Trip Review May 12-24
We recently returned from this trip and thought that I’d provide some details as it seems like there may have been a few changes to the itinerary over the last few years. My husband and I (early 50s) traveled with our two daughters (early 20s) in mid May on the small group tour.
Day 1 – the concierge at Trianon Palace Versailles provided us with complimentary tickets to Versailles. The tickets were not timed but to our surprise, they entitled us to cut all of the lines and proceed directly into Versailles. We spent about 4 hours touring both the palace and the grounds. We could have spent several more hours, but as we were all still fighting jetlag, we ended up leaving and grabbing lunch from one of the many boulangeries. The welcome dinner that evening was held in the room where the Treaty of Versailles was drafted, a great little piece of history. This hotel was great, my second favorite of the trip.
Day 2 – this was the earliest departure on the entire trip, as we had a one hour private tour of Versailles before it opened to the public. There is nothing like seeing the Hall of Mirrors completely empty! After our Versailles tour, we headed to Giverny and Monet’s home and gardens. Then it was on to Deauville and the beginning of our two night stay at Normandy Barille.
Day 3 – we spent a good part of the day walking around Honfleur, including a visit to the Boudin museum. In the afternoon, we toured Manoir D’apreval, a 4th generation cider maker, and sampled apple juice, cider and calvados.
Day 4 – early morning departure as we headed to the DDay beaches. First stop was the D-Day Academy and a lecture from Edward, who was amazing, then on to the Normandy American cemetery, where Edward continued on as our guide. We had lunch and then headed to Omaha Beach and Point du Hoc. Our group was interested and lively and peppered Ed with questions the entire time. Definitely the top day of the trip for my husband and I. After Point du Hoc, we headed to Dinard and our two night stay at the Grand Dinard.
Day 5 – started the day with a tour of an oyster farm in Cancales, followed by a few hours to walk around Cancales to shop and have lunch. In the afternoon, we headed to St. Malo for a few hours. We definitely felt like we could have spent less time in Cancales and more time in St. Malo, as we definitely felt rushed during our time in St. Malo. We would have liked to walk the entirety of the rampart walls but only had time to do a small section.
Day 6 – spent the majority of the day at Le Mont St. Michel with a guided tour. We really enjoyed this tour and our time here. Again we could have used more time here; I also wish that there was an option to walk from the parking area to Le Mont St Michel, but I recognize that allowing that would have impacted the timing of the guided tour. In the early afternoon, we headed to Port du Crouesty and our two night stay at Miramar La Cigale (the “Love Boat”, my least favorite hotel).
Day 7 – we started the morning with a guided walk along the coast and a visit to Le Petit Mont, a neolithic site that was also used by the Germans during WW2. We then traveled to Vannes, enjoying lunch on the boat ride over and then exploring Vannes in the afternoon. There was guided tour, but we peeled off and walked around Vannes on our own.
Day 8 – headed to Chateau D’Angers and viewed the Apocalypse Tapestry, which was spectacular. We then headed to the Chateau de Rochecotte for our two night stay. This was my favorite hotel of the trip. Our room was just spectacular and my husband and I enjoyed hiking the grounds each afternoon and morning. That evening, we had dinner at Chateau de Champchevrier, one of the highlights of the trip for everyone in my family. Watching the hound demonstration, having dinner at the Chateau and listening to the Baron explain his family’s history at the estate and answer all of our questions was just incredible.
Day 9 – we visited Chateau de Villandry and the gardens, which were simply stunning and in the afternoon, we toured Chateau d’Azay-de-rideau.
Day 10 – we started the day by visiting Chateau d’Amboise and then headed to Le Clos De La Mesierie for a private tour of the vineyard, followed by lunch. Despite the fact that I do not drink, this was one of the highlights of the trip for me (and my family as well). Each lunch course was paired with a different wine from the vineyard and we learned so much about growing grapes organically, etc. Then it was on to Paris for our three night stay at Le Meurice. This hotel is spectacular and located in the First Arrondissement, directly across the street from Le Jardin de Tuileries and right around the corner from very exclusive shops.
Day 11 – we did a walking tour from our hotel to Notre Dame Cathedral and then had lunch on yacht, sailing on the Seine. The weather was perfect and this was just a lovely experience. Our daughters flagged this as one of the highlights of the trip for them. We then had the afternoon free to explore Paris.
Day 12 – started the day with a tour of the Musee d’Orsay and then we were on our own for the afternoon. The evening marked our Farewell Dinner and we flew home the next morning, although several in our group stayed on in Paris for a few days.
We really enjoyed this trip. The Tauck exclusives are what made it so different from what others experience when they are in France.
I know that there are often questions about attire. My husband brought a sports coat and wore it on three different occasions, as did all of the other men on the trip. My daughters and I dressed up for three dinners, including the farewell dinner at Le Meurice where everyone wore their best.
Also, I think that our trip was a bit unusual with respect to ages. Of the 22 in our group, 4 were under the age of 25 and another 4 or 5 were right around 50.
Happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.
Comments
Mondgrad97 - I’m going on this tour in September. Do you have any suggestions for restaurants in Paris? If so, what cuisine were they and what price range were they. I’ve looked at the menus for restaurants in Le Meurice and they seem quite expensive - cheeseburger and fries for $57. In general, was dining in Paris super expensive?
Did you go inside Notre Dame?
Any tips/suggestions for places to eat in the other tour cities for meals that weren’t included?
Thanks in advance.
Such a lovely narrative, mondgrad97. Thank you for sharing your experiences.