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With some 640km of coastline and over 15 million visits every year, Normandy was listed among Lonely Planet’s top 10 regions in the world for 2019 and has gained admirers across the globe. Boasting a wide variety of landscapes, unforgettable cuisine and remarkable historic places, from Deauville to Le Havre to Bayeux, this is the perfect region for recharging your batteries, be it for a weekend, a short break or an extended holiday to get away from it all. With four cross-Channel ports in close proximity and the French capital of Paris just one hour away by train or car – are you ready to experience Normandy?

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Got a specific project in mind or any further questions? Visit our partner website for more information :

 

en.normandie-tourisme.fr

 

secrets-normands.com

 

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Ben Collier

Diverse landscapes and activities

The term bocage normand evokes the region’s beautiful, traditional hedgerow-lined fields and country lanes. Equally unforgettable are its cliffs (most spectacular at Etretat, made famous by Claude Monet and the fictional French sleuth, Arsène Lupin), its fine mix of forests and plains, and its many sandy and shingle beaches.

Découverte des arches d'Etretat en paddle ©Danielle Dumas
Découverte des arches d'Etretat en paddle ©Danielle Dumas

A change of scene

Sporty types and lovers of the great outdoors will appreciate the 30 or so golf courses dotted around the region, the surfing beaches on the Cotentin peninsula and the network of greenways leading cyclists through majestic surroundings. For culture, stroll through the archetypal Normandy port of Honfleur, discover art in the Monumental Forest near Rouen, admire the multi-coloured parasols on the beach in Deauville, or venture off the beaten track to learn about the unique skills preserved by French State-recognised living heritage companies (EPVs in French), such as the Bohin needle factory in the Orne département. There’s something in Normandy to please everyone!

 

Whether it’s after visiting a typical Normandy fishing port like Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, watching an equestrian show at prestigious national stud the Haras du Pin, or an invigorating walk along the cliffs of the Alabaster Coast on the GR21 national hiking trail (voted France’s favourite trail in 2020), visitors to Normandy can always expect a warm welcome and a relaxing stay at the end of the day at one of the region’s many exceptional hotels.

©Julien Hélie / Normandie Attractivité
Le chef étoilé Charles T huilant dans son restaurant L'Essentiel à Deauville ©Julien Hélie / Normandie Attractivité

Local produce and cuisine

Quality and authenticity: These two words sum up the traditional products made in Normandy. Our cuisine is renowned around the world, particularly our dairy products, meat and seafood, as well as our apple-based beverages. From Livarot cheese to Calvados apple brandy, not forgetting Camembert, scallops, cider and delicious fresh cream… foodies’ taste buds will tingle at the very thought of them!

 

With no fewer than 14 regional products carrying the French AOC and AOP labels and four carrying the IGP label, Normandy is considered one of the richest, most recognised culinary areas in Europe, and a visit here is always a treat for people who appreciate fine food and culinary delights. There are fine restaurants aplenty; in fact, Normandy can boast numerous Michelin-starred chefs who very often cook using all local and organic produce.

Deauville,  ©Béatrice Augier
Deauville, ©Béatrice Augier

A wealth of history and culture

Visitors can take their pick from a vast choice of historic monuments in Normandy, including world-famous sites such as the unmissable UNESCO-listed Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay. But did you know that the city centre of Le Havre, designed by architect Auguste Perret and rebuilt following the Second World War, as well as the Vauban-designed towers on Tatihou Island and in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

 

From the unmissable Mémorial de Caen (a museum dedicated to the history of war and the preservation of peace) to the medieval Bayeux Tapestry, history buffs can visit so many evocative sites. Also to choose from are the famous D-Day Landing Beaches, Château-Gaillard aka Richard the Lionheart’s Castle and the medieval hilltop town of Domfront.

