France: Normandy & Brittany

Your vacation is about to begin! Spend your first night aloft and arrive ready for an unforgettable trip.

A VBT representative will greet you at the airport to start your first day in Paris* off right. A complimentary car service will whisk you to your centrally located hotel. From here, you are perfectly positioned to explore this charming city at your leisure.

After an included breakfast, meet in the hotel lobby at 8:30 a.m. to join private coach transportation to Bayeux, departing at 9:00 a.m. Travel time is approximately 3.5 hours, depending on traffic. Meet your VBT trip leaders in Bayeux. They immediately guide you on a short orientation walk through the medieval city to your hotel, where you have a light lunch before a safety and bike-fitting session.

Your bike adventure begins with a simple warm-up ride from your hotel out into the verdant Norman countryside.

Note: for tours staying at Chateau Saint-Gilles in Gueron, your warm-up ride will be in the surrounding countryside.

This evening, gather with your fellow travelers for a welcome reception, followed by dinner at the hotel.

Today's Ride Choices

Afternoon: Warm-up — 15 km (9 miles)

What to Expect:

Your warm-up ride is a loop out of the center of Bayeux and into the countryside along a combination of roads and bike lanes.

Cumulative Distance Range: 15 km (9 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Pedal out of Bayeux into rural Normandy for a close-up look at its celebrated fertile pasturelands dotted with grazing cows and half-timbered country manors to Port-en-Bessin, the region’s top fishing port, renowned for its delicious scallops that bear the Label Rouge quality mark.

Next, cycle to the Abbey of Longues-sur Mer for a private guided tour of this former Benedictine abbey. Stroll its gardens before a picnic lunch featuring local delicacies including apple cider and juice. Since the 1600s, Normandy has been known for its exceptional apples and the beverages they produce, notably cider and Calvados, the famous apple brandy named for the region.

After lunch, you may continue cycling toward the German batteries of Longues-sur-Mer where you view World War II coastal fortifications on a headland overlooking the English Channel before returning to Bayeux.

The rest of the afternoon is free for independent exploration in Bayeux. You may choose to visit the museum housing the intricate 11th-century Bayeux tapestry, a treasured fabric over 220 feet long depicting the Battle of Hastings and the victory of William the Conqueror over the English. In pedestrian-friendly Bayeux, you might also wish to walk to the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum.

Note: the Bayeux Tapestry Museum will close on September 1, 2025 and the tapestry will eventually be relocated in a new section of the museum scheduled to open again in 2027.

Tonight, you have the night free to enjoy dinner on your own in town.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Bayeux to Port-en-Bessin and abbey — 20 km (12 miles)

Afternoon: Abbey to Bayeux — 7 km (5 miles) | Abbey to German Batteries and Bayeux — 14 km (9 miles)

What to Expect:

Cycle out of Bayeux along bike lanes and then on quiet country roads to the charming port town of Port-en-Bessin. Classified port of refuge in the nineteenth century, the town later became the first Normandy fishing port with the creation of its fish market in the 1970s. Watch the boats unload their catch at the quayside and stroll its streets with quaint shops. Continue uphill out of town to Longues-sur-Mer and its abbey. A private guided tour awaits before a copious picnic lunch.

After lunch, choose one of two cycling options back to Bayeux, one route stopping at the German batteries on the English Channel.

The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore Bayeux’s treasures and dinner on your own.

Cumulative Distance Range: 7 – 34 km (5 – 21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast this morning, you’ll cycle through rolling farmlands and timeless country villages. This morning’s destination is the coastal town of Arromanches, which played a vital role in the D-day landings. Here, Allies built one of their famous Mulberry harbors—a portable, temporary structure that helped transfer troops and supplies. The remains can still be seen at low tide. Learn more about the harbor and the landings at the D-day Museum, during an included audio-guide visit. Another possible independent discovery in this town is Arromanches 360, a circular theater showing a fascinating film about D-day and its aftermath using wartime footage and modern images. Enjoy lunch on your own in Arromanches—and perhaps even go for a swim in the Channel!

