A short story about the sights seen in Normandy and a little practical advice.
Preparation:
In July 2009, I went on vacation to Paris with my friends Katya, Kolya and Dima.
We made the decision that we would take a car to go to Normandy a week before the trip itself. It just so happened. Only 7 days before the vacation it turned out that everyone had a desire to get to Mont Saint-Michel, and the journey by buses and trains there would be very hemorrhoids and would cost a pretty penny.
The option of renting a car looked quite attractive. One small “but” slowed us down. Of the entire company, only I had a license, and my actual driving experience was only 2 months: (Besides, I only knew how to drive a car with an automatic transmission.
When I started scouring the Internet in search of a suitable car to rent, it turned out that there were NO cars. Automatics are rare in France, and again, it’s the season :(. Well, that is, there were, for example, C-Class Mercedes at some exorbitant prices, but nothing “average” was observed. By some miracle I came across the website of one car broker, who provided us with a C3 with an automatic transmission at the ALAMO rental office for 210 euros for 2 days.
Day 1: Paris - Les Andelys-Etretat-Le Havre-Aromanches
The first problems of "dummies"
The red C3 was waiting for us in the parking lot of Gare de Lyon. Dima, who took on the function of navigator, for some reason was sure that the rental office would also rent him a navigator. What naivety! If anyone suddenly thinks the same way, I hasten to disappoint you - the navigator is “rented” only in conjunction with premium cars, where it is simply built-in. No one will give you a separate navigator.
In our arsenal we only had a Michelin road map of France from the 1990 edition :)
The rental employee gave us documents and a key, and drew on a piece of paper how to get out of the parking lot onto the embankment. You had to go straight along the embankment to get to the “Paris Ring Road” (in the original Périphérique). From there we, according to all calculations, should have taken the A13 highway leading to Rouen.
And then there was entertainment called “departure from Paris” for an hour and a half. First, we accidentally passed the junction with Peripherique and ended up on the wrong highway. Then we turned around, drove to Peripherique, left it for the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis and wandered around it for at least another half hour, looking for the exit to A13. Then we found the exit, but slightly missed the mark - at the junction we chose the wrong tunnel, which ultimately led us to the Parisian skyscraper district of Défense. Everyone was on edge, and they were about to start swearing, and then the heavens above us had mercy, and after just 15 minutes we were able to take the right direction.
On subsequent trips, I always took a GPS with me. Which is what I recommend to everyone. It makes the life of a young road traveler very easy.
On the A13 highway we came across the first toll station. Of course, I knew roughly how to get into it, how to pay, but I didn’t know about one important detail. If your credit card doesn't have a chip, it probably won't work at the machine! Thank God, we were 4 adults with a variety of bank cards, one of which matched the machine. It would be extremely inconvenient to back up and change lanes.
First joys: Les Andelys
Thanks to Katya, she was the one who dug up information about this picturesque place and forced us to make the first stop on the route here. The town is located 85 km from Paris and is famous for the castle of Richard the Lionheart and amazing views of the Seine River. Here the Seine is not at all like in Paris.
The ruins of the castle proudly rise above the area.
We bought groceries at the supermarket, walked up the hill to the castle and had a picnic there.
By the way, despite all incredible beauty and tourist value, there weren’t very many people here - literally one bus with tourists (they all scattered around the ruins), and 5-6 private cars.
Etretat
And this was my “thing” - to see the rocks and arches of Etretat. I heard about it so many times, saw friends in photos, and hurray, I’m finally here!
In Etretat, the beach with large pebbles is very steep and the entry into the sea is inconvenient. But that didn’t stop us - we went swimming. A dip in the cold waters of the English Channel allowed me to relieve any remaining stress from “leaving Paris.”
After relaxing a bit on the beach, we climbed up to take pictures on the famous rocks.
Normandy Bridge and coastline
The next point on our route was “Inspection of the Allied landing sites.” This was Dima’s theme; he was responsible for this part of the route. By the way, there are war memorials almost all along the coast. Even in Etretat there are several objects from the Second World War. And it’s difficult to say which of them are required viewing and which are less interesting.
