【 Le Palais Bénédictine | French favorite monuments | Fécamp | France 】
Le Palais Bénédictine, a luxurious palace hidden in Fécamp, a small coastal town of Normandy, France. It is the only place where the famous French D.O.M Benedictine Liqueur is fabricated and one of French favorite monuments (le monument préféré des Français).
The legend of Bélédictine began at the end of the 19th century, when wine merchant Alexandre Le Grand accidentally discovered the secret recipe hidden by the Benedictine monks in the Fécamp Abbey. Based on it, he created the famous D.O.M Bénédictine. He also built a dream castle that combined Gothic and Renaissance styles as the house of his liqueur.
The visit of Le Palais Bénédictine starts from the second floor. The stained glass windows in the Abbot’s Hall (la salle des Abbé) on the right, show monks brewing wine and receiving King François I. Now this hall can be booked as a venue for weddings and private parties.
The Gothic Hall (la salle gothique) on the left, has a wooden roof structure derived from the cabin of a ship, with gold-inlaid murals. The hall displays Alexandre Le Grand’s large personal collection and stained glass murals praising himself.
The room leading to the brewery on the first floor displays the original distillation vessels, posters and hundreds of counterfeit Lang wines from all over the world.
The spice room (La salle des épices) before entering the brewery brings together 27 spices needed for Lang wine brewing. Visitors can visit it freely up to here, and the visit time is about 45 minutes.
The brewery, wine cellar, and wine tasting will be led by staff, and the visit time is about 40 minutes.
About tickets: You can buy tickets on site or online in advance. Choose “DISCOVERY TOUR” (VISITE DECOUVERTE), adult ticket price is 20 euros/person, including all tour parts and 3 wine tastings. The ticket price information for other age groups is not published online.
About opening hours: 10 am-12 pm and 2 pm-5:30 pm every day, open all year round.
About parking: There is no private parking lot at the Palace of Wine and Wine, but there are parking spaces near the Berigny Pier and the train station.
Attractions near Fécamp: Étretat, one of the most famous coastal towns in Normandy, is only a 30-minute drive from Fécamp. Monet created many works here, the hiking route along the limestone cliffs between Étretat and Fécamp is also a classic.