Visits

Gardens of Giverny

Impressionism, one of the major artistic movements in the history of art, originated in Normandy. Eugène Boudin, Raoul Dufy, Marcel Duchamp were born there while Claude Monet, William Turner, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, Paul Gauguin, Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso stayed there and fell in love with the different shades of color of the Normandy countryside.

Discover Claude Monet’s house in Giverny and more specifically its gardens full of flower and water (water lilies), the source of his greatest inspirations. Visit the Eugene Boudin Museum in Honfleur, dedicated to the famous painter and which also houses works by Louis-Alexandre Dubourg, Claude Monet Adolphe-Felix Cals as well as Johan Barthold Jongkind. You could also follow in the footsteps of artists and explore the streets of Honfleur and Le Havre (Départ de Honfleur, Johan Barthold Jongkind, Le Havre, sortie du Port, Eugène Boudin), the beaches of Trouville and Deauville (Plage aux environs de Trouville, Eugene Boudin, Sur les planches de Trouville, Claude Monet) or the cliffs of Etretat and Fécamp (Les falaises d’Etretat après la tempête, Gustave Courbet, La Falaise de Fécamp, Claude Monet).

Called land of the Norsemen by the Vikings in 911, Normandy has a rich historical heritage. Wander around the Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay, 'a true marvel of the West', discover the Bayeux Tapestry which tells the tale of the conquest of England, visit Rouen where Joan of Arc was burnt during the Hundred Year War, immerse yourself in the midst the castle era (Gaillard, Harcourt, Falaise, Caen ...) or, stroll through the seaside resorts built along the coast in the nineteenth century.

D-DAY AND BEACH BATTLEFIELDS

Beach Battlefields © Louis Bourdon  

Normandy was also at the heart of the settlement of a major conflict in world history, World War II. The Germans occupied the region from May 1940 and built the famous Mur de l’Atlantique (450,000 workers, 11 million tons of concrete), to guard against a possible landing... which took place June 6, 1944 on the shores of the Calvados and the Manche regions (more than 20,000 vehicles, 155,000 soldiers, boats, paratroopers, etc..) giving immense hope and paving the way for the liberation of France (with the famous Battle of Normandy). To learn more about this period of history, visit the excellent Mémorial de Caen and discover the sites of the best known battles thanks to Deauville Thomas Cook Agency (mini-van and bilingual tour guide).

Huitres normandes © G. Wait 

Normandy is known for its culinary expertise and the great quality of its produce. Apples are the main ingredient of cider products: taste the cider and the Calvados from the Pays d'Auge, the pommeau or the trou normand. The quality of Normandy milk gives rich and tasty produce such as butter, cream of Isigny, the inevitable Camembert, as well as Livarot and Pont l'Eveque cheeses. Awaken your taste buds with sweet treats such as confiture de lait, caramel d’Isigny, teurgoule or sablés d’Asnelles.  Normandy is also not left wanting in terms of meat, with andouille de Vire, Caen tripe and seafood specialties such as oysters, scallops, shrimp from Honfleur, mussels and Trouville mackerel.