departing Moscow at 06:10 and arriving in Charles de Gaulle (Paris) at 09:10
09/27/2019 - recommended Air France flight AF1744 with departure from Charles de Gaulle at 12:55 and arrival in Moscow at 17:40 (transfer to the morning flight to St. Petersburg)
Flights for June 2020 will be announced later
ATTENTION!!! Please purchase air tickets only after the tour is declared GUARANTEED! We are not responsible for the purchase of non-refundable air tickets until the group is guaranteed!

1 day, 21.09 / 07.06
Flight to Paris, Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport.
Gathering of the group and meeting with the guide in the arrivals hall after baggage claim and customs control.
A short trip to the province of Normandy.
Normandy- these are the cleanest sandy beaches of the English Channel and picturesque hills covered with lush meadows and numerous apple orchards, Normandy is a half-timbered Rouen and like a toy old Honfleur, Normandy is a delicious natural apple cider, a kind of apple wine "Pommo" and a unique apple vodka "Calvados", Normandy is the birthplace of the famous French cheese "Camembert".
Arrival in the small village of Giverny
- a truly heavenly place, where for many years he lived in his estate and created his immortal canvases the great Claude Monet.
Fascinated by gardening, the artist approached the creation of a garden near his house in the same way as he approached painting canvases: planting flowers, he seemed to put paint on the canvas with broad strokes - therefore, the garden is rightfully considered one of his works.
Later, Monet bought a plot of marshy land next to his house, where a small stream flowed. Here the artist created a pond: nymphs of different varieties were planted in the reservoir, weeping willows, bamboo, irises, rhododendrons and roses were planted along the banks. Impressionist friends visiting Monet - Matisse, Cezanne, Renoir, Pissarro - knew about his passion for the garden and often brought him rare plants.
Claude Monet constantly drew inspiration from his garden. Monet first created paintings in kind, and then transferred them to his canvases. This is how his masterpieces in the style of impressionism were born. Here the painter created more than a hundred canvases
Walk through the village to the old church, next to which Monet is buried.
Visit to the house - museum and garden (admission for an additional fee approx. 11 euros).
Moving to the historical capital of Normandy - the city of Rouen
Overnight at a hotel in Rouen.
Day 2, 22.09 / 08.06
Breakfast in the hotel.
Walking tour of the historic center of Rouen.
The ancient port city on the Seine River, Rouen, is primarily proud of its famous Cathedral, numerous half-timbered architecture and its rich medieval history. Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame de Rouen was repeatedly sung in pictures by the great artist Claude Monet and not only them. The remains of many famous people in history are buried in the crypt of the cathedral, including the famous Richard the Lionheart.
The great French heroine Jeanne d "Arc immortalized the name of Rouen in history by spending the last days of her earthly life here: she was kept here in prison, tried and, in the end, burned on the Market Square of the city, where you can now see a very expressive dedicated to her memorial Complex
Some free time.
Moving about 90 km to the small town of Etretat, located on the coast of the English Channel,
on the so-called limestone coast, and widely known due to the nearby picturesque coastal white cliffs of a bizarre configuration, forming natural arches in places.
Walk around this wonderful place.
Moving about 45 km to the small old port town of Honfleur.
On the way, we will have to drive along an impressive cable-stayed bridge "Normandie", thrown across the wide estuary of the Seine River just before it flows into the strait.
Finding ourselves in Honfleur, adored by artists and depicted in many paintings by various masters of painting, we find ourselves really immersed in the atmosphere of Norman antiquity, untouched by time, those times when Honfleur was one of the largest ports on the English Channel!..
Then approximately 30-40 minute transfer to the seaside resort center of Deauville Trouville,
which is a favorite summer holiday destination for a large number of the French ... Having made a short stop there right on the seashore, we will see where and how those people who prefer the gentle sun of Normandy to the burning heat of the South like to spend their holidays and weekends.
Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at a hotel in Trouville.
Day 3, 23.09 / 09.06
Breakfast in the hotel.
Drive about 180 kilometers to the Gothic Abbey of Saint-Michel,
towering on a rocky mountain above the waters of the English Channel, called by many the real Wonder of the World and located in the very west of the province of Normandy.
The abbey crowns the top of a small rocky island. The rest of the island is occupied by the village of Mont Saint-Michel (St. Michael's Hill) - a very exotic settlement in which there is practically no even, horizontal street and where you can only move up and down, bypassing the island in the likeness of a spiral. Mont Saint-Michel is especially impressive from a distance, when you drive up to it from the land side or approach it from the sea. It seems as if this is some kind of fabulous, magical castle that has just emerged from the cold waters of the English Channel and is ready to plunge back into it at any moment. Sightseeing and free time to explore on your own and/or sample local cuisine. (Entrance to the interior of the Abbey for an additional fee of approx. 12 euros).
Moving to the province of Brittany.
Brittany is located in the north-west of the country, on the peninsula of the same name, washed from the north by the English Channel, and from the south by the Bay of Biscay. The administrative center of the region - city of Rennes. From 440 to 600, several waves of British migrations from the British Isles follow. During the wars with the Franks, the Bretons defend their independence, and in the next millennium Brittany enters an independent duchy. During the Middle Ages, Brittany maneuvered between France and England. In 1532 it became part of France. The gastronomic specialties of Brittany should definitely include excellent Breton apple cider, salty buckwheat pancakes “biscuits” with various fillings and, of course, numerous seafood ... The Bretons carefully preserve their dialect, which is quite different from the classical French language, and love to hang out wherever possible , their Breton flags ...