Forêt de Bellême en automne ©Sabina Lorkin
Foret de Bêllleme en automne - Champignons - Orne - Normandie © Sabina Lorkin @anibasphotography

Normandy’s cultural scene is also buzzing. Known as the birthplace of Impressionism, with one of its most famous Impressionist sites being none other than Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny, contemporary art is also celebrated in the region, with the likes of A Summer in Le Havre, a yearly cultural programme which started in 2017. The region also regularly organises large-scale events such as the annual Normandy for Peace World Forum in Caen, the Rouen Armada Maritime Festival taking place every four years and the annual Jazz Under the Apple Trees festival in Coutances. For those after more low-key and lesser-known experiences, why not download the Normandy Secrets mobile app and check out all of the recommendations made by Normandy locals?

Plage du débarquement, ©Julien Hélie / Normandie Attractivité
Plage du débarquement, ©Julien Hélie / Normandie Attractivité

Key figures

1
million
visits to tourist sites and attractions every year
1
km2

  • Five départements (French counties)

1

  • regional products carrying the AOC and AOP labels. Four regional products carrying the IGP label.

1

  • regional natural parks. Two national studs.

1
national studs.

Testimonial

Graham is an auto-entrepreneur based near Dieppe. He serves on a number of UK and French Company and not for profit Boards as a Non-Executive Director, Chair and Director and does this all from Normandy in France.

Graham Precey

Graham is an auto-entrepreneur based near Dieppe. He serves on a number of UK and French Company and not for profit Boards as a Non-Executive Director, Chair and Director and does this all from Normandy in France.

 

“I first discovered Normandy as a kid when I grew up in Newhaven and had many day trips to France. What was once over the horizon from Sussex is now a reality of day-to-day living, working, resting and playing for friends and family. I’ve travelled the world for work and settled in Normandy as a place of equilibrium.

 

There is nothing better than spending a day connected to the world through client calls and then relaxing in a beautiful Franglais Garden enjoying locally sourced French products. There are plenty of beautiful places to visit across Normandy that simply take your breath away like Giverny, Etretat and my favourite, Quiberville Beach or “Quibs” as we call it locally!

 

Normandy is hugely connected to the world at large for a number of reasons. Dieppe is in the middle of the Paris to London Corridor. We are very lucky here to have the Dieppe to Newhaven Ferry service to provide relaxing access between the UK and France.

 

Normandy has much more space to think, experiment, work and play. It’s ironic that only 100km North in Sussex UK there is one of the most densely populated regions, most expensive houses and rents, highest commuting distances and highest costs of living. In Normandie you don’t feel any of those pressures. My commute sometime to Normandy Eco Space in Dieppe to meet with fellow French, Dutch and UK entrepreneurs is often only interrupted by a tractor!

 

Living in Normandy has made me much more sensitive and tuned into seasonal living. I can feel the seasons because of the food and drink available and watching the fishing ports and farmers change their activity. The stars are much brighter here too because of limited light pollution and big skies. A good place for big thinking!

 

A Normandy lifestyle definitely satisfies the need to engage my heart, mind and soul in work rest and play. In equal measure.

 

When I first arrived here two years ago after running a pop-up shop for Sussex based products in Dieppe, producing a Cross Channel Film called ‘Seaside Town’ and co-founding the Start-up Cruise for 200 UK and French entrepreneurs, I soon realised that you can actually have the best of both worlds by living and working here.

 

I’ve been amazed about the amount of business innovation here right under your nose. If there is one thing that French professional culture needs to do more of it is to shout louder about its good work. I’ve discovered that Normandy is innovating the way that Linen is used to create modern composite materials, sports cars are being electrified, scallop shell extracts are being used in 3D printers, tiny houses are being created to help people get their first homes and algae is being used to create a new breed of micro plastics! We are even the home of Thomas Pesquet whose International Space Station can be seen in the clear skies over Normandy on a regular basis. I’m convinced he is waving back!

 

The business innovations here are impactful and amazing and should be discovered by the rest of the world. In a previous life I was part of an investment team for a London based financial services”

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