Celtic Lands

Featuring Guest Speakers: Dwight David Eisenhower II, accompanying you to the Normandy Beaches, and Allen Packwood, Director of Churchill Archives Centre at Cambridge

Date: Fri, May 21, 2021 - Sun, May 30, 2021

Trip Status: Waiting for the brochure

Price: From $6,995

Activity Level: Moderate

Region: Europe

Arrangements: Gohagan & Co.

Commemorate the historic D-Day landings during this eight-night Celtic Lands journey. By exclusive arrangement, visit the hallowed Utah and Omaha Beaches in Normandy, France, with Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and meet Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre at the University of Cambridge. Cruise aboard the exclusively chartered, Five-Star small ship Le Jacques Cartier/Le Dumont‑d’Urville from Honfleur, France, to England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, with guided excursions in each port of call. Visit UNESCO World Heritage-designated Caernarfon Castle near Holyhead, Wales; admire the austere beauty of the Inner Hebridean Isles of Iona and Mull and the storied treasure of Iona Abbey; walk in the footsteps of medieval and present-day princes in North Wales; and view relics of the rich Celtic heritage at Trinity College Library in Dublin, including the Book of Kells. Paris and Giverny Pre-Program and Glasgow and Edinburgh Post-Program Options available.
Itinerary*
France, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland

Day 1: Depart the U.S.
Day 2: Paris, France/Honfleur/Embark Le Jacques Cartier/Le Dumont-d’Urville
Day 3: Caen for Arromanches and Omaha Beach
Day 4: Caen/Cherbourg, Normandy, for Utah Beach and Sainte-Mére-Èglise
Day 5: Tresco, Isles of Scilly, England
Day 6: Holyhead, Wales for Caernarfon Castle
Day 7: Dublin, Ireland
Day 8: Isle of Iona/Tobermory, Isle of Mull
Day 9: Kyle of Lochalsh/Armadale
Day 10: Glasgow, Scotland/Disembark ship/Return to the U.S.

*Itinerary subject to change.
Acclaimed Guest Speakers
  1. Dwight David Eisenhower II—grandson of General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower and historian and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
  2. Allen Packwood—expert on Sir Winston Churchill, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, England.
Included Features On Board the Exclusively Chartered, Five‑Star, Small Ship Le Jacques cartier/Le Dumont-d’Urville:
  1. Eight-night cruise from Honfleur, France, to Glasgow, Scotland, including the beaches of Normandy.
  2. Elegantly appointed, Five-Star Suite or Stateroom, each with a private balcony.
  3. Captain’s Welcome and Farewell Receptions.
  4. Complimentary alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages available throughout the cruise.
  5. All meals aboard ship.
  6. Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the ship (conditions permitting).
  7. Two full-day excursions, with lunch, to the D-Day beaches of Normandy with visits to Utah and Omaha Beaches, Sainte-Mére-Èglise, including a visit to the American military cemetery.
  8. Opportunity to watch a short film documenting the D-Day campaign at the Arromanches 360Circular Cinema, or to see the legendary Bayeux Tapestry chronicling the Norman Conquest of 1066.
  9. Visit to the lush, 19th-century Tresco Abbey Gardens, weather permitting.
  10. City tour of Dublin, featuring a visit to Trinity College Library to see the legendary Book of Kells.
  11. Traditional Irish music and dance entertainment aboard ship while in Dublin.
  12. Visit to Caernarfon Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and 19th-century Bodnant Garden, with picturesque views of the Snowdonia Mountains in Wales.
  13. Private performance by the renowned Welsh Maelgwyn Choir and lunch in the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno.
  14. Visit to the Isle of Iona featuring the historic Iona Abbey.
  15. Leisure time in the 18th-century port town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
  16. Excursion to visit 13th-century Eilean Donan Castle and enjoy a scenic excursion of the Isle of Sky. 

Parisu Giverny Pre-Program Option
Experience the “City of Light” and Monet’s cherished gardens in nearby Giverny. Enjoy a panoramic tour of Paris, renowned for its historic and aesthetic influence, and a walking tour at fascinating Montemartre. Enjoy a visit to Monet’s Gardens—an exquisite living canvas—in charming Giverny. Tour the Impressionist Master’s house and admire his lily pond and iconic Japanese bridge. Spend two nights in the Five-Star InterContinental Paris Le Grand.

Edinburgh and Glasgow Post-Program Option
Explore two of Scotland’s greatest cities and their histories of fascinating clans, medieval knights and royal and religious intrigue. Visit Glasgow’s 12th‑century cathedral, the only medieval church in mainland Scotland to survive the reformation of 1560, and the historic Edinburgh Castle. Spend two nights in the Five‑Star Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh The Caledonian.

The Pre- and Post-Program Options are available at additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.

Reservations and Information

To reserve, complete a registration form in the brochure and mail to Duke Travels, Box 90572, Durham, NC 27708, or call (919) 684-2988 to reserve conveniently over the phone and let us know you are mailing your reservation form to hold your space.

To learn more about our travel program or any of our upcoming trips, please contact us at duketravels@duke.edu or 919-684-2988

Duke Leaders

Mode of Travel

Ocean Cruise

map showing route of mode of travel