Honfleur & the Loire Valley

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1 Honfleur & the Loire Valley Enjoy a Great 7 Day, 6 Night Break to beautiful Honfleur & the Spectacular Loire Valley Honfleur - This little maritime city, which has somehow escaped the ravages of time, has managed to preserve the traces of a rich historical past, which make it one of the most visited towns in France, with its picturesque backstreets and old houses. Its international renown is partly due to the authenticity of its narrow paved streets and timber-framed house-fronts, its little shops, charming hotels and typical restaurants, but also to the variety of its monuments and the wealth of its cultural and artistic heritage. The Loire Valley - A stunning area of France where castles, moats, turrets, bridges, towers and rivers seem as though they have jumped right out of the pages of some of the world's most famous fairytales. The Loire Valley offers the most diverse range of attractions in France if not anywhere in Europe. From its glorious Chateaux and cathedrals, towns and villages to charm and interest you, sumptuous gardens and natural parks for even the keenest gardeners and nature lovers. 14th - 20th May th 17th September 2016 Price 599* Per Person Returning P&O Ferry Crossing Dover to Calais (Alternative Crossings Available) 2 Nights at Mercure Hotel, Honfleur 4 Nights at Best Western L Escurial - Tours Sud Buffet Breakfasts each morning Dinner on first night in Tours Complimentary Car Parking at all Hotels Admission to Chateau Chennonceau Detailed Road Book featuring maps, great drives & attractions Commemorative Tour Rally Plate *Above prices are per person based on 2 persons sharing a room/car Single room occupancy supplement for the duration of the tour

2 Tour Itinerary DAY 1 - Morning P&O Ferry Crossing from Dover to Calais (alternative ferry routes available) After disembarkation in Calais follow the coastal road via Wissant, Wimereux, Boulogne sur Mer and Etaples sur Mer, where attractions include; Battery Todt and the Museum. Suggested stops in either the walled town of Montreuil sur Mer or Le Touquet. then continue to follow the coastal road to Pont L'Eveque 160 miles (4 hours 15mins excl. stops) or the direct route 148 miles (2 hours 10 minutes excluding stops) Late afternoon arrival at the Mercure Hotel in Honfleur. DAY 2 - Breakfast followed by the day at leisure in Honfleur, just walking around the harbour and down the narrow streets offers plenty to see and do. The harborside is lined with restaurants, and there are plenty of opportunities to have a meal or a café and enjoy the passing scene. Fishermen bring their catch to the harbor, and boats abound. Honfleur's Église Ste-Catherine is notable for being built entirely of wood, very similar to a Norwegian Stave church. From Honfleur you can also take boat trips out on the vast Seine estuary, or embark on a walk along the phenomenal Pont de Normandie that spans the Seine estuary so sensationally. DAY 3 - Departing Honfleur after breakfast today you have the option to take the scenic route via the Suisse Normande region or a more direct route via the legendary town of Le Mans. La Suisse Normande, "Norman Switzerland", may not be truly alpine with its 600-foot summits, but it owes its name more to its wooded countryside, shaped by the rivers which run through the valleys and gorges of this scenic area. Picturesque villages are to be found deep in the valleys or on the hillsides. Le Mans, the home of the world famous 24 motor race held every year in June, the N138, D140 and D139 are some of the roads that are a part of the Le Mans 24hr circuit, The N138 is the Mulsanne Straight where Jaguars, Mercedes and back for 2014 Porches drive around the track at speeds of over 320kph (200mph). Visit the Le Mans 24hr museum which holds over 120 cars, including past race cars from big names such as Bugatti, Ferrari and Porsche. After arrival in Tours and the Best Western L'Escurial Hotel-Tours Sud you'll have some free time to relax and freshen up before joining you other members of the group for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Mileage: via Suisse Normande approx. 210 miles or via Le Mans approx.180 miles Mercure Hotel, Honfleur Mercure Honfleur hotel is just a 5-minute walk from Honfleur Harbour and the town centre. All of the hotels guest rooms are spacious and stylish and fitted with a modern private bathroom and satellite TV. Most rooms have views of the impressive Pont de Normandy and free Wi-Fi access. A buffet breakfast is served daily and Le Mora is a cosy lobby bar serves a variety of drinks and cocktails. Car parking is included at the hotel. Best Western L Escurial-Tours Sud Best Western Hotel Escurial is set in a private park just 3.1 miles from Tours. It provides en suite accommodation, an outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts in the Loire valley. The hotel also has a bar and a private lounge. Each room at the Hotel has a workdesk, free Wi-Fi access and a TV with a cable sport channel. The hotel s restaurant, La Cour des Rois, serves French cuisine prepared with local produce. Alongside the à la carte options, there is also an express lunch on offer, which is composed of a starter, main course and dessert and is served Monday to Friday at a special price. A continental breakfast is served each morning with hot beverages & fruit juice daily from 06:00 to 09:30 at the bar or on the terrace. Free parking is available on site.