Dima decided to head to some small town on the coast in the Caen region. It was in this area that the landing took place on June 6, 1944. Our choice fell on Arromanches. Dima was familiar with this place from the game Call of duty :) We planned to spend the night there.
From Etretat we drove along the coast through Le Havre (where we again got a little lost), and then across the Normandy bridge onto the highway to the city of Caen.
The Normandy Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Europe. In fact, it is another attraction that attracts tourists to the region. We actually came across it by accident (on my map of the 1990 edition it was not marked, because it was built in 1995 :)), leaving Le Havre following the signs for the A13 highway. But, of course, we were impressed by the beauty and scale of the structure.
The bridge, by the way, is a toll bridge; the cost of crossing it for cars is 5 euros.
It was only around 9 pm that we reached Aromanches. We were lucky, we found a hotel quickly enough. It was an evening from Wednesday to Thursday, and seats could be found without prior reservation. Quite decent 2*, 50 euros for a double room without breakfast.
By the way, if you are planning to spend the night in some small town on the English Channel coast, try to arrive there no later than 8 pm. At 10 pm, when we threw our things into the room and went to look for dinner, everything in the city was already closed, not a single cafe had a kitchen. We only managed to buy beer and some terrible hamburgers at a closing shop not far from the hotel.
Day 2: Allied landing sites - Mont Saint Michel - road to Paris
In the morning we had a wonderful breakfast in a restaurant overlooking the sea, walked along the beach, and looked at local war memorials.
Then we took from the hotel a map of the nearest locations of military fortifications during the war and headed there (15 minutes by car along winding village paths).
After inspecting the German bunkers and climbing the fortifications, we headed to Mont Saint-Michel.
On the way we stopped at a farm where we bought Calvados. Such farms are found everywhere on the roads of Normandy.
Mont-Saint-Michel
Well, I don’t think there’s much point in talking about him, because... this is the second after Eiffel Tower the most famous landmark in France.
I'll give you just a few practical tips.
I have been to Mont Saint Michel twice - both times on weekdays. There are always a lot of people there. But in the summer it’s just incredibly busy. I think you need to arrive there either very early in the morning, or late in the evening, when the people have subsided. We got there around half past twelve, and got there at the most popular time. There were more people on the main street of the city than in the Moscow metro at rush hour:(
When you enter the huge parking lot at Mont Saint Michel, don't park at the beginning, thinking that there are no more spaces closer to the castle. Everyone thinks the same thing, so there will be places closer to the castle. As a result, we, having “successfully” packed at the beginning, walked one and a half kilometers to the castle and then the same distance back.
Road to Paris.
We decided to take the N12 road back through Alençon and Dieu.
As a result, our journey home lasted for 5 and a half hours, including a short stop for lunch at a roadside inn.
So if your goal is to see the most interesting things in a couple of days and not die of fatigue, forget about saving on free roads. They are for traveling short distances. In France, most of the normal roads are toll roads. On our route there was only one successful free highway - the A84, along which we drove from Caen to Mont Saint-Michel. Everything was there as it was toll road: 2-3 lanes one way, maximum speed 130 km/h, in some places 110 km/h.
An ordinary free road (they are marked on the map with the letter N, “nationale”, i.e. state-owned) has one or two lanes in one direction. The permitted speed on it is usually 90 km/h.
In this case, the road N passes through the heap settlements, where the permitted speed is 50 km/h. And if you find yourself in a section with one lane, and some tractor is driving in front of you, then you will slowly drive in a convoy behind it until the road widens or a rare opportunity arises to overtake it in a place where overtaking in the oncoming lane is acceptable.
So we scratched along this national road. The only consolation for us were the sweetest provincial landscapes.
We arrived in Paris around half past ten. Thank God, this time we managed to find our way more or less normally, finding the Peripherique, the necessary interchange, the embankment, and then the Lyon Station and parking the first time.
