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Ahmed Samir
Ahmed Samir
Normandy is located in the north of France, on the southern coast of the English Channel. It covers an area of 30,627 m2, which is about 5% of France’s total area. In 2016, the Normandy area was reunited after being separated into two regions: Upper Normandy, with its capital Rouen, and Lower Normandy, with its capital Caen.
Normandy has six cities: Le Havre, Caen, Rouen, Cherbourg, Evreux, and Dieppe. Normandy became more famous after World War II when its largest military landing occurred on its beaches on 6 June 1944.
Aside from its long history and ancient sites, you will enjoy many activities, like fishing and sailing. It is also famous for its cuisine, especially cheese, such as Camembert, and local cider.
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Weather in Normandy
Normandy’s weather is moderate. Its summers are short, and its winters are long. The best time for tourists to visit Normandy is usually from June to September.
How to Reach Normandy
If you go to Normandy by plane, you will take off from Paris and go to Rouen or any other city in Normandy. If you want to go by train, you will take the train from Paris’s Saint-Lazare train station to any of the cities in Normandy. If you are in England, you can take the ferry from Portsmouth, and it might be the quickest mode of transportation for you from there.
Things to do in Normandy
After we’ve learned a little bit about Normandy, we’ll take you on a tour to see and discover this beautiful part of France, its history, nature, and cities, as well as what to do in this famous region.
1. Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a small rocky island in Normandy, 1 km from the French coast. Mont Saint-Michel is one of the famous attractions besides the Louvre Museum. At the top, about 100 meters up, you will find the Abbey of Saint-Michel. You can take a 200-meter path and then 350 steps to reach it.
The abbey was built in the 12th century. It has a serene Romanesque sanctuary and a glorious Gothic choir, and from there, you can take the stairs to a terrace to see a magnificent view of the sea. When there is a low tide, you can walk around with a guide, but during high tide, the place becomes an island, accessible by one road only.
2. Honfleur
Honfleur is one of the most famous cities in Normandy and Europe. It has beautiful cobblestone streets and many old half-timbered houses. Honfleur is famous for its old port, from which trips to Canada started in the 16th century. Another attraction in the harbour is the Maritime Museum, which will teach you about the history of fishing and shipbuilding in Honfleur.
The Eugene Boudin Museum is also a good choice for art lovers. It contains paintings and drawings of scenes of the Normandy coastline. Besides these two museums, there are many other attractions to visit in Honfleur, and you will love being there and having a great time.
3. Etretat Cliffs
Etretat Cliffs are located near Etretat on the coast of Normandy. They are 90 meters high, and the beaches there are unique in the summer. French artist Claude Monet was inspired by the place and spent the winter of 1868 painting the beautiful landscape and the sea.
4. Omaha Beach and Museum
Omaha Beach is the place where the US, British, French, and Canadian troops landed on 6 June 1994 to liberate France from the Germans, and it was called the Battle of Normandy. Omaha Beach extends for more than 10 km, and it saw the bloodiest fight in history, and many soldiers died there.
When you visit the beach, you will see the American Cemetery, which contains over 10,000 gravestones and is the biggest in Normandy. Also near Omaha Beach is the Overlord Museum, where you can see the history of the war and Paris’s liberation. The museum contains tanks, guns, soldiers’ items, etc.
5. Caen Memorial Museum
The city of Caen played an essential role in the liberation of France during World War II. More than half of the city was destroyed in the war, but its historical churches weren’t destroyed. Caen Memorial Museum, built in 1986, will teach you much about the war and the Battle of Normandy.
The memorial, which opened in 1988, contains three gardens dedicated to the Allied Forces in the Battle of Normandy. It also features gift shops, cafes, and restaurants.
6. Chateau de Fortaine-Henry
Chateau de Fontaine-Henry is one of the most beautiful to visit in Normandy. It is located about 14 km from Caen and was built in the 13th century. The chateau added some extensions in the Renaissance era, showing great examples of Gothic and Renaissance architecture in its stone façade. When you enter the chateau, you will see its beautiful furniture and paintings, and you will also find a chapel built in the 13th century beside it.