About 40 km from Mont Saint-Michel we stop at the small old Breton town of Fougères.
Fougères is an ancient walled city in Brittany.
In the Middle Ages, for the possession of this key point on the Franco-Breton border, there was a constant struggle between the French and English feudal lords. In the 19th century, many famous writers visited this picturesque town, including Flaubert, Balzac and Hugo.
Fougeres Castle very original located in the lowland, surrounded by swamps and a whole system of dams and canals. It is one of the largest surviving medieval castles in France.
Of interest are also quite numerous old streets and houses of the Old Center.
City Tour.
Moving about 40 km to the hotel.
Overnight at the hotel in the Rennes area.
Day 4, 24.09 / 10.06
Breakfast in the hotel.
Moving about 55 km to the small town of Dinant, well preserved over the centuries, known since the 11th century.
In 1283 Duke Jean the First of Breton erected city ramparts and towers of Dinan. The city was the subject of bitter struggle during the War of the Breton Succession. Many consider Dinant to be the most beautiful city in Brittany, because it has a whole complex of a perfectly preserved medieval city: 3 kilometers of a fortress wall, a castle, a couple of Gothic cathedrals, an old port, and, of course, streets with old, including half-timbered, houses ...
Guided tour of Dinan.
A little free time.
A small transfer of about 40 km to one of the most famous natural attractions of Brittany - coast of the English Channel Côte d'Armor.
Visiting the environs of Cape Freel.
This is a truly impressive place: steep cliffs of bizarre outlines, numerous bird cliffs, as well as a number of human creations organically merging with this harsh nature ...
Inspection of the ancient fort La Latte.
It is located on a cliff, steeply plunging into the sea from three sides. This is an example of an extremely effective defensive structure of the Middle Ages. (Entrance tickets are about 7 euros).
Walk along Cape Freel.
The rocky coast of Cap Frehel is considered one of the most beautiful in Brittany. A narrow path, winding, goes to the sea, from which sheer cliffs rise to a height of about 70 meters. In the western part of the cape, two stones stand separately, which are chosen by birds. There are two lighthouses on the cape. The old lighthouse, or Vauban tower, was built of granite under Louis XIV in 1701. A more modern and tall lighthouse was erected in 1847. The so-called “customs trail” stretches along the coast, yellow gorse and lilac-purple heather bloom around.
A short drive of about 50 km to the ancient walled city of Saint-Malo
on the picturesque coast of the English Channel, which in the old days was the capital of the Breton pirates.
Saint Malo located on an island, surrounded by ancient fortifications and has preserved, despite the military destruction, a large part of its historical buildings. Walk around the city and free time.
Return to the hotel.
Day 5, 25.09 / 11.06
Breakfast in the hotel.
Acquaintance in the city of Rennes.
Rennes is the administrative center of the Brittany region. The city is located at the confluence of the rivers Ill and Vilaine. The name of the city was given by the Celtic tribe of Redons, who lived here in antiquity. In the Middle Ages, the Counts of Rennes challenged the Counts of Nantes for supremacy in Brittany. The rivalry between Nantes and Rennes continued after the annexation of Brittany to France. Medieval Rennes was largely destroyed by the great fire of 1720. The city center, rebuilt in the 18th century, can serve as an example of the urban policy of classicism with wide streets located perpendicular to each other.
City Tour, during which you will see both New Rennes and everything that remains of Medieval Rennes - in particular, the city gates and a number of old streets with beautiful half-timbered houses ...
Free time.
For those who wish, an additional trip to the historical region of Tregor, famous in natural terms, first of all, for its unique Coast of Pink Granite, as well as several picturesque beaches.
Pink Granite Coast- these are amazingly beautiful granite boulders and rocks, stretching for about 10 km along the coast of the English Channel. The name of this place is associated with a pinkish-brown shade of granite that came to the surface of the earth as a result of a series of natural phenomena. The characteristic color of the rock comes from a unique combination of three different minerals: mica, feldspar and quartz.
During a walk along the picturesque "customs trail", stretching from lighthouse Ploumanac to the village of Perros-Girec with each new turn of the trail, giant boulders of bizarre shape and incredibly warm, pink-orange color open up. Some heaps of stones clearly resemble various sculptural images created by nature itself. Along the path grow lavender and heather, whose aromas are wonderfully combined with the fresh sea air.
(additionally paid 50 euros for a group of 20 people).
Return to the hotel.
Day 6, 26.09 / 12.06
Breakfast in the hotel.
Moving about 110 km to the old Breton town of Vannes.
Vann- the center of the Morbihan department in western Brittany. The city is located five kilometers north of the Morbienne Bay, with which it is connected by a canal. Here you can see a lot half-timbered houses, powerful fortifications and the Gothic Cathedral.
City Tour.
Transfer to Paris (about 460 km) with a sightseeing stop in a picturesque old town in Vitre.
Vitre- a tiny town on the border of Brittany and Normandy, which has a full range of interesting things for lovers of antiquities. Here is a fabulously beautiful castle, the city ranks third in Brittany in the number of half-timbered houses, and, of course, there is also a Gothic cathedral. Vitre has been well preserved since the Middle Ages, in particular, it was not damaged during the war, and now its streets can easily be transported five hundred years ago…
Late arrival at the hotel. Overnight at a hotel in the Paris region.
Day 7, 27.09 / 13.06
Breakfast in the hotel.
Transfer to Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport. Departure to Russia.

