Things to do places to stay Normandy
Discussion
Hello pistonhead knowledge bank,
Me and the better half are heading to France on Monday for the week. We are in Paris for two nights then intend to head to Normandy area. We are both interested in seeing some of the usual D Day stuff and the tapestry but what else is there to do in the area. Any car related stuff would be good but might be hard to get past Mrs. Have already found the Raulp Lauren Car Collection is on display in paris..!! Also any recommendations for Hotels would be good not to fussed where just want a nice modern clean hotel.
Thanks for any help now.
James
Me and the better half are heading to France on Monday for the week. We are in Paris for two nights then intend to head to Normandy area. We are both interested in seeing some of the usual D Day stuff and the tapestry but what else is there to do in the area. Any car related stuff would be good but might be hard to get past Mrs. Have already found the Raulp Lauren Car Collection is on display in paris..!! Also any recommendations for Hotels would be good not to fussed where just want a nice modern clean hotel.
Thanks for any help now.
James
Any of the Campaniles look them up on the web they are everywhere, cheap,clean,room,bathroom,television,kettle & coffee &tea making supplied, like a French Travel Lodge.
Everyting "D" Day will keep you busy for more than a few days and real tear jerk stuff.Always a good market at weekends in any French town.
Good Sea Food Restaurants on the coast.
Everyting "D" Day will keep you busy for more than a few days and real tear jerk stuff.Always a good market at weekends in any French town.
Good Sea Food Restaurants on the coast.
As said Normandy IS D-Day.We started at Cherbourg did all the beaches and ended at Pegasus Bridge.Plenty of places to stay along the route.One stop has to be the US cemetery at Colleville sur Mer Omaha Beach.We stayed at the Hotel Mercure which is on a golf course at Omaha Beach.I had my WW2 my wife had,Bayeux and Monet`s Garden at Giverny.If you want a car museum the Manoir de L`Automobile which is south of Rennes has got to be the best I have ever seen.Its in beautiful country side has its own restaurant,well worth the drive.
(Cheating a little because I live there part-time).
Apart from the D-Day trail, try this random sample:
Honfleur - charming if touristy harbour with excellent seafood restaurants and even a carrousel, if you have kids.
Bayeux - for the tapestry and cathedral.
Le Mont St Michel - extraordinary abbey built on a seamount. Get there early, as it heaves with tourists later, and ignore all ye olde gifte shoppes on the winding road up.
Beauvron-en-Auge is a lovely preserved Norman village with a 1* Michelin restaurant (le Pave d'Auge) as well as a wine bar where you bring your own food and one of the world's more eccentric model railway museums.
We like the beach at Houlgate (other side of the Dives river to Cabourg); it's not as crowded as Deauville - which is generally to be avoided unless wealthy Russians and ageing Parisian snobs are your thing.
The Chateau du Vendeuvre is beautiful (I *will* own it one day) and as well as lovely gardens, also has a dolls house museum.
The Chateau de Canon in Mezidon-Canon is also lovely, with a great garden for walking and (although I think it's already happened this year) hosts a rather good one-day Jazz festival.
Wherever you go (at least in Calvados - Normandy is a big place) you will find artisanal apple-based alcohol (Cidres Brut and Doux, Calvados (apple brandy), Pommeau (50/50 Calvados and cidre)) and cheese - Pave d'Auge, Livarot, Pont l'Eveque, Camembert, Neufchatel for instance, all of which except the first are also the names of the villages where they originate. Make sure you visit at least one Calvados distillery and one cheesemaker.
There is also, although you hardly need to go to France for this, a rather good safari park near us - CERZA - which has a good selection of animals; it's notable for a big enclosure where you share the space with goats and pigs which try quite hard to eat anything they get near, especially pushchairs for some reason. The food is *awful* though, so bring a picnic.
If you are doing the D-Day thing, then as well as the beaches, try visiting Caen, Rouen and Falaise (this last the site of the Falaise pocket which was the beginning of the end for German armour in France).
Apart from the D-Day trail, try this random sample:
Honfleur - charming if touristy harbour with excellent seafood restaurants and even a carrousel, if you have kids.
Bayeux - for the tapestry and cathedral.
Le Mont St Michel - extraordinary abbey built on a seamount. Get there early, as it heaves with tourists later, and ignore all ye olde gifte shoppes on the winding road up.
Beauvron-en-Auge is a lovely preserved Norman village with a 1* Michelin restaurant (le Pave d'Auge) as well as a wine bar where you bring your own food and one of the world's more eccentric model railway museums.
We like the beach at Houlgate (other side of the Dives river to Cabourg); it's not as crowded as Deauville - which is generally to be avoided unless wealthy Russians and ageing Parisian snobs are your thing.
The Chateau du Vendeuvre is beautiful (I *will* own it one day) and as well as lovely gardens, also has a dolls house museum.
The Chateau de Canon in Mezidon-Canon is also lovely, with a great garden for walking and (although I think it's already happened this year) hosts a rather good one-day Jazz festival.
Wherever you go (at least in Calvados - Normandy is a big place) you will find artisanal apple-based alcohol (Cidres Brut and Doux, Calvados (apple brandy), Pommeau (50/50 Calvados and cidre)) and cheese - Pave d'Auge, Livarot, Pont l'Eveque, Camembert, Neufchatel for instance, all of which except the first are also the names of the villages where they originate. Make sure you visit at least one Calvados distillery and one cheesemaker.
There is also, although you hardly need to go to France for this, a rather good safari park near us - CERZA - which has a good selection of animals; it's notable for a big enclosure where you share the space with goats and pigs which try quite hard to eat anything they get near, especially pushchairs for some reason. The food is *awful* though, so bring a picnic.
If you are doing the D-Day thing, then as well as the beaches, try visiting Caen, Rouen and Falaise (this last the site of the Falaise pocket which was the beginning of the end for German armour in France).
I would recommend the Villa Bariolée
Claire Meulenbroek
Rue du Bourg 27
14330 Lison
Normandy
Tel. 0033 231220807
We stayed there last year. It's a B&B in the middle of nowhere, run by a very eccentric Dutch lady who has one of those old Citroen crinkly tin ambulances. If you've had too much to drink, you can ring her and she'll come and collect you in the ambulance. She'll most likely use the siren as well.
Claire Meulenbroek
Rue du Bourg 27
14330 Lison
Normandy
Tel. 0033 231220807
We stayed there last year. It's a B&B in the middle of nowhere, run by a very eccentric Dutch lady who has one of those old Citroen crinkly tin ambulances. If you've had too much to drink, you can ring her and she'll come and collect you in the ambulance. She'll most likely use the siren as well.
If you are in to Band of Brothers the tour run by this chap is very good: http://www.ddayhistorian.com/
The Palais de la Bénédictine in Fécamp does an interesting tour with tastings.
There's a bison farm where you can stay in a teepee / take part in various activities / eat in their restaurant (serving bison meat) here: www.revedebisons.com
There's a bison farm where you can stay in a teepee / take part in various activities / eat in their restaurant (serving bison meat) here: www.revedebisons.com
Edited by mrsshpub on Thursday 4th August 09:12
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