Normandy: land and sea, from the Pays d’Auge to the Fleurie coast
This short itinerary crosses postcard-perfect Normandy, which ranges from thatched cottages and bocage to chic seaside villas.
Inland, start with Livarot and Orbec, with their pretty half-timbered houses, then go up the Orbiquet valley, dotted with mills, to reach Lisieux, where you will visit Saint-Pierre cathedral and the basilica. Sainte-Therese.
Lovers of local products will not miss the Cambremer meetings, where many regional producers gather in May.
After a short visit to the charming villages of Beaumont-en-Auge or Beuvron-en-Auge, set sail for Pont-l’Évêque.
Here again, gourmets will be delighted with visits to Calvados distilleries and cider producers, such as the Domaine Cœur-de-Lion.
On the coast where a completely different atmosphere reigns: start with the port of Honfleur, where fishing boats and old rigs are moored; then follow the coastal road to cross Trouville, Deauville or Cabourg.
Weather permitting, pull out your classiest bathing suit and take a dip or go horseback riding along the beach.
Normandy: the Cotentin peninsula, from Cherbourg to Mont-Saint-Michel
After visiting the very maritime Cherbourg, explore Norman Finistère to Cap de la Hague, the highest point of the peninsula of La Hague, a region nicknamed « little Ireland » for its moor and gorse vegetation, its rugged and rugged coast.
There is no shortage of curiosities along the way: the typical villages of Saint-Germain-des-Vaux, Omonville-la-Petite, still imbued with the presence of Jacques Prévert, Omonville-la-Rogue, Vauville, but also the natural sites of the Pointe de Goury, the bay of Écalgrain, the nose of Jobourg and Castel Vendon.
Then follow the west coast, which is gentler.
Near Cap de Flamanville, you can admire surfers taking to the waves off Siouville.
Further south, the village of Barneville-Carteret offers great swimming opportunities along the harbor of Barneville.
There are also many beautiful beaches from Pirou: don’t miss those of Blainville-sur-Mer and Agon-Coutainville.
Take a detour inland to Coutances, to admire its superb cathedral, then join the coast at Granville.
From there, take a trip to the Chausey Islands, a preserved archipelago.
Then visit Avranches, for its Scriptorial, and Ducey, with the Château des Montgommery.
But the jewel of this end of the itinerary will be Mont-Saint-Michel and the visit to its abbey, the Wonder of the West.