Attention:

To participate in this tour, you must have a valid visa and medical insurance.
To participate in tours to the Republic of Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Moldova and Mongolia, a visa is not required.
The tour program does not include visits to water parks, shopping malls and fish shops.
In late autumn, winter, early spring, due to the short daylight hours, visiting some of the objects declared in the program may take place at night.
The Organizer is not responsible for queues at border points, delays on the way due to customs, border and other official formalities, weather conditions, as well as traffic jams.
If the weather conditions on the route may threaten the safety of tourists (heavy snowfalls, low / high air temperatures, mudflows, showers, floods, forest fires, smog, etc.), the organizer reserves the right to unilaterally change the tour program: replace one object to another, and if replacement is impossible, exclude objects from the program.
Seats on the bus are distributed by the organizer as the group is recruited.

Features of this tour:

ATTENTION!!! Luggage size and weight limit: Please bring luggage with you no more than 20 kg and dimensions not exceeding 55 cm × 40 cm × 20 cm. Minibus trunk is limited in size! If the size or weight of the baggage exceeds the above, the company reserves the right not to take it.
It is necessary to have small CASH money (euro) with you, as payment by bank cards is not accepted everywhere.
Please note that 500 and 200 euro banknotes are NOT ACCEPTED in European countries.

The cost of the tour with a hotel for 1 person:

67564 rub. / 920 euros 2-seater

81518 rub. / 1110 euros 1-seater

Additional services for 1 person*:

735 rub. / 10 euro radio equipment

* Optional, additionally paid at the office.

We can organize this tour especially for you, taking into account your wishes for the program, time and place of departure!