A forest surrounds the building, with a walking path and three gardens. These gardens are planted with vegetables: the Hortus Conclusus for religious meditation and spiritual reflection and the Gerbe du Parnasse garden.
7. Rouen
The old town of Rouen is a magnificent tourist destination. You will love the historical ambience, the winding cobblestone lanes, and the architecturally beautiful buildings. One of its top attractions is the Museum of Fine Arts, which is known as one of the top museums dedicated to fine arts in France.
Also, there is the famous Cathedral Notre-Dame, which is an hour from the town. It was built in the 11th century and is featured in some of Claude Monet’s paintings, showing many details in the cathedra’s façade at different times. Another great site to visit in Rouen is the famous astronomical clock, one of the oldest in the country.
8. Memorial Museum in Bayeux
This is another memorial museum located in the town of Bayeux. It provides an overview of wartime and an explanation of the battle of Normandy and D-Day from 6 June until the liberation of Paris on 25 August 1944.
Inside the museum, you will see many types of equipment used during the war, such as guns and jeeps. You can also watch a movie created by World War II historians explaining everything about the war, including the battle of Normandy.
9. Chateau de Caen
Chateau de Caen was built by the King of England, William the Conqueror, in 1060. It is one of Europe’s most significant medieval monuments and is an essential part of Caen’s heritage. It was a royal fortress and became an English stronghold in the Hundred Years’ War. It was also an army barracks during World War II.
When you enter the chateau, you will find out that there is a museum called the Normandy Museum. It is about Normandy’s history and culture. Also, you will find many significant collections of paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries inside.
10. Fecamp
Fecamp is the perfect place to spend your vacation in Normandy. The city was built in 1832 and was one of the first seaside resorts in France. While enjoying your vacation there, you can visit the old Abbey Church of Saint-Trinite, built between the 12th and 13th centuries. The interior is large, with a beautiful choir and Renaissance altar. To the north of Fecamp is the chapel of Notre-Dame du Salut, located on a high cliff.
11. Dieppe
Dieppe is a famous seaport, known as the most stylish seaside resort since 1924 when the Duchesse de Berry transformed the town by building a ballroom and a theatre and made it an important destination for tourists.
One of the nice places to visit is the Chateau de Dieppe, built in the 14th century. It contains the Dieppe Museum, which includes many paintings from the 15th century to today. You can also visit two churches: the Baroque Eglise Saint Remy and Eglise Saint-Jacques.
The International Kite Festival takes place there every two years, especially in September. In addition, you can enjoy many activities, such as sailing, fishing, and golf.
12. Claude Monet’s House and Gardens
Claude Monet was a famous French artist who lived in a house in Giverny from 1883 to 1926. The house, including his home and studio, is now a museum, just one hour away from Rouen.
If you are an art lover, you will like going there and exploring his house from the kitchen, bedroom, dining room, and sitting room. Also, there are gardens where you can see sunflowers, wisteria, a water lily pond, and a Japanese footbridge.
13. Arromanches D-day Museum
Arromanches is a town located in the northwest of France in the Normandy region, near Omaha Beach. The British Forces captured it in 1944 by installing artificial harbours because the town didn’t have a natural harbour.
The D-day museum is located near the constructed harbour; from there, you can still see the constructed harbour on the beach.
The museum explains the logistics and technical aspects of Operation Mulberry and how the harbour was built. Some models show how this harbour was operated. Near the museum, in a square called 6 June, are many cafes and restaurants.
14. Deauville
Deauville is also one of the best seaside resorts in Normandy. It is one of the top spots to visit in France, and it features 2 km of sandy shoreline, including places to rent parasols and lounge chairs. You can do many activities there, like sailing, golfing, and equestrian competitions. Deauville is famous for its events like the International Polo Championship and the Deauville American Film Festival.
15. Evreux
Evreux is about one hour drive from Rouen, one of the famous attractions there is the Notre-Dame Cathedral which was built in the 11th century. When you visit the cathedral, you will see its monumental nave, which still has Romanesque-era arches and was rebuilt in the 13th century in the Gothic style.
The Episcopal Palace, built in the 15th century, is now the Museum of Art, History, and Archeology. It contains paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries. You can also marvel at the magnificent Clock Tower, built in 1490.
