Normandy

Normandy is the land of the Normans, whose Norse ancestors arrived in 820 and conducted several raids in their longboats up the River Seine, terrorising and extorting the Franks out of much of their wealth. In 911, the Viking warrior leader Rollo besieged Chartres and forced the Frankish king Charles the Simple to sign a costly treaty; in exchange for ceasing their raids and protecting the coast from their Norse kin, Rollo and his people were granted the lands that became the Duchy of Normandy in perpetuity. On paper, the dukes of Normandy (as Rollo's descendants became) were vassals of the Frankish, and later French, crown. However, the early French kings were weak and controlled very little land beyond Paris, so Normandy had a lot of practical independence and levity to expand its borders, which it did repeatedly.

Normandy's most famous duke - William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant) - sailed an invasion fleet to England in 1066 and there crowned himself King William I. Thus followed a long period of Anglo-Norman domination on both sides of the Channel, and Normandy was for several centuries a part of the Kingdom of England. During this time, many defensive castles and Romanesque and Gothic churches were constructed, and the famous Bayeux tapestry was woven by now-unknown hands.

This state of affairs was only altered by the Hundred Years War (1337 - 1453), as France took back more and more of its territory. During this time, French national heroine Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) was infamously executed by the English at Rouen. Despite this blow, the French won the war and the only part of Normandy left under English - now British - control today is the Channel Islands. Indeed, it is possession of these islands that still grants the British monarch the title Duke of Normandy.

In the Belle-Époque of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Normandy was adopted as a rural bolt hole by the great and the good of the era (Gustave Flaubert, Marcel Proust, Coco Chanel), who left behind many smart seaside towns and mansions. The father of impressionist painting, Claude Monet, fell in love with the region's landscape, which features in countless of his paintings. Monet eventually bought a large house at Giverny, where he lived for over four decades until his death in 1926.

Part of German-occupied France in World War II, Normandy once more became the setting for a cross-Channel invasion, the crucial Operation Overlord conducted by Allied forces. After the beach landings on 6 June 1944, the Battle of Normandy raged until the end of August and resulted in the destruction of whole cities such as Caen and Le Havre. Despite the horrific cost, Normandy was the first part of western Europe to be freed from fascism, and the toehold the Allies gained on the continent was essential for the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany.

Today, Normandy is a peaceful land that is an integral part of France. The Norman people have not forgotten the sacrifices of their liberators, and all over the region you will see French Tricolores, American Stars and Stripes, Canadian Maple Leaves and British Union Flags proudly flying. The countless war cemeteries and memorials, though each owned by their respective countries' war grave commission, are lovingly tended by teams of locals, and are thus kept in immaculate condition. Normandy remains very accessible from Britain and is also a favoured day or weekend trip for people from Paris and the Île-de-France, due to its beautiful coast and fascinating history.

The climate in Normandy is very similar to that of southern England, with mild winters and warm, sometimes hot, summers. The weather can be unpredictable and is rainy by French standards, but is also often very nice. Most people visit during the summer, from June when the annual D-Day commemorations take place, through to the end of August. While it is perfectly possible to escape the crowds in much of Normandy even in the high season, the most well-known destinations are usually thronged with international tourists in summer, often bussed in on rushed and exhausting-looking day trips from Paris. Therefore, the best time to visit the big-ticket attractions (including the Bayeux Tapestry, the D-Day beaches and cemeteries, Giverny and Mont Saint-Michel) is late spring and early autumn, where you should hopefully achieve the right balance of reasonable weather and manageable crowds.

From Paris, take the A13 autoroute (motorway) in the direction of Rouen, which takes about 2 hr. Caen is around 2 hr 45 min from the capital, while Cherbourg is about 4 hr. The A28 links traffic from the south, i.e. Le Mans and Tours, for the A10 from Bordeaux and ultimately Spain. Those coming in from Rennes and the rest of Brittany should find the A84 helpful. If driving from the north (Hauts-de-France and the Benelux), the A28 branches off the A16 at Abbeville and heads down into Upper Normandy. Driving times from the Calais ferry port and Channel Tunnel terminal are around 2 hr to Rouen using the A16 and A28 motorways.