		Tour in the schedule: 09/05/2020

		Tour in the schedule: 04.09.2020
		Tour in the schedule: 20.10.2019

		Tour in the schedule: 12/28/2019

		Tour in the schedule: 12/21/2019, 12/29/2019
		Tour in the schedule: 07/04/2020

		Tour in the schedule: 02.05.2020
		Tour in the schedule: 10/13/2019, 10/20/2019, 10/27/2019, 11/03/2019, 11/10/2019, 11/17/2019, 11/24/2019
		Tour in the schedule: 11/29/2019
		Tour in the schedule: 04.03.2020
		Tour in the schedule: 06.06.2020
		Tour in the schedule: 02.11.2019
		Tour in the schedule: 01/03/2020, 01/06/2020, 02/21/2020, 03/06/2020
		Tour in the schedule: 24.04.2020
		Tour in the schedule: 02.11.2019
		Tour in the schedule: 04/15/2020
		Tour in the schedule: 26.10.2019
		Tour in the schedule: 12.10.2019
		Tour in the schedule: 04/30/2020
		Tour in the schedule: 03.01.2020
		Tour in the schedule: 27.03.2020

Preparation:
In July 2009 I went on vacation to Paris with my friends Katya, Kolya and Dima.
The decision that we would take a car to go to Normandy was made by us a week before the trip itself. It just so happened. Only 7 days before the vacation it turned out that everyone has a desire to get to Mont-Saint-Michel, and the way by bus-train there will be very hemorrhoids and cost a pretty penny.

The option of renting a car looked quite attractive. One small "but" slowed us down. Of the entire company, only I had the rights, and my real driving experience was only 2 months: (In addition, I only knew how to drive a car with a gun.

When I began to dig the Internet in search of a suitable car for rent, it turned out that there were NO cars. An automatic machine in France is rare, and again - the season :(. Well, that is, there were, for example, C-class Mercedes at some exorbitant prices, but nothing "average" was observed. By some miracle, I came across the site of one car broker, who provided us with a C3 with a machine gun at the ALAMO rental office for 210 euros for 2 days.

1st day: Paris - Les Andelys-Etretat-Havre-Aromanches

The first problems of "dummies"
The red C3 was waiting for us in the parking lot of the Gare de Lyon. Dima, who took over the function of navigator, for some reason was sure that the rental office would also rent him a navigator. What naivete! If suddenly someone thinks the same, I hasten to disappoint you - the navigator is "rented out" only complete with premium cars, where it is simply built-in. No one will give you a separate navigator.

In the arsenal, we only had the Michelin road map of France in 1990 edition :)
The rental clerk gave us documents and a key, drew on a piece of paper how to get out of the parking lot to the embankment. You had to go straight along the promenade to get to the "Paris Ring Road" (in the original Périphérique). Already from it, according to all calculations, we had to move out onto the A13 highway leading to Rouen.

And then there was entertainment called "departure from Paris" for an hour and a half. First, we accidentally passed the junction with Periferik, and left on the wrong track. Then we turned around, drove to Peripherique, drove off from it to the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis and wandered around it for at least another half an hour in search of an exit to the A13. Then we found an exit, but slightly missed - at the junction we chose the wrong tunnel, which eventually led us to the Parisian quarter of La Defense skyscrapers. Everyone was on their nerves, and it was already starting to swear, and then the heavens above us had mercy, and in just 15 minutes we were able to take the right direction.

On subsequent trips, I always took a GPS with me. Which is what I recommend to everyone. It greatly facilitates the life of a young autotraveller.

On the A13 highway, we met the first road toll point. Of course, I knew approximately how to enter it, how to pay, but I did not know about one important detail. If your credit card doesn't have a chip, it probably won't work at a pay machine! Thank God, we were 4 adults with a variety of bank cards, one of which fit the machine. It would be extremely inconvenient to turn back and change lanes.

First joys: Les Andelys

Thanks to Katya, she dug up information about this picturesque place and made us make the first stop on the route here. The town is located 85 km from Paris and is famous for the castle of Richard the Lionheart and amazing views of the Seine River. Here the Seine is not the same as in Paris.

The ruins of the castle proudly rise above the area.

We stocked up on groceries at the supermarket, climbed the hill to the castle and had a picnic there.

