Who were those legendary kings who ruled over northern and southern Europe? Our guests will have a clear answer at the end of this unique four-country tour.
Price: $5,995.00 per person.
Deposit to confirm your reservation: $1,000.00 per person
Duration: 15 days.
Travel: Arrive into Heathrow Airport. Depart from Malta International Airport.
Included Services:
- Meet and greet at Heathrow Airport.
- Flight from London Southend to Caen-Carpiquet Airport, or ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham-Caen Ferry Port (day two alternative itinerary).
- Flight from Beauvais-Tillé Airport to Palermo Airport Falcone-Borsellino.
- Catamaran ferry from Pozzallo, Sicily, to Valetta.
- All rail transportation: Heathrow – City of London – London Southend Airport; Caen – Bayeux – Caen.
- All road transportation (private coach/van service).
- Accommodations and breakfast at carefully selected hotels.
- One festive meal (wine & beer included).
- Admission tickets to all museums and archaeological/historical sites.
- Tour leader fees.
- Guide/lecturer fees.
Day One
After an overnight flight, our guests will arrive at London Heathrow in the morning hours and will transfer to their hotel for a brief break. We are beginning our explorations with a visit to the Tower of London (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and City of London Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great. After our lunch at the Cloister Café on the church grounds, our tour will end with a visit to the medieval section of the Museum of London nearby. This will be an early evening for the group.
Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, London
Day Two
This morning, we will transfer from our London hotel to the Southend Airport where we will take a flight directly to Caen, France, residence of William the Conqueror. Upon arrival our transfer will bring the group to the Eglise St. Etienne and the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité.
Abbey of Sainte Trinité, Caen
Alternative Day Two
We depart for Portsmouth. Upon arrival our transfer vehicle will bring the group to Portchester Castle, a Norman stronghold on the site of a Roman fort. The church within its walls is a characteristic example of Norman religious architecture. We will have still time to explore the port city of Portsmouth and know some of its landmarks, like Portsmouth Cathedral that goes back to the times of the Normans. The group will be departing Portsmouth by ferry today this afternoon and will make the crossing to Normandy. Accommodations in Caen.
Day Three
Today, our group will visit the Château de Caen, Musée de Normandie, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Our explorations of the Norman history of this area of France continue with visits to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux, and Bayeux Museum where we will view the Bayeux Tapestry. There will be time to explore Caen on your own later in the day.
Alternative Day Three
Transfer to the historic center where our group will visit the Eglise St. Etienne and the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité. In the mid-afternoon, our clients will visit Bayeux and its museum.
Day Four
This morning, we travel across Normandy to the beautiful city of Caen, capital of the Duchy of Normandy. The city's cathedral, immortalized by Claude Monet, is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture, and the old town with its many medieval monuments and timber framed houses offers an unforgettable experience. Our tour includes the Tour Jeanne d'Arc, and Place du Vieux-Marché, both related to the trial and martyrdom of Joan of Arc. We spend the night in Rouen.
Bayeux Tapestry
Day Five
We will be transferring to Beauvais–Tillé Airport and then flying to the Sicilian capital city of Palermo. Our arrival explorations will be through the Arab-Norman-Byzantine World Heritage Sites in the city. After this architectural tour, we will check in to our hotel in Palermo.
Day Six
Today, our group will be visiting the Palazzo dei Normanni, the Capella Palatina, and the Palermo Cathedral before some open time before dinner.
Day Seven
Our sites to be visited today include the Ponte dell’Ammiraglio, La Zisa, La Cuba, San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Basilica della Santissima Trinità-La Magione. All these medieval monuments in the city of Palermo reveal the astonishing cultural diversity in Sicily under the Normans (11th – 13th centuries).
Day Eight
Today, the group will be visiting the Chiesa (Church) of San Cataldo, Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio-La Martorana, and the Cathedral of Monreale. The Monreale site is also inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Additionally, our guests will have the unique experience of a Good Friday procession.
Basilica of Cefalu and City view
Day Nine
The group will leave Palermo this morning and will head along the northern coast of the island to Cefalù, site of another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Basilica of Cefalù. We head to Messina where we will visit the Church of the Annunziata dei Catalani, and the Cathedral (apsidal area) before checking in to our hotel.
Day Ten
We will visit the Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo d’Agrò in the rural area of Messina this morning. Following our time there, we will transfer to the lovely small city of Taormina, above Giardini Naxos, for a visit to the Norman Cathedral of Taormina and other medieval, and ancient monuments. We will continue on this afternoon to the city of Catania and our hotel. Catania will be our base for the next two days.
Day Eleven
We will be visiting the Cathedral of Catania, blending Norman and Baroque styles (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the Castello Normano in Aci Castello (Catania area), nestled atop a volcanic rock on the seashore.
Aci Castello, Castello Normano
Day Twelve
We will be continuing exploring Catania and its links to the Norman kings. We start with the Castello Ursino built by Emperor Frederick II, King of Sicily and the son of the Norman queen of Sicily Constance de Hauteville. Our tour continues in the vicinity of Catania, where we visit the Castello Normano in Paternò.
Day Thirteen
A boat trip from the port of Pozzalo will take us to the island of Malta. Upon arrival, we will visit the capital city of Valetta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the old fortified city of Birgu still witnessing its Norman past. We will check in to our hotel in Birgu for the evening.
Mdina, Palazzo Falson
Day Fourteen
We will be visiting the Norman House in Birgu and Palazzo Falson in the old capital city of Mdina, before visiting more sites in Valetta. We return to Birgu for our final evening of the tour.
Day Fifteen
On the final day of our time in this area of the Mediterranean, our guests will be transferred from our hotel in Birgu to the Malta Airport for return flights to the United States.