Normandy is not connected to any high speed rail (TGV) lines, so services to and around the region are rather slow by French standards.

SNCF Intercités trains depart from Paris Saint-Lazare to Rouen Rive Droite (1 hr 30 min), Le Havre (2 hr), Caen (2 hr), and Cherbourg (3 hr), among other places. You can catch trains from these cities to other destinations in the region.

For the south of the region, trains leave Paris Montparnasse to towns such as Argentan and Granville. For Mont Saint Michel, the best option is to take a TGV from Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, then a bus.

Rail services from other parts of France are not so great, but still doable. For instance, direct services from Tours to Caen take around 3 hours, while those travelling from Nantes to Caen should expect a 4-hour journey, changing trains in Le Mans. When coming from Lille, which is a hub for high speed trains from the Benelux and Germany, a direct 2 hr 45 min journey to Rouen is possible.

Eurostar links London to Paris Nord in 2 hr 15 mins. From Gare du Nord, it is just one stop on Line E of the RER (express metro) to Haussmann Saint-Lazare, from where you should follow the instructions above.

Alternatively, you may wish to take it slow, by combining the train with a ferry crossing. On the British side, Portsmouth and Newhaven harbours both receive regular trains from London and many other places. Three ferry ports in Normandy (Cherbourg, Le Havre and Dieppe) have railway stations served by regional trains.

If you have a seagoing vessel at your disposal, why not make the journey across the English Channel yourself? It's not that far, only 120 km (65 nautical miles) at its furthest between West Sussex and the D-Day beaches, and Normandy has many attractive harbour towns to moor in when you arrive, with the guarantee of some delicious moules normandes in a local restaurant.

This being said, the majority of visitors who make a sea crossing will do so on board a ferry, and the blue infoboxes on the right (or above if you're on mobile) compile the various routes to Normandy and nearby ports from the British Isles. The length of each crossing varies widely, as do the facilities on board each vessel, ranging from a passenger seating area with just a drinks machine for refreshment, right up to "cruise ship-style" full board with cabins, restaurants and entertainment all provided. If you're bringing your vehicle, remember to drive on the right as soon as you disembark!

Normandy is not overly blessed with air links, and has only two small international airports:

• 🌍 Caen Carpiquet Airport (CFR ^IATA). A small selection of year-round domestic services. 
• 🌍 Deauville Normandie Airport (DOL ^IATA). A seasonal airport with summer Ryanair flights from London Stansted. Tui Fly Belgium fly from Marrakech and the Canary Islands 

The international airports near Normandy are:

• Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG ^IATA): France's main hub receives hundreds of flights a day from all over the world. Driving times to Rouen are about 2 hr, and to Caen around 3 hr.
• Paris Beauvais Airport (BVA ^IATA): a hub of Ryanair and other low cost airlines which has direct links from many parts of Europe. Beauvais is probably closer to Rouen than Paris, at about 90 km distant.
• Rennes Saint-Jacques Airport (RNS ^IATA): flights from a selection of European cities including Amsterdam Schiphol, Barcelona El Prat, Cork, Dublin, Exeter, London (City and Gatwick), Madrid Barajas, Manchester Airport, Southampton, Southend. Also a fair few domestic flights from elsewhere in France. Close to Lower Normandy.
• Dinard Airport (DNR ^IATA), near Saint-Malo: flights from East Midlands, Guernsey, Leeds-Bradford and London Stansted.

Alternatively, Rouen Airport (URO ^IATA) has a regular HOP! (Air France) route from Lyon Saint Exupéry (LYS ^IATA), which is a large international airport.

See also: Driving in France

Unfortunately the best and quickest way to get around Normandy, particularly the rural areas, is by private car. The road network is well-developed, though Normandy and north-west France in general tends to have fewer motorways (autoroutes, with A-prefixed route numbers) and more national roads (routes nationales, with N-prefixed route numbers). This has the advantage of far fewer toll roads than in other parts of the country. The major roads of the region are:

• A13 / N13 (west - east): Cherbourg, D-Day beaches, N174, Bayeux, Caen (A84, N158), Deauville (A132), A29, Seine Valley, A28, Rouen, A154, Giverny, Île-de-France, towards Paris
• A28 (north - south): Hauts-de-France, from Abbeville, A29, Rouen, A13, Alençon, Pays de la Loire, towards Le Mans
• A29: Hauts-de-France, from Amiens, A28, A151, A150, Le Havre, Pont de Normandie, Honfleur, Deauville, A13
• A84: Caen (A13, N13, N158), N174 / Saint-Lô, Granville, Avranches, Mont Saint-Michel, Brittany, towards Rennes
• A88 / N158: Caen (A13, N13, A84), Falaise, Argentan, A28
• A150: Rouen, A151, A29
• A151 / N27: A150 from Rouen, A29, Dieppe
• A154 / N154: A13 from Rouen, Évreux, N12 towards Paris
• N31: Rouen (A28), to Beauvais and Reims
• N174 (marked as E3 on some maps): N13 / D-Day beaches, Saint-Lô, A84

See also: Rail travel in France

Normandy lacks high-speed rail, and its train network, while not bad, is best described as patchy. Upper Normandy, especially around Rouen and the Seine Valley, is part of the Paris commuter belt so has decent coverage. The more rural Lower Normandy has fewer lines, and fewer trains serving them. Rail travel is nonetheless an economical way to get around Normandy. Most trains are provided by TER Normandie, from whom you can purchase tickets and view a map of the region's network.

Both the 'ruined fortress' and 'fancy château' varieties are present in Normandy. A notable example of the former is Richard the Lionheart's Château Gaillard in Les Andelys, a seemingly-impregnable fortress commanding an impressive vantage point, but which lasted only a few years before being captured by the Spanish, albeit after a seven-month siege. An example of a castle that provided comfort as well as defence can be seen in the Dukes' Castle at Alençon. There are also some châteaux in the region with no defensive purpose which were built purely to show off their owners' wealth and prestige. Examples include the slightly worn-around-the-edges renaissance Château de Gaillon in the town of the same name, and the 17th century Château de Balleroy near Bayeux, which is now owned by the hot air balloon-obsessed Forbes family, of American business media fame.

Normandy has several named coasts, each with a different character. Furthest east is the iconic Alabaster Coast (Côte d'Albâtre), known for its white chalk cliffs, mirroring similar formations on the south coast of England. Étretat has the most well-known of the cliffs, while Dieppe is more of a beach town with wartime history to boot. The good-looking resorts of the Flowery Coast (Côte Fleurie), including Deauville and Honfleur, are rather posh; this area is popular with second homeowners from Paris, with good reason. Continuing west are the beaches of the lesser-known Mother of Pearl Coast (Côte de Nacre) around Ouistreham, then the infamous D-Day landing beaches (plages du débarquement), which stretch for many miles right up the Cotentin Peninsula. At the top of Cotentin (near Cherbourg) are the lively harbours of Barfleur and Saint-Vaast, along with wild and rugged landscapes around La Hague. The west coast of the peninsula offers a long stretch of sandy beaches that lead south past Granville all the way to Mont Saint-Michel and the Breton border.

There are literally hundreds of medieval churches, abbeys and cathedrals scattered around Normandy, primarily in the Gothic and Romanesque styles. Romanesque architecture, characterised by rounded arches and lots of pillars, is often known to the British as "Norman", as it was they who introduced the style to many parts of Europe. Significant examples of this style include the Church of Saint-Étienne and its abbeys in Caen, Fécamp's Benedictine abbey, and Bayeux Cathedral. Gothic architecture developed from Romanesque in neighbouring Picardy, but is more than fairly represented in Normandy too. Gothic churches tend to be more elaborately designed than Romanesque ones, with pointed arches, flying buttresses, complex stained-glass windows and gargoyles. Important examples include Notre Dame de l'Assomption Cathedral and Saint-Ouen church, both in Rouen. The abbey at Mont Saint-Michel is notable for its Gothic style, but with several older elements retaining the Romanesque.

