WWII

Amiens cathedral

Amiens – Introduction

Amiens is a strange city when you look at it. It’s pretty, pleasant even, but you don’t see that many tourists like in other big French cities (like Bordeaux, Marseille or Lyon) . With its 150,000 inhabitants, Amiens is the 28th largest city of the country, but when you ask people what they know of …

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Amiens cathedral

Amiens – The Cathedral

The one thing that Amiens is famous for, worldwide even, is its enormous cathedral. It is called the “Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens” (Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens Cathedral), or for short, the Notre-Dame (but not to be confused with the Paris one). The cathedral forms part of one of the French legs of the Santiago …

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Watermill in Bayeux city centre

Bayeux – Introduction

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.

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Bayeux – Tips

Transport Getting There Ferry: The closest ferry harbours to and from the UK are Cherbourg, Caen/Ouistreham and Le Havre. Air: The international airport for Caen (click here to access the airport’s web site) is very close-by with regular flights to the UK. Within Bayeux There is no useable bus service, but you don’t need one. When entering the …

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Caen City Hall and Abby of Men

Caen – Introduction

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.

St. Etienne-Le-Vieux church in Caen

Caen – Some Of The Churches

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 …

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Caen – Tips

What to do, what to see in Caen, Normandy. Tips where to go, how to get there.

Panoramic photo of Cherbourg-Octeville

Cherbourg – Introduction

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.

View of Dieppe's church taken from the castle

Dieppe – Introduction

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.

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Dieppe – Tips

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 …

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Etretat view from the Southern cliffs

Etretat – Introduction

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 …

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A view of Fecamp from the cliffs

Fecamp – Introduction

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

Gommerville's Castle Filieres

Gommerville – Chateau de Filieres

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 …

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La Ferte Alais aeronautical show, vintage airplane

La Ferte-Alais – Events – Aeronautical Meet/Exhibition/Show

Once a year, around May, there is a big aeronautical meeting/exhibition at La Ferte-Alais, a small town located some 50 kilometres South of Paris.. Not as big and high tech as the Paris Air Show, the La Ferte-Alais specialises in vintage aircraft, and they do it very well. The show is all about the old …

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Notre-Dame du Havre Cathedral of Le Havre, Normandy

Le Havre – Cathedral Notre-Dame du Havre

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) …

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