Page 237 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

5 DAYS

in Normandy

Day 1 Afternoon After lunch at the museum’s
Morning Arrive in Giverny (p255) for the restaurant, drive to the sombre Normandy
9:30am opening of Claude Monet’s house American Cemetery and Memorial (www.
(late-Mar–Oct only), and drift around the abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials), which
colourful blooms and beds of the artist’s over looks Omaha Beach, site of D-Day’s
garden before the crowds descend. bloodiest battle. Visit the small museum
and walk along the bluffs above the beach.
Afternoon Head to the lively Norman city
of Rouen (p246) and grab a late lunch in Evening Travel to Bayeux (p251) and
a city-centre bistro. Visit the city’s magnif- spend the night at the marvellous, and
icent Gothic cathedral (p246), painted well-located, Hôtel Churchill (p255).
countless times by Monet, then enjoy a
late afternoon stroll past the quays and Day 4
along the Seine to Pont Jeane d’Arc.
Morning Admire the stunning Bayeux
Evening Buzzing place du Vieux Marché Tapestry (p251) and learn about the Battle
is the spot for dinner – dine on Norman of Hastings, then fast-forward to another
classics at the Michelin-starred Gill (p247). trans-Channel invasion at the Musée
Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie.
Day 2 Afternoon Stroll around Bayeux’s quaint
Morning Drive downriver to the Seine centre and lunch near the cathedral. Then
Estuary and the seaside town of Honfleur visit the Bayeux War Cemetery, final resting
(p252). Stroll around its Vieux Bassin place of British and Commonwealth sol-
harbour; a short walk carries you towards diers who died in the Battle of Normandy.
the extraordin ary Église Ste-Catherine, Evening Drive to majestic Mont-St-Michel
built from massive shipbuilders’ timbers (p240) and check into Les Terrasses Poulard
in the late-15th and 16th centuries. (p255), a cosy spot with epic sea views.
Afternoon After a hearty lunch of galettes
and cider at La Cidrerie (26 place Hamelin), Day 5
drive south-west to chic Deauville. Walk
along the beachfront boardwalk, with the Morning Rise early and beat the crowds
sea on one side and the belle-époque-era to the breathtaking abbey (p242), spend-
Anglo-Norman architecture on the other. ing a few hours exploring its innumerable
nooks and crannies; if you really want to
Evening Enjoy refined Franco-Asian fusion bring history to life, try the guided tour.
at L’Essential (p253), then fall asleep at
the Hôtel Normandy Barrière (p255), a Afternoon Enjoy a picnic at the Tour du
charmingly converted palace. Nord (North Tower), then walk the ram-
parts and watch the galloping tides. After,
explore the town’s tightly packed alleys.
Day 3 Evening Enjoy an early dinner in one of
Morning Awake with a cup of coffee the restaurants on the Grand Rue (once
and a pastry in the hotel’s flower-filled the pilgrim’s route). Next, admire stout
garden, then set off to Caen (p244), to La Porte du Roy, the King’s Gate, then walk
spend a few hours at its impressive World across the 3-km (2-mile) pedes trian bridge
War II museum, Le Mémorial – Un Musée to watch the sunset cast a giant sha dow
pour la Paix. of Mont-St-Michel – a picture-perfect sight.
237

236-237_EW_France.indd 237 30/01/2019 16:44