Culture, History, and Hiking in Northern France
Treasures of Normandy & Brittany
Overview
With dramatic coastlines, medieval harbor towns, and renowned cuisines, Normandy and Brittany are just right for a WT-style hiking adventure. We visit Normandy’s evocative D-Day beaches with a local historian, walk across tidal flats right to the stupendous island-abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, and savor coastal hikes on Brittany’s ravishingly beautiful Côte de Granit Rose, where pink cliffs soar above the deep blue—and sometimes wild—sea. Culinary treats abound, including cider fresh from the orchards, sweet crêpes, savory galettes, and a bounty of local seafood, from moules marinières to scampi (Brittany’s oysters are so beloved that Louis XIV had them brought to him at Versailles). If you love hiking, history, and great food, this is your trip!
Arrive: Caen, France
Depart: Guingamp, France
Highlights
- Visit the moving D-Day sites of Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach with a historian
- Walk to spire-topped Mont-Saint-Michel, France’s famous island-abbey
- Explore Brittany’s most spectacular coastal trails
- Savor fresh seafood, famous oysters, legendary cheeses, and crisp ciders and ales of Normandy and Brittany along with classic French wines
Itinerary
We explore the medieval town of Bayeux, then head to Pointe du Hoc, the high cliffs between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. We’ll walk this evocative WWII trail, joined by a historian, and visit the American war cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
The spire-topped abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most famous silhouettes in Europe. We hike along Mont-Saint-Michel Bay for stunning views of the abbey, a pilgrimage site since the 8th century. The next day, we enjoy a treat: a walk right to this renowned sanctuary, crossing the bay on foot at low tide.
We’ll visit the harbor village of Cancale on the Côte d’Émeraude, famed for its tasty oysters, and the charming walled town of Saint-Malo, then hike along the River Rance as it flows to 13th century Dinan, one of the best preserved medieval towns in Brittany.
Pink-tinted crags line this exquisite section of Brittany’s coast. Our hikes bring us to a 10th century fortress-castle and to the iconic Castel Meur, the “house between the rocks.” We explore medieval Tréguier, savor delicious fruits de mer, and enjoy our seaside hotel in Ploumanac’h. Depart on Day 10 via Guingamp.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is rated Level 3, Moderate, according to our trip grading system. While we do not see major elevation gain or loss, you will need to be comfortable hiking 7 miles a day and being on your feet for up to 6 hours a day. Trail conditions, weather, and the group's level of fitness can affect hiking times and pacing.
Average Hiking Day
Review Trip Level Details
Average Hiking Day
- 5 miles
- 4 hours
- 400-750 feet gain/loss
- Day 7: 6.5 miles, 4-5 hours
The trails are a mixture of flat walks through historic towns and hilly coastal tracks, which have rocky steps and uneven surfaces that may become muddy and unstable in bad weather. Depending on tides, we will likely hike through the tidal flats to Mont-Saint-Michel on Day 4, so be prepared to get a little muddy from your knees down—most people will carry their shoes in their packs and hike this portion barefoot, but Teva-type shoes could be considered as well.
In the maritime climate of Normandy and Brittany, temperatures are moderated by the Atlantic so it is never extremely hot or extremely cold. Temperatures may reach the mid-70sF during the day, with cool breezes, occasional showers, and the potential for strong winds. At night, the temperature will drop moderately. The weather is variable so be prepared for anything: it can be cool and pleasant, hot and muggy, or damp and chilly.
Accommodations are in small hotels and inns. In an effort to capture the spirit of old Europe, the hotels we use are often family-run converted villas or inns, full of ambience and colorful local history. Since they are often in historic buildings, the rooms are not always of uniform or international size. Our leaders do their best to assign rooms in a fair way so that all participants experience an equal advantage throughout the trip as a whole. Single rooms can be requested but are not always available, due to the limited space in the hotels. If you prefer a single room, please make your request as early as possible.
On some days, we enjoy picnic lunches with local wine and regional specialties. On “town” days, we often have lunch at local cafes. Dinners are at our hotel or local restaurants. Please note that in Europe, the dinner hour is considerably later than what it is in the US. We do our best to secure early reservations for our groups, but most often the evening meal will be at 7:30 pm.
Our bus will transport the group's luggage, so you only need to carry a daypack for items you need during the day (rain gear, sweater, camera, water bottle, etc.). Trip members are always free to skip a day's hike and travel to the next destination in the support vehicle (or remain at the hotel if we are not transfering that day).
Client Testimonials
"The trip of a lifetime, with leaders who were beyond outstanding."
Bix W.
Pebble Beach, CA
"Very high standards in every respect, from the office, to the itinerary, food and accommodation and trip leaders. We met a couple in our hotel in Dinan on a holiday with another travel company who were most unhappy with their tour, and we felt very pleased that we had booked again with Wilderness Travel, and not one of the other tour groups."
Eleanor B.
Sydney NSW 2134,
"I found the trip a wonderful combination of history, pre-history, beautiful coastal scenery, and divine food!"
Jane S.
Albuquerque, NM
"Many highlights come to mind: our sand and sea pilgrimage to Mont St-Michel, delightful walks with gorgeous scenery and powerful history. Culture and hiking interwoven with non-stop fabulous French cuisine!"
Jo L.
Santa Barbara, CA
"We had a lot of fun, visited many interesting sites, and the most unusual pilgrim walk across the bay to Mont Saint Michel was unforgettable."
Kathy C.
Houston, TX
"I loved the scenery, the deep history, the emotional Normandy beach hikes and cemetery visit, the Mont St. Michel pilgrimage, the super care, conversation and humor of our guides (truly extraordinary men), the great French food and seafood, the wonderful sharing with fellow hikers, and the great hikes of varying flavors and terrain."
Marilyn K.
Pittsburgh, PA
"An outstanding trip with a well thought out itinerary."
Mary M.
Stillwater, MN
"Our stay on Mont Saint Michel was a highlight as was the four-mile walk to it across the sands. It was great, great fun! It felt like we were doing our own little pilgrimage."
Nancy P.
Newton Upper Falls, MA
"What a fabulous exploration do a beautiful area! Even the weather was perfect!"
Rose C.
Charlottesville, VA
"The Normandy to Brittany trip has a wonderful variety of experiences from the evocative D-Day beaches, amazing history, arts and culture, and the beautiful coastal hikes of Brittany."
Sandy C.
Seattle, WA
"I can't imagine having better guides. We loved our trip, smiled and laughed a lot, and ate great food (I really hadn't expected it to be so good--from picnic lunches to leisurely restaurant lunches and dinners, and extra seafood and pastry "snacks"). The hikes and historical tours were all terrific."
Susan and Doug M.
Macon, GA
"Loved it all: scenery, points of interest, local guides, relaxing meals, good company, walking, comfortable transportation, and terrific WT guides. Just a nice trip all around."
Susan F.
Greenwich, CT
"The highlight of this trip for me was the barefoot walk to Mont St. Michel. It's not to be missed!"
Thelma A.
Morristown, NJ
"An excellent trip with a nice balance of hiking, history and cuisine."
Tom N.
Upper St Clair, PA
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Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult.