Page 27 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

France is a treasure trove of things to see and do. Travelling
the length of the country and taking in vibrant cities and
beautiful natural spaces, these itineraries will help you make
the most of your trip.
2 WEEKS

Tour de France

Day 1 Carry on to overnight at St-Malo (p268).
Start on the bridge to Île de la Cité for a Wend through the narrow streets to La
fabulous view of Notre-Dame cathedral Chalut (p285) for the freshest seafood,
(p86). Nip north a few blocks for lunch at then watch the sun set over the sea.
quirky workers’ canteen Chartier (p111),
then backtrack towards the river to delve Day 5
into the Louvre (p106) and see the Mona
Lisa. Come evening, check into the family- Arrive in riverside Tours (p290) by mid-
run Hôtel Saint-Marcel (p151). morning, to check into Hôtel de Biencourt
(p290), then continue straight on to the
serene Château de Chambord (p294) to
Day 2 see its fairy-tale-esque towers reflected in
To avoid the crowds, get an early start at the languid waters of Le Cosson. Choose
Louis XIV’s Château de Versailles (p170), from one of its tea rooms, and tuck into
the epitome of French royal grandeur. tarte tatin, a Loire specialty, then spend a
Wander through the Sun King and few hours touring the château and its
Queen’s bed chambers and the extrav- marvellous gardens. Back in Tours, as
agant Hall of Mirrors. Later, stop to eat dusk falls, roam this walkable city on foot,
at one of the bistros in the grounds, then past the soaring Cathédrale St-Gatien
take a stroll through the magnificent (p291), and into the atmospheric old
gardens to the fountains, the Trianon quarter, around place Plumereau (p290).
palaces and Marie Antoinette’s village.
Day 6
Day 3 Journey north east to the Château de
Set out early to Bayeux (p251), and the Chenonceau (p292), often described as
stunning Bayeux Tapestry. This colossal the “ladies’ château” due to the number
piece portrays William the Conqueror’s of aristocratic women who have put their
invasion of England in 1066. Bayeux is mark on the building. On the way back to
home to the Bayeux War Cemetery, the Tours, stop in Amboise (p304) to visit Le
largest Commonwealth cemetery of Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci spent
World War II in France. At the end of the the last three years of his life, and the
day fall into bed at the aptly named compelling Château Royal d’Amboise,
L’Hôtel Churchill (p255). which dominates the town centre.
Day 4 Day 7
Carry on from Bayeux to Mont-St-Michel Arrive in Poitiers (p398) for morning
(p240), a monument to medieval ambition. coffee and a moment of stillness at the
Soaring up out of the sea, the car-free Notre-Dame-la-Grande (p398). Then spend
island dominates the horizon. Climb the the day driving through countryside and
steep hilly streets to visit the abbey; later, vineyards, stopping to buy fruit at road-
walk along the ram parts, and watch the side stalls and dip into tiny villages,
ebb and flow of the galloping tides. before ending up at Toulouse.
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