Afterward, you either cycle or shuttle back to the hotel. This afternoon, you may choose to visit Bayeux’s stunning cathedral, consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror.

Later, regroup for dinner at the hotel.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Bayeux to Arromanches — 22 km (14 miles)

Afternoon: Arromanches to Bayeux — 12 km (7 miles) OR Arromanches to Bayeux PLUS — 19 km (12 miles)

What to Expect:

This morning’s route takes you through rural countryside with typical Norman farms and villages to the coast and beach in the town of Arromanches, with views of the artificial harbor. If you choose to continue cycling in the afternoon, choose from shorter and longer routes back to the hotel.

The rest of the afternoon is free for independent exploration in Bayeux before regrouping at the hotel for dinner.

Cumulative Distance Range: 12 – 41 km (7-26 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, cycle through verdant countryside and fragrant orchards past old stone farmhouses.

Arrive in the American Cemetery, a 170-acre (69-hectare), meticulously landscaped memorial overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel before joining your passionate local guide, a World War II expert, who will provide insight into this site, containing 9,387 perfectly aligned white crosses and Stars of David, marking the graves of the brave American servicemen and women who perished during World War II.

You’ll then cycle the short distance to Omaha Beach, perhaps the best-known D-day landing site. Meet your local guide again who leads you along the shore and sheds light on the D-day landings. Operation Overlord started in the early-morning hours of June 6, 1944, and remains the largest military operation in history. Conclude this guided visit with an included lunch.

After time at these moving sites, pause at the small family-owned D-day Omaha Museum for an optional visit or cycle to Pointe du Hoc along the seaside bike path.

From here, travel by coach to Saint-Malo, a beautiful medieval fortified city along Brittany’s coast, the legendary home of French corsairs or privateers. Your hotel is located directly on the broad sand beach and the wide seaside promenade leading into the walled Old Town of Saint-Malo. During your stay, you can indulge in several spa and therapy rooms, including an indoor, seawater swimming pool (Aquatonic). Tonight, gather at your hotel for dinner.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Bayeux to American Cemetery — 25 km (16 miles) | American Cemetery to Omaha Beach — 9 km (6 miles)

Afternoon: Omaha Beach to Pointe du Hoc — 9 km (5 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s ride takes you out of Bayeux on city streets and bike lanes and soon into the Normandy countryside of meadows and apple orchards. Follow lightly traveled narrow roads to the American Cemetery for a guided visit. Continue the guided visit to a short but steep descent to Omaha Beach. After lunch, you ride on a gravel bike path along the sea to Pointe du Hoc where you may choose to visit the visitor center and/or walk the loop (approximately one hour).

You will travel from here by coach to St-Malo, arriving around 6:45 p.m. Check-in, shower and meet for dinner at the hotel.

Cumulative Distance Range: 9 – 43 km (5 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, shuttle approximately 40 minutes to Dinan, a fairytale walled city perched high atop a hill on the edge of Brittany. Here, you’ll walk with a local guide along the narrow cobblestone streets of its medieval center, where a splendid Gothic church greets you.

After free time for lunch, reunite with your bike at the town’s riverside port and enjoy a scenic ride along the River Rance. You’ll pause to explore Saint-Suliac, a charming village known for its quintessential granite homes draped with fishing nets. Later this afternoon, you have time to enjoy your hotel’s amenities, swim in the ocean (weather permitting), or stroll along the promenade. Your trip leaders will provide suggestions for dinner on your own tonight.

Today's Ride Choices

Afternoon: Dinan to Saint-Suliac — 26 km (16 miles) | Saint-Suliac to Saint-Malo — 19 km (12 miles)

What to Expect:

After a tour and exploration of Dinan’s market, ride from this beautifully preserved Breton town along an easy designated bike route along the Rance River with a few miles of hard-packed gravel and on to the charming fishing port of Saint-Suliac. On the longer option, you continue cycling from Saint-Suliac through country roads, then onto the slightly busier streets of Saint-Malo.

