Tours and Tickets
Palais Bénédictine Liqueur Distillery and Museum Visit in Normandy
4

Palais Bénédictine Liqueur Distillery and Museum Visit in Normandy

By Palais Bénédictine
About

Ages 0-99, max of 48 per group
Duration: 1h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
German, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, English, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish


  • Leaflet in French, English, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, and German for the self-guided tour
  • Guided tour of the distillery
  • Bénédictine liqueur-tasting
  • Entry/Admission - Palais Bénédictine
What's not included
  • Lunch
  • Transport


Departure details
  • 110 Rue Alexandre le Grand, 76400 Fécamp, France
Return details
  • Returns to original departure point

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 34672P1

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Bénédictine tastings: for adults over 18 only
  • Alcohol products can be sold to adults over 18 only
  • Last admission one hour prior to closing
  • Lift for disabled people
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 48 travelers

  • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 34672P1

Currently unavailable
This product is unavailable to book via Tripadvisor.
Explore other options
Itinerary
  • You'll start at
    110 Rue Alexandre le Grand
    110 Rue Alexandre le Grand, 76400 Fécamp, France
    See address & details
  • 1
    Palais Benedictine
    Stop: 90 minutes - Admission included
    The Benedictine Palace, an architectural masterpiece of Gothic and Renaissance inspiration, was erected at the end of the 19th century in honour of the Benedictine liqueur by Alexandre Le Grand, a wine merchant from Fécamp, who had found a recipe created in 1510 by a Benedictine monk in a grimoire. This eclectic building will introduce Bénédictine through a unique experience. They will first explore the museum, which houses rich collections of sacred and ancient art related to Benedictine heritage, as well as a room dedicated to its industrial history. The guided tour then leads to the only Benedictine distillery in the world, with its hammered copper stills of the 19th century, and to the cellars. Visitors then head to La Vérrière where a tasting is offered* of our liqueur *For adults over 18 years of age only
    Read more
  • You'll return to the starting point
+
–
About the operator
  • Яна С
    Яна С
    0
    0
    Very bad visit
    Very bad service! All hall were closed! You can buy tickets without cash desk and nobody tell you about renovations! I don’t recommend this place, save your money and time
  • Ephoist
    Ephoist
    0
    0
    worth it
    Make reservations for a tour there LONG before you arrive or you won’t get in. If you miss the tour, visit the tasting room and/or the bar. The bar staff can open the shop for you to buy items after hours :)
  • Seasondtraveller
    Seasondtraveller
    0
    0
    Very interesting visit
    We knew nothing about the story of the Bénédictine spirit beforehand and learned a lot during our visit. The Palace also features some beautiful religious artefacts. Plan about two hours for the museum plus guided visit.
  • bevandkiki
    bevandkiki
    0
    0
    Just gorgeous!
    Beautiful and breathtaking! The grounds were immaculate. Enjoyed it immensely. Especially the tastings and the gift shop! Would have enjoyed more if I wasn't so tired from all the tours on my trip (Seine river cruise).
  • captaintau
    captaintau
    0
    0
    Very Enjoyable Visit
    This was an excursion as part of a cruise from Le Havre. Very enjoyable visit. The guide was excellent. The building was magnificent. And we got to sample some liqueur and buy some.
  • ivankP9451FP
    ivankP9451FP
    0
    0
    A fascinating liqueur and a large selection to buy from at the store
    This is a very interesting distillery with a lot of history behind it. The recipe for Benedictine came from Venice and has 27 herbs in it and used as a medical tincture. The monks were thrown out of the monastery during the French Revolution and a family connected with the monks' financing discovered the recipe in a book and started to produce it once more. Akexandre Le Grand was a wine merchant and a very clever marketer and sales took off. The liqueur is still produced at the distillery which is now owned by Bacardi. The alcohol is siphoned off into large tankers that transport it to a bottling plant.
  • OZS_ATW
    OZS_ATW
    0
    0
    Nice palace
    The Palais Benedictine is unique building with its interesting history. There are a lot of things to see inside and outside. Palais Benedictine has also a bar, where you can enjoy the drinks and the atmosphere of this place.
  • Marie_CSMA
    Marie_CSMA
    0
    0
    Bénédictine liqueur production site in neo-gothic palace
    A quite bizzarre, neo-gothic 19th century palace, built by the inventor of Bénédictine liqueur as production site - what it still is today. A combined ticket can be bought on site or booked online. It gives access for a visit of the premises, with a collection of historical items and some nice historical books, and a guided tour through Bénédictine distillery and cellar which ends with a liqueur testing. Palais Bénédictine also includes a bar and a shop to buy the liqueur and souvenirs, both directly accessible without guided tour. Although there was not much to see from the production, the guided tour was quite interesting to listen and learn about liqueur production, and the tasting was nice.
  • camuche123
    camuche123
    0
    0
    Must do in Fecamp
    Very good experience including museum, guided tour and a tasting. Great value for money. Amazing site with lots of history
  • Emily M
    Emily M
    0
    0
    A great day out
    The palace was really interesting, lots of beautiful things to see. We did the distillery tour and Samantha was brilliant - interesting, funny and very friendly. And you got to taste it at the end! A brilliant way to fill a few hours.
  • r0landbrunner
    r0landbrunner
    0
    0
    what a mess
    what a mess of styles and architecture... walking around the whole compound, we really wondered how one could do this crime. impressive anyway, but not really beautiful.
  • std043
    std043
    0
    0
    Step back in 1510!
    Back in Year 1510 when the Benedictine Monks created the Benedictine spirit reciepe made of 27 different spices. 12 euros entry ticket well worth the visit and including Benedictine tasting at the end of the visit. Back in Time, with Taste!
  • knightdiverx
    knightdiverx
    0
    0
    Excellent visit
    I drove an extra 200 miles so that I could do this visit and I am very glad that I did. I booked the ticket in advance and duly printed it out and passed it to the lady on the desk. The tour itself starts with a walk that you do yourself, following a guide leaflet - mine was in English for me. This part is a tour around the museum looking at all of the artifacts and pretty stained glass etc. All very interesting. The second part is a tour of the distillery, I was lucky enough to a 1 -1 guide for this in English. This part was my favourite, looking at the wonders of the production process etc. Following that, there is of course the obligatory tasting, for which you are allowed to try 2 - I tried and Benedictine and grapefruit juice and a Select Cask variety that you only buy there. Both were amazing. I have to say, the people there were possibly the friendlest and most lovely people you could meet. Very accommodating and always willing to help you. Even the lovely girl on the cash till just wanted to chat and see that everything is ok. Can't recommend enough, would love to come back soon.
  • sergiorC6425FD
    sergiorC6425FD
    0
    0
    A must see attraction in Fécamp
    Lovely historic palace and distillery. Great museum to spend a couple of hours with plenty of art and history to admire. Don't miss the liquor tasting at the end of the tour in the winter garden.
  • NCtravellerUk
    NCtravellerUk
    0
    0
    Great museum and tasting
    Enjoyed the museum, history and the manufacturing process. Of course the tasting was the best. Dont spoil the medicine with to nice or fruit juice.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