3 Tour Itinerary DAY 4 - After breakfast you'll have the morning at Leisure in Tours, the city has so much to offer the first time visitor and its modern tramway transport system allows for easy and inexpensive access to many of its landmarks. You can sample the old Tours by visiting the popular Place Plumereau with its carefully restored half-timbered townhouses, the area is packed with cafes/bars and restaurants of every kind. A stroll through the old quarter day or night offers many distractions and delights. Rue Colbert which lies midway between Place Plumereau and the cathedral is gaining a reputation as one of the most fashionable streets in the city for its young population. In Tours you have the opportunity to visit a street market every day of the week, except Monday which is the normal closing day for shops in France. In the afternoon why not take the short drive out to Vouvray, known as the 'white wine village'. Most of the vineyards are located on the plateau hidden by the limestone cliffs and offer some great wine-tasting opportunities. A short detour to the Chateau de Jallanges with its superb park offers rewarding views over the vineyards and produce can be purchased here or you can buy wine from several caves dug into the limestone. Return to Tours and the hotel late afternoon with the evening at leisure. DAY 5 - After breakfast your routing today takes you east along the Loire river to Amboise, nestling on the left bank of the Loire, Amboise has kept traces of its royal past, the town's majestic Château and its terraces overlooking the Loire Valley. Amboise also played host to Leonardo da Vinci, invited by François I to Château du Clos Lucé and even today the genius of the famous inventor haunts this Château, where around 40 of his fabulous machines are displayed. Amboise and its shopping streets have always charmed visitors. After some free time in Amboise you'll continue on to the spectacular Chateau de Chennonceau, probably the most recognised of all of the Chateau's of the Loire with its Icy clad houses, old coaching inns and bridge spanning the river cher. Admission to the Chateau & Gardens is included. Return to Tours and the hotel will be late afternoon with the evening at leisure. DAY 6 - Today you'll depart the hotel after breakfast and head west along the banks of the Loire River where you'll spend the morning in Samur with the stunning Chateau de Samur overlooking the river. Straddling the Loire, Samur is an attractive town famous for the Cavalry, Museums and Sparkling wines. Several firms welcome visitors to their cellars. Then continuing west, the next stop is Angers, located in the heart of Anjou, Angers is a tapestry town and home to 'La Tenture du l'apocolypse', the longest tapestry in France. Angers is also home to Cointreau, where visitors can enjoy a factory tour and tasting. Return to Tours and the hotel late afternoon with the evening at leisure. DAY 7 - Breakfast followed by departure from the hotel and Amboise, Today we make our way back through France to Calais for a late afternoon/early evening ferry crossing back to the UK. Our routing home takes us via Le Mans, Alecon and Rouen. (Mileage approx. 340 miles)

4 Places to Visit Cointreau Factory Tour The Carré Cointreau, (the name of the distillery and museum) is open to the public for tours. While Cointreau is dedicated to keep their special recipe a secret to outsiders, visitors to the distillery can still tour many areas where the orange liqueur is made and visit the museum, where you can learn more about the history of Cointreau. Visitors also get a free Cointreau cocktail at the end of the tour which sounds like reason enough to go check this place out if you find yourself in the Loire Valley Musée du Champignon The Mushroom Museum is located in Saumur. It is divided into three parts: troglodyte house, the museum of wild mushrooms and mushroom. This is an opportunity for visitors to know everything on the head. In the section on wild mushrooms, different species will be presented, whether edible varieties or toxic or fatal. Species are listed since In the galleries, visitors will discover careers that were dug by the hand of man, which led to the discovery of fossils. A room called the lab look like the fungus is grown. Each step is detailed and discussed. Various culture techniques are explained and some are presented in the course of visit as the culture bag, which is a craft. Wine Tasting Legend has it that it was Saint Martin who first planted grape vines in Touraine in the 4th century. These first rows are still said to exist above the Marmoutier abbey, right on the outskirts of Tours. You may see if you are lucky enough to participate in one of the Loire valley wine tours. Touraine wines will delight you with their wide variety. These generous and authentic wines are the perfect complement to your meals: their personalities can be easily paired with your dishes. You won't be disappointed by Loire Valley wine tasting, both beginners and connoisseurs will appreciate the generous flavours of these wines. Chateau Chennonceau Chenonceau Castle is an exceptional site not only because of its original design, the richness of its collections, its furniture and its decorations, but also because of its destiny, since it was loved, administrated and protected by women, who were all extraordinary and who, for the most part have marked history. For the historical background, the Château des Dames was built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet, and successively embellished by Diane de Poitiers then Catherine de Medici. Chenonceau was protected from the hardship of the revolution by Madame Dupin.

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