There’s the world-famous Camembert, which is creamy and soft. Normandy doesn’t lack in the cheese department, and each of the famous four has a hometown you can visit. It’s used in a chiding manner, but let’s be real: French cheese is something that deserves a big fuss. In French, there’s a saying “en faire tout un fromage”, which essentially means to make a big fuss, or cheese, out of something. Sample Camembert on a Normandy cheese tour Visit in the afternoon for more breathing room. Planning tip: The Memorial Museum, despite a deceptively grand entrance, can get really crowded in the mornings with tour groups. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, head to Le Bouchon Du Vaugueux for a taste of traditional dishes of the terroir made from locally-sourced seasonal products in a snug and convivial space – hone your French-listening skills by eavesdropping on neighboring conversations. Despite the breadth of information, there is an uniquely intimate glimpse of the past offered through artefacts: shoes and uniforms that belonged to the actual soldiers, newspapers and propaganda of the day and even a wartime wedding dress made from a parachute. One of the most visited memorials by the French, this sprawling museum covers an immense amount of ground (plan at least three hours). On rainy days (chances: high, bring an umbrella), you can head inside to the Caen Memorial Museum that sits atop an old German bunker. With tours available in both English and French, you’ll visit the castle, town hall, and both the men’s monastery ( L’Abbaye-aux-Hommes) and the nunnery ( L’Abbaye-aux-Dames). Today you can still spot stone houses from the Middle Ages in the Vaugueux neighbohood, and history buffs should check out this unique tour with Viking specialist, Laurence. Tour Caen Castle and visit the Caen Memorial MuseumĬaen is the capital city of the Calvados department of Normandy and has a history going back to Roman times. You could also save up to 30% on train fares. Planning tip: If you’re making the trip from Paris, book train tickets in advance online. Equestrian fans can head to the Deauville-La Touques racecourse, where the fiberglass sand track allows for races even in the winter, or sit on a plush leather chair and test your luck at one of the many spinning bright lights of the slot machines at the Casino Barriere. If proximity to fame makes you hungry, get the perfect meal at L’Etoile Sur Mers where you can pick out seafood that will freshly cookedand served (though the uni – or sea urchin – is exceptional raw). Along the shore you’ll find Les Planches, 1920s wooden art-deco changing cabins bearing the names of Hollywood stars who’ve attended the town’s yearly fall American film festival. There you’ll find locals with their sunglasses on and sleeves rolled, strolling in loose linen outfits that perfectly match the white sand beaches dotted with colorful umbrellas. One popular destination is the glamorous beachside town Deauville. Holiday like a Parisian in seaside Deauvilleįor those with busy schedules that want to carve out a weekend with fresher seaside air, a quick train ride will take you from the bustling French capital to the calmer and more relaxed shores of the Côte Fleurie. Hollywood stars are named at the beach huts on Deauville's seafront © Rosanne de Vries / Shutterstock 1. For those who are in need of a deep breath of fresh air, here are the very best things to do, eat and see in Normandy that’ll leave you wanting to come back for more. Then there’s La Basse Normandie, or lower Normandy, which is much farther from the country’s capital and offers sights and tastes a bit more off-the-beaten-track. There’s La Normandie Haut, or upper Normandy aka the Parisian’s Normandie, accessible by train and dotted with beachgoers and casino gamblers in Deauville and Trouville. Beyond the shores lies much to discover: a rich literary history, four protected designation of origin cheeses, and of course, the iconic Mont St-Michel, a surreal Gothic abbey dating from the 13th century set on top of an island that appears to float like a mystical dream on water during high tide.īut the floating abbey is just the tip of an iceberg of things to do in the region, which can be divided into two main sections. It’s known for its bucolic countryside and impossibly long stretches of beach where the famous D-Day landings took place during WWII. Normandy: the northwest region of France rolls off an English-speaking tongue as easily as a French one.
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