Pîtres

Get around

thumb|The startlingly steep Pont de Normandie suspension bridge breaks up the motorway monotony of the A29.

See

thumb|Abbaye aux Hommes and Saint-Étienne Church, Caen

Do

thumb|350px|Flying along the Alabaster Coast The Avenue Verte cycle path links Paris and London. In Normandy, you can follow the route from Dieppe inland through the countryside of Seine-Maritime to Beauvais over the Picard border. This section is 122 km in total, and is fully signposted with distinctive green signs.

Grandes Randonnées (GRs) are long-distance footpaths. They are usually well-maintained, and waymarked by horizontal red and white bands, which are painted on fence posts, trees and at the bases of pylons. You can choose to go the whole way if you have lots of time on your hands! Otherwise, select day trips or an itinerary for a few days walking along the most interesting parts. Normandy has two coastal GRs of note: The GR 21 tracks north-east from Le Havre to Le Tréport on the Norman/Picard border. This 186-km route takes in the entire Alabaster Coast, and its glorious chalk cliffs and snug harbour towns. Like other long-distance paths, the GR21 lends itself to much shorter walks, with highlights around Étretat and Dieppe being especially favoured. The GR 223 (Sentier des Douaniers/Custom Officers' Way) goes all the way from Honfleur in the east along the coast of Calvados, around Cotentin to Mont Saint Michel, on the Breton border in the west. The entire walk takes a month, but most prefer to pick sections according to their interest. History fans often choose the D-Day beaches, while lovers of spectacular nature (cliffs and coves) prefer the walk around Cap de…

Eat

thumb|300px|Normans have always known how to enjoy good food. Here is William the Conqueror celebrating his Hastings victory over a feast with friends, as depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry.

Norman cuisine is pretty close to the standard French cuisine, though is based around the three main products of the region: seafood, apples and dairy. Its regional specialities are guaranteed to satisfy the most demanding gastronome.

Drink

Move over, wine! There are no commercial vineyards in Normandy, and although wine from other regions and countries is readily available in shops and restaurants, the most popular local tipples are apple-based.

Cider (cidre) — Like Brittany, Normandy is cider country. Much like wine, cider comes in different varieties that are intended for different purposes, so you should pay attention to the following words on the label. Doux indicates a sweet cider, with a strong apple flavour and low alcohol percentage (3% or below), that is best drunk with dessert or by itself. Demi-sec/brut is sharper and fresher, with an alcohol content of between three and five percent. This kind of cider is more common as an apéritif, or as an accompaniment to local cuisine, especially seafood. Unlike in certain other countries, notably the United States, cider in Normandy is always alcoholic and always sparkling (pétillant). Perry (poiré) — Similar to cider, but made from pears. Production is considerably limited compared to its apple-based counterpart. Calvados — A brandy made from distilled cider or perry, subject to an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), restricting production to a specific area with strict quality controls. Calvados is famously used for the trou normand drink between courses of a long meal.

Sleep

Normandy has lots of tourist accommodation. Most large towns and cities have numerous hotels and guest houses (chambres d'hôte), and this is especially true on the seaside. In the countryside, there are usually self-catering cottages (gîtes) and campsites; many small towns and villages provide overnight parking areas for campervans and caravans, often with electricity hookups and other facilities such as drinking water taps or picnic tables.

Caen can be a useful base to explore Normandy as a whole, being roughly in the middle of the region, having lots of cheap accommodation and great access to several motorways in all directions. Rouen has plenty of overnight options too, and is a more attractive destination city, but its far eastern position in Normandy makes it somewhat impractical for visiting many of the region's main sites.

Go next

thumb|350px|Typical brick terrace houses in Le Tréport