Normandy to Bruges

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2: Normandy Area

Arrive in France, meet your ACIS Tour Manager and board your touring coach for the journey into Normandy's scenic countryside.

Day 3: Normandy Area

Visit the lovely island monastery of Mont St. Michel today. This medieval abbey, once an important pilgrimage site, is surrounded by water at high tide.

Day 4: Rouen

Today walk in the footsteps of history as you visit many of Normandy's important World War II sites. See what remains of the temporary Mulberry harbor constructed at Arromanches to help offload cargo during the invasion. Entrance to the Arromanches 360 Cinema is included. Next you can pay tribute to the heroic fallen at the American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer before descending from the bluff to walk along Omaha Beach, where American troops suffered some of the heaviest D-Day losses. Journey on to Rouen in time for dinner.

Day 5: Lille

This morning explore Rouen on a walk through this historical city with your ACIS Tour Manager. View the marketplace, site of Joan of Arc's martyrdom on May 30, 1431, the famous Cathedral, the beautifully decorated Gros-Horloge astronomical clock, and the quaint streets lined with half-timbered houses. Then drive to Amiens, a vibrant and cultural city on the Somme River with lovely canals, gardens and a wealth of history. Visit the soaring Gothic Cathedral (the largest in the world by volume and a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and enjoy entrance to the Maison Jules Verne, full of unique objects and documents belonging to the famous writer. Continue on to the friendly city of Lille in time for dinner.

Day 6: Lille

Enjoy a full-day dive into the region's war history with an excursion to Dunkirk and Calais. Journey first into Belgium and stop at the Essex Farm Cemetery, a World War I burial site near Ypres that's thought to be where Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of the Canadian Army Medical Corps wrote the poem In Flanders Fields in May of 1915. Crossing back into France, continue to the coastal city of Dunkirk, on the Strait of Dover, where you will see sites associated with the heroic 1940 evacuation of surrounded Allied soldiers under Operation Dynamo. Next travel to the port of Calais and visit the WWII Memory Museum 39-45. Housed in a German bunker in Saint-Pierre Park, it charts the history of the war in the city and picture of daily life under occupation. Return to Lille for the evening.

Day 7: Bruges

Drive to Ghent in the morning for a visit of this lovely port town, including entrance to the 12th century Castle of the Counts, or "Gravensteen." Built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace (the Count of Flanders at that time) your tour of this impressive fortress tells a grim history of torture, executions and power during the Middle Ages, but also boasts beautiful views over Ghent from the rooftop. Continue to Bruges in time for dinner and, after, soak in the beauty of this city without the daytime crowds as you experience its lovely architecture all lit up by floodlights. It's an impressive sight.

Day 8: Bruges

This morning's Bruges by Bike tour shows you the city's tranquil network of canals, medieval streets and famed market squares. You'll then have some free time to get to know more of this picturesque city at your own pace—perhaps take a canal boat cruise, climb the steps of the Belfry for spectacular rooftop views, or sample one of the waffles or chocolate confections for which Belgium is famous.

Day 9: Departure

Depart for the USA.



Optional Extensions and Extra Nights:

Enhance your Belgian experience with a one-night extension to Brussels via bus including sightseeing.