Holidays in Normandy...any tips on places not to miss?

Question

I am going to Normandy, in Bayeux to be more precise.

Any places that are nice to visit? I am going there driving from Calais, so any nice places on the way?

Thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

Number one place for me is the Mont St. Michel, the peninsula  with a hill village that  has a the Mont Aaint Michel Abbey on top of it.  The place becomes an island in the evening, when the road connecting it to mainland is submerged by high tide.  

Next is Rouen, of Joan of Arc fame.  A place that offers very nice museums with huge beautiful story-telling tapestries.  

The invasion beaches or the D-Day beaches.  

I've been to Caen as well but can't remember the attraction but I know that ll those places offer a good number of museums.  And of course the castle.

Don't forget Claude Monet's Giverny Gardens.  

Enjoy the open markets in these places in Normandie usually held on Saturdays wherever you may get the chance to see them. A lot of nice cheeses and other farm products are available.

BTW, in Bayeux where you specifically are going, you will see the production of the beautiful tapestries the region is famous for.  I haven't been there though.

Answer 2

Another good reason to visit the Bayeux museum : there is a display about the Vikings until May 2 2007.

http://www.norvege.no/history/upto1814/e...

Other areas reachable from Bayeux that I would advise not to miss.

- Honfleur: visit it on a Saturday morning to take advantage of the market and purchase some nice Normand food

http://www.offrench.net/photos/gallery-6...

- Marais Vernier: an area near Honfleur that has the highest concentration of typical normand houses (chaumières)

http://www.offrench.net/photos/gallery-6...

- Houlgate and Cabourg: nice seafront towns

- Cliffs of Etretat

http://www.offrench.net/photos/gallery-6...

- Port en Bessin: very nice fishing town

If you are interested in the battle of Normandy, you are spoilt for choices of areas to visit in or near Bayeux:

- Normandy battle museum in Bayeux: far better than the Caen memorial in my opinion

- Arromanches museum

- Pegasus Bridge and nearby museum

- Merville battery museum

- Pointe du Hoc

I only mentioned areas that are reasonably close to Bayeux, but Normandy is large and there are plenty of other things to see (Sainte Mère Eglise, Mount Saint Michel...)

Answer 3

Depends what you like:

In Bayeux, you'll find the 'tapisserie de la reine Mathilde'

Arround Bayeux and Caen, there are many place about WW2

To go across the Seine river, you can make a detour and go thru ' le pont de Normandie' (hudge bridge)

Arround Lisieux, there the 'Basilic Sainte Therese'.

You also can visit the distillerie ' Calvados pere magloire' - aged apple brandy.

If you drive a bit further, you can get to Mont Saint Michel...

Answer 4

As the other respondant said, don't miss the Bayeux Tapestry. It tells the story of William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hasting. Even if that doesn't interest you, see it just to be amazed at the amount of time and effort that went into making it! I did miss it, but a few years ago I saw a replica of it in a museum.. helps if you know some Latin! Calais to Bayeux will be a beautiful drive! You may go through Rouen. This is the town where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. There is a church at that spot. The cathedral in Rouen is magnificent, one of my very favorites. If you are familiar with Monet's work, he did a series on the cathedral in Rouen. The town is very beautiful.. I would not miss Rouen. One city I highly recommend is Saint Malo. It is out past Bayeux a bit but well worth a day trip if possible. The old part of the city is walled and it is right on the English Channel. Of course Mont St. Michel is in the neighborhood as well. Because you will be traveling along the coast of Normandy, you won't miss the many memorials and monuments and cemeteries dedicated to those who lost their lives there in World War II. If history is your thing, you won't be disappointed. There is either a peace or war musuem (I know they're opposites) in either Honfleur or Caen... I'm having a little trouble remembering which one but it was very interesting. Have fun!