Honfluer or Route des Abbeys

[briody]

I am going on the Paris/Normandy cruise in 2013 and between these two choices what would you pick. I love small towns and Abbeys so tough decision

 

Thanks

Briody

[Realtor at Sea]

and it is a picture perfect town. Enjoyed our visit there tremendously. Don't know about your other choices, but can recommend this picturesque

village. After your tour there are interesting shops and lovely cafes where you can enjoy food, drink and watch the locals. I would return just to enjoy the ambience!

[gisnered]

I am going on the Paris/Normandy cruise in 2013 and between these two choices what would you pick. I love small towns and Abbeys so tough decision

 

Thanks

Briody

 

It really depends on what you're looking for. One of the main reasons that I travel in Europe is to encounter and learn about the cultures that helped create the western world, so I generally base the my choices on that purpose and enjoy the small towns as they come along . Also, my comments assume that the tours originate in Rouen.

 

While I agree that Honfleur can be charming and I enjoyed it when we stayed there one summer, I'd take the Route des Abbayes without question. The little town is overwhelmed with tourists at almost all times of the year, which severely dampens my enthusiasm and makes me want to escape and find something else to do with my time. While not that far from Rouen, it will still mean some substantial time on a bus both coming and going. The countryside in Normandy is pleasantly picturesque and varied, but it isn't all that interesting from the inside of a bus.

 

The Abbeys tour would, for me, provide a much richer experience than a couple of hours in Honfleur. Is there is a detaied listing of how many, or which abbeys are to be visited? I suspect that the tour visits more than one and the first on the tour will be much closer to Rouen than Honfleur, thereby minimizing the sitting on-bus time and maximizing the site touring time. Each abbey will be unique in some way, and well worth a visit, so I'd be a happy camper.

 

No matter which you choose, you won't go far wrong - enjoy your cruise!

[briody]

Thanks for the replies - I still want to do both - yuck

Here are the abbeys they say we will visit

 

Jumieges and the imposing Benedictine abbey of St. Wandrille

So what is your opinion on these abbeys

Thanks

Briody

[gisnered]

Thanks for the replies - I still want to do both - yuck

Here are the abbeys they say we will visit

 

Jumieges and the imposing Benedictine abbey of St. Wandrille

 

So what is your opinion on these abbeys

 

 

Thanks

Briody

 

I haven't been to St. Wandrille, unhappily, but found Jumieges to be "Worth a Journey", as my Michelin Guide grades it. Though in ruins, the remains of the abbey and outbuildings were fascinating to me. For me it was well worth the time to get there and the time spent poking about.

 

St. Wandrille is graded "Worth a Detour" in Michelin, and I've never found anything that they think worth a detour wasn't. In fact, I wonder how we missed it while we were in Normandy.

 

You can Google both Jumieges and St Wandrille and find pictures as well as written information which may help you make up your mind.