2-day Private Mont Saint-Michel, 3 Loire Castles, D-Day

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Experience the best of Normandy and the Loire Valley on this private 2-day trip. Visit D-Day beaches, Mont St-Michel, and top chateaus. Travel in a comfortable Mercedes minivan and enjoy personalized attention from your guide.

Duration: 2 days

Cancellation: 6 days

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Highlights

Paris — Chambord Castle — Amboise Castle — Chenonceau Castle

Paris - 07:30 Pick up and departure from Your hotel in Paris. There are 180 km to drive on highway by our comfortable air conditioned Mercedes minivan to reach the first Castle Chambord. It takes about 2,5 hours with one stop made at the rest area. The Guide will give You general…

Paris — Chambord Castle — Amboise Castle — Chenonceau Castle

Chateau de Chambord - 10:00 - 11:45 Visit of Chateau de Chambord. The Guide will tell You the history of the Castle and its construction. The Château de Chambord is one of the most popular castles because of its French Renaissance architecture. The building was constructed from 1519 to 1547 by Francis I (Francois 1-er) and is nowadays the biggest castle with its 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 84 staircases. The castle is also known because of its open double-spiral staircase. The two spirals ascend the three floors without ever meeting. Leonardo da Vinci may have designed the staircase. 11:45 Departure to Amboise city. There is 1 hour drive (60 km).

Amboise - 12:45 - 13:45 Lunch time in Amboise city where You’ll find many restaurants and cafes. We can as well recommend You or make a table reservation at a good restaurant.

Chateau Royal d’Amboise - 13:45 to 15:00 Skip-the-line access with Guide to Royal Chateau d’Amboise with Histopad explaining to You the history of this Castle and of each room. Amboise is the grand 15th-century residence of King Charles VIII and an example of the transition of Gothic to Renaissance architecture. Learn the history of the castle Amboise which is known as birth place of princes, the reign of Kings, and the death of the greatest Renaissance master, Leonardo Da Vinci! You can see his grave in the chapel. 15:00 Departure to the Chenonceau castle which is located just 20 minutes drive.

Chateau de Chenonceau - 15:20 to 17:00 Skip-the-line access to the Chateau Chenonceau and its Gardens. The Guide will tell You the history of the Castle and its construction. You will get as well the brochure with explanations of each room. Chenonceau nicknamed the “ladies’ castle” is remarkable for its feminine history of famous women of France such as Catherine de Medici as well as for its stunning architecture as well as unique aches over the River Cher. The Renaissance-style gardens Gardens of Chenonceau with their more than 130,000 flowerings plants will impress You as well. Attn. In low season we depart at 5:10 pm and in high season at 5:30 due to the opening hours of the Castle. 17:00 Departure from the Chenonceau castle destination Mont Saint-Michel. It takes about 3,5 hours (300 km).

Mont-Saint-Michel - 20:30 Arrival and accommodations at 3+/4 hotel in Normandy close to Mont Saint-Michel.

Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel — Omaha Beach — American Cemetery — Overlord Museum

Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel - 08:30 Hotel check out. You can put the baggage to our Minivan which will be located near the hotel. 09:00 - 12:00 Visit of the UNESCO World Heritage Mont Saint-Michel and its Benedictine Abbey. Your guide will bring you up the narrow streets of the medieval village toward the top of the Island. You can admire panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and bay and enter the Benedictine Abbey. Entrance tickets into the Abbey include audio-guides in many languages. The whole island with the Bay is classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site. It remains practically the same since the Middle Ages as it was the goal of pilgrims from all over the world. Mont Saint Michel remains the most visited site in France.

Mont-Saint-Michel - 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch in Mont Saint-Michel. We can make for You a restaurant reservation or You can choose a restaurant at your own. 13:00 Departure from Mont Saint-Michel to Omaha Beaches. It will take about 1,5 hours (147 km) to reach the Omaha beaches Signal Monument.

Omaha Beach - 14:45 - 15:15 Omaha beaches Signal Monument visit. Learn about the huge sacrifice made by the 34 000 men who landed here on D-Day. Omaha Beach is the most popular travellers destination of the D-Day Beaches. A 5 minutes ride (4 km) to Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.

Cimetiere Americain de Colleville-sur-Mer - 15:30 - 16:45 Arrival and Visit of the Normandy American Cemetery & Visitor Center in Colleville-sur-Mer and overlooking Omaha Beach. It contains 9,387 U.S. soldiers, most of whom were killed during the Normandy Landings and the Wall of the Missing with the names of 1,557 soldiers missing in action. The cliffs leading down to the beaches contain the remnants of the German defences, including concrete casemates with memorials to the soldiers. At Normandy American Cemetery you’ll see as well the semicircular memorial colonnade with the sculpture “Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves” and large maps of military operations; and the most beautiful, idyllic spot on Planet Earth. Free time to walk around the gardens. 16:15 Departure to close located Overlord Museum.