• Foie gras — Though much more associated with the south west of France, production of this goose/duck liver pâté has been introduced to Normandy. The birds are force fed to make them as fat as possible.
• Omelettes — A must-try when in Mont Saint-Michel; the local omelettes are creamy and light. The most famous omelette restaurant is easily La Mère Poulard, but long wait times and high prices may drive you elsewhere.
• Sausages — Popular local varieties include the andouille de Vire, a chitterling charcuterie that is often served as an apéritif with a glass of calvados, and boudin de Mortagne, black pudding from the far south of Orne, east of Alençon.

The trou normand (literally: "Norman hole") is a glass of calvados (see below), often accompanied by an apple sorbet, and served between courses during a long and heavy meal as a palate-cleanser, a digestion aid and a fortifier, to make sure the diner is ready to continue eating! It is most often served between the fish course and the main course, or in less elaborate meals as a bridge between the main dish and the dessert.

Normandy is renowned for its variety of meats:

• Agneau de pré-salé — Lamb raised on the salt marshes near Mont Saint-Michel. The meat has a very delicate flavour, and can be prepared in any number of ways classic to French butchery and gastronomy.
• Canard au sang or canard à la Rouennaise — Duck or duckling served with a sauce composed of the same duck's blood and bone marrow, extracted by a special press. Every part of the bird is used, so on the menu you might encounter magret (breast), foie (liver), patte (leg), or a little bit of everything. The thought of this may well make your stomach turn, but if you have good reason to trust your chef, give it a try. This speciality of Rouen is considered a delicacy.
• Poulet vallée d'Auge — Chicken from the Auge Valley, in the area around Lisieux. The bird is carved into large chunks and cooked in a sauce of calvados, mushrooms, butter and cream. Often served with a creamy chopped potatoes, bacon and cider mixture.
• Tripes à la mode de Caen — Beef tripe, hooves and bones, stewed in a whole bottle of cider and glass of calvados with carrots, onions, leeks, garlic, cloves, peppercorn and a bouquet garni. The autumn dish of choice for many Normans. Its official recipe, codified into poetry, is preserved by a guild of tripe butchers in Caen. While almost certainly dating from no earlier than the 14th century, local legend states that this was William the Conqueror's favourite meal.

Specialities from the sea include:

• Mussels (moules) — Of course you can find the ubiquitous moules marinières (mussels steamed in white wine and shallots) at pretty much any seafood restaurant, but the local version, moules normandes, is also delicious. To the basic marinière sauce is added an unhealthy portion of cream and, if you're really lucky, bacon lardons. Both varieties are usually served with plenty of frites.
• Oysters (huîtres) — Normandy produces some 25% of the oysters grown in France, and Normans tend to enjoy them most at Christmas. The industry is concentrated on the Cotentin Peninsula, at two different crus: Côte Ouest around Deauville, and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, east of Cherbourg.
• Sole à la dieppoise — Sole cooked in the oven, basted with white wine and fish stock, and served with mussels, mushrooms and sometimes prawns. As the name suggests, this is a speciality of Dieppe.

Normandy is the home of several world-famous varieties, all soft, all made with cows' milk and all named after their town or village of supposed origin:

• Camembert — A lovely round and creamy cheese. Some prefer it chilled, and therefore fairly solid, while others prefer to eat at room temperature, when it oozes. Local legend attributes the cheese's creation to the French Revolution, when Marie Harel, a farmer's wife resident in the village of Camembert (department of Orne, 25 km north-east of Argentan), was advised on the recipe for a good brie by a priest, as thanks for sheltering him during the Reign of Terror, when the clergy were heavily persecuted. She gave the cheese her own spin, and thus camembert was born.
• Livarot — Soft and pungent, with a peach-coloured rind. It is also referred to as the "Colonel", due to its stripy packaging resembling a colonel's uniform. Livarot is a village some 20 km south-west of Lisieux.
• Neufchâtel — Soft, slightly crumbly and mould-ripened cheese with the aroma and taste of mushrooms. It is usually molded into the shape of a heart. It is made in the area around Neufchâtel-en-Bray, north-east of Rouen.
• Pont-L'Évêque — Pungent and creamy with a slightly yellowed appearance, made in the eponymous town inland from Deauville since at least as early as the 12th century.

