Normandy is one of the regions of France that we most wanted to know. We are not going to deny that we knew little more than the evocative image of Mont Saint-Michel and the part of the history that the Landing Beaches represent when we started preparing the itinerary for Normandy, but we did not have many minutes to realize that Normandy had much more to offer than we initially thought. Today we leave you 5 essentials on a route through Normandy that we believe you should not miss.
Étretat Cliffs
With 600 kilometers of coastline, Normandy offers a landscape of the most varied. From incredible beaches to wild coves through steep coasts and cliffs, from which we certainly have to discard the Cliffs of Étretat, perhaps the best known of this part of the country and why not say it, of the world.
The Étretat Cliffs They are located in the town of the same name and just like the beach we found right next door, it was a claim for many artists, such as Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet who were amazed at this landscape.
The best views of the cliffs are after traveling a path that starts from the end of the beach and from where we can see a very famous natural arch, called "the eye of the needle".
Cliffs of Étretat. 5 essentials on a route through Normandy
Normandy Landing Beaches
Famous for a historic moment, the Landing Beaches are another of the 5 essential on a route through Normandy. We visit Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, La Cambe, Arromanches, Batteries de Longues departing from Caen, where we arrive in approximately 40 minutes to Omaha Beach.
In the Normandy Landing Beaches, one of the largest military operations in our history took place and it is on this route where you can see the scenarios where they occurred.
In the first hour of June 6, 1944, some of the boats that were part of the fleet of more than 6000 vessels arrived at the beaches of Normandy and several thousand soldiers from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom finally reached the French territory.
There the Allied troops attacked on the 80 kilometers of beaches, which had the code names of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. This D-Day landing gave way to the Battle of Normandy and this was the liberation of Europe from the Nazi occupation.
The battle lasted 76 days in which the Allies had more than 200,000 casualties and 200,000 German soldiers were taken prisoner. One of the most brutal battles of this era took place in the Omaha Beach area.
To this day we can find very few signs of the battles that occurred here, except for a ship that carried the tanks to land and some bunkers of the German position.
Arromanches 5 essentials on a route through Normandy
Mont Saint-Michel
One of the most impressive places, not only in Normandy or France, but in the world. Enclave that adorns more than one catalog and that is as evocative as it is when you finally have it in front of you.
As many travelers say, the best experience here, more than even the experience itself, is the time spent in the access to Mont Saint-Michel. If you arrive from Beauvoir, a town that is only 5 kilometers away and is much cheaper to stay, you will begin to travel a road surrounded by fields, where in the distance you can see how tiny, tiny, the Mont Saint-Michel.
Get ready to stop every few minutes to take pictures and enjoy the beauty of the place. It is very worth it.
The best way to get to know Mont Saint-Michel is getting lost in its streets, without a fixed direction, trying to get away from the most tourist area at some time to enjoy the enclave with tranquility.
But there is a visit that cannot be ignored and this is that of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, which is one of the most typical images of this area, with its towers and turrets.
The Abbey stands on top of an islet, surrounded by walls and battlements, which is connected to the mainland by an overpass. This is in summary the Mont Saint-Michel.
They say it was founded when in the eighteenth century Bishop Aubert de Avranches in dreams had the appearance of the archangel St. Michael. If you look at the top of the Abbey there is a statue of St. Michael killing a dragon, a symbol of the triumph of good over evil.
You can make a day trip from Paris by booking this excursion to Mont Saint Michel by bus and with a guide in Spanish.
Mont Saint-Michel. 5 essentials on a route through Normandy
Honfleur
Honfleur, one of the most beautiful cities you can find in Normandy, and not only do we say so. If you come during the summer season, you will find it overflowing with people, with an animation that, despite what one might think, gives the city a much warmer air and even the decorate.
The best way to get to know Honfleur is also getting lost in its streets, where in every corner you can find details, a cafeteria or an artisan shop that will delight anyone.
The visit to Honfleur It can be done as a complement to the Cliffs of Étretat that we talked about earlier, on the same day and if you have time, it is a perfect option to spend the night.
We assure you that you will not regret doing it. When the sun goes down, the city becomes magical.
Honfleur 5 essentials on a route through Normandy
Dinan
First of all we have to say that Dinan does not belong to Normandy, if not to Brittany, but given the proximity to other points of interest and being an essential, we consider that it is a complement to any route you take through Normandy. Dinan of the most visited and well-known cities in this area with an old town, full of half-timbered houses, streets of narrow cobbled streets and small squares surrounded by winding roads, which seems fresh out of the Middle Ages.
You can already imagine that this is the Dinan's most recommended area and to which you must devote at least a couple of hours more time you want to spend to enjoy an impressive crêpe in one of its coffee shops.
You can expand the information with this post of tips for traveling to Normandy and east of places to see in Normandy essential.
Dinan 5 essentials on a route through Normandy