4.0
95 reviews
Excellent
41
Very good
39
Average
5
Poor
5
Terrible
5

zoltan56
newcastle on tyne71 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
We come to the Seine Maritime every year for our main holiday, the proprietors of our gite exhorted us to go every year, and at last we went in 2018. It's a strange mixture of victorian wedding cake architecture on the outside with catholic gloom and guilt on the inside, before you get to the actual distillery bit, which is a well organised insight into the process of producing what is, in effect, the french version of Drambuie.
I wander into these places, like Carcassonne, with a childlike innocence, my more shrewd wife however , sleuthlike, manages to work out that they are romantic confections of history, rather than being the hardcore reliquaries of the actual past.
The presentation anf product are perfectly fine, abd it's a good thing to do on a rainy day....don't drive!
Written June 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your visit and taking the time to leave a comment. We hope we will have the pleasure to welcome you back this year :)
Written June 14, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Vivienne C
Gosford, Australia25 contributions
Sep 2019
this was a dream day for me, the Abbey was amazing. I couldn't believe the art and manuscripts on display, I thought it was just going to be the distillery-which itself was fantastic. The staff are wonderful and it was so educational as well as absolutely beautiful-cant recommend it enough
Written October 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your visit and for taking the time to leave a review ! We are glad you enjoyed your Experience at Le Palais, and we hope we will have the pleasure to welcome you back in the future :)
Written October 30, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Bruno_Cohen
Senlis, France190 contributions
Aug 2019
Fecamp city was a one day trip for us. Everybody advised us to visit the Palais Benedictine which we did in 2h30. My teens are keen on old buildings, historical places and artifacts and we were not deceived. The visit of the Distillery was less impressive but it's very clearly explained (thanks to the video).
Written August 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks a lot for visiting Le Palais and for taking the time to leave this nice comment !
Written September 6, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Hilary Jane U
Royston, UK83 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We recently visited the Palais Benedictine for a self-guided tour but this also included a guided visit round the distillery. Very informative guide and interesting exhibits in the Museum. Enjoyed 2 tastings at the end as well in a lovely airy tasting room.
Written May 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your visit and for taking the time to leave a comment :)
Written May 3, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Priscilla J
Connecticut169 contributions
Sep 2019
We toured the Palais Benedictine in Fecamp. It is the ONLY place in the world where Benedictine is made. (NOTE:Benedictine is an age-old liqueur originally developed by in this palais by monks.)
The tour included viewing the palais and various old artifacts. Some were unique such as a room filled with wrought-iron products of the 1500's and 1600's, including some huge locks and door hinges and door latches. Also many old manuscripts and documents. Was quite fascinating.
Also viewed a replica of the process for making Benedictine and ended with a sample tasting of the product.
Interesting Tour.
Written September 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visit and for taking the time to leave us a review ! We are glad you enjoyed your visit at Le Palais, and we hope to welcome you back :)
Written October 2, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Katrien S
Ghent, Belgium1,982 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
This enormous 19th-20th century palace complex in neo-gothic and neo-renaissance style houses the religious art collection the family collected, as well as the distillery for the alcoholic spirit Benedictine. One is free to walk through the palace, some of the rooms have quite impressive ceilings, and see the artefacts. There is an audioguide provided for this part, and the rooms above the distillery that detail the history of the company and its advertising. The religious art could be much better displayed, but there are a few pieces that are well worth seeing, and the advertising part is interesting.
The tour of the distillery is with a guide, and is in French and in English. Our guide was very knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. One gets to see the equipment still being used, as well as some of the oak vats used for maturing. At the end there is a tasting of the spirit, and obviously the possibility of buying some.
Written July 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your visit and for taking the time to leave us a comment !
Written August 12, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

