Must-see sites in Normandy

Trouville (c) Franck Godard

Côte Fleurie (Flowered Coast)

Honfleur, Deauville, Trouville, Cabourg…

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

Mont Saint-Michel (c) L.Recouvrot

 

The Mont-Saint-Michel

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 became an island once more, with a long-awaited new bridge now connecting it to the mainland.

 

Etretat (c) Ch. Guibert

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.

 

Arromanches (c) L.Williamson

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.

Claude Monet’s house in Giverny (c) L. Recouvrot

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.

 

Caen castle (c) D.Dumas

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.

Bayeux Cathedral (c) A. Solter

Bayeux

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

Rouen  (c) CRT Normandie

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.

 

 

Le Havre (c) Franck Godard

Le Havre

The quality of the light in Le Havre inspired Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise.

The town centre, rebuilt after the war in a modernist style, is recognised by Unesco as a world heritage site.

Texts © Normandy Tourist Board