Annecy is a picturesque city located in the southeastern part of France, in the region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. It is known for its stunning natural beauty, with a picturesque old town, canals, and crystal-clear lake that surrounds the city.
Built: 950Status: RuinsVisitable?: YesNotable: –Web: – In the city of Avranches, located very close to the Mont Saint-Michel, are the ruins of a fortress and its associated dungeon. The fortress itself was built around the year 950, while the dungeon was built in the 11th century. Most of the walls are still intact, but parts …
Bayeux, famous for its enormous tapestry, is a city relatively unscathed by WWII. So it’s pretty old looking with many old houses and small streets. It also has several monuments and cemeteries dedicated to WWII.
The most famous thing in Bayeux is its tapestry. The museum that has it on display has only one item: the tapestry.
Beaune is not a city associated with beauty. It’s not an architectural marvel, despite being an old city. Beaune is known for the fact that it’s the capital of the Burgundy Wines!
Here you will find most wineries of Burgundy, so it’s heaven for wine aficionados.
Caen, city of William the Conqueror, is a main part of Normandy’s history, including WWII. But you end up with mixed feelings of this city.
Caen is also known as the “city of 100 church bells” and as the name says, there are a lot of churches, abbeys and monasteries in this former royal city. William the Conqueror, who lived and reigned here, had several built (and the enormous fortress/castle). Before WWII there were some 40 churches in the city, but …
The castle/fortress of Caen is one of the biggest in Europe. Made by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, it still stands big and proud after centuries of attacks.
Built: 15th centuryStatus: PublicVisitable?: YesNotable: –Web: – In the beach town of Concarneau, alongside the city centre and harbors, you will find this amazing fortress. It was voted as the favorite place in Brittany by the Bretons. On the outskirts of Concarneau are several spas and thalasso hotels, but if you keep driving away from …
Concarneau as a city is nothing to write home about if it weren’t for its walled city (Citadelle or Ville Close). The walled city, located in the harbour, is beautiful and intact. One has to assume that walking the old cobblestone streets is like walking them centuries ago. Concarneau’s walled city is a bit like …
A visit of the castle/fortress of Dieppe, a very old but functional castle which can be seen for free, but also has an ivory and painting museum inside.
Dieppe, a fishing city with a big and intact castle/fortress, one of France’s oldest golf links and a twice daily ferry to Newhaven, UK.
Transport Getting There Ferry: from Newhaven, UK, there are 2-3 daily return sailings. Within Dieppe Dieppe is rather small and mostly flat, so no transportation is needed. If you are in the city centre, you can walk up to the castle. If you have come via ferry, there is a shuttle bus that brings you …
The Balleure Castle lies deep in the Burgundy wine region, and there’s a good reason for it.
The hotel/restaurant is owned by one of world’s most recognised wine taste/specialists. The castle has several comfortable and cozy rooms, and the wine menu is to die for. The area is beautiful and very quiet.
The castle ruins in Fecamp show that once upon a time, the castle was very impressive.
Built: 1599 centuryStatus: PrivateVisitable?: YesNotable: WWII German V1 Launch padsWeb: – The Filieres Castle, to be found close to the Gommerville village (in Upper Normandy), is very interesting to see. Built in 1599 the Henri IV style castle itself is quite big and the gardens are equally interesting (and not just for the plants and …
Honfleur is the 2nd most popular tourist destination in Normandy, and for good reason; Although it has become very touristic, it’s still a pleasant trip for sightseeing and food.
Here are the things todo, to see, where to eat, to sleep and how to get there in/for Honfleur, Normandy.
The name Le Mans is famous amongst motorheads, petrolheads and adrenaline junkies the world over: home of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans cars (and motorcycles) race. But Le Mans is much more than a mythical car race. It’s a very old city with its history dating back to 50 BC when the Romans took over …
Lyon is a city full of contrasts, particularly in its architecture. The city is big, Lyon itself is France’s 3rd largest city, but when you add the suburbs, then the Lyon metropole is France’s 2nd largest metropole (after Paris). It is also the world capital of gastronomy, the city where many of todays top chefs have …
This is part 2 of the introduction of the city of Lyon. To read the first part, click here. As a recap, we are walking from the TGV (High Speed Train) railway station to the hills, a 2.5 km walk. Vieux Lyon – Old Lyon On the other side of the Bonaparte bridge, crossing the …
We’ve already shown you the wonderful Basilica, but there are many more churches in Lyon. The Lyon dioceses is one of the oldest in France, so it’s no surprise to see many churches, a cathedral, convents and many chapels. Anywhere you go in Lyon, you’ll stumble upon a church, some of them ruins with no information. …
During the Middle Ages, Lyon had a flourishing silk trade. In order to allow the silk merchants to transfer their goods from barges in the river, or to and from their storage areas or shops, they had to walk through the narrow streets of the old Lyon (Vieux Lyon). On its own not a problem …
