Normandy

Private Experiences

This private walking tour will introduce you to the most visited site in France: the Mont Saint Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our expert, multilingual guide will create the ideal tour for first-time visitors. Discover the history of Mont Saint Michel, from the Hundred Years' War to the French Revolution, from the Romanesque architecture to the latest work to restore the maritime character, this timeless rock takes us back over the centuries... The advantage of booking a private walking tour is that the visit takes place at your own pace. This tour offers a high degree of flexibility whether you are looking for a tour that takes in all the famous sites or something more off the beaten track. Your private guide will have the knowledge and expertise to create the perfect walking tour, according to your wishes!

Skip the usual historical tours and discover the city of Caen through a local's eyes on this customized tour that can run for anything between 2-6 hours. Experience a tour that will transform the way you travel, making it as much about the people you meet as the places you see. Meet your guide at your accommodation in Caen to get familiar with the neighborhood, find out about the best places to eat, the easiest ways to get around, and the hidden gems you might have missed. Through conversations with your local guide, learn about cultural differences, local events, and what it's truly like to be a Caen local. By the end of the tour, you'll feel comfortable navigating the city and confident that you have all the information you need to make the most out of your stay. Since the local partner's guides are not professional, they provide an experience that's authentic and personal, like a friend showing you around the city. The more notice, the better, as these tours are organized on demand and are completely personalized. Choose between 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6-hour options. With this experience, you won't just be passing through the city, you’ll be part of it.

Start your day with some coffee and croissants and a visit to Pegasus Bridge, the first village and house liberated on D-Day. Then continue onto Juno Beach to learn all about how 12,000 Canadians achieved to take this area in just a few hours during WWII. Next, at Arromanches, discover the scale and the numbers of the Normandy Campaign with actual footage from the battle. Take a break with a gourmet lunch on Omaha Beach facing the monument to the Allies, where your guide will explain in detail how the battle which took place there 77 years ago unfolded. After lunch, head to the Pointe du Hoc where you can see many of the German WWII bunkers taken by the US Second Rangers Battalion. Finally, visit the Normandy American Cemetery and memorial before attending the ceremony of the colors.

After being picked up at your hotel or apartment in Paris in the morning (or if you prefer, in the afternoon) your licensed tour guide will drive you to Giverny, a charming village in Normandy of 500 inhabitants, 50 miles away north west from Paris. You will first see the water-lily pond, the Japanese bridge, then you will visit Monet's garden and go into his house. Our tour guides are not allowed to speak inside Monet's house, therefore all the explanations regarding the house will be given to you before you enter the house. Inside Monet’s home, you will be able to dive in the past and see among others the reading room (blue salon), the impressive collection of the artist’s original Japanese prints, the larder (epicerie) the living room/workshop, Monet’s bedchamber, Alice Hoschede’s bedchamber, Blanche’s recently restored room, the yellow dining room and the blue ceramic kitchen. On the way out from the house we will give you some time if you wish to purchase some souvenirs in the former workshop where Monet painted the big water lilies serie at the end of his life

Enjoy a guided day trip to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Marvel at its coastal, Gothic splendor. Start your day with pickup in Caen or Bayeux at 9 AM, or straight off the train from Paris. Your knowledgeable, expert guide will tell you the story of the island during your journey before arriving at Mont-Saint-Michel by 10.30 AM. Take time to visit the village and explore its ancient cobblestone streets. Head to the top to discover the Abbey in all its glory. Look in wonder at a structure dating back to 708 AD. Pause for a delicious gourmet lunch in the island's best restaurant. Enjoy a walk on the bay, admiring the view of Mont-Saint-Michel from the ground. Next, experience an afternoon visit to Avranches and its medieval manuscripts, and stop at the bell-making factory in Villedieu les Poêles. Finally, sit back and relax for your journey back to Caen, Bayeux, or your train, arriving back at around 7PM.

Your tour starts in Paris, where you will be picked from your accommodations and hop aboard a minivan for a one-hour drive to the Palace of Versailles.  Here, you will explore the opulent palace, once home to King Louis XIV, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. On your tour, you will view the famous Hall of Mirrors, the Grand Apartments and the Queen's Apartments, as your guide helps bring history to life. Enjoy some free time to wander through the expansive gardens behind the palace.  After touring Versailles, take a midday break for lunch and continue your journey to Giverny, the long-time home of Claude Monet. When you arrive at Monet's House and Gardens, take some time to wander through the rows of vibrant flowers and stroll over to the water lily pond and Japanese bridge. You can view his workshop and house, where you can admire Monet's collection of Japanese prints on the walls before heading back to Paris.  