Overlord Museum - Omaha Beach - 16:45 - 17:30 Overlord Museum visit located close to the Normandy American Cemetery. 17:30 Departure to Paris. It takes 3,5 hours (290 km). One stop will be made at the rest area.

Paris - 21:00 Coming back to Paris. Drop Off at Your hotel. Pass by without stopping

What's Included

All Fees and Taxes
Bottled water
Overlord Museum visit
Omaha Beach Memorial visit
American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer visit
Mercedes E220 business class car for 2 - 3 people
Mercedes Minivan for 3 - 7 people
Professional Guide-Driver or Driver + Guide
Mont Saint-Michel with entrance tickets to the Abbey guided visit
Hotel…

What's Not Included

Single Accommodation Supplement
Gratuities and Souvenirs, Meals and Drinks

Additional Information

2-day Private Live-guided trip from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel, Express D-Day with 3 most popular Omaha sights and 3 Top Loire Valley castles Full Guided visits. Tiered Pricing. Hotel Pick up & Drop off. Guaranteed departures. You will experience Normandy American Cemetery, Overlord Museum and Omaha Beach Signal monument. You will have Guided tours in…

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings

4.7

(9 Ratings)

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Blehrschall

Aug 18, 2024

Great tour - Amazing tour. The guide and driver did an amazing job at showing us the sights. They really were great. They went out of their way to make sure we were happy

Review provided by Viator

Samuel_l

Jun 8, 2024

Two Great, Unforgettable Days in the Loire Valley, Mt. St. Michel and Normandy - Our guide (Olga) and our driver (Sasha) were outstanding! Because of them, our experiences were exceptional. Olga was always attentive to our needs, paced our visits to castles, Mt. St. Michel and Normandy perfectly, and for two days provided relevant and interesting commentary on all sites visited. Our driver was always available, courteous and very skilled in managing traffic, especially in Normandy on June 5. We will take additional tours with Viator and strongly recommend Viator to our many friends because of Olga and Sasha. Thanks.

Review provided by Viator

Denis_a

May 24, 2024

Fantastique!!! - Our tour guide Ilya was fantastic and our driver Ivan was very professional! Had the best time. Very impressed with this young man! Very knowledgeable on the tour. Definitely go with both of them again.👍👍👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review provided by Viator

Danelle_v

May 21, 2024

Loire Castle, Mont Saint Michel, and Normandy D-Day Beaches all in one! - This experience was a 10/10. My husband and myself had an amazing time visiting castles in the Loire Valley, learning about the history of them, experiencing incredible food in a small village and then went on to Normandy. We stayed in a hotel steps from Mont Saint Michel. The next morning we got up and beat the lines! Mont Saint Michel was breathtakingly beautiful. It is a true wonder of the world. The sheer fortitude of the people who built it was a miracle. Our last stop was Normandy and the D-Day Beaches. Omaha Beach was surreal, peaceful, and poignant. Taking in the enormity of sacrifice was incredible. As for our guide and driver, Valentin and Vasiliy, you couldn’t ask for a more friendly and knowledgeable duo. Valentin spent time going over the history and importance of each location we were at. Vaslily drove us in a Mercedes Van with a ton of room, and drove safely and timely, picking us up everywhere. These two made the trip that much better. If you want to go to the Loire Valley, The Normandy Beaches, and Mont Saint Michel this is the tour for you.

Review provided by Viator

Thomas

Mar 31, 2024

Best choice we made! - Our trip was amazing! Beautiful castles. Our guide so informative and kind. It has been the highlight of our visit.

Review provided by Viator

Constance_l

Oct 28, 2023

Wonderful, Personalized Trip - Quick paced and personalized trip. Our guide was very thorough, very friendly and helpful. Our driver was great. We were able to change one of the destinations as it was just my partner and I, allowing for a more curated experience. Highly recommend this trip

Review provided by Viator

Kwlah

Mar 22, 2023

Normandy and MSM - FANTASTIC!! Cyrus is the consummate professional. Provided great background and historical information during the trip that enhanced each of our stops. Due to the unexpected closure of MSM on our expected tour day, he completely reworked the itinerary to ensure we arrived at MSM the day before and expanded our 2nd day to include more chateaus. The B&B he selected in Avranches was absolutely charming. Best tour company we have ever used. By the end of the trip we considered him more as a friend than a guide/driver. Cyrus was the best!!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Andres_m

Mar 15, 2023

Broad and well arranged 2 Days - Excellent experience. Very comfortable and knowledgeable. Private and customizable experience. Allowed me to relax and not worry about routes, parking, and stress details. Hotel and restaurants prearranged. Good quality rooms and dining. Experience with two children 14 and 8 years. Excellent way to sample each location D-Day/Omaha with Museum, Mont St Michel and 2 Loire Castles. Added DaVinci Clos Lucé at end which was enjoyed immensely by curious 8 y/o.