I didn’t regret at all that we went by car to Normandy. Our route for our first acquaintance with the region turned out to be very good. Of course, we didn't see Honfleur, Deauville/Trouville, Rouen and St. Malo. But nothing prevents you from visiting these places next time.
Normandy is well known to the average tourist. Excellent infrastructure, many hotels of different levels and excellent cuisine have long attracted the attention of potential travelers to these places in the north-east of France.
You can find many reports about Normandy on LiveJournal, but if you pay close attention, you can see some of their monotony. Professional top bloggers come here for annual tastings of cider and Calvados, but mere mortals usually visit only a few of the most popular places in this region. But you just need to delve a little into maps and guidebooks to understand how much interesting things there are left aside from these standard routes.
Perhaps this is why, during the next promotion of low-cost airlines from Vilnius, I unexpectedly bought two tickets for myself to the French Beauvais airport. From here, most visitors head straight to Paris, which is only about a hundred kilometers away, but getting to the beaches of Normandy from Beauvais is also not at all difficult.
I made a small strategic mistake while planning this trip. The fact is that our journey was supposed to take five days. At first I thought that it was very close to Beauvais most interesting city Amiens, and from there it is not so far to the famous port of Calais. These cities already belong to other French regions of Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais, but visiting them was quite included in my itinerary. I decided to devote the rest of my time exclusively to Normandy.
3.
I usually plan to cover a route of 200-300 kilometers per day. I know from experience that such a distance can be covered easily and without strain, and a constant change of impressions guarantees unforgettable experience. Everything would have been fine if at some point in preparing the route I had not started reading about another French province neighboring Normandy - Brittany. This region seemed so interesting and original to me that I suddenly decided to change my principles and look here for a day.
4.
Unfortunately, I underestimated the scale of this region. Brittany for a day is just funny! During that day we drove almost 600 kilometers and saw very little, but we were very tired. Don’t repeat my mistakes, if you decide to go to Brittany, devote at least five days to this region. The rest of our trip went like clockwork.
5.
In Amiens we looked for traces of the great writer Jules Verne, and in Calais we visited abandoned giant bunkers from the Second World War. There will be separate reports about this.
6.
From Calais we began to descend south along the coastline. Gradually, the swampy lowlands gave way to the cliffs of the Alabaster Coast. These places have long been considered resort places by the French.
7.
It was a great pleasure to visit small coastal towns surrounded by white rocky cliffs. There are a lot of them here and not all of them are known to a wide range of tourists. Fécamp, Dieppe, Le Tréport, Ault - you can write a separate story about each of these towns.
8.
We also visited more popular places, but I don’t feel much pleasure from walking by the sea with crowds of vacationers and spending a long time searching for a parking space on streets clogged with cars, so we tried to pass places like Etretat or Honfleur as quickly as possible.
9.
Of course, one of the main goals of my trip to Normandy was to visit the Allied landing sites during World War II. The legendary D-Day happened exactly 70 years ago, so now this topic is being raised very actively throughout almost the entire region.
10.
There are many memorials, museums, and monuments open along the entire coast. Many hotels and restaurants deliberately hang American and British flags on their facades, either as a sign of remembrance or to lure potential customers.
11.
Of the huge number of places that are open to the public this year, I have chosen only a few. To be honest, I could devote my entire trip to this topic, but we shouldn’t forget about my other half. Of course, the end of July is a great time for a beach holiday in Normandy.
12.
Some of the longest sea tides have created unique giant beaches here. Combined with the summer sun, these are ideal places to relax and sunbathe!
13.
Swimming in the sea is not so simple here. By the way, local residents don't like them at all water treatments. They say the sea here is cold! We didn’t have them in the Baltic!
14.
I wouldn't get out of the water on the Normandy beaches, but here we ran into another problem. Here you can try to enter sea water for a long time, but even at a decent distance from the shore in many places the depth will still be maximum knee-deep.
