Excursion to Normandy's Coasts
(Rouen, Honfleur, Fécamp and Étretat)
Coming soon
(Français )

    Allow Honfleur to seduce you with its harbor and half-timbered houses..
    Travel to the Middle Ages in Rouen with its numerous monuments

    Tour Fécamp, its famous Abbey and the Palace of the Dukes. Admire the cliffs at Étretat
    and relax on the beach

    A magnificent trip and unforgettable memories

 

Honfleur

Lodged within “a jewel-box of greenery”, Honfleur is a port with a prestigious past, though still planning for the future. Seacoast city, starting point of great expeditions to new lands, world famous historic port; city of art, birthplace of celebrities; Honfleur left its historical mark throughout the centuries.

Saved for the most part from the ravages of time, this seaside town has managed to preserve the relics of its rich past, which now make it one of the most popular tourist destinations in France…


The Lieutenance and the old harbor


Honfleur and the painters

Exalted many times by painters, the lighting of Honfleur owes much to the estuary, and painters owe it much also. Thanks to its estuary, the Seine provides marvelous sunsets and views of distant boats to painters that, combined with a foreground comprised of the harbor’s outlet or one of the river’s banks, allow infinite possibilities for creating a painting. This may explain why the Painters of the Estuary are often painters of the sea.

During the 19th century, Honfleur became an exceptional center of art: Eugène Boudin, whose influence was capital to the Impressionist movement, gathered around himself many of his artist acquaintances such as Jongkind, Monet and the poet Charles Baudelaire.

Honfleur harbor , by Eugène Boudin

The Old Harbor

The ensemble formed by the Old Harbor: the quaint houses of Saint-Catherine's Quay, the Lieutenance and Saintt-Stephen's Church, are surely what you’ll find most striking the first time you visit Honfleur. This harbor was built following an order by Colbert in 1681, to replace the existing docks.

On one side of the Old Harbor, on Saint-Catherine's Quay, a whole row of tall houses form a unique background. These houses of various sizes, propped one against the other, are unusual in having their upper floors facing the rear towards “Du Dauphin” and “Des Logettes” streets, most of them therefore having two different owners.

Saint-Catherine’s Church and district

Saint-Catherine’s district developed while the curtain walls were being built. A seaside district, “the people of the sea” have left their mark here. Their old timber-frame houses still stand.

Saint-Catherine’s Church replaced an older stone church destroyed during the Hundred Years’ War. It’s the largest wooden church in France built by ship carpenters, and with a separate steeple.

The Erik Satie Galleries

The Satie Galleries house a unique visual and musical voyage dedicated to the musician and composer Eric Satie, born here in 1866. Erik Satie was a 20th century complete artist, also dabbling in literature and painting. He collaborated with many of the pillars of his time: Picasso, Picabia, Braque, Cocteau; and influenced other prestigious artists such as Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky.

Wearing a pair of revolutionary headphones, the visitor is guided through a musical landscape to the rhythm of Erik Satie’s creations. The scenography, combining sound, lighting, images and objects in a Satie-style fantasy and “humorous” decor, beckons visitors with a fun-filled and educational tour. Much more than an exhibition, the tour involves the visitor in a unique scenario.

ROUEN

Rouen shines as the capital of the Upper Normandy region. The city of Corneille and Flaubert has many seductive attractions.

Rich with history and heritage, Rouen is a city of remarkably conserved monuments such as the Gothic style Rouen Cathedral (12th to 16th centuries), Saint-Ouen’s Church (stained glass windows from the 14th and 16th centuries), Saint-Maclou and Saint-Joan of Arc Churches, the Old Market Square, the Big Clock, the Gothic style Courthouse and many important museums (Joan of Arc Museum, Museum of Fine Arts).

The Courthouse

It’s without a doubt one of the grandest and most beautiful creations in civil architecture from the late Middle Ages. Former Parliament of Normandy, this building is now used as the Courthouse.

 

The Old Market Square

On this very square, during the the Hundred Years’ War, Joan of Arc was burned alive on May 30th, 1431. A large cross was erected where the stake was located. At the Square’s center, the remains of the former Saint-Sauveur's Church have been cleared. Pierre Corneille was baptized in this modest parish church. Nearby, the house where he was born on Pie Street has now been converted into a museum.

