Normandie

you won't want to miss

·         Giverny: Visit the home of the greatest Impressionist, Claude Monet, and the Giverny Museum of Impressionism - formerly the Museum of American art.

·         Caen: much damaged during the Second World War, has a Memorial museum of the Normandy Landings and the Liberation

·         The Normandy Beaches: the site of the D-Day Landings in World War 2. The landings are commemorated in monuments, museums and war graves. 

·         Bayeux:  attractive old Norman town where the historic Bayeux tapestry was made, and is still preserved, 900 years after it was made.

·         Falaise: impressive Mediaeval fortress, birthplace of William the Conqueror.

·         Honfleur: Attractive small port at the mouth of the Seine. Old harbour with picturesque quayside; Eugène Boudin museum. St Catherine’s church, from the 15th century, is the largest historic wooden church in France.

·         Rouen: with its quays on the river Seine, its picturesque historic centre, with half-timbered houses, an ancient clock, and a magnificent gothic cathedral, one of the finest in France. The Rouen Fine Arts museum has the best collection of works by the Impressionists outside Paris, plus a broad collection of old masters from 15th century to the 20th century, including Rubens, Velasquez, Poussin and many more.

·         Le Havre: In the 1950's, the old town, destroyed in the war, was rebuilt in concrete by architect Auguste Perret, to the wishes of the Communist city council. This example of post-war urban planning is classed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The Musée Malraux is one of the best museums outside Paris for impressionism and fauvism.

·         The White Cliffs of Étretat: the most famous cliffs in France, but also worth checking out are the remarkable Jardins d’Étretat.

·         Le Mont Saint Michel:  the world famous mediaeval abbey built on a rock in the bay; a UNESCO world heritage site.

·         Le Cotentin: countryside, cliffs and sandy beaches, on this granite promontory jutting out into the English Channel.

·         Le Cité de la Mer, Cherbourg: Devoted to underwater exploration, the museum includes a visit of the ‘Redoutable’, one of the biggest submarins in the world, plus the deepest aquarium in Europe.