aurelie l
2 contributions
Apr 2023
Horrible welcome
Not taking into account people with disabilities
Terribly disorganized , not respecting times, staff is rude
Written April 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are sincerely sorry for this bad experience, we will pass on this information.
Written May 2, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

jobo49
Angers, France67 contributions
Don't expect much history! Most of the visit is based on half truths which are hidden or poorly explained. Is this a Benedictine palace? It was built in 1900. Is it Benedictine? The abbey was on another site (this site was a brewery). Is it a Benedictine recipe? The abbey was dissolved 70 years before the current product was invented.
Written July 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alexandre Le Grand created a distillery in 1863 where the Benedictine Palace still stands to recreate the recipe of an elixir previously imagined at the Benedictine abbey of Fécamp. This ancient abbey, founded in 1006, is about 1km away from Le Palais. In 1792, because of the French Revolution, the Abbey of Fécamp ceased to exist and the Benedictine monks left. The old and imposing abbey church still exists and remains one of the best known and most important monuments of the city of Fécamp. Part of the old convent buildings now house the Town Hall. The rest of the buildings were destroyed in the 19th century after the Revolution. Born in 1830, Alexandre Le Grand rediscovered the recipe in a manuscript inherited from his grandfather. The latter had obtained it from one of the last Benedictine monks present in 1792, who had saved it when leaving the abbey. Alexandre Le Grand adapted this recipe into a liqueur he called Bénédictine, in tribute to its origin. Alexandre Le Grand always kept a part of mystery, refusing to show the manuscript, but always kept it with him. Nowadays, we maintain this part of mystery, just like the founder always did. The buildings in which Alexandre Le Grand settled in 1863 evolved over the decades: enlarged, destroyed by fire in 1892 then rebuilt in their final appearance in 1900. The ensemble now bears the name of Palais Bénédictine, a place where the Benedictine liqueur distillery is located, and the museum of religious art and history created by Alexandre Le Grand, open to the public in 1872. In this museum, there are objects and documents from the abbey of Fécamp, dispersed during the Revolution then acquired and preserved by Alexandre Le Grand, the oldest dating back to the 11th century. It is therefore more than a thousand years of history that are preserved at the Palais Bénédictine, in addition to being the only place where the Bénédictine liqueur is produced. The Benedictine Palace was built specifically for this, in a singular and eclectic architecture, which makes this place unique. The Palais Bénédictine does not claim to be the abbey of Fécamp, but by its history, the Bénédictine liqueur and the objects kept at the Palais Bénédictine are intimately linked to the former abbey. All this is explained in the Benedictine Palace during the visit.
Written August 1, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TomiWarsaw_Poland
Warsaw, Poland2 contributions
Jun 2019 • Business
Great tour,
Beautiful architecture and fantastic drink at the end.
Highly recommended, especially if you like to discover local heritage.
Written June 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your visit and your nice comment ! We are glad you enjoyed your visit at Le Palais :)
Written June 24, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Alison S
Sydney, Australia2,255 contributions
Apr 2019
We were permitted to view the antiquities and items in the Museum and well laid out diplays in the carefully labelled rooms. Leaflet gives clear instructions of layout and contents pof every room.

Most informative guided tour given in French and English, which was much appreciated by all who were not native French speakers.

Sampling of liqueurs was informative and also most appreciated.
Written April 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Palais Bénédictine Liqueur Distillery and Museum Visit in Normandy provided by Palais Bénédictine