15.
Finding an acceptable beach with the opportunity to swim here was not so easy. We did this by accident only on the third day of the trip. But this place seemed ideal to us. Fine sand next to picturesque rock with a lighthouse on top, the almost complete absence of people and the proximity of parking - here we felt almost like in paradise. I won’t just give out the coordinates of this beach.
16.
Despite all my dislike for popular attractions, sometimes I still can’t avoid them.
17.
At the risk of being banal, I still stopped by the famous island city of Mont Saint-Michel. Apparently, after Paris, this is the most visited place by tourists in France. Trying not to subject our psyche to additional tests, we visited it in the evening, at sunset. My impressions from that walk were a little chaotic, and I will share them with you later.
18.
Despite the difficulties described above, we still saw quite a bit in Brittany. The ancient pirate port of Saint-Malo, medieval city ok Dinan and the mysterious complex of megaliths in Carnac became our goals on the penultimate day of our journey through France. There is something to remember and something to tell.
19.
Our last day in France was a return to Beauvais. On the way, we stopped by the capital of Normandy, the city of Rouen, and also took a ferry ride along the famous Seine.
20.
We saw this river, familiar to most of us from Paris, in an unusual frame of high chalk cliffs. These places, despite the high degree of population, have retained their pristine beauty and wildness.
21.
This is where our somewhat unusual journey through Normandy ended. We never drank a drop of local cider, nor did we try the vaunted Calvados.
22.
But sobriety and purity of mind allowed us to see this region in all its beauty and diversity. In addition, our pocket did not suffer much financially either.
23.
It is worth saying a few words about the weather. In many souvenir shops here I saw magnets with images of drops of pouring rain and the inscription Normandy. The weather was kind to us and it was gloomy only on the first day. Then we fully enjoyed the bright sun and summer heat. So we did not buy those magnets because they were erroneous in our particular case.
24.
For those who love financial details, I will describe our expenses. Air tickets for two cost us 110 Euros. A rented car for five days costs 200 euros, and for gasoline an additional 150 euros.
25.
We lived exclusively in small family hotels, where a separate room with all amenities for two with a homemade breakfast cost us 50-60 Euros.
26.
Don't forget that this is peak season here. In total, all the overnight stays cost us 270 Euros. I will write separately about these very unusual hotels for us. They are here - a separate attraction of Normandy!
27.
Other expenses, with the exception of several trips to local restaurants, were not great and amounted to only about 200 Euros.
28.
In total, the amount of 900 Euros for a five-day holiday for two in France cannot be called large. This means you can and should go here. Knowledgeable people can compare these costs with the price level in Paris.
29.
Something tells me that a trip to Normandy can not only be... a worthy alternative famous capital France, but also significantly save money. The potential of the entire region as a whole is very great.
30.
I'll stop there for now. For those who are interested in Normandy and its surrounding regions, expect more detailed reports in the near future.
31.
Beach holidays in France are usually primarily associated with the south and Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the French, who know their country well, prefer the beaches of Normandy. You just need to choose the right time and place.
Deauville - rich mansions, gorgeous beaches, the clearest ocean...
The northwestern regions of the Fifth Republic, Normandy and Brittany, which, due to their location, are difficult for Russian people to relate to beach holiday- firstly, the “north”, and secondly, not formally the open sea or ocean, but the shores of the harsh English Channel, attract mainly excursionists on short organized trips from Paris. However, a trip to Normandy - a picturesque green region with a rich cultural and historical heritage, fantastic landscapes and no less glorious gastronomic specialties - is more interesting than the Mediterranean resorts. It is best to go here at the peak of summer, in July-August, when it is hot almost everywhere in France, and even the water in the English Channel warms up to an acceptable temperature for swimming. The beginning of September is also a good time: it’s still quite warm, and Deauville also hosts the famous film festival of American cinema, which, in terms of the scale and level of visiting stars, can be called, if not a “younger brother,” then certainly a “cousin” of the famous Cannes.
