The Normandy is famous for the steep coast and endless golden sandy beaches. The inland with historic villages, abbeys and marvellous castles are inspiring contrasts. Visit the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, protected under UNESCO Heritage, the natural and historic border between the Normandy and Bretagne. Mont Saint-Michel is famous for the impressive Benedictine monastery, target of pilgrims from all over the world. An additional scenic highlight is the island Jersey with beautiful beaches, breathtaking cliffs, lovely dunes, colourful flowers and picturesque ports. Enjoy French savoir-vivre with a glass of wine and excellent seafood.
Details of the moderate hiking holiday Normandy & Jersey
A hiking holiday with beautiful coastal sceneries, idyllic hiking paths, beautiful sandy beaches and picturesque harbours await you on our moderate walking holiday in France. Right at the beginning of the hiking holiday, the route leads you to a special sight in France – the Benedictine Abbey of Mont Saint Michel, situated in a picturesque location on a granite rock island. After a restful overnight stay on the mainland, the next day’s stage leads you to the municipality of Dol-de-Bretagne and on the following day to the oyster capital of Cancale. Onwards to the Pointe du Grouin-headland, to the Îles Chausey in the English Channel and to the climatic health resort of Granville. From the following day you will experience the wonderful island of Jersey up close. After a short ferry ride and a bus transfer you will reach the port city of Gorey, which will be your starting point and overnight accommodation for the next two hiking days. After two wonderful island hikes, you will return to St. Malo, where you will end your hiking holiday with a relaxing stroll through the city.
Highlights of the nine-day hiking holiday Normandy & Jersey
UNESCO World Heritage Mont Saint-Michel: A special highlight awaits you at the start of your active holiday –the bay and the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. The St. Michael’s chapel on a rocky island, is a particularly popular and frequently photographed pilgrimage site in all of France.
The pleasure of France: Enjoy the savoir-vivre of the French with a glass of wine and wonderful, freshly caught delicacies from the sea.
Coastal hikes in the pleasant Atlantic air: Not only picturesque coastal hikes await you on this moderate hiking tour. In fact, you will be accompanied every day by the soothing sea air. Ideal conditions to really switch off and recharge your batteries.
Island adventures on Jersey: The island of Jersey is a special nature experience with its beautiful beaches, breathtaking cliffs, magnificent sand dunes, wonderful flowers and picturesque harbours.
Worth knowing about the hiking holiday Normandy & Jersey
This seven-day hiking holiday in France is assigned our level of hiking “moderate walking”. The route is easy and the hiking trails are well-developed. Nevertheless, we recommend sure-footedness in some places for the coastal hikes. Particularly flexible: the two hiking stages or routes on the island of Jersey can be selected freely with the aid of bus transfers.
More tips and inspirations for island hiking with Eurohike.
Walk along the Cousnon river to the bay of Mont Saint-Michel. Cross pretty villages and visit a mill. Mont Saint-Michel is a fortified village situated on an island. On the top of a rock escarpment a monastery inhabited by a dozen monks is situated. You stay overnight on the mainland and can enjoy the special view over the Mont-Saint-Michel.
After crossing the marshes west of Couesnon river you leave the Normandy for the Bretagne. You walk through green undulating landscape, dotted with little houses and grazing cattle to the pretty villages Roz-sur-Couesnon and Sainte-Broladre. You will spend the night on the mainland. The half timbered houses belong to the best maintained examples of the Bretagne.
The first interesting point of today is Mont-Dol with beautiful old church. Then you follow an oyster-park for several kilometres. The last kilometers to Cancale offer superb views across the bay. You stay overnight in a hotel on the port. Cancale enjoys the reputation of being the capital of oyster, „Huîtres“. It is said that the local oysters are the best and freshest – judge for yourself.
Today you will hike to the impressive headland Pointe Du Grouin. With a bit of luck, you can observe seals and dolphins there. On the way, take a look at Île des Landes, a small, barren island (now a bird sanctuary). Passing the lighthouse, you will reach Îles Chausey, Europe's largest archipelago and a very special highlight. Arriving in the historic aerial resort of Granville on the Normandy coast, an enchanting harbor awaits you; on a clear day you can even enjoy the view of the outline of Mont Saint-Michel in the distance. Afterwards by transfer to the historic city of St. Malo.
In the morning you will take a ferry to the island of Jersey to St. Helier, the capital of the island. From there a short bus ride to the pretty harbor town of Gorey, where you will spend the next two nights. The circular walk to Rozel offers breathtaking panoramic views over the bay and the sea. The higher you climb, the more spectacular the view. The small village of Rozel with its historic granite cottages invites you to take an extensive rest before heading back to Gorey.
Starting from the harbour you walk inland through rural area and along meandering paths reach Grouville with its beautiful church. A little bit further you reach the coast and proceed along a unique path between the sea and the Royal Jersey golf course. At Fort William you have nearly reached the end of today’s tour!
In the morning there is still enough time on Jersey before you take the ferry from Jersey to St. Malo in the afternoon, where your trip comes to a relaxing end with a stroll through the historic old town.
Easy walking tours along the coast. Some stages require sure footedness. Walking distances in Jersey can be shortened by public transport. Scenic tour!
Luggage transfer (1 piece of luggage per person, excl. days with ferry transfer)
1 Ferry fare Saint-Malo – Jersey
1 Ferry fare Jersey – Saint-Malo
Transfers according to the program
Carefully elaborated route description
Detailed travel documents 1x per room (German, English)
Service hotline
Optional extras:
Retourn transfer from Saint-Malo to Pontorson, price per fare EUR 140 (Sundays and holidays EUR 170), reservation required, payable in advance.
Infos
Arrival / Parking / Departure:
Airport Paris and by train to Pontorson in approx. 3.5 to 4 hours.
Parking: Limited number of hotel parking spaces, cost EUR 6 per night. Reservation necessary in advance, payable on site. Free, unguarded public parking spaces near the hotel, no reservation necessary.
Return journey from Saint-Malo to Pontorson by train, approx. 1.5 hours (www.ter.sncf.com/bretagne).
Please note that a valid passport is required for this trip.
Things to note:
Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price
Luggage transfer for ferry trips Jersey on own account (6th and 8th day).
Cab rides St. Malo - St. Malo harbor and back, approx. € 15,- per ride
Bus rides Jersey harbor - Gorey and back, approx. € 5 per person
The circular walk on the 6th and 7th is practicable in the reverse order.
Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!