Cumulative Distance Range: 19 – 45 km (12 – 28 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today’s ride traces the beautifully rugged Brittany coast. Your first stop is the Jacques Cartier Manor House. In 1534, Cartier crossed the Atlantic and sailed up the St. Lawrence River as far as modern-day Montreal. After these explorations and naming the land Canada, he settled in this manor house situated between Saint-Malo and Cancale. Enjoy a visit and short film about this native Breton.

Later, you’ll cycle along the coast, admiring sweeping views from Pointe du Grouin before continuing to the picturesque fishing port of Cancale, known for its superior huîtres, or oysters. King Louis XIV was reportedly so enamored of these particular bivalves that he had fresh oysters brought daily from Cancale to Versailles. You’ll have the opportunity to taste them for yourself, elbow to elbow with locals, during a visit to an oyster market.

After lunch on your own, loop back to Saint-Malo on another scenic route. Explore Saint-Malo or relax in the hotel’s Aquatonic Course.

Later, regroup for an aperitif at the hotel before a special farewell dinner.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Saint-Malo to Cancale — 24 km (15 miles)

Afternoon: Cancale to Saint-Malo — 13 km (8 miles)

What to Expect:

Admire sweeping views as you ride along the rugged Brittany coastline to Cancale this morning. Add an afternoon ride, turning inland through an agricultural area growing many vegetable varieties.

Cumulative Distance Range: 13 – 37 km (8 – 23 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, say goodbye to your VBT trip leaders and depart for Paris via one of the most visited monuments in France: Mont Saint-Michel. Upon arrival, meet your local guide in the parking of Mont Saint-Michel. Then, accompany him or her across the causeway in the Gulf of Saint-Malo to the island-village of Mont Saint-Michel.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the cone-shaped island is best known for the spectacular and well-preserved 13th-century Benedictine abbey that sits at its peak, roughly 240 feet (73 meters) above sea level. Your guide leads you along narrow medieval streets, spiraling up to the Gothic-period monastic buildings.

After free time for lunch and strolling the shops and atmospheric warrens on your own, rejoin the coach and travel to your hotel, Le Louis Versailles Chateau in Versailles (approximately 5.5 hours, depending on traffic). The rest of the evening is free for you to dine in the hotel’s restaurant and enjoy its amenities, or dine in nearby restaurants in Versailles.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After an included breakfast this morning, complimentary transportation to the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport will be provided (an approximately 60- to 90-minute drive, depending on traffic) for your departing flight. Please ensure you are ready in the hotel reception area at the designated time.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Meet your fellow travelers in the lobby of the Hotel Rochester at 8:30 a.m. for a 9:00 a.m. departure by private coach to Bayeux. Your VBT trip leaders meet you in Bayeux. They immediately guide you on a short orientation walk through the medieval city to your hotel, where you have a light lunch before a safety and bike-fitting session.

Your bike adventure begins with a simple warm-up ride from your hotel out into the verdant Norman countryside.

This evening, gather with your fellow travelers for a welcome reception, followed by dinner at the hotel.

Today's Ride Choices

Afternoon: Warm-up — 15 km (9 miles)

What to Expect:

Your warm-up ride is a loop out of the center of Bayeux and into the countryside along a combination of roads and bike lanes.

Cumulative Distance Range: 15 km (9 miles)

Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Pedal out of Bayeux into rural Normandy for a close-up look at its celebrated fertile pasturelands dotted with grazing cows and half-timbered country manors to Port-en-Bessin, the region’s top fishing port, renowned for its delicious scallops that bear the Label Rouge quality mark.

Next, cycle to the Abbey of Longues-sur Mer for a private guided tour of this former Benedictine abbey. Stroll its gardens before a picnic lunch featuring local delicacies including apple cider and juice. Since the 1600s, Normandy has been known for its exceptional apples and the beverages they produce, notably cider and Calvados, the famous apple brandy named for the region.

After lunch, you may continue cycling toward the German batteries of Longues-sur-Mer where you view World War II coastal fortifications on a headland overlooking the English Channel before returning to Bayeux.

