If you’re planning your move to Normandy, you’ll soon see that the region has a wide range of travel options. Whether you want to explore your new home or find the best commute, Normandy makes travel a breeze. There are transport solutions for every situation: cars, bikes, trains, buses, boats and planes.
Hit the road!
Driving tends to be the most flexible way to get around Normandy with the region’s excellent road network. Motorways and A-roads take you to the region’s biggest towns. A-roads cover the entire region.
Car hire
Car hire comes in handy if you don’t have your own vehicle. You can pick up self-service cars from transport services in Caen-la-Mer (Twisto), Vire-Normandie (Écomobil) and Isigny-sur-Mer.
Car sharing
Car sharing is an inexpensive and eco-friendly option. Apps like BlaBlaCar, Karos and Klaxit connect drivers and passengers.
EV chargers
The region has lots of EV chargers to welcome electric car drivers. Use the interactive map on the Normandie Tourisme website to find your nearest one.
Train travel
If you prefer to take the train, Normandy has an all-encompassing railway network with 21 TER regional services and 4 national services. The train is the perfect way to reach the region’s towns in modern comfort. View the interactive map of Normandy’s services and stations to help plan your trips
Major railways in Normandy
5 national services run through Normandy:
- Caen – Le Mans – Tours
- Paris – Rouen – Le Havre
- Paris – Caen – Cherbourg/Trouville-Deauville
- Paris – Argentan – Granville
- Paris – Evreux – Serquigny
On top of that, there are 20 regional services and bus networks covering the entire region.
On-board services
Regional trains provide a range of services so you can enjoy your trip: Wi-Fi, plug sockets, luggage and bike storage, hot drink machines and disabled access.
Catch the bus
Normandy’s bus network is huge and covers both urban and countryside areas.
Nomad is the Normandy transport network (outside town) handling trains, coaches, school buses, demand-responsive transport and car sharing. 130 interurban bus routes run through the region and make travel a breeze for locals.
Find out more about the Nomad transport network
Transport networks in the main towns and cities
- Twisto in Caen-la-Mer
- Astuces in and around Rouen (free on Saturday!)
Did you know? Réseau Astuces members can travel by bus, subway or Nomad train at 8 train station in the Rouen area using just one e-ticket: the M-ticket MyAstuce pass. - Réseau Lia in and around Le Havre
- Transurbain in Evreux Portes de Normandie
- CapCotentin in Cherbourg (you can catch the bus to Rennes from here!)
- Réseau Alto in Alençon
Prices and tickets
Prices depend on journey times and passes. You can buy your tickets online or at local points of sale. The Nomad Car app provides real-time information about timetables and disruption.
Cycling
The many bike paths and routes in Normandy make it the perfect region for keen cyclists.
Bike paths
Explore the region’s best-known cycling routes:
- Véloscénie taking you from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel.
- VéloWestNormandy from Bayeux to the D-Day Beaches.
- Seine à Vélo along the Seine from Paris.
- Vélo Francette taking you down Western France.
Bike hire
You can hire regular bikes and e-bikes in several towns and villages. Normandy’s bigger towns provide self-service bike hire schemes such as in Rouen (Lovélo) and Evreux (Véloo). Visit Tourist Information for further details.
Boat travel
Normandy is one of the biggest French maritime regions with commercial ports and harbours making ferry travel a breeze.
Normandy ports
- Le Havre: France’s number 1 container port.
- Rouen: France’s main grain port.
- Cherbourg
- Caen-Ouistreham: Food, agriculture and timber imports
- Dieppe
Normandy has 34 ports including 9 commercial ports.
Ferry services
Ferries provide transport to the Channel Islands, Britain and Ireland.
- The Dieppe-Newhaven crossing is the shortest way to reach London and soak up traditional sea resorts such as Brighton and Eastbourne on the south coast (DFDS Ferries).
- The Le Havre-Portsmouth ferry puts you within a 2 hour drive of London (Brittany Ferries).
- Set sail on a 6 hour trip from Caen-Ouistreham to Portsmouth with up to 3 crossings per day (Brittany Ferries).
- Catch the ferry from Cherbourg to reach Portsmouth and Poole (UK) in 4.5 hours (Brittany Ferries).
- The Cherbourg-Rosslare ferry is your ticket to explore Ireland’s Ancient East, Wicklow and Dublin (Brittany Ferries).
- Jersey, Guernsey, Sark and Alderney from Granville, Carteret and Diélette (Manches Iles Express).
- Granville to the Chausey Islands (Vedettes Jolie France).
Plane travel
Normandy has five airports and a wide range of domestic and international destinations for longer journeys.
Normandy airports
- Caen-Carpiquet: French and Corsican destinations.
- Deauville-Normandie: European and North African destinations.
- Le Havre-Octeville: Domestic and European flights.
- Cherbourg-Maupertus: Charter flights.
- Rouen-Vallée de Seine: Business travel.
Destinations
You can fly to over 50 destinations from Normandy:
14 French cities: Ajaccio, Bastia, Biarritz, Bordeaux, Brest, Calvi, Figari, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, Toulouse.
12 countries: UK (Southampton), Croatia (Dubrovnik), Spain (Malaga, Minorca, Palma de Mallorca/Balearic Islands) Greece (Corfu, Heraklion, Kos, Rhodes), Ireland (Kerry), Italy (Olbia/Sardinia, Palermo/Sicily, Brindisi/Puglia), Jordan (Amman), Malta, Morocco (Agadir, Marrakech), Portugal (Algarve, Madeira), Slovenia (Ljubljana) and major European capitals with connections in Lyon.
Sustainable transport and innovations
Normandy is a trail-blazer in terms of sustainable transport:
- Hydrogen bus: Nomad Car Hydrogène is the first coach retrofitted with hydrogen fuel cells.
- B100 biofuel trains: The Paris-Granville service is fuelled by 100% rapeseed biofuel to reduce emissions.
- Sustainable electric cars: The first repurposed electric Twingos by the LORMAUTO start-up.
For further information about local transport options, please visit the Region’s website and Normandie Tourisme’s website.