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| Mont St Michel |
Lush rolling pastures, cows grazing among the orchards...Normandy almost shouts ‘slow down’ at the visitor – if it was ever to shout anything. Despite an annual tourist invasion every year the region remains largely untouched - an unspoilt paradise.
Haute Normandie is easy to reach from its ports Le Hâvre and Dieppe although, thanks to the improved motorway network, Rouen is only a little over two hours from Calais.
Arriving in Basse Normandie across the mammoth Pont de Normandie, the road leads straight to the painters’ paradise Honfleur with its picture book harbour. Along the coast, Deauville still attracts the Paris crowds. Ferries from the UK sail to Caen-Ouistreham and Cherbourg making it easy to head south to the jewel of Mont St Michel.
| Calvados |
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- Postcard-pretty former smugglers’ harbour Honfleur
- Caen is a perfect base to explore the D-Day Landing Beaches
- Deauville is the Parisians’ favourite but Trouville is preferred by many and Bayeux’s tapestry museum is open all year
...more about Calvados
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| Eure |
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- Monet’s famous garden at Giverny blooms in spring and summer
- Richard the Lionheart held court at Château Gaillard near Les Andelys
- Evreux’s cathedral and the half-timbered houses in Pont Audemer
...more about Eure
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| Manche |
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- Cherbourg dominates the rugged coastline but most visitors head south
- The jewel of Mont St Michel – romanesque and gothic splendour reaching for the sky
- Coutance’s cathedral almost matches the splendour of its cheese
...more about Manche
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| Orne |
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- Former lace capital Alençon on the edge of the Ecouves Forest
- Immaculate fences among the lush pastures border the stud farms
- Sleeping beauty style Château d’O near Argentan
...more about Orne
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| Seine-Maritime |
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- Gros Horloge, medieval centre and Sunday fleamarket in Rouen - the majestic cathedral was a favourite of Monet
- Revamped harbour-side cafés and restaurants in Dieppe
- Chalk cliffs at Etretat, Bénédictine distillery in Fécamp and Roman amphitheatre in Lillebonne
...more about Seine-Maritime
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