By the way, with all the incredible beauty and tourist value, there were not very many people here - literally one bus with tourists (they all dispersed through the ruins), and 5-6 private cars.

Etretat

And this was my "fad" - to see the rocks and arches of Etretat. I heard about him so many times, saw my friends in the photo, and hooray, finally I'm here!

In Etretat, the beach with large pebbles is very steep and inconvenient entry into the sea. But this did not stop us - we went swimming. A dip in the cold waters of the English Channel relieved the remnants of stress from "leaving Paris".

After relaxing a little on the beach, we climbed to take pictures on the famous rocks.

Normandy bridge and coast
The next stop on our itinerary was "Inspection of the Allied Landing Sites." It was "Dima's theme", he was responsible for this part of the route. By the way, there are war memorials almost along the entire coast. Even in the same Etretat there are several objects from the Second World War. And it's hard to say which of them are must-see and which are less interesting.

Dima decided to head to some small town on the coast in the Caen region. It was in this area that the landing took place on June 6, 1944. Our choice fell on Arromanches. Dima was familiar with this place from the Call of duty game :) We planned to spend the night there.
From Etretat we drove along the coast through Le Havre (where we got a bit lost again) and then across the Normandie bridge to the highway to Caen.

The Normandy Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Europe. In fact, it is another attraction that attracts tourists to the region. We actually got to it by accident (it was not marked on my map of the 1990 edition, because it was built in 1995 :)), leaving Le Havre following the signs to the A13 highway. But, of course, they were impressed by the beauty and scale of the structure.
The bridge, by the way, is paid, the fare on it for cars is 5 euros.

Only around 9 pm we got to Aromanch. We were lucky, we quickly found a hotel. It was an evening from Wednesday to Thursday, and places could be found without prior reservation. Quite decent 2 *, 50 euros for a double room without breakfast.

By the way, if you are looking for an overnight stay in some small town on the coast of the English Channel, try to arrive there no later than 8 pm. At 10 pm, when we threw our things into the room and went to look for dinner, everything in the city was already closed, the kitchen was not working in any cafe. We managed to buy only beer and some terrible hamburgers in a closing shop near the hotel.

2nd day: Allied landing sites - Mont St. Michel - road to Paris

In the morning we had a wonderful breakfast in a restaurant overlooking the sea, walked along the beach, examined the local war memorials.

Then we took a map of the nearest locations of military fortifications during the war from the hotel and headed there (15 minutes by car along winding village paths).

After examining the German pillboxes and climbing the fortifications, we headed to Mont Saint Michel.
On the way we stopped at a farm where we bought Calvados. Such farms are found everywhere on the roads of Normandy.

Mont-Saint-Michel

Well, I don’t think it makes much sense to talk about him, because. This is the second most famous landmark in France after the Eiffel Tower.

Let me give you just a few practical tips.
I have been to Mont Saint Michel 2 times - both times on weekdays. There are always a lot of people there. But in the summer it's just incredible. I think you need to come there either very early in the morning, or already late in the evening, when the people subsided. We got there around half past one, and got there at the most popular time. There were more people on the main street of the city than in the Moscow metro at rush hour :(

When you enter the huge parking lot at Mont St. Michel, don't park at the front of it, thinking that there are no more spaces closer to the castle. Everyone thinks the same way, so there will be places closer to the castle. As a result, having "successfully" packed at the beginning, we walked one and a half kilometers to the castle and the same amount then back.

Road to Paris.
On the way back we decided to take the N12 road through Alencon and Dieu.
As a result, our road home stretched for 5 and a half hours, including a short lunch stop at a roadside inn.

So if your goal is to see the maximum of interesting things in a couple of days and not die of fatigue, forget about saving on free roads. They are for short distances. In France, most of the normal tracks are paid. On our route, there was only one successful free motorway - the A84, along which we traveled from Caen to Mont-Saint-Michel. Everything was there, like on a toll road: 2-3 lanes in one direction, the maximum speed is 130 km / h, in some places 110 km / h.
An ordinary free road (they are marked with the letter N on the map, “nationale”, i.e. state) has one or two lanes in one direction. The speed limit is usually 90 km/h.
At the same time, the N road passes through a bunch of settlements, where the speed limit is 50 km/h. And if you find yourself in a section with one lane, and some kind of tractor is driving in front of you, then you will slowly drive in a convoy behind it until the road widens or there is a rare opportunity to overtake it in a place where we allow overtaking on an oncoming lane.