Local desserts include:

• Bourdelots — an apple and calvados pastry, eaten hot, cold or flambéd with calvados.
• Omelette vallée d'Auge — a sugary omelette filled with buttery diced apple and crème fraîche, flambéd with calvados.
• Pain perdu à la normande — sweet French toast served with (you guessed it) apple jam and pommeau, which is an apple liqueur.
• Tarte aux pommes — available all over France, but since Normandy is the land of the apple, these tarts aren't hard to find.
• Teurgoule — a tasty local variant of rice pudding, cooked for many hours in a low-heat oven, it is surprisingly light and refreshing. Don't be surprised for it be accompanied by an apple compote, or caramel apple, or just fresh apples...

• Pommeau — A 16-18% proof apéritif made from mixing calvados and non-fermented apples (or pears, in the case of poirineau).
• Bénédictine — A herbal liqueur with its own creation myth (i.e. that the medieval benedictine monks of Fécamp, and not 19th-century entrepreneur Alexandre Le Grand, invented it), but without a whiff of apple in it. Consumed as a digestif, at 40% proof, bénédictine is also the unofficial match-day drink for England's Burnley FC.

• Brittany is Normandy's Celtic neighbour, and shares this region's affinity with cider and seafood. The rugged Breton coastline, quaint fishing ports and historical cities such as the little-visited but surprisingly cosmopolitan Rennes and the walled port city of Saint-Malo tempt many travellers to combine Normandy and Brittany into one trip.
• Centre-Val de Loire was the heartland of the French Renaissance and has the extraordinary castles to prove it. Centred on the Loire Valley, this region combines fine wine and dining with splendid Gothic cathedrals at Chartres and Tours, while Orléans hosted Joan of Arc's greatest victory before her success turned to ashes in Rouen.
• Hauts-de-France is the land where much of the First World War was fought, barely 20 years before the events of the second. As well as a large number of memorials and cemeteries, the region has a picturesque coast, diverse cities such as Lille and Amiens, and many fine Gothic churches and their belfries.
• Île-de-France can be reached by following the Seine inland. The Palace of Versailles and its glorious gardens are readily accessible by train from Rouen, and the glittering lights of Paris are just a bit further. Wealthy and sophisticated Île-de-France is a place where even a mouse can own a château.
• Pays de la Loire covers the most downstream part of the Loire Valley and a section of Atlantic coastline. Close to Normandy is the Le Mans racing circuit, while further south is the Anjou homeland of the Plantagenets, the royal house which succeeded the thrones of Normandy and England.

Normandy has excellent maritime connections with the British Isles; see above for details. The following countries are not part of the Schengen Area, so you will need a passport and/or other travel documents to visit:

• The Channel Islands are part of Normandy, but very much not part of France. Jersey and Guernsey are in fact two mostly-autonomous dependencies of the British crown, and form an attractive archipelago of small and pretty islands.
• England lies on the other side of la Manche. Newhaven is a gateway to Sussex's chalk downland and cliffs, and the trendy resort city of Brighton. Portsmouth's naval dockyards are just one of many attractions in historical Hampshire. Poole is the watery playground of the wealthy and well-situated for exploring Dorset's prehistoric coastline.
• Ireland is an overnight ferry crossing, but is well worth the journey. Cork is an urban gateway to the Emerald Isle's mythical south west, while Rosslare has the beaches of County Wexford where Saving Private Ryan was filmed. Travellers daring the 20-hour crossing to Dublin will be rewarded with a hundred thousand welcomes and a stiff pint of Guinness.