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Tourism in Normandy

 

TOURISM IN NORMANDY

 

France at its best, right on your doorstep!

 

What’s on, what to visit, where to go in Normandy? Normandy has a whole programme in store for you. Here are some suggestions for tours, activities and places to stay with an Impressionist, D-DAY, cultural, historical, gastronomic theme and with the very best of the Great Outdoors on offer.…You’ll be spoilt for choice.
 
Come and marvel at the Mont-Saint-Michel, go back in time and walk along the D-Day Landing Beaches and then relax in style in the seaside resorts of the Côte Fleurie: DeauvilleTrouvilleCabourg, Houlgate or Honfleur with its picturesque port, unless you prefer the wilder Cotentin Peninsula or the dramatic white cliffs of Etretat.
From Deauville, you can explore the 400 miles of Normandy’s coast or go inland to wander down the Seine Valley together with many other must-sees including Rouen, city of a hundred spires, Le Havre with its Unesco-listed city centre, Lisieux and its basilica plus CaenBayeux and Falaise to retrace the footsteps of William the Conqueror.
 
You like walking, cycling, horse-riding, watersports, golf or fishing,you will not be disappointed by the very best of the Great Outdoors on offer.
 
With its reputation for equestrian excellence, Normandy is home to two National Studs and hosts prestigious events like the Deauville races, so horse-lovers will feel most welcome.
Normandy also invites you to go back in time with many museums dedicated to D-Day and the Battle of Normandy which commemorate the region’s pivotal role in the World War II.
Birthplace of Impressionism, Normandy and especially Giverny are marked by Claude Monet.
As a true gourmet treasure trove, you’ll be spoilt for choice from Camembert cheese to cider and Calvados to scallops. You can also head to Dieppe where you’ll find Normandy’s largest market, held every Saturday morning in the town centre and recently crowned as the 2nd best market in the whole of France!

 

 

      

                         © N. Le Lecoguiec CRT Normandie                                                                                        © S. Freres CRT Normandie

Useful tips and links for travellers to and within Normandy on our website : Normandy website 

 

Good reasons to come to Normandy in 2023

 

The Rolex Fastnet Race COMES TO CHERBOURG

 

In Cherbourg-en-Cotentin

17 - 23 July

For the second time, the port town of Cherbourg will host the final stage of the Rolex Fastnet Race next July. With the town welcoming hundreds of sailors and promising a wealth of entertainment for its visitors, watching the finish of this popular ocean race looks set to be a real visual spectacle.

Rolexfastnetrace.com

 

 

NORMANDY IS BRIMMING WITH CULTURE

 

Normandy is the birthplace of Impressionism, and the inspiration for countless numbers of artists. Even if you missed the 2020 Normandy Impressionist Festival, you can still take time to explore all of the sites where the Impressionist painters set up their easels. The next Normandy Impressionist Festival will take place in 2024!

GRANVILLE CARNIVAL

The story goes that it was sailors from Granville who began the tradition of having a wild celebration for Mardi Gras to lighten their mood before setting off on long transatlantic fishing voyages to Newfoundland. The locals love celebrating what is the biggest carnival in Normandy. It is renowned for its street parades, fancy costumes, street concerts and confetti fights. In 2016, the event was even added to UNESCO's Cultural Heritage list. From 17 to 21 February 2023, the streets of one of Normandy's most-loved towns will come alive like never before!

www.carnaval-de-granville.fr

© B. Collier - CRT Normandie

 

La Villa du Temps Retrouvé in Cabourg

Cabourg seaside resort is famous for being Marcel Proust's favourite retreat and is the inspiration for Balbec, the seaside resort in Proust's novel In Search of Lost Time. This new immersive museum will showcase the spirit of the Belle Époque and explore the history of the Flowered Coast through the eyes of the famous author. It will come complete with a contemporary art room and a re-creation of a 19th-century garden.

www.cabourg-tourisme.fr

© L. Leloup CRT Normandie

Les Franciscaines complex in Deauville

Just five minutes’ walk from Deauville beach, this new site will houses a museum, an auditorium and a media library. The museum will displays a unique and important collection of works by André Hambourg, who donated over 500 paintings to the town, along with figurative and contemporary pieces. Beautifully restored, the old convent in which the site is located is an attraction in itself.

www.indeauville.fr/projet-les-franciscaines

© Ville de Deauville

Normandy Peace Forum

The Normandy World Peace Forum is a major international event initiated by the Normandy Region, which will be attended by heads of state, leading academics, political specialists and guest speakers. The edition usually will takes in Septembre in Caen, provides a platform for reflection and exchange on world tensions and peace building.

www.normandie.fr/normandie-pour-la-paix

© S. Freres CRT Normandie

The British Normandy Memorial

Designed by Liam O’Connor, the award-winning architect behind London’s Bomber Command Memorial, the site honours the 22 000 soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who died fighting under British command during D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. It will stand on a commanding site

overlooking Gold Beach, near the town of Ver-sur-Mer.

www.normandymemorialtrust.org

 

SCALLOP AND HERRING FESTIVALS

In autumn, why not head to one of the scallop festivals taking place on the coast? Normandy is one of the best regions in France for scallops, and knows how to celebrate them in true style, with food, music and entertainment for all the family.

