The West coast of France, including most of the North Sea coast line and the biggest portion of the Atlantic Coast. Home of the famous Normandy and Brittany regions.
Pont L’Eveque in the Calvados region of Normandy is mostly know for two things; its epic 2-3 day battle just after D-Day in WWII and its cheese. But both things are no longer there; the WWII battle is over and done and the Pont L’Eveque cheese is no longer made here. But nevertheless, the village …
Built: 16th centuryStatus: PrivateVisitable?: Yes, for a fee, gardens and distilleryNotable: Calvados distilleryWeb: Chateau du Breuil Located in the midst of the Calvados region (Normandy) you will find a pretty castle, the Chateau du Breuil, that has been since 1954 a distillery that transforms apples into Calvados (an apple brandy). Located in a 1000 people village, Le …
Le Breuil-en-Auge – Chateau du Breuil and Calvados Distillery Read More »
Transport Getting There By Air If you plan to come by air, you’ll need to fly to the Deauville airport that has some flights from the UK. Deauville is a 30 minute drive to Lisieux by car. Within Lisieux Lisieux is a reasonable bus system in case you want to discover outside of the city centre: …
Lisieux is a very religious city with, for a small city, both an enormous basilica AND a big cathedral. Lisieux was the home to three saints, which might explain the presence of so many big religious buildings and institutions (like the Carmel monastery). But the Saint-Pierre cathedral is not exactly an example for other cathedrals (in …
Lisieux, in the lower part of Normandy, is an interesting and different kind of place to visit. It’s a very small city (or a very big town) with a population of some 22,000 inhabitants, but despite its relatively small size it contains an enormous basilica AND a big cathedral. Because of that, and the large population of …
The Basilica of Saint Therese in Lisieux is one of those buildings that is definitely worth a detour, even one of hundreds of kilometres. It is France’s second most visited pilgrimage site (after Lourdes), with 2 million visitors per year. It could be qualified in one word: imposing! The Basilica is located quite close to one …
The recently (in 1974) appointed cathedral of Le Havre, the “Cathedrale Notre-Dame du Havre“, is nothing to write home about. Outside it is interesting, but inside it’s pretty drab. Its only saving grace is that it has an incredibly beautiful and imposing organ. It is also the oldest structure in Le Havre that survived (more or less) …
Transport Getting There Airport Lannion has an airport with regular flights to and from Paris Orly airport. Ferry The closest ferry stops are in Cherbourg and St. Malo. Getting Around Lannion Although they have an adequate bus service, the inner city is quite small and can be walked from one side to the opposite within …
Lannion in Brittany is one of those places that you can take or leave. When you walk around the city, you do see some nice things but there is something missing. It’s probably what the French call “je ne sais quoi“, a soul to the place. The city is well kept and clean, and the …
Built: 12th centuryStatus: PrivateVisitable?: Sometimes, usually only the gardensNotable: –Web: – The castle located close to the city of Lannion in Brittany, the Chateau de Kerduel, is in the Pleumeur-Bodou area. The oldest part of the castle was built in the 12th century. Legend has it that King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table …
Built: 1400Status: PrivateVisitable?: Yes, castle and gardensNotable: –Web: Chateau Kergrist Sometimes taking a wrong turn on the country roads brings you deep inland, and to some very surprising scenery. One of them, after having taken a wrong turn in Brittany was this amazing castle; the Chateau Kergrist. Hidden away from big roads, this is a …
Watermills have been used over the centuries around the world to regulate water levels (notably in The Netherlands) or to grind wheat, corn and other products. For a watermill to exist you not only need a river, but you need especially a fast flowing river. Normandy, particularly Upper Normandy, has several fast flowing rivers, and …
Chez Alain restaurant is not a restaurant in the traditional sense. It belongs to a fishing boat, and it’s a stall where they cook your choice of fresh fish and you eat it on the spot.
The Champetre restaurant in Le Hanouard in Normandy alongside the Durdent valley.
With an upcoming superstar chef Pierre Caillet, the Le Bec au Chauchois restaurant painfully merits its Michelin star, and deserves a second one. But one table stands out : the table inside the kitchen!
The Au Souper Fin restaurant has 1 Michelin Star, and is located a few miles North of the city of Rouen. It’s worth a detour, since for a Michelin restaurant is quite cheap, and they have rooms for rent as well.
The Chateau (castle) du Profil at Butot-Venesville is hidden very deep inside the Upper Normandy countryside. The castle is a gite (in other words you can rent it).
If you’re not that much into big museums but prefer to see old-fashion houses, the “Maison de l’Armateur” is a great visit (and it’s also a museum). The house, built in 1790, was owned by a ship owner (although he did not commission the building of the house). After having served as a house, a …
Le Havre – Maison de l’Armateur (Ship Owner’s House) Read More »
Built: 1896Status: PrivateVisitable?: YesNotable: Made out of pink granite, located a few meters of the coastline on an islandWeb: – The Cotes-d’Armor coastline around Perros-Guirec is rugged and made out of solid pink granite. This rocky surface made for great building materials for the construction of castles and fortresses. One of these castles can be …
Built: unknownStatus: PrivateVisitable?: NoNotable: –Web: – This little gem is located alongside a long and straight country road. After hours of research, I could not find any information about it. So I do not know when it was built and if it’s private (which I’m sure it is). It’s not even in the National Monuments …
Built: 1883Status: Special Events HotelVisitable?: Yes, as a guestNotable: Close to the beachWeb: Chateau de Varengeville The castle located at Varengeville-sur-Mer, close to the Normandy coast, was built in 1883. The castle itself, though in private hands, can be rented for special occasions, like marriages or seminars. But please note, it’s not a hotel, so …
Built: 17th centuryStatus: PrivateVisitable?: NoNotable: –Web: – The beautiful and impressive chateau de Fiquainville is nicely hidden from onlookers, high up the hills of the Valmont valley and river. The castle was built on top of ruins of an older castle, but not much more information could be found. It was built during the 17th …
Built: 17th centuryStatus: PrivateVisitable?: NoNotable: –Web: – Located in a small beach town resort between Veules-les-Roses and Dieppe, slightly away from the coast, you will see this beautiful castle alongside the winding road. You can’t miss it if ever you are driving along that part of the Normandy coast. The castle is totally private and can …
Built: 17th centuryStatus: PrivateVisitable?: NoNotable: Built in the 17th century, buy extensively modified in the 19th centuryWeb: – The castle in the very small village of Malleville-les-Gres in Upper Normandy is in private hands and can not be visited. The castle itself was built in the 17th century, though most of the updates and modifications were …
