Through a route of a few days between
Jersey
and
Guernsey
, two islands dear to his heart, follow in the footsteps of Victor Hugo.
In the aftermath of Louis Bonaparte's coup in December 1851, the poet and playwright Victor Hugo, leader of the Resistance, was forced to leave France, his mother country.
After a few months in Brussels, he ended up settling in Jersey with his wife and daughter.
Thus begins a long and tender love story between the poet and the wild landscapes of the Channel Islands.
Green meadows and long stretches of white sand become a source of inspiration and feed his imagination.
It was during his years of exile, on these windswept islands, that Victor Hugo wrote his most beautiful poems:
Les Contemplations, Les Châtiments
and
La Légende des siècles.
Rates of the stay
Regular rate: €3,450
Price 1st registered: €3,275 (until Friday, March 10)
Single room supplement: €515 €580
Balance payment: Friday, April 7, 2023
Deposit: €1,100
Program
Wednesday, June 7
PARIS • SAINT-MALO • JERSEY
07:04
: Departure by TGV from Paris-Montparnasse station.
9:54 a.m
.: Arrival in Saint-Malo.
Before boarding your ferry at the end of the afternoon, you will discover the ramparts of Saint-Malo and its historic center during a guided tour.
The architecture is signed Garangeau, a disciple of Vauban, which gives the town a unity, a classic majesty and a certain austerity due perhaps to the Chaussey granite used for all the constructions.
Standing on a rocky outcrop commanding the Rance estuary, the corsair city is characterized by an old center surrounded by ramparts which house the cathedral dedicated to Saint Vincent and former shipowners' hotels (17th and 18th centuries).
A city mutilated by the bombings of the Second World War, the faithful reconstruction of the old town is considered exemplary.
This walk along the ramparts, forts and alleys will make you succumb to the charm of this old Breton city.
After your lunch at the restaurant, you will take the road to the Malouinière de la Ville
Bague
.
A veritable journey through Malouine history from the 17th to the 21st century, these authentic houses of privateers and shipowners are rich in hidden stairs, superb paneled lounges, collections of weapons, but also a park of several hectares with its basin, its dovecote, its chapel and its French garden.
5:55 p.m
.: Board the ferry to Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands.
Installation in your hotel.
Dinner and overnight at the Grand Jersey Hotel.
Jersey and Guernsey in the footsteps of Victor Hugo Adobestock
Thursday June 8
JERSEY • SAMARES • GOREY • MEGALITHIC SITES
In the early morning, you will explore the gardens of the Samarès manor.
This residence, built in the 10th century and largely remodeled in the 18th, owes its name to the Frenchification of the Norman Salse Mathais (salt marsh).
Its owner had made a fortune in the salt trade, one of the most important economic activities on the island.
During your walk, you will not fail to admire the Japanese garden and the exotic plants brought back from his travels in the Eastern countries by Sir James Knott, who had bought the estate in 1924.
You will continue with a visit to the Château de Mont-Orgueil, which overlooks the picturesque port of Gorey.
Alternately fortress, prison and residence of the Governor of Jersey, the building is now open to the public.
From the roof of its dungeon, you can see France when the weather permits.
Just like Victor Hugo who liked to eat there, you will be seduced by the charm and authenticity of the small village of Gorey.
Lunch at the restaurant.
The afternoon will be devoted to exploring the megalithic sites (between 3250 and 2250 BC) that dot the island of Jersey.
You will see La table des Marthes, a large flat granite slab, almost 4 x 2 m, or the dolmen de Rozel, which, over 8 m long, has a complex structure of 18 orthostats.
Not to mention the emblematic Faldouet dolmen, which appears on the back of Jersey's ten pence coins and which inspired the poem Nomen, numen, lumen, by Victor Hugo.
You will end with Hougue Bie, the best preserved tumulus in Europe, and the Faldouet Dolmen.
Dinner in a restaurant in Saint Helier.
Friday, June 9
JERSEY • ST HELIER • GUERNSEY
You can enjoy some free time to stroll around St. Helier and visit 16 New Street, a charming Georgian house that depicts the daily life of a bourgeois Jersey family in the 18th century, an era of elegance, where gentlemen smoked pipes, where ladies drank tea, and where the threat of French invasion was always a hot topic of conversation!
We will suggest you go to
Elizabeth Castle
, a military construction overlooking the bay.
Accessible on foot at low tide and by boat at high tide, the building ensured the defense of the island for more than 300 years.
