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 …
You would expect that Amiens, having one of world’s biggest cathedrals, would have a large amount of churches inside the city. But strangely enough, it’s not the case. And of the churches I’ve seen, many were closed down or not being used anymore. Remember that Amiens was badly damaged during both WWI and WWII. Here …
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 …
The Bayeux War Cemetery is also referred to as the British War Cemetery of Bayeux. And that is because the majority of soldiers buried here are British and British Commonwealth soldiers who died while trying to liberate France during WWII. Some 4,640 soldiers are buried here, most of them died during the World War II …
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.
There is a very unique memorial in Bayeux. All over Normandy you will find all sorts of memorials (and cemeteries) for all nationalities that have died during World War II, but this one is different; it’s a memorial for fallen reporters. Journalists that have been killed while doing their job of reporting the truth. But this …
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 …
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.
If there’s one thing to be seen in Caen, it’s the Memorial. No kidding, even if you’re not in the region, it’s worth a side trip. And for all of you visiting the D-Day debarkation beaches, you’ll need to pass through Caen anyway, so stop here. Mind you, you’ll need to change your mindset …
Camaret-sur-Mer in Brittany is a small town, some 2700 inhabitants, with a very scenic harbour, enormous dramatic cliffs and a very big monument. The village/town is old, very old. Traces of habitation can be found as far back as 2500 years BC! In those days, the place was for druides and their magical stone, the …
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 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.
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 …
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 …
Fecamp is a small city that relied on its long distance fishing fleet. It is all the home of the famous Benedictine liqueur.
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 …
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 …
La Ferte-Alais – Events – Aeronautical Meet/Exhibition/Show Read More »
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) …