In general, traveling through the cities of Normandy can be called a real pleasure for a film buff: a huge number of cult French films were filmed here, and top actors such as Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Lino Ventura, Louis de Funes, Anouk Aimé, Robert Hossein, Michel Morgan , and dozens of others often came here to relax and gain inspiration.
The most famous historical resorts of Normandy - Deauville-sur-Mer and Trouville-sur-Mer, the so-called “Parisian Riviera”, or even the “XXI arrondissement of Paris” - are connected to the capital by highway.
It is also not difficult to get here comfortably from Paris by car. direct train in just two hours. And for a trip to Normandy, it is best to rent a car to see the distant major cities natural attractions and better experience the incredible rural beauty of Normandy.
Trouville and Deauville, which appeared on the map of routes for the aristocracy a little later, at the beginning of the 19th century, were, like most of the now famous French resorts, small fishing villages, notable only for their picturesqueness. With the advent of fashion sea bathing and sunbathing here, attracted by the wide beautiful beaches, wealthy vacationers began to come more and more often, followed by the appearance of infrastructure for the rich and famous. The years 1840–1860 saw the rapid construction of luxury hotels, private villas, entertainment venues and promenades in Trouville. And by 1870, this resort flourished and became popular among representatives of the highest circles of the European aristocracy.
Deauville-sur-Mer, Trouville's twin brother, is separated from it only by the bed of the Tuk River. “If you go to the right, you will end up in Trouville, if you go to the left, you will end up in Deauville” - a landmark if you are facing the ocean in the port area. The territory of the resorts is quite compact, and while relaxing in one of them, it is not difficult to move to the neighboring one.
In the 1860s, when Trouville had nowhere to expand, a project for the Deauville resort appeared, the authors of which were Dr. Oliffe, the half-brother of Emperor Napoleon III, the Duke of Morny, and the banker Armand Donon. The emphasis was placed on the prestige of the new holiday destination. On the former swampy area, a town surprisingly quickly grew up with huge hotels, a casino, a hippodrome and a wood-paved promenade with carved bathing cabins, which to this day remain one of the recognizable symbols of Deauville. The “golden age” of resorts occurred at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when the lush imperial style of architecture was complemented by luxurious buildings in the Belle Epoque style. Despite the fact that many unique villas from architectural ensemble Deauville and Trouville were destroyed (after the Second World War or through the efforts of some zealous mayors of the towns), but today you can stay in most of the ancient historical hotels, built at the turn of the century before last. The famous five-star Hotel Normandy, which has often become the setting for films such as “Baron de L'Ecluse” with Jean Gabin, is still impeccable. The Royal Hotel in Deauville is still luxurious, the Grand Casino in Trouville still opens its doors to players...
Walking along the historic boardwalk along the ocean in Deauville is reminiscent of one of the most romantic paintings of our time - “A Man and a Woman” by Claude Lelouch. If you want to drink a cup of coffee or have lunch overlooking the ocean, you should choose Bar du Soleil, Bar de la mer or Le Ciro`s restaurant - these are establishments that date back to the beginning of the 20th century and have seen many famous guests. The resorts traditionally demand a casino, a hippodrome, and horseback riding along the shore. In the immediate vicinity of Deauville and Trouville you can find the impeccable golf courses for which Normandy is famous. A thalasso therapy center and many spas, swimming pools with heated sea water, a yacht club, tennis courts, and shopping centers are located in the area between the hotels and the boardwalk.
Quai Honfleur
Visit the picturesque town of Honfleur, as if straight out of an impressionist painting, 15 km from Trouville. The heart of Honfleur and main point The main attraction for tourists is its harbor, lined with charming old mansions in the Norman style.
Follow the 40km Cider Route, which starts approximately 20km east of Caen and passes through authentic small farm villages. One of the main specialties of Normandy is produced here - apple cider and its stronger derivative - Calvados brandy, you can taste and buy all of this. In addition, the region is the birthplace of the world-famous Camembert cheese, and nowhere else except Normandy will you find such a selection of varieties and tastes of this cheese.
