Normandy Travel Guide

The English Channel, Rouen, Caen and Calvados are all the sights of Normandy that can be seen in one day or 2-3 days during the travel from Paris by car with guide (driver).
Normandy travel Guide. This area in the northwest of France, and especially the city of Rouen, is known throughout the world, as it is associated with Richard the Lionheart, Joan of Arc and the work of Claude Monet “Rouen Cathedral”. Ancient buildings, castles, cathedrals all abound in this part of the country.

Normandy travel guide - private tours from Paris

Caen Fortress and the historical museums inside, City tour by a car

Normandy (in French Normandie) is a region and historical region in northwestern France. With a total area of ​​29,906 km², it is the tenth largest region in metropolitan France. Geographically, Normandy is located in the north of the country and borders the regions of Pays de Loire and Brittany in the south and southwest, Center – Loire Valley and Ile-de-France in the southeast, Nord – Pas de Calais – Picardy in the east. From the north and west, the region is washed by the English Channel. One of the five Great Rivers of France, the Seine, flows through the region. The population of Normandy is 3.3 million people. Population density (as of 2013) – 111.29 people / sq. km. The temporary administrative center is Rouen.

Normandy travel guide map and attractions

Official Map of Normandy Tourist Attractions

The largest cities in the region:
Le Havre (172 thousand people), Rouen (110 thousand people), Caen (107 thousand people), Cherbourg (81 thousand people), Evreux (50 thousand people), Dieppe (30 thousand people).
The agriculture of Normandy is predominantly livestock (Norman dairy cattle), the production of milk, butter and cheeses (Camembert, Livarot and Pont-l’Eveque), apples, used mainly for the preparation of Calvados and cider. The main industries are ferrous metallurgy (Caen), machine building, mainly shipbuilding (Rouen, Le Havre, Cherbourg), oil refining (Rouen, Le Havre), textile and chemical industries. Tourism is of great importance for the region’s economy. The main seaside resorts are Dieppe, Trouville, Deauville, etc. On the territory of Normandy, which is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful corners of France, many historical monuments and unique natural objects have been preserved, such as the cliffs of the Limestone Coast (Paysde Caux), tidal islands, etc.

The most beautiful and popular settlements for tourists are the following:
– Rouen is a beautiful old city with many attractions: cathedrals, museums, old houses
– Deauville – a famous French resort since the end of the 19th century and a favorite vacation spot of Coco Chanel
– Trouville (Trouville-sur-Mer) is an old fishing village and tourist destination since the time of the Vikings.
– Honfleur is a small picturesque port town with ancient wooden architecture.
Lisieux – cathedral and castles
– Caen – the ancient city, fortress and local history museum of Normandy
Luc-Sur-Mer – beach resort, casinos and music festivals
Mont-Saint-Michel – fortress island, monastery and abbey

Normandy and history are one whole. A chronicle that begins with a capital letter and originates from the Viking sea epic. Militant pirates have sailed from Denmark and Norway for many centuries. However, they left a cultural heritage, namely an architectural one. Such Nordic people, under the leadership of the Viking leader Rollo, conquered the territory and founded a European-style civilization there. In 911, they established a duchy in Normandy. William the Conqueror, a descendant of the Vikings, born in 1027 in Thales (Calvados), sets his stone in the making of history by becoming King of England in 1066. Normandy has become a temple for a long time…
In 1204, Normandy, incorporated into the kingdom of France, was especially devastated by the results of the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of Religion, when the Norman people no longer converted to Protestantism like the other French.

D-Day,  Allied landing. On June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord began, the largest amphibious operation in the entire world military history, simultaneously spreading to some areas of Calvados and the English Channel. The battle for Normandy lasted more than two months, and consisted in the foundation, retention and expansion of coastal bridgeheads by the Allied forces and ended with the liberation of Paris and the fall of the Falaise pocket at the end of August 1944.

Upper Normandy
Rouen
Deauville and Trouville-sur-Mer resorts
– Honfleur
– Havre

Deauville Trouville, Normandy tours from Paris

Trouville from Deauville beach (Normandy tours from Paris)

Nature, Alabaster coast, from Dieppe to Le Havre. Fécamp and Etretat
Fécamp.
Fecamp

Etretat.
Etretat

Normandy Etretat visit

Famous rocks and fantastic nature in Etretat (author collection)