    Saturday's program :

    • Meeting at 7:00 am on the stairs of the Opéra Garnier (metro Opéra, lignes 3-7-8 and RER A, station Auber)
    • Departure for Rouen and guided tour in the city and its monuments : the cathedral, medieval streets, Saint Maclou church, Gros Horloge street, front of courthouse, place of the old market, Jeanne d’Arc church,…
    • Time for lunch
    • Departure for Honfleur
    • Free time to walk around and visit city’s monuments (Saint Catherine church, the old harbor, Satie’s house, museum of the navy, Eugène Boudin museum…)
    • Departure for Fécamp
    • Diner and an evening out at Fécamp
    • Night at the hotel/ hostel in Fécamp.

FECAMPS

Seaside resort and Town of Art and History, Fécamp’s authenticity is seductive. The Saint-Trinity Abbey, Notre-Dame de Salut Chapel, the palace of the Dukes of Normandy. The rich collections of the Terre-Neuvas & Fishing Museum, and Museum of the Arts and Childhood are a reflection of its prestigious noble and maritime history.

The Saint-Trinity Abbey

Restored after the Viking invasions in 1001, this Benedictine abbey became an important pilgrimage destination thanks to the Precious Blood relic.

Austere on the outside, the church’s vast nave is as long as the one at Notre-Dame de Paris, and is surprisingly well-lit inside because of the lantern type tower, typical of Norman Gothic style. It is listed on the historical route of Norman abbeys, and classified as a historical monument.

The cloister dates from the 17th century. The religious community buildings now house the Town Hall.

The Palace of the Dukes

Across from the Abbey, the remains of the Palace of the Dukes reminds us how attached the successors of the Norman Rollo were to Fécamp. The site allows us to learn about life there during the 10th and 11th centuries. Behind the Abbey, the old districts illustrate Fécamp’s rich past: the houses on Arquaise and De l’Hopital Streets (15th and 16th centuries), Fleur de Lys Hotel (Grand Cerf Hotel during the 16th century) and Des Forts Street.


The Benedictine Palace

A subtle mix of extravagance and sobriety, it astounds with its boldness and originality. Alexandre Le Grand, its founder, wanted to make this site a combination of art and industry. That’s why the Palace is both where Bénédictine Liqueur is made and a famous museum containing a large art collection from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It also holds many modern art exhibitions..

ETRETAT

The sea at Étretat is unique: it wraps itself in the most beautiful colors while passing under the limestone arches which made the resort famous. The beach is framed by the Porte d’Amont and Porte d’Aval; the latter which protects the Trou à l'Homme, a cave of surprising size. Courbet, Boudin, Monet, Corot and Matisse created many paintings in Étretat. Offenbach composed many operettas there. Guy de Maupassant had “La Guillette”, his famous villa, built there.

Things to do: a stroll to admire the splendid view of the sea and its magnificent beach and cliffs, the Porte d’Amont and Porte d’Aval that Maupassant described as an elephant dipping its trunk in the sea.

 

Other things to see: The Sea Aquarium where you can discover the treasures at the bottom of the English Channel’s littoral zone, the museum in honor of famous aviators Nungesser and Coli; the “Clos Lupin” where Maurice Leblanc lived, author of the fabulous adventures of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief.

    Sunday's program:

    • Breakfast at the hotel at 7:30-8:15 am
    • Guided tour of the city, the harbour and the abbey of the Trinity
    • Free time to visit some of the city monuments : the ducal Palace, the Benedictine’s Palace, Terre-Neuvas and fishing museum
    • Time for lunch at Etretat
    • Free time to relax at the beach, walk on the cliffs, visit some of the city monuments: the aquarium, Nungesser and Coli Museum, the Clos Lupin…
    • Departure for Paris and arrival expected around 9:00-9:30 pm.

BOOK HERE*

Click here to see the terms of participation

*Definitive reservation only on full payment.

For more information : :

Contact CIJP
Club International des Jeunes à Paris
201-203, rue de Vaugirard
75015 Paris
Tel. : 01 43 06 23 16


Website : www.club-international.org

PRICE

Price : €
( Definitive reservation only on full payment)

Are included :
- transport by coach
- Guided visits
- Accommodation in shared rooms (from 3 occupants) or double room (with 7 € extra/people)
(Triple room"non mixtes" have a double bed and a single bed)
- Breakfast of Sunday Morning


*An additional 7 € per person for double rooms
*An extra 5 € will be added to the price for all reservations after this date

 

See photos from previous trips

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