Walk along the edge of the almost vertical rock cliffs around the village of Etretat (20 km southeast of Fécamp) and see the powerful cliff-arches that have become one of the most recognizable symbols of Normandy in the world. Admire the deserted beaches at the foot of the cliffs - wild and amazing with the power of the waves.
Visit one of the wonders of France - the island of Mont Saint-Michel with the abbey located on it, and in fact - a perfectly preserved medieval city, the first mention of which dates back to 709. Mont Saint-Michel is one of the country's most popular attractions and is listed world heritage UNESCO, so not seeing it while in Normandy would be at least a shame.
See memorable places World War II. North coast region at the end of the Second World War became the place where the Allied landing operation unfolded on June 6, 1944 airborne troops codenamed "Overlord". The beaches of Omaha, Utah, Sword, Juneau and Gold became the sites of the bloodiest battles between the British and American airborne divisions and Nazi troops. One of the most emotionally powerful sights of these places is the American military cemetery with its seemingly endless rows of modest white crosses.
Read about the most interesting exhibitions, concerts, auctions and other significant events from the world of art.
Text: Elena Kurylenko
- Time
- Route length: 230 km, just over 4 hours of clear road.
- Movement: It’s more convenient by car, since you don’t have to wait for buses, but public transport is quite convenient: both by train and by buses.
- Bonus: You will partially drive along ““, so get ready to taste excellent local wines.
Alsace route:
Route Burgundy - Rhône-Alpes - Center - Paris
This route will take you through the main attractions of central France, revealing to you the traditional, including the most famous, and famous.
- Time: 6 - 10 days, depending on the pace.
- Route length: 1338 km, 14 hours on the road.
- Movement: by car it is more convenient, since you don’t have to wait for buses, but by public transport it is quite convenient: like by train, trains go everywhere (except for the castles of the Loire).
Route description:
Eastern France route
Eastern France boasts distinctive half-timbered architecture and fine wines. There are 3 located here most important countries- , and whose white and sparkling wines have become legendary.
- Time: 6 - 9 days, depending on the pace.
- Route length: 1268 km, 13.5 hours on the road.
- Movement: by public transport - convenient. By car, parking is more difficult.
Route description:
Northern France in 1 week
Day 4. House and garden of Claude Monet in , afternoon - capital - ,
With children you can see Paris (), spend 1 day in, two days in and another 2 days in.
Day 1:- visit in the morning, get up
Finally I got around to summarizing the information on Normandy - not the lyrical part, but the more practical one. I hope it will be useful if you, like us, plan to travel to these wonderful places by car. Let me make a reservation right away that all of the following is personal experience, he does not claim either absolute completeness of information or the optimality of the route (although the route ultimately suited us very well).
Where is it?
Normandy is a region in northwestern France. It is divided into upper Normandy, centered in Rouen, and lower Normandy, centered in Caen. Adjacent to lower Normandy from the southwest is Breton, which we also captured a little on our trip.
Why go there?
If you have already visited Paris, Venice, Barcelona, etc., and you want to discover new places in Europe, pay attention to Normandy. You are guaranteed rich visual impressions (landscapes, parks, architecture, rugged northern beaches), taste pleasures (cheese, cider, seafood, etc.), historical excursions (as in ancient history Normans, and in the military operations of the Second World War - the famous beaches of "D-Day"), and surprisingly pleasant local people. They speak decent English and are very tourist friendly without being intrusive - the perfect combination!
When to go?
The best season is approximately from April-May to the end of October. Since November, many attractions and farms are closed to the public (out of season), and the weather becomes nasty. Normandy is already the rainiest region of France (and they never tire of making various jokes about this), and in winter the rain is also cold, and daylight hours are short. We went at the beginning of October - it was, to put it mildly, not hot :))) but this is no longer the peak season of summer, when there are no crowds of tourists - it’s easy to find places to spend the night, there are no crowds anywhere.