So we scratched along this national road. The only consolation for us was the sweetest provincial landscapes.

We arrived in Paris at about half past nine. Thank God, this time we managed to find our bearings more or less normally, to find the Periphery on the first try, and the necessary interchange, the embankment, and then the Gare de Lyon and parking.

I did not regret at all that we went by car to Normandy. Our route for the first acquaintance with the region turned out to be very good. Of course, we didn't see Honfleur, Deauville/Trouville, Rouen and St. Malo. But nothing prevents you from visiting these places next time.

,
Day 6 - ,
Day 7 -
Day 8 - Mont Saint Michel
Day 9 -

Arrived in Paris, rented a car at the airport. We drove north and stopped at the small town of Les Andelys, where we saw the castle of Chateau Gaillard.

In the morning we went to Deauville and Trouville, walked for 4 hours.

After lunch we returned to Honfleur, had lunch and rested. Toward evening we went to Etretat, on the way we crossed the Normandie bridge. Immediately behind it is a payment point, where you can stop and climb to the observation deck.

Walked in Etretat until sunset

Overnight in Otfleur.

Day 3 - ,

In the morning we left towards Saint-Malo, several stops were planned along the way. First we walked on Omaha Beach and visited the American Cemetery.

And then we stopped at one little-known place - a cape overlooking Mont Saint Michel.

We spent two nights in Saint-Malo.

In the morning we went to Dinant

On the way back we stopped at the city park.

During the day we walked around the city, rested on the beach and took time-lapses of the tide.

Toward evening we went to Mont Saint Michel, where we walked outside the abbey.

Day 5 - ,

In the morning we watched the sunrise from the pier in Saint Malo.

We drove in the direction of Saint Guirec, on the way we stopped at Fort-la-Latte and Cape Frehel.

We arrived at Saint Guirec beach, where we booked a hotel for one night. We walked a little around the hotel.

Day 6 - ,

It was foggy in the morning. We saw the main attraction of the region - the red boulders on Ploumanak beach.

Then we went in the direction of Nantes. Nantes is located in the Pays of the Loire region, but we wanted to visit one of the major cities in northern France and chose this one. As it turned out, they did not fail. On the way we stopped at Vannes.

We settled in Nantes and walked around the city.

We spent two nights in Nantes.

Day 7 -

In the morning we saw the sunrise on the embankment near the hotel.

And then we spent the whole day walking around the city.

Day 8- , Mont Saint Michel

In the morning we saw a mechanical elephant and rode a carousel.

In Mont Saint Michel, we booked a hotel on the grounds of the abbey. Therefore, we settled in and went for a walk around the walls until the tide began to rise.

And in the evening we looked at our main goal in northern France - the high tide at Mont Saint Michel.

When it got dark, we went to the observation deck on the dam.

Day 9 -

A storm of emotions among friends was caused by my last trip to Normandy and Brittany. “Hand over the count’s estate!”, “Where are you tasting Calvados so tasty and beautifully?”, “Oh, my God, I want to go to this pink castle!”… In fact, it’s somehow even sad to give out all the appearances and passwords that I carefully looked for in the evenings for a couple of months before the trip.

The nerves of 10 guides suffered, my clients and friends drove around the places several times and, behold, the fateful hour to open all the cards has come!

Normandy and Brittany are the bohemian regions of France west of Paris. Normandy is so tender, sunny, apple and beautiful. Typical thatched roofs and cross-beams decorating traditional houses are pleasing to the eye, and more often the sunny English Channel beckons to drive along coastal roads all the time. Brittany is more severe and gray, but not devoid of its meek charm. Stone houses decorated with flowers, serious castles instead of the Norman "manoir" and lots and lots of oysters and other seafood.

It is very difficult to make an ideal route through these two regions. I want to cover everything and even more, go down to Bordeaux, and on the way back see all the castles of the Loire ... so I will not impose a specific route on you, but simply leave the coolest addresses personally verified, which you can combine into your ideal route.

