Normandy
5
Day Itinerary •
France
Five days in Normandy reveals the full extraordinary depth of France's most historically rich region. Beyond Mont Saint-Michel and the D-Day beaches lie Monet's garden at Giverny, the extraordinary cider and calvados country of the Pays d'Auge, the beautiful harbour town of Honfleur that gave birth to Impressionism, and the hidden abbeys and chateaux of the Norman countryside. This route covers the complete hidden Normandy. The tidal island and its pilgrimage history, the D-Day coast and its extraordinary moving memorials, the cathedral city of Rouen, Monet's house and garden at Giverny, the extraordinary Pays d'Auge cider route and the most beautiful harbour in northern France at Honfleur.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Fly into Paris then drive 2 hours or fly to Caen (CFR)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 90 to 140 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
MONT SAINT-MICHEL
MORNING
MIDDAY
THE ABBEY OF MONT SAINT-MICHEL
Continuously occupied since 966 AD. The Gothic church, the extraordinary Merveille buildings with monks' dormitory, refectory and cloister, and the view from the abbey terrace over the bay are extraordinary. Entry approx 11 euros. Drive: 1 hour ramparts walk
AFTERNOON
THE ISLAND AFTER THE CROWDS LEAVE
The tour buses leave by 5pm. From then the island is entirely different. Walk the side streets off the Grande Rue. Eat dinner on the island. Watch the tide return across the sands in the evening light.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The island is most extraordinary at night when floodlit from below. Overnight visitors have the entire site to themselves after 6pm. The sound of the sea returning across the sands in the dark is one of the most extraordinary natural experiences in France.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Boulangerie in Pontorson Coffee before the bay crossing. Buy provisions for the walk. | Lunch: La Mere Poulard The legendary omelettes cooked in long-handled pans since 1888. Expensive and extraordinary. | Dinner: Auberge Saint-Pierre Stay overnight and dine after the day visitors have gone. The island at night is extraordinary.
DAY 2
D-DAY BEACHES
MORNING
OMAHA BEACH AND THE AMERICAN CEMETERY
Where 2,000 American soldiers died in the first hours of 6 June 1944. The 9,387 white marble crosses at Colleville-sur-Mer and the view from the cemetery overlook over Omaha Beach is one of the most moving in Europe. Free. Drive: 30 min drive to Pointe du Hoc
MIDDAY
POINTE DU HOC AND BAYEUX TAPESTRY
The jagged headland where Rangers scaled 30-metre cliffs under fire. The craters and bunkers remain exactly as in 1944. Free. Then the Bayeux Tapestry: 70 metres of extraordinary 1070 embroidery depicting the Norman conquest. Entry approx 10 euros. Drive: 20 min drive to Bayeux
AFTERNOON
BAYEUX, THE FIRST LIBERATED TOWN
The finest town in Normandy. The Norman Gothic cathedral is extraordinary. The Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie gives the finest overall D-Day account. Entry approx 8 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The German military cemetery at La Cambe near Omaha is one of the most extraordinary and least visited D-Day sites. 21,222 German soldiers are buried under flat basalt crosses in a deeply sombre landscape. The contrast with the American cemetery is profound and deeply moving. Free to visit.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Boulangerie near Omaha Coffee before the beaches. Morning light on Omaha is extraordinary. | Lunch: Restaurant in Bayeux Local moules mariniere, camembert and calvados tart. | Dinner: Le Moulin de la Galette, Bayeux Outstanding traditional Norman. Local duck and excellent cidre bouche.
DAY 3
ETRETAT AND ROUEN
MORNING
ETRETAT, THE WHITE ARCH CLIFFS
The most extraordinary coastal landscape in France. Monet painted the arches 40 times. The clifftop walk from the village to the Manneporte arch takes 40 minutes. The Falaise d'Aval arch and the Aiguille needle rising from the sea are extraordinary at sunrise. Free. Drive: 1.5 hours drive to Rouen
MIDDAY
ROUEN, THE CITY OF A HUNDRED SPIRES
One of the finest medieval cities in France. The half-timbered labyrinth around the cathedral Monet painted 30 times. The Place du Vieux Marche where Joan of Arc was burned in 1431. The Gros Horloge 14th-century astronomical clock spanning the main street. Drive: 15 min walk to museum
AFTERNOON
ROUEN CATHEDRAL AND MUSEE DES BEAUX-ARTS
The tallest cathedral in France at 151 metres. Richard Lionheart's tomb inside. The Musee des Beaux-Arts has major Caravaggio and Velazquez works. Entry approx 5 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Impressionist trail along the Seine between Rouen and the coast traces exact locations where Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley painted their most famous works. The tourist office in Rouen provides the free map.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Etretat Coffee before the clifftop walk. Buy sea salt from the local shops. | Lunch: Le Homard Bleu, Etretat Fresh lobster, sole and local cider at the cliff village. | Dinner: Gill, Rouen Two Michelin stars on the Seine. Outstanding modern Norman cuisine. Book ahead.