Experience Rouen like a resident on a private walking tour with a local host. Get tips on what to see and do, learn the best ways to get around and much more. Benefit from pick-up at your accommodation and get familiar with your local neighborhood. Hear where to buy groceries or where the best places to eat can be found. Alternatively, meet at a central landmark or intersection to start your walking tour. Venture beyond the usual tourist sites and discover places you would never read about in the guidebooks. Avail of an itinerary that can be tailored to your interests and specific needs. Ride on the public transportation system, at your own expense, if you prefer. Chat with your guide about life in the city and its many traditions. Feel more confident that you can get around and explore on your own for the rest of your stay in the city.

After being picked up from your hotel, you will depart in a luxury vehicle for your one hour drive to Giverny, where you enjoy Claude Monet's home and gardens.  You arrive early at Claude Monet's House and Gardens, a Norman orchard that Monet turned into a lavish property full of colorful flowers and other vegetation, including cherry trees, tulips, roses, wisteria, weeping willows, and irises. This attraction includes the following: Monet’s Home: visit the painter's house where he lived with his big family. The yellow dining room, his first workshop, and the kitchen are especially memorable.The Flower Garden: every season and every month, flower beds change, as do tulips, hyacinths, iris, nasturtiums. At any time of the year, find the flower landscapes dear to the impressionist master.The Water Garden: the main subject of painting at the end of his life, Monet liked to spend time there and observe the variations of light and the reflections of his garden on the pond, famous for its water lilies.The Japanese Bridge: see the famous little green bridge crossing his pond with your own eyes. Your guide will then suggest several different options for a nice lunch in the charming village of Giverny.  In the afternoon, head to the town of Auvers-sur-Oise, where Vincent van Gogh spent the final days of his life. See the wheat fields and church that he painted, and visit his room at Auberge Ravoux, where he died. You'll also see the twin graves of van Gogh and his brother, before you head back to Paris

Visit the beaches of Normandy that keep the memory of fallen heroes alive. Depart on a full-day tour from the port town of Rouen. Learn about the events that took place in Normandy, from the D-Day landings to the Battle of Normandy, from an expert guide. Make your first stop at Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the village of the US Airborne Division. Understand how 14000 paratroopers played a crucial role in the town's liberation. The site still bears traces of the Battle of Normandy. Visit the Airborne Museum where your guide will explain the details of the exhibit. Then, head for the hedgerows to see the natural fences where many German soldiers hid to accomplish their mission. Next, see one of the two American landing zones in Normandy, Utah Beach. Learn how this beach was so quickly and successfully taken on D-Day of the invasion. Stop for a gourmet lunch on Omaha Beach facing the monument to the Allies. Listen to the details of the deadly 1944 battle which took place at this spot. After lunch, head to the Pointe du Hoc. See the many German bunkers and machine-gun posts that were taken by the US 2nd Rangers Battalion. Finally, visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, honoring American troops who died in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. Attend the ceremony of the colors to remember those who lost their lives while bringing World War II to an end. If time allows, you'll also see the Longues-sur-Mer battery, the last WWII German artillery battery, whose 150-mm guns were operational on D-Day. Benefit from round-trip hotel transfers at a time that's convenient for you. Enjoy refreshments like fresh coffee and croissants. You'll be dropped back at your pier-hotel at the end of the tour. The itinerary will be adapted to fit your schedule.

Your tour will start with a pick-up from your Paris hotel by your private guide for the roughly 1.5-hour drive by minivan to Giverny, where you will walk in the footsteps of Claude Monet.  Upon arrival at Claude Monet's house and gardens, stroll with your guide through the rows of vibrant flowers in front of Monet's pink and green home. Visit the water lily pond and Japanese Bridge (pont Japonais), which you'll recognize from some of the Monet's best-known paintings. Admire the variety of vegetation, including cherry trees, tulips, roses, wisteria, weeping willows and irises. Explore the interior of the house, and see the kitchen, dining room, living space, bedrooms and the painter's collection of Japanese prints. As one of the leaders of the Impressionist movement of the 19th century, Monet introduced more perception, emotion and light into art of his age, and he spent almost 40 years developing his Giverny property. You'll also stop by his workshop.  Afterward, head to the Musée des Impressionnismes (Museum of Impressionism), honoring Impressionist artists around the world. The museum depicts the history of this favorite art genre and features The Garden, designed by landscape painter Mark Rudkin, which offers a colorful nod to the themes dear to the Impressionists. Check out the permanent gallery, Monet Around, to learn about the influence Monet and his contemporaries had on the generations that followed them, and visit the temporary exhibitions. Your tour will end with a return to Paris for hotel drop-off.