All along the Alabaster Coast, herrings are the order of the day in the month of November! Visit one of Normandy’s herring festivals this year and you’ll find plenty to make your mouth water, not to mention music and entertainment for all ages.

https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/

 

And don’t miss the ten good reasons in 2023 to visit Normandy.

 

Must-see sites in Normandy

 

Côte Fleurie (Flowered Coast)

Honfleur, DeauvilleTrouvilleCabourg

These popular seaside resorts are renowned for their Belle Epoque villas, long sandy beaches and picturesque ports.

© V. Joannon D. Dumas CRT Normandie

 

The Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bays

The «Wonder of the Western World» and its bay are both included on the UNESCO list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites. In 2015 the Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay became an island once more, with a long-awaited new bridge now connecting it to the mainland.

  © M. Dietmar 

Etretat and the Côte d’Albâtre (Alabaster Coast)

The dramatic white cliffs of Etretat inspired many artists and writers such as Monet and Boudin together with Flaubert and Maupassant. The main town on the Alabaster Coast, Dieppe, was France’s first seaside resort.

© V. Restuel

Did you know?

The GR21 hiking trail (from Le Tréport to Le Havre) was recently named France’s favourite hiking trail !

 

Did you know?

Dieppe Market,

Recently voted 2nd best market in the whole country! Dieppe's Saturday morning market truly is a must-see! Full of flavours, scents and colours, it is packed with regional produce and stretches over 2km!

© B. Collier CRT Normandie

The D-Day Landing Beaches

Normandy’s Channel coast is world famous for the part it played on 6th June 1944. The landings were launched on five beaches of the Calvados and Manche counties codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

© T. Houyel

The Cotentin Peninsula

Situated Northwest, discover the charm of Cotentin. Admire the town’s traditional architecture and fishing ports. La Cité de la Mer aquarium in Cherbourg is also on hand, offering the largest submarine open to public in which you can learn all about life at sea. The vast parks provide interesting and beautiful trails while thrill seekers can try their hand at the many watersports on offer.

© Maison du tourisme de Cherbourg - Cotentin

Did you know?

Amazing Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue,

France's Favourite Village

Each year, viewers of the 'Village Préféré des Français' TV-programme are asked to decide on their favourite French village out of a selection of 14 contenders. Recently, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue was proudly representing Normandy, and won the title!

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue truly is unique! With its narrow streets, good restaurants and shops (including the famous Maison Gosselin), gorgeous setting, relaxed atmosphere, UNESCO-listed Vauban Towers and its very own Tatihou Island, it's a seaside village unlike any other.

© B. Collier CRT Normandie

Giverny

This quaint artist’s retreat on the banks of the Seine became home to Monet in 1883. The original Japanese bridge and water lilies can be seen at the Fondation Monet and the Musée des Impressionnismes is well worth a visit as well.

© Fondation Claude Monet, Giverny

Caen

Caen is a modern city with historical sites such as the Abbaye aux Hommes and Abbaye aux Dames together with the Caen Memorial, peace museum.

© Calvados Tourisme

Bayeux

Bayeux, medieval modern city, is home to the famous 11th century Unesco listed Bayeux Tapestry that tells the tale of the conquest of England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy.

© Ville de Bayeux

Rouen

Rouen is the historical capital of Normandy, with its paved streets, half-timbered buildings, Gothic churches where you can follow in the footsteps of Joan of Arc and Claude Monet who painted his series of cathedral in the city centre.

© S. Frères CRT Normandie

Alençon

Alençon honoured by UNESCO, as well as by a museum in town, Alençon is particularly proud of its unique lace-making traditions… as it is of its many extraordinary women. The town has architectural highlights too as one-time capital of a little duchy and as historic capital of the southern Norman département of Orne.

© Stéphane Maurice - CRT Normandie

Bagnoles-de-l’Orne

Built beside a romantic lake, hiding in magnificent forests, Bagnoles-de-l’Orne, this charming thermal spa town nestles in the Normandie-Maine Regional Nature Park. With an elegant casino and racecourse as well as its renovated thermal spa centre, Bagnoles-de-l’Orne makes for a deeply relaxing break.

Did you know? Bagnoles-de-l’Orne received a gold award recently at the international Green Destinations Awards, in recognition of its efforts for sustainability.

© Thierry Houyel

Map of Normandy

Plan your trip in Normandy and refer to this map where you will find the must-see sites.

Brochures, useful addresses, maps… all you need to plan your stay in Normandy!

 

Did you know?

In Normandy, six villages have been awarded the Plus Beaux Villages de France (meaning “France's most beautiful villages”) label. For perfect-scenery, please Click here

 

Accommodation in Normandy

 

Do you prefer staying by the seaside, in the country or is a city break more your kind of holiday? Hotels, outstanding hotels and restaurants, B&Bs and gîtes, campsites, holiday villages and also atypical accommodation… you’ll be spoilt for choice in Normandy.

 

 © V. Rustel

Outstanding hotels and restaurants

Accommodation

 

Video of Normandy

 

Enjoy this short video of Normandy’s landscapes and sites at their best!

 

View all of the videos Normandy on the YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/NormandyTourism/videos