Fecamp was once a main hub for commercial fishing. Now there is a museum dedicated to the fishing industry installed in one of the main fishing factories. It’s worth a visit.

Cherbourg is world’s 2nd biggest artificial harbour, a major ferry harbour but a drab and boring city. For many travellers to and from the UK and Ireland it’s a must to pass through. But it does have a few parts that are worth a quick stopover.

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 […]

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 […]

Following Normandy’s best kept secret (Veules-Les-Roses), here’s the least best kept one; Honfleur. Honfleur is one of the prime tourist destinations in Normandy, second only to the Mont St. Michel. It’s not only popular with the foreign tourists but also with local French ones. Day trippers from Paris, even from within Normandy, will be visiting this […]

Veules-Les-Roses in Upper Normandy is one of the best kept secrets for most tourists, especially the foreign ones, but as a place to visit, it is most interesting and rewarding. It’s a very small village (some 600 inhabitants) that is foremost a beautiful, scenic and very photogenic village. Although notable visitors like Victor Hugo stayed here, you really […]

Etretat is Upper Normandy’s most popular tourist destination, particularly with the Parisians and locals. It is a small town (some 1500 inhabitants), but very picturesque and it has survived World War II almost intact. Its age can not be determined, but it is believed that it was there before the Vikings. Like most coastal towns […]

Transport Getting There The only real way is by car/motorcycle and it will involve a bit of small road travel. There is a train service from Paris to Le Havre and from there you need to take a bus. TIP: If you are coming between April and September by car, come early and forget about […]

Dieppe is a small harbour city (some 40,000 inhabitants) with an active fishing fleet, a ferry to the United Kingdom (Newhaven), an enormous fortress/castle and a nice looking inner city. Dieppe was founded in the year 1060 as a small fishing village, but already in 910, the Vikings started a settlement. Dieppe, like most of the […]

Trouville-sur-Mer, Lower Normandy, suffers from a perceived lack of glamour because of its more famous neighbour, Deauville (known for its casino, conference centre and international star-studded film festival). But they have nothing to be ashamed of. Big and long white sandy beaches, beautiful mansions, great restaurants and also a big casino, Trouville is the prefect beachside […]

Transport Getting There Train: There is a train link between Paris and the shared railway station of Trouville-sur-Mer and Deauville. There are several daily direct (and ones where you need to change) trains. Fastest time is 2 hours. Ferry: Closest ferry harbours from the UK are Ouistreham (Caen) and Le Havre Air: Deauville has an […]

Fecamp is a small city that relied on its long distance fishing fleet. It is all the home of the famous Benedictine liqueur.

Le Havre, founded in 1517 by King Francois I, is a coastal city on the west of France, in the Normandy region. It is France’s 2nd largest harbour (after Marseilles) and Europe’s 5th biggest in terms of container ship movements. Apart from the container ships, there are many oil and gas tankers, cruise ships and […]