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Regions à la carte
Western France - Normandy
Normandy region at a glance |
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 Major city:
Caen, Rouen
Short trip from
Paris, and just across the channel from England
Famous WWII landing beaches, museum and memorials
Historical region of William the Conqueror
The famous Mt. Saint Michel Abbey
Seaside resorts and casinos
Just across the Channel
from London, and not far from Paris, you will find the
welcoming region of Normandy with its varied coastline
and rich countryside. Normandy probably has more
significance to North American visitors than any other
part of France.
Normandy gets its name from the 10th-century Norman
Vikings that settled the country. In 1066 the famous
Norman Duke William defeated the Saxon King Harold in the
Battle of Hastings, was crowned King of England and
became known as William the Conqueror. For many centuries
after the descendants of his Norman army governed
England, creating much of the Anglo-Saxon heritage.
In June, 1944 Normandy
again came under the world spotlight when Allied
Forces landed on the Normandy coast. Numerous
museums, exhibitions, sites, and monuments including
the Caen Memorial Museum, commemorate operations that
took place between June 6th and August of 1944.
Upper Normandy with its highly industrialized and
historical capital, Rouen has been linked to many
famous names such as Thomas and Pierre Corneille,
Gustave Flaubert and Joan of Arc. Caen, the capital
of Lower Normandy, is known as the home to William
the Conqueror and has some of the best
"high-tech" businesses in France.
The pretty harbor of Honfleur, the Bayeux Tapestry
which chronicles the exploits of William the
Conqueror, Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny and the
world-famous Mont Saint-Michel with its breathtaking
views from the ramparts are just a few of the sites
of Normandy.
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Places of
interest |
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Alençon |
Famous for lace, fine art and lace
museum, Birthplace of "Sainte
Thérèse" |
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Les
Andelys |
Gaillard Castle ruins |
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Bagnoles-de-l'Orne
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Home to the famous tapestry
depicting the history of William the Conqueror,
15th to 18th century houses, Cathedral, Memorial
museum of the Battle of Normandy, Baron Gerard
museum with lace and porcelain collections |
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Cabourg |
Seaside resort, a favorite haunt of
Marcel Proust, casino, boardwalks and shopping
streets |
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Caen
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Founded by William the Conqueror,
feudal castle and gardens, fine arts museum,
Museum of Normandy, Museum for Peace
commemorating World War II, Benedictine abbeys |
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Caudebec-en-Caux |
House of the Knights of Templar,
Museum of the River Seine |
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D-Day
beaches |
Landing sites with a series of
monuments commemorating Allied Forces |
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Deauville
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Internationally famous seaside
resort and horse racing center, sailing harbor,
annual world polo championship, American Film
Festival |
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Dieppe |
Channel port and fishing harbor,
ivory museum |
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Etretat
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Holiday resort, famous "arches
and needles" rock formation |
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Falaise |
Birthplace of William the Conqueror |
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Fécamp |
Seaside town and boating center,
Benedictine museum and distillery, Museum of
the"Terres Neuves" |
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Giverny |
Home of impressionist painter Claude
Monet, Monet Museum, American Impressionist
Museum |
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Granville |
Sailing and fishing harbor, 17th
century Bassin and Lieutenance buildings, Church
of Sainte Catherine, Eugene Boudin Museum |
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Honfleur |
Picturesque port city with old town,
and bridge |
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Lisieux
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Pilgrimage site, shrine of Sainte
Thérèse, Basilic and Carmelite convent, Museum
of Old Lisieux, Wax Museum |
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Mont
St. Michel |
World famous abbey on island which
becomes isolated by the incoming tide |
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Mortagne-au-Perche |
Small picturesque country city,
departure point for pioneers heading for Canada |
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Rouen
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Seine river, Old Town, gothic
churches, cathedrals, abbey, Clock tower, old
marketplace where Joan of Arc was burned, Joan of
Arc Museum, Museum of Flaubert |
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Tatihou
Island |
Maritime Museum |
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Villedieu-les-Poêles |
Copper crafts, copper and lace
museums, Norman furniture museum |
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