The rest of the afternoon is free for independent exploration in Bayeux. You may choose to visit the museum housing the intricate 11th-century Bayeux tapestry, a treasured fabric over 220 feet long depicting the Battle of Hastings and the victory of William the Conqueror over the English. In pedestrian-friendly Bayeux, you might also wish to walk to the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum.

Note: the Bayeux Tapestry Museum will close on September 1, 2025 and the tapestry will eventually be relocated in a new section of the museum scheduled to open again in 2027.

Tonight, you have the night free to enjoy dinner on your own in town.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Bayeux to Port-en-Bessin and abbey — 20 km (12 miles)

Afternoon: Abbey to Bayeux — 7 km (5 miles) | Abbey to German Batteries and Bayeux — 14 km (9 miles)

What to Expect:

Cycle out of Bayeux along bike lanes and then on quiet country roads to the charming port town of Port-en-Bessin. Classified port of refuge in the nineteenth century, the town later became the first Normandy fishing port with the creation of its fish market in the 1970s. Watch the boats unload their catch at the quayside and stroll its streets with quaint shops. Continue uphill out of town to Longues-sur-Mer and its abbey. A private guided tour awaits before a copious picnic lunch.

After lunch, choose one of two cycling options back to Bayeux, one route stopping at the German batteries on the English Channel.

The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore Bayeux’s treasures and dinner on your own.

Cumulative Distance Range: 7 – 34 km (5 – 21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast this morning, you’ll cycle through rolling farmlands and timeless country villages. This morning’s destination is the coastal town of Arromanches, which played a vital role in the D-day landings. Here, Allies built one of their famous Mulberry harbors—a portable, temporary structure that helped transfer troops and supplies. The remains can still be seen at low tide. Learn more about the harbor and the landings at the D-day Museum, during an included audio-guide visit. Another possible independent discovery in this town is Arromanches 360, a circular theater showing a fascinating film about D-day and its aftermath using wartime footage and modern images. Enjoy lunch on your own in Arromanches—and perhaps even go for a swim in the Channel!

Afterward, you either cycle or shuttle back to the hotel. This afternoon, you may choose to visit Bayeux’s stunning cathedral, consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror.

Later, regroup for dinner at the hotel.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Bayeux to Arromanches — 22 km (14 miles)

Afternoon: Arromanches to Bayeux — 12 km (7 miles) OR Arromanches to Bayeux PLUS — 19 km (12 miles)

What to Expect:

This morning’s route takes you through rural countryside with typical Norman farms and villages to the coast and beach in the town of Arromanches, with views of the artificial harbor. If you choose to continue cycling in the afternoon, choose from shorter and longer routes back to the hotel.

The rest of the afternoon is free for independent exploration in Bayeux before regrouping at the hotel for dinner.

Cumulative Distance Range: 12 – 41 km (7-26 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, cycle through verdant countryside and fragrant orchards past old stone farmhouses.

Arrive in the American Cemetery, a 170-acre (69-hectare), meticulously landscaped memorial overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel before joining your passionate local guide, a World War II expert, who will provide insight into this site, containing 9,387 perfectly aligned white crosses and Stars of David, marking the graves of the brave American servicemen and women who perished during World War II.

You’ll then cycle the short distance to Omaha Beach, perhaps the best-known D-day landing site. Meet your local guide again who leads you along the shore and sheds light on the D-day landings. Operation Overlord started in the early-morning hours of June 6, 1944, and remains the largest military operation in history. Conclude this guided visit with an included lunch.

After time at these moving sites, pause at the small family-owned D-day Omaha Museum for an optional visit or cycle to Pointe du Hoc along the seaside bike path.