We will try to visit the chapel of Saint-Matthieu, in the parish of Saint-Laurent.
Nicknamed “the glass church”, it is one of the two chapels decorated by René Lalique and recounts an unknown chapter of his work, glass in the service of sacred art.
After lunch, you will take the ferry to
Guernsey.
On arrival, a panoramic tour will take you to Victoria Tower, erected in honor of the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1846 and a secret meeting place between the exiled poet and his mistress, Juliette Drouet.
If you look closely you can even find their initials, engraved in a wall.
You will continue in the afternoon with the discovery of the manor of Sausmarez, which has belonged, since the Middle Ages, to the illustrious family of Sausmarez, or Samarès, owner of several seigneuries in the Channel Islands.
Some parts date from the end of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th.
The facade is considered the best example of colonial architecture of Queen Anne of Brittany.
In the park, you will discover the subtropical garden, decorated with exotic plants and sculptures.
You will end the day with a walk in the old streets of Saint-Pierre-Port, the privileged place of residence of Victor and Juliette.
Château de Mont-Orgueil
Installation in your hotel, the Duke of Richmond.
Dinner at the hotel and night in Saint-Pierre-Port.
Jersey and Guernsey in the footsteps of Victor Hugo Adobestock
Saturday June 10
SAINT-PIERRE-PORT • SERCQ • HAUTEVILLE HOUSE
You will start this day by going to
the island of Sark,
the former haunt of the legendary pirate Eustache le Moine.
This small island was offered to the Carterets by Queen Elizabeth I on the sole condition that the family ensure its settlement.
A feudal society was then established, responsible for preventing pirates from taking refuge on the island.
At present it is still the only lordship in the Channel Islands.
Lecalmede Sark inspired numerous poems by Victor Hugo, which describe “fierce” settings, “wild” and “terrible” places.
You will stroll in the garden of the seigneury, surrounded by walls protecting it from storms and frosts, renowned for its rare and exotic plants, before taking the ferry back to Guernsey.
At the end of the day, after the departure of the last visitors, we will be exceptionally welcomed at
Hauteville House
, in Saint-Pierre-Port, to evoke the life of Victor Hugo during his exile and discover the very recently restored places.
The residence was acquired in 1856 thanks to the success of Les
Contemplations
;
Victor Hugo will continue to live there until his return to France in 1870, after the fall of the Second Empire.
He spent months supervising the renovation of the interior and collected a multitude of heterogeneous objects.
The house has been preserved as it is, which allows visitors to verify the description made of it by Charles Hugo, the poet's son:
“a real autograph on 3 floors, a poem in several parts”.
Dinner at the hotel and night in Saint-Pierre-Port.
Jersey and Guernsey in the footsteps of Victor Hugo Adobestock
Sunday June 11
GUERNSEY • SAINT-MALO • PARIS
You will discover the landscapes he loved: the bay of Havelet where he liked to swim;
his favorite trail off La Fermain, described by him as a "
magical spectacle
";
or one of Guernsey's prettiest bays: Moulin Huet.
In 1883, Pierre-Ausguste Renoir spent over a month painting the coastal scenes of Guernsey, and Moulin Huet became his favorite spot.
Lunch near the port before boarding the ferry.
2:10 p.m
.: Return to Saint-Malo by ferry.
7:37 p.m
.: Departure from Saint-Malo station.
10:08 p.m
.: Arrival at Paris-Montparnasse station.
Accommodation
Jersey and Guernsey in the footsteps of Victor Hugo Grand Jersey
GRAND JERSEY HOTEL & SPA 5*****
Overlooking the sublime bay of Saint-Aubin, the Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa offers its visitors an experience of luxury and authenticity.
The rooms have been designed to offer comfort and modernity.
Take advantage of the Tassili restaurant, serving British and international cuisine, as well as the spa for a well-being break after a day of sightseeing.
Jersey and Guernsey in the footsteps of Victor Hugo Duke of Richmond
DUKE OF RICHMOND HOTEL 4****
A few steps from the port, this luxurious hotel is the reference of Saint-Pierre-Port.
With a park overlooking the sea, dedicated staff and all in an elegant and relaxing setting: this is the perfect place to experience a real moment of escape in Guernsey.
The price includes
Return transport by TGV 1st class
Inter-island transfers by ferry and on-site coach transport
Local taxes
A French-speaking guide-lecturer
Accommodation in a double room in 4 and 5* hotels
Full board from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 5
Drinks at lunches and dinners
Tips for guides/drivers/hotels/restaurants
