Fecamp is a quaint small city, full of character. Although in dire need of some TLC, strolling around the sea and harbour side of the city can be very rewarding. Fecamp was once a main hub for commercial fishing, particularly for trawlers crossing the Atlantic to fish for cod in Newfoundland. The cod would be […]

Every few years, world’s biggest (and not so big) tall sailing ships sail into France and head for the city of Rouen. These massive multi-mast sail ships from yesteryears, though many are new, are a sight to be seen. Slow moving, majestic, beautiful and full of grace. It is one of the most visited and […]

The city of Dieppe has quite an active ferry activity. Up to 3 sailings per day, for the four hour crossing (it used to be half the time when they were operating a fast ferry, but those days are gone). The ferry is operated by DFDS (formerly known as Transmanche ferries) and goes between Newhaven […]

Le Havre used to be a busy ferry station, with two ferry operators going to the UK and Ireland. But that has been reduced to one operator going to Portsmouth in the UK. Which is strange, since Le Havre lies geographically the closest to Paris, the main motorway (A13) and the ferry station lies almost […]

The Ouistreham ferry is the ferry operating for the city of Caen, which lies some 15 kilometres away. There is a whole section of the rather small harbour of Ouistreham dedicated to the ferry.   There are 3 sailings daily, taking you to Portsmouth in the UK in about 6 hours. That’s 21 ferries coming to […]

One of the few things that are worth a visit in Cherbourg, or even doing a detour to visit, is the Cite de le Mer museum. The museum is quite recent, it opened its doors in the year 2002. But the building is not new. It is the former transatlantic terminal building from the glory […]

Cherbourg, or as it is known officially Cherbourg-Octeville (after having merged with its neighbouring town), can be described as “quaint”. That’s the word I would use if I were to be positive. The real words that come to my mind are “drab”, “rundown” and “uninspiring”. NOTE: Click on the top photo for a bigger panorama […]

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 […]

Transport Getting There Air: From both Paris airports, many flights per day, direct to Marseilles. 1 hour 15. The airport also as many international flights daily. Within Marseilles There is a very good transportation system in Marseilles, with a very good and encompassing bus route and two metro lines. Prices are cheap. Restaurants Marseilles, particularly […]

Marseilles is France’s 2nd largest city in population (over 800,000 inhabitants in the city), and France’s biggest harbour. It is also one of the oldest dwellings in France, with cave painting found dating back 30,000 years BC. It doesn’t get any older than that.   NOTE: Below you’ll find an impression of Marseilles, but it’s […]

Transport Getting There Ferry: from the UK: Daily ferries from Portsmouth, Jersey, Guernsey, Weymouth and Poole. Air: The airport, close to Dinard, is shared with Saint-Malo and offers international flights, particularly those of Ryanair. Other international destinations will require changing in London. Click here to access the airport’s website. Restaurants More than you can handle. […]

Every two years, the epic yacht race from Le Havre to South America is held. Called the Transat Jacques Vabre, the first ever race was held in 1993. The race is also called the “Route du Cafe”, since it joins Le Havre with the historical coffee growing places in South America. The main sponsor of the race, […]

Every five or six years, Rouen receives world’s tall ships, those sail ships with enormous masts often used by different country’s navy as training ship. Some 50 ships, not all of them sail ships since there are also a few modern warships, gather at the Rouen harbour and docks.   For some ten days, all […]

Transport Getting There Air: Rouen has an airport, but it’s used mostly for charters. Sometimes, there is a scheduled service to Lyon from where you can change to other international flights. Ferry: Closest ferry is Le Havre, about a 1 hour drive or train ride from Rouen. Within Rouen There is a good public transportation system […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The harbour of Le Havre is France’s second largest, second after Marseilles, and the biggest in France for containers (and Europe’s 5th largest). Every day you can see many big cargo ships arrive or depart from this port.   In fact, there are two main harbours; the “historical one” and “Port 2000“. The first one […]

Transport Getting there Ferry: From Southampton and Portsmouth direct to Le Havre, or from Newhaven to Dieppe and then the A29 to Le Havre. Click here to read more about the ferry station. Air: There is an airport, but there are no scheduled flights anymore, just charters. Within Le Havre Within Le Havre, there is […]