Normandy, Brittany, Paris
and the Loire Valley

a Tauck Small Group Tour

Versailles, starting point of the tour.

The Palace of Versailles is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV. The palace was used as a hunting lodge, a seat of power and, a museum. Versailles sees about 15 million visitors every year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary, it was mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, while its north spire is more recent (1507-1513).

The château is a 15th-century Gothic castle founded in 992. The now-ruined stone keep is one of the earliest datable examples of a stone keep. After being rebuilt following the Hundred Years' War, it is today one of the best-known examples of late medieval architecture. In December of 1491, the wedding of Charles VIII of France and Anne of Brittany took place at the château.

The Apocalypse Tapestry was commissioned around 1375 and took 7 years to complete. It originally was
140 m long and 6 m high. Today the surviving part is about 100 m by 4.5 m, displayed since 1954 at the Château d'Angers. The Tapestry depicts the story of the Book of Revelation, describing the battle between Good and Evil.

The Cairn de Peiti Mont d'Arzon, located at the port of Le Crouesty, is one of the oldest cairns in Brittany, dating back to around 4600 BC. During WWII German troops built a bunker in one corner of the Cairn.

Vannes was originally founded by the Romans in 56 B.C.E. as Darioritum. In the 5th century, after the fall of the Roman Empire, Darioritum is replaced by Venetis and a medieval town developed inside the fortified walls. Today, Vannes, is one of Brittany's most captivating medieval towns known for its winding streets, rampart walks, and half-timbered buildings.

The Calvary of Guéhenno, dating from 1550, is located in the village of Guéhenno and is considered one of the seven great calvaries of Brittany.

The calvary has three crosses emerging from a large granite pedestal, the central cross being occupied by Jesus Christ whilst the two robbers executed alongside Jesus hang from the two smaller crosses. On each face of the pedestal is a bas-relief depicting a scene from the passion, and a pietà, the Virgin Mary holding the body of Christ which has just been brought down from the cross.

The Château de Josselin is considered one of the most beautiful castles in Britanny, stronghold of the De Rohan family for over 1,000 years. Today, four of the original nine towers remain after the castle was partially demolished on the order of Cardinal Richelieu in 1692.

Legend says that in 808 a ploughman discovered a statue of the Virgin and attributed his daughter regaining her sight to the Virgin. To celebrate the miracle, a chapel was erected on the site and later developed into a church dating from the 11th century.

Mont-Saint-Michel is an island set in a bay shared by Normandy and Brittany. In 708, the archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, and asked him to build a sanctuary in his name, resulting in the Benedictine Abbey at the top of the Mont. After the French Revolution, the abbey was abandoned by the monks, and the island was turned into a state prison. In 1863 the prison was closed and the island was opened to the public. Since 2001 the brothers and sisters of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem have provided a permanent spiritual presence, and today the Abbey remains a renowned center of learning and a destination for vast numbers of pilgrims.

D-Day Academy in Rots, Normandy, is an exhibition of World War II memorabilia in a unique museum setting. The walls are filled with maps, pictures and posters from both sides of the conflict. A historian-guide explains the eclectic collection and encourages visitors to interact with the artifacts.

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, that honors American troops who died in the Normandy landings and the Battle of Normandy that followed. [Wikipedia]
Situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach, the site contains the graves of 9,389 American War Dead, most of whom died during the landings and ensuing operations.