This list of best places to see in Normandy It will help you prepare a route through one of the most impressive regions of France and Europe.
Located in the northwest of France and bordering the English Channel, Normandy impresses with its landscapes of vertiginous cliffs, beautiful fishing villages and having one of the wonders of the world, Mont Saint-Michel.
In addition to visiting all these jewels, the transcendental Landing of Normandy occurred on its beaches, a historic moment that changed the course of World War II and of which many remains are still preserved.
To know all this area it is advisable to make a circular route of 4 to 7 days, landing at the nearby Beauvais airport and renting a car.
Based on the experience of our trip to Normandy, we have made this list of what we think are the 10 essential places to visit in Normandy. We start!
1. Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel, a small rocky island located at the mouth of the Couesnon River, is one of the most essential places to see in Normandy and one of the most beautiful jewels to see in France.
This fantastic enclave, which is the cover of more than one travel catalog, will leave you speechless when you have it in front and exceed all your previous expectations.
We would start the visit stopping at the side of the road that takes you to Mont Saint-Michel, to have the first images from afar for once at the entrance and at low tide, stroll through the area of sand that surrounds the wall of the People and make the best photos.
Once inside the town we advise you to go up its medieval streets to the top, where the abbey that gives its name to this impressive place is located.
This Benedictine abbey, declared a World Heritage Site, stands out for its beautiful cloister and church, as well as having fantastic views of the surroundings. You can book the ticket in advance and without queues here.
Once the visit is complete, we recommend entering early to not coincide with the organized groups, you can take a more complete walk through the town and eat in one of its restaurants.
Another option, which is very worthwhile is to sleep in a hotel within the town, such as the Auberge Saint Pierre, to see how the rise of the tide surrounds the island and to walk quietly through its streets when the vast majority of Tourists have already left. You can check the time of rise and fall of the tide on this page.
If you have a tighter budget, we recommend you stay in the nearby town of Beauvoir, just 5 kilometers away. We were at the charming Hotel Chambres les Salles, which has free parking, a very friendly owner and a full breakfast.
If you do not have a rental car and you are staying in Paris you can know this wonder of the world by booking this day trip by bus with a guide in Spanish.
Visiting hours of the abbey: every day from 9 am to 7 pm from May to August, the other months from 9:30 am to 6 pm.
Mont Saint Michel
2. Normandy Landing Beaches
The morning of June 6, 1944, date known as the "Day D"Thousands of Allied troops landed on the Normandy Beaches that would change the course of history and World War II.
The allies conquered 80 kilometers of beaches, which had the code names of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, after terrible fighting with German artillery and soldiers.
This landing was only the first step of the code call Operation Overlord, which would end the liberation of Europe from the Nazi occupation.
To see the remains of this battle you can approach Omaha Beach, where one of the bloodiest battles between Germans and Americans took place and where a few meters away is the moving American Cemetery where almost 10,000 American soldiers are buried, all with a white cross .
Other points to see in Normandy related to this war are Pointe du Hoc, where you will find remains of the German artillery and where you can enter a bunker, the German cemetery of La Cambe, Arromanches where you can see pieces of the artificial port that was built to the landing of heavy material and to finish the Batteries of Longues, where you can see the best preserved German battery.
Normandy Landing Beaches
3. Cliffs of Étretat
Another of the best things to do in Normandy It is a hiking trail through the impressive Cliffs of Étretat.
These vertical cliffs located in the town of Étretat, are famous for their natural arch of more than 70 meters known as the needle eye that have also served as a claim for many artists, such as Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet, who were amazed before this landscape.
From the top of the cliffs you will have magnificent views of the different natural rock formations resulting from the erosion of the sea such as the Manneporte and the English Channel.
After the path walking over the cliffs you can have a picnic in a green area next to a beautiful church and get off to cool off on its long pebble beach.
Cliffs of Etretat
4. Honfleur, one of the villages to see in Normandy
Honfleur, located in the southern part of the Seine River estuary, is one of the prettiest cities to visit in Normandy which highlights its great jewel: the Vieux Bassin, an interior pier of 1681 surrounded by beautiful buildings of colored facades and sailboats.
In addition to going around the harbor, it is worth getting lost in the narrow streets of the Sainte-Catherine fishing district, full of beautiful half-timbered houses and ending in the church of Santa Catalina in 1468.
If you come during the summer season you will find the city overflowing with people, with an animation that, despite what you might think, gives it a much warmer air and even the decorate.
Honfleur, one of the places to visit in Normandy
5. They fall
Fall, an important point in World War II, is another of the cities to see in Normandy.
Despite the bombings he suffered during the "Day D", this city still retains a broad architectural heritage, one of the most interesting places being the Memorial of Caen, a Peace Museum built on a German bunker, in which the defense of the Normandy beaches was coordinated.
After reviewing the history, you can visit the tourist attractions of the city such as the medieval quarter, the Saint-Pierre church, the castle, the Renaissance house of Escoville and the Abbey of Men.
6. Giverny
The small town of Giverny, where the great French painter Claude Monet lived, is another of the places to see in Normandy.
Monet, one of the creators of Impressionism, found inspiration in this town located on a hill and surrounded by fields and green meadows, after renting a house for a few years, acquiring a larger one where he designed some Japanese-style gardens and water gardens with the water lilies as protagonists, which he embodied in several of his masterpieces.
Once Monet died, the house and gardens were restored to make it an essential museum during a route through Normandy.
Visiting hours: every day from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to October.
Giverny, one of the places to see in Normandy
7. Deauville
Another of the best things to do in Normandy It is a walk along the glamorous beach of Deauville, which highlights its booths with names of American movie stars, colored striped umbrellas and the beautiful wooden walk of Les Planches.
After taking a bath at the most famous beach in Normandy, you can explore the town where you will find everything from luxury hotels and shops, a casino, two racetracks, a golf course, to a beautiful local market in Morny Square.
Deauville
8. Rouen
Rouen, a city that despite suffering major bombings during World War II still retains an interesting historical-artistic heritage, is another of the most essential places to see in Normandy.
A route through Rouen has to include the fantastic Notre-Dame cathedral, the beautiful Saint-Maclou Church, the Gros-Horloge clock, the Abbey Saint-Ouen, the Palace of Justice, the Aître Saint-Maclou cemetery and the Museum of Fine Arts Arts.
Two other places in Rouen with great historical importance such as the Old Market Square and the Jeanne d'Arc Tower, places where the trial was held and the great French heroine Joan of Arc was burned in 1431.
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
9. Le Havre
Le Havre, almost completely destroyed during World War II, has managed to resurface from its ashes to become another of the essential places to visit in Normandy.
The reconstruction of the city during the post-war years, by Augustu Perret, was so excellent that it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
Among its jewels, the Saint-Joseph church stands out with a fantastic octagonal lantern tower 110 meters high and it is also worth climbing to the Town Hall viewpoint, see the Perret pilot apartment, enter the cultural center "The volcano", visit the Maison de l'Armateur, tour the Museum of Modern Art and reach the port.
Le havre
10. Bayeux
Bayeux, the first city released by the Allies after the "Day D", is one of the prettiest to see in Normandy, which highlights its main tourist attraction: the hand-embroidered tapestry of the eleventh century, which in its almost 70 meters long, tells the Norman conquest of England by William I , the Conqueror.
Another of the most visited places is the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy, which exposes great information with original objects and photographs of this historical moment and near the city, a war cemetery, where hundreds of allied soldiers were buried.
After visiting these two points, we recommend you take a walk through the old town that preserves medieval architecture and has its great reference in the 1077 Cathedral.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to see in Normandy, add yours in the comments.