Secret addresses of Normandy

Of course, everything will start with Paris. About him and the places from which it will be possible to start the route. These are Chantilly, the Manor of Claude Monet, Auvers-sur-Oise and the mill-hotel of the ex-Michelin critics Le Moulin de Connelles (be sure to stop by there in any situation, preferably at night). Therefore, for the first few days, do not make any plans for Paris. I repeat, you need to run away from big cities - there is nothing to do there.

You can mix all the places above up to Monet's garden, and then combine the points you like in free flight. In this article you will not find descriptions of the standard places and towns of Normandy (Etretat, Deauville, Trouville) and Brittany (Saint-Malo, Mont-Saint-Michel). I will mention them in passing simply because they meet along the way. You definitely need to spend the night in the countryside, chock-full of interesting homesteads for spending the night.

My secret addresses of Normandy (almost in order of itinerary)

Deauville and Trouville - yes, but only in transit. In Trouville, in general, at any opportunity and good weather, the whole rabble of Paris gathers. And Deauville was too fond of Russians, so the number of boutiques and Russian speech rolls over. I would recommend dropping in only at the Trouville fish tents on Boulevard Fernand Moureaux, and then immediately take a promenade in Deauville and that's it - run back to the villages.

Road of cider, cheese and apples

Further into the route, I can delve indefinitely, because everything that is between Deauville and Saint-Malo - in the depths of the Pays d'Auge region, deserves attention infinitely (by the way - find it on the spot).

“Cider Road” is the official name of a more or less brushed route that passes through the most interesting places and productions.

Here, links from the "useful links" section should be used. Set aside 1-2 full days, because you will want to stop unscheduled all the time, and cider tastings will even interfere with the timing of the route. You need to plan based on the desired tasting places, adding rustic Manoir to them for an overnight stay. You can also find them through the Bienvenue au Сhateau association, which brings together all the owners of castles in France who rent out rooms to guests and serve bohemian breakfasts.

Must-visit addresses along the Cider Road

Cheese production - Fromagerie Graindorge. Family, family and very interactive. Directly above the production is a museum, from the windows of which you can observe the process of cheese production. It is better to come to the opening to see the production process in full.

Other addresses along the Cider Road #if you have time

For cheese, you can also go to Cambremer (Fromagerie Durand) - a more chamber production. There, see the gardens of Les Jardins du Pays d'Auge and taste Calvados at Calvados Pierre Huet.

Manoir du Lieu Rocher is my love forever. The former owner of Chateau du Breuil bought this mansion in the middle of a Normandy field with cows, restored it and carefully welcomes guests with his wife, an opera singer from Bulgaria Tatiana. This place fell in love with itself and left a very vivid impression. Bonus: Terribly handsome dog Timon, who gives a special charm to this place. Contacts: 0033231205303/ [email protected] / [email protected]/ Tatiana 00336169123.

Secret addresses of Brittany

Somewhere in the Mont Saint-Michel area, the landscapes around will begin to turn gray and it will become clear that you have entered Brittany. My heart remained in Normandy, so I will not sing an ode to Brittany, but simply list pleasant places and give tips for deviations from the route.

Castle of Mont-Saint-Michel (Mont-Saint-Michel) To be honest, there is such a commercial hysteria now that I would not recommend going there at all. A great alternative is to ride horses around the castle through the dunes.

Cancale is a coastal town, a paradise for oyster lovers. Mandatory to visit the oyster farm Ferme Marine (there are sessions in English). But in general, the best thing to do in Cancale is to compete who can eat how many oysters at a time.

Saint-Malo is a castle fortress, for some reason it always meets me with bad weather. Walk for a couple of hours, climb the defensive wall if the weather permits, fly a kite on the beach... But the main thing is to sit down in one of the eateries, where they serve the freshest - freshest mussels in pots with different sauces.

A trip on the Sainte-Jeanne sailboat is another hint for those who are keen. The sloop Sainte-Jeanne is a reconstruction of a 1912 sailboat. It is these coasters that once helped the prosperity of the port of Erquy due to the trade exchange with other ports of the English Channel. Today, on this tourist boat, you can take a trip for 2-3 hours, for half a day, for a whole day, or even go on a small cruise, for example, to the island of Jersey.

Dinard is a more personal place with British mansions lined up on the sandy shore. It is very convenient to settle here if you want to slowly explore the neighboring towns.