From here, travel by coach to Saint-Malo, a beautiful medieval fortified city along Brittany’s coast, the legendary home of French corsairs or privateers. Your hotel is located directly on the broad sand beach and the wide seaside promenade leading into the walled Old Town of Saint-Malo. During your stay, you can indulge in several spa and therapy rooms, including an indoor, seawater swimming pool (Aquatonic). Tonight, gather at your hotel for dinner.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Bayeux to American Cemetery — 25 km (16 miles) | American Cemetery to Omaha Beach — 9 km (6 miles)

Afternoon: Omaha Beach to Pointe du Hoc — 9 km (5 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s ride takes you out of Bayeux on city streets and bike lanes and soon into the Normandy countryside of meadows and apple orchards. Follow lightly traveled narrow roads to the American Cemetery for a guided visit. Continue the guided visit to a short but steep descent to Omaha Beach. After lunch, you ride on a gravel bike path along the sea to Pointe du Hoc where you may choose to visit the visitor center and/or walk the loop (approximately one hour).

You will travel from here by coach to St-Malo, arriving around 6:45 p.m. Check-in, shower and meet for dinner at the hotel.

Cumulative Distance Range: 9 – 43 km (5 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, shuttle approximately 40 minutes to Dinan, a fairytale walled city perched high atop a hill on the edge of Brittany. Here, you’ll walk with a local guide along the narrow cobblestone streets of its medieval center, where a splendid Gothic church greets you.

After free time for lunch, reunite with your bike at the town’s riverside port and enjoy a scenic ride along the River Rance. You’ll pause to explore Saint-Suliac, a charming village known for its quintessential granite homes draped with fishing nets. Later this afternoon, you have time to enjoy your hotel’s amenities, swim in the ocean (weather permitting), or stroll along the promenade. Your trip leaders will provide suggestions for dinner on your own tonight.

Today's Ride Choices

Afternoon: Dinan to Saint-Suliac — 26 km (16 miles) | Saint-Suliac to Saint-Malo — 19 km (12 miles)

What to Expect:

After a tour and exploration of Dinan’s market, ride from this beautifully preserved Breton town along an easy designated bike route along the Rance River with a few miles of hard-packed gravel and on to the charming fishing port of Saint-Suliac. On the longer option, you continue cycling from Saint-Suliac through country roads, then onto the slightly busier streets of Saint-Malo.

Cumulative Distance Range: 19 – 45 km (12 – 28 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today’s ride traces the beautifully rugged Brittany coast. Your first stop is the Jacques Cartier Manor House. In 1534, Cartier crossed the Atlantic and sailed up the St. Lawrence River as far as modern-day Montreal. After these explorations and naming the land Canada, he settled in this manor house situated between Saint-Malo and Cancale. Enjoy a visit and short film about this native Breton.

Later, you’ll cycle along the coast, admiring sweeping views from Pointe du Grouin before continuing to the picturesque fishing port of Cancale, known for its superior huîtres, or oysters. King Louis XIV was reportedly so enamored of these particular bivalves that he had fresh oysters brought daily from Cancale to Versailles. You’ll have the opportunity to taste them for yourself, elbow to elbow with locals, during a visit to an oyster market.

After lunch on your own, loop back to Saint-Malo on another scenic route. Explore Saint-Malo or relax in the hotel’s Aquatonic Course.

Later, regroup for an aperitif at the hotel before a special farewell dinner.

Today's Ride Choices

Morning: Saint-Malo to Cancale — 24 km (15 miles)

Afternoon: Cancale to Saint-Malo — 13 km (8 miles)

What to Expect:

Admire sweeping views as you ride along the rugged Brittany coastline to Cancale this morning. Add an afternoon ride, turning inland through an agricultural area growing many vegetable varieties.

Cumulative Distance Range: 13 – 37 km (8 – 23 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

You are welcome to join us on an all-day drive to the Air Package hotel Le Louis Versailles Chateau in Versailles. This excursion includes a visit to Mont Saint-Michel, the spectacular abbey-crowned island that is one of the most coveted destinations in France. You will arrive at the hotel at around 6:30 p.m. Or you may make your arrangements to leave the Grand Hotel des Thermes on your own; checkout time is 11:00 a.m. Trains depart from Saint-Malo to Paris Montparnasse or Paris CDG Airport via Rennes. You are responsible for all transportation arrangements. We recommend you ask your VBT trip leaders or the hotel for assistance in making any travel reservations at least one day in advance.

Included Meals: Breakfast