Review provided by Viator

Celeste_w

Aug 17, 2024

Memorable but did not meet our expectations! - We had very high expectations when we signed up for a two day tour of Loire Valley and Normandy for three. We used Viator's platform to contact Clewal because we wanted to clarify that we needed two rooms instead of a single Trio room, they asked us to pay 115 Euros for the update which we paid to get a 2nd single bedroom. Day 1 Our driver Igor was waiting for us in a 7 seater mercedes van stocked with extra water bottles however our tour guide Helen sent us a text saying there were some complications with the transit system and would be arriving before 8:00. Helen showed up around 7:45am and so we departed the hotel and began the 3-hour drive with one stopover at a gas station for washroom break. We arrived at Chambord castle in the early afternoon and we were exploring the gift shop for about 15 minutes while our guide acquired tickets for us. The castle experience went as expected with Helen giving us some historical insight into King Francis' relationship to Chambord castle and its use as a hunting lodge. Due her Helen's personal preference (not liking to see dead animals), we did not visit the third floor. Once we finished our Chambord castle tour we headed to the city of Amboise to have lunch at a small cafe with Helen. During lunch Helen asked if we wanted to stick to visiting Chateau l'Amboise or going to Chateau Clos Luce to visit Da Vinci's residential estate. We decided to go Clos Luce instead which had a small museum inside, his death bed, many blueprints of his inventions, as well as a sprawling garden with a few interactive exhibits. The last castle to visit in the Loire Valley was Chenonceau where the early 16th century King kept his queen Catherine and mistress Diane on the same property until his death. The castle was not as big as Chambord but has lots of character and Helen enthusiastically told us about its history. We thought Helen might ask us about our dinner plans or tomorrows activities but they didn't so the ride over was quiet and we rested in the car and we wouldn't see them again until the 8:30am pickup the next morning, We were told we would get to stay at a hotel on the island of Mont Saint Michel so we got our hopes up. At just past 9:00pm, we arrived at L'Hotel Ramade in the city of Avranches which is 25 minutes away from Mont Saint Michel. We were very disappointed and weren't really given an explanation for this change. Helen and Igor checked us in but it was already 9:10pm, they did not have dinner planned for us, and the hotel's kitchen was closed. We had to beg the front desk at the hotel what we should do about dinner so they offered a set menu at 58 euros each and three a la carte options around 30-60 euros which seemed quite expensive for what was provided. We were extremely disappointed with the rooms. We paid an extra 115 euros for a second room but the two rooms were very small and did not have air conditioning. The windows were open when we arrived and we didn't sleep well because we were bitten by mosquitos. Day 2 We had expressed interest in leaving early having heard that Mont Saint Michel gets busy later in the day. The earliest breakfast offered at the hotel was at 8am so we had breakfast and waited to be picked up. Helen and Igor originally said they'd be at the hotel at 8:30am but had to wait an additional 15 minutes outside for them. We arrived at Mont Saint Michel at around 9:20 am. There was a very long line for the buses to approach the Abbey. Mont Saint Michel itself lived up to expectations but was underlined by poor weather and being fairly crowded. We travelled to Omaha beach and had lunch at L'Omaha the closest restaurant to the 'Les Braves' monument. Due to the rainy weather, we asked if we could see the Bayeux tapestry instead of the American cemetery. Finally we visited the Overlord museum and the audioguided tapestry museum in Bayeux before the three hour drive heading back to Paris. Overall, Helen was a very knowledgable but soft spoken guide. It was very hard to hear her and follow along with what she was saying during the tours. Igor was a quiet but reliable driver. He mostly kept to himself, opened/closed the doors for us, and made sure he was where he needed to be. Typically, in past tours we have everything already planned out before we embark but this tour felt more disorganized despite the high cost. It would have been better if Helen had been more communicative about the day plan during our meals or while travelling. If everything had been booked and planned in advance there would be no waiting in line. We thought Helen might involve us more with the planning but spent most of the time with her headphones on during the long drives. We were disappointed that we couldn't stay at a hotel on the island of Mont Saint Michel especially when Helen was telling us how nice it was and did not explain the reasoning for the change.

Review provided by Viator

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