William the Conqueror Group Tour

• Visit the site of the Battle of Hastings, where William the Conqueror defeated King Harold. See Battle Abbey, built by William to celebrate his victory, and an exhibition exploring events leading up to the Battle. Tour the Battlefield and listen to a detailed account of the Battle day itself with an exciting audioguide narrative. Enjoy free time exploring the shops and tea rooms in the picturesque market town of Battle.
• Pevensey Bay, famed for being the place where William landed, but whose Castle was built in AD 280 by much earlier Roman invaders. 
• The seaside town of Hastings, to see the remains of William's first English castle. Learn about the smugglers who dominated the coastline, visit the Shipwreck Museum or enjoy traditional fish and ships.
• Herstmonceux Castle with its wide moat and rolling parkland.
• Whatlington and its collection of charmingly thatched buildings. Whatlington Manor belonged to King Harold, but was claimed by the Conqueror and inaugurated into the Battle Abbey lands.
• Canterbury, which surrendered to William, with its medieval city walls and Gothic cathedral, where Thomas Becket was murdered by William's great-grandson, Henry II. Enjoy a guided tour of the ancient Cathedral and precincts. 
• Dover, with its famous White Cliffs (National Trust), where William strengthened his defences immediately after the Battle. Visit Dover Castle, a stronghold built by Henry II to safeguard England against further invasions.
• Windsor Castle, an official residence of the King, one of William's first castles and the family home of British monarchs for almost 1000 years, making it the world's oldest and largest inhabited castle.
• Runneymead (National Trust), where the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215. See the British memorial to President John F. Kennedy. 
• Full day city tour of London, the ancient city with many sites dating back to the Normans. Westminster Abbey, where Edward the Confessor was buried and William the Conqueror crowned on Christmas Day 1066. Visit William's great Tower of London, built to defend and proclaim his royal power.

FRANCE : visit charming Normandy and the locations linked to William in France 

• Rouen and Place du Vieux-Marche, where Joan of Arc was burnt alive. Visit the memorial church in her name and Joan of Arc Museum. Also see the remains of the castle where she was sentenced to death.
• Falaise, home of William’s mother Herleva, the daughter of a common tanner, and William’s birthplace. See the castle, built during the reign of William's son, Henry I, the feudal city gates and old city walls.
• Beautiful Bayeux and the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings. One of the oldest historical documents in Europe, it was made by English craftsmen on the orders of William's half-brother, Bishop Odo. Bayeux Cathedral, part of which was completed in William's reign.
• Caen, seized by William at the Battle of Val-es-Dunes and Caen Castle, one of the largest remaining medieval fortresses, seat of power of the Dukes of Normandy. Visit Abbaye aux Dames, built by William's wife Queen Matilda. See where William and Matilda are buried.
• Visit Dives Sur Mer, where William and his army departed Normandy for the conquest. See a church displaying a unique list of all the Conqueror’s victorious companions and the marina and the master’s office decorated with scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry. Visit the William the Conqueror Art Village in an old coaching inn, where Renaissance art fuses with Medieval.