France Guide
Normandy
Normandy has always had large ports: Rouen, on the Seine, is the nearest navigable point to Paris, while Dieppe, Le Havre and Cherbourg have important transatlantic trade. Inland, it is overwhelmingly agricultural – a fertile belt of tranquil pastureland, where the chief interest for most visitors will be the groaning restaurant tables. To the French, at least, the essence of Normandy is its produce. This is the land of Camembert and Calvados, cider and seafood, and a butter- and cream-based cuisine with a proud disdain for most things nouvelle.
Normandy also boasts extraordinary Romanesque and Gothic architectural treasures, although only the much-restored capital, Rouen, retains a complete medieval centre. It's remarkable how much has survived – or, less surprisingly, been restored – since the Allied landings in 1944 and the subsequent Battle of Normandy, which has its own legacy in a series of war museums, memorials and cemeteries.
Highlights
1 Rouen This fine old medieval city would still seem familiar to Joan of Arc, whose life came to a tragic end in its main square.
2 The war cemeteries Memories of D-Day abound in Normandy, but nowhere more so than in the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-mer.
3 The Bayeux Tapestry One of the world's most extraordinary historical documents, embroidering the saga of William the Conqueror in every colourful detail.
4 Mont St-Michel Second only to the Eiffel Tower as France's best-loved landmark, the merveille of Mont St-Michel is a magnificent spectacle.