DAY 4
GIVERNY AND THE SEINE VALLEY
MORNING
GIVERNY, MONET'S HOUSE AND GARDEN
Claude Monet lived at Giverny from 1883 until his death in 1926, creating the extraordinary garden that inspired his late Water Lilies series, considered among the most important works in the history of art. The Japanese water garden with its famous green bridge and the flower garden around the pink house are extraordinary. Entry approx 11 euros. Book ahead in summer. Arrive at 9am opening for the finest light and fewest visitors. Drive: 30 min drive to Les Andelys
MIDDAY
CHATEAU GAILLARD AND THE HIDDEN SEINE VALLEY
Chateau Gaillard at Les Andelys is the extraordinary ruined castle built by Richard I of England in just one year (1196 to 1197) on a dramatic cliff above the Seine loop. Richard called it his beautiful castle and it was considered impregnable. The view from the ruins over the extraordinary Seine meander below is one of the finest views in Normandy. Free to walk the ruins. Drive: 45 min drive to Lyons-la-Foret
AFTERNOON
LYONS-LA-FORET, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE IN FRANCE
Lyons-la-Foret is one of the finest and most perfectly preserved half-timbered villages in France, surrounded by the extraordinary Foret de Lyons, the finest beech forest in Europe according to UNESCO. Ravel composed his Bolero here. The extraordinary covered market hall from the 18th century is still used for the weekly market. The forest walks around the village are extraordinary.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Musee des Impressionnismes in Giverny gives the extraordinary full context of the Impressionist movement that was essentially born in this Seine valley. Entry approx 7 euros and often overlooked by visitors focusing only on Monet's garden.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Garden cafe at Giverny Coffee in the garden before it opens to the public. The best seat in Normandy. | Lunch: Restaurant in Les Andelys Traditional Norman lunch below the Richard Lionheart castle. | Dinner: Licorne, Lyons-la-Foret Outstanding traditional Norman restaurant in the finest half-timbered village. Local duck and cider.
DAY 5
PAYS D'AUGE AND HONFLEUR
MORNING
THE PAYS D'AUGE CIDER AND CALVADOS ROUTE
The Pays d'Auge is the most extraordinary food and drink landscape in Normandy, a rolling countryside of half-timbered farmhouses, apple orchards and dairy farms producing the finest camembert, livarot, pont-l'eveque and calvados in France. The Route du Cidre passes through a dozen extraordinary farm distilleries and cider makers offering tastings and direct sales. The village of Beuvron-en-Auge is the finest on the route, one of the most beautiful in France. Drive: 30 min drive to Camembert
MIDDAY
CAMEMBERT, THE VILLAGE OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS CHEESE
The village of Camembert in the Pays d'Auge gave its name to the most famous cheese in the world. The Manoir de Beaumoncel offers extraordinary visits to see the authentic camembert de Normandie AOP production, the only genuine version of the cheese. The extraordinary small museum tells the story of Marie Harel, who is said to have created the cheese in 1791. Entry approx 4 euros. Drive: 30 min drive to Honfleur
AFTERNOON
HONFLEUR, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HARBOUR IN NORTHERN FRANCE
Honfleur is the most beautiful harbour town in northern France, a perfectly preserved 17th-century port of extraordinary narrow houses up to seven storeys tall reflected in the Vieux Bassin. The extraordinary Eglise Sainte-Catherine, the largest wooden church in France, was built entirely by shipwrights after the Hundred Years War using ship construction techniques. Boudin, Courbet, Monet and Seurat all painted here. The most beautiful end to a Normandy journey.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Pont de Normandie above Honfleur is one of the finest cable-stayed bridges in the world, 2,141 metres long, connecting Normandy to Le Havre across the Seine estuary. The view from the bridge over the estuary and the Seine valley is extraordinary. Free to cross by car.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Farm cider house, Pays d'Auge Calvados and fresh cider straight from the farm press. The most extraordinary breakfast aperitif. | Lunch: La Ferme Saint-Simeon, Honfleur The most celebrated restaurant in Honfleur in the inn where Monet, Boudin and Courbet painted. Book well ahead. | Dinner: Sa.Qua.Na, Honfleur Two Michelin stars in the most beautiful harbour in northern France. Book months ahead.
Where To Stay
Mont Saint-Michel, Night 1 Hotel la Mere Poulard on the island. Approx 150 to 280 euros per night. Bayeux, Night 2 Hotel du Lion d'Or. Approx 90 to 160 euros per night. Giverny or Lyons area, Nights 3 to 4 Chambre d'hote in the Seine valley. Approx 70 to 130 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Book the Mont Saint-Michel bay crossing guide months ahead. The tide waits for no one.
2. Stay overnight on the island. After 6pm the day visitors leave and you have it entirely to yourself.
3. The Bayeux Tapestry audio guide is essential. The 58 scenes take 90 minutes to understand fully.
4. Pointe du Hoc craters and bunkers are free and unchanged since
1944. Allow a full morning.
5. Etretat clifftop walk is best at sunrise. The arch lights up extraordinary gold for 20 minutes.
6. Normandy camembert must be bought at a market and eaten at room temperature. Never chilled.
Total Budget
85 to 140 euros/day