Idea and general route planning
Without claiming absolute truth, I will only tell you about our thought process. We initially wanted Jersey and Guernsey, the idea of Normandy was born as a logical addition to them. Then we started looking for information about what is interesting in Normandy, noting cities and places that are definitely worth visiting (for us it turned out to be Rouen, Giverny, Allied landing beaches (D-Day Beaches), Mont Saint Michel, cheese and cider road ) and those that would be nice to visit, if possible.
Based on these estimates, and not wanting to move from place to place every day, we decided that we would book hotels in three strongholds for several days - Rouen, Quen (or rather, a town near Quen on one of the landing beaches), San Malo - and will travel to other points from there. As a result, the tactics fully justified themselves, although on the spot it turned out that there were no housing options, incl. inexpensive, - a great variety (including farms and cute guesthouses that are not on international booking sites). So you can just drive and look for an overnight stay as you go, especially not during the “hot season”. But we are paranoid in this sense, we plan in advance :)
We flew to Paris in the afternoon (Charles de Gaulle airport), took the metro to Saint-Lazare station and went by train to Rouen.
- Train schedules and booking tickets in French railways. It makes sense to book key tickets in advance, because... It is possible to buy them in advance at cheaper prices. The reservation is printed out and exchanged for a ticket at the station at the SNCF office (or at other points - everything is written on the reservation). Important: do not plan train trips close to important connections - in France, a strike is the norm, and the likelihood of the train being late is high!
- Don’t forget to submit an international “booklet” for your license to the traffic police before your trip! There is a problem with Russian licenses - although all the data seems to be duplicated in Latin, the category descriptions are made only in Russian, which gives the rental company the right to refuse you (they may not refuse, but why take the risk???). It is also recommended to get an international license for an Israeli license (in MEMSI this is done in 5 minutes and 15 shekels) - Israel somehow crookedly signed some conventions, so it’s better to play it safe
- And be sure (!) to take a GPS navigator with updated maps! If you don’t have one, don’t spare the extra money (7-10 euros per day) and rent it along with the car. Without a navigator, even with the most the best card, you will fray all your nerves in this region and spend a lot of time wandering! Yes, you will spend more on gasoline for these wanderings than on renting a navigator!!!
Currency
Euro, of course. Cards are accepted everywhere. The only difficulty in terms of currency that we encountered was that it was very difficult to change cash dollars (and we had part of the amount in them). For example, in Rouen they don’t even do this in banks, only in tourist office downtown.
Language
French. But unlike Parisians, locals speak English fluently and don’t frown when you speak broken French. Still, the proximity to England and the historical past have an effect.
Food
France in general and Normandy in particular is a culinary paradise. The food here is truly delicious, and food here is not just a life-sustaining necessity, but a separate experience and pleasure. Of course, try local cheeses, pears (oh, what juicy pears are here!), cider, pommeau - a mixture of Calvados and cider (but Calvados itself is a stool :))), pastries, seafood (including oysters - for those who like it).
We did this - in the morning we had breakfast at the hotel or in a nearby coffee shop, had lunch at a restaurant, finding a profitable and tasty formule - like a set lunch, for dinner we bought cheeses, cider, baguette, apples, pears, sausages or ham, and had a picnic. It could be more economical, but we decided that pleasure was our priority. Personal recommendation- restaurant L"Orbecquoise in the small town of Orbec near Lisieux.
Automotive cases
Toll roads- There are a lot of them in France! Usually these are highways and major roads connecting regions of the country, as well as bridges (the most famous is the Normandy Bridge). The cost is from 2 to 6 euros, each road has its own. Payment is made at checkpoints (sometimes at the entrance, sometimes at the exit, sometimes both here and there - save your receipts to leave!), there are signs on the road warning that the highway is toll. It is best to carry small change with you for payment, although bills and cards are also accepted (cards are not all, you need some kind of specific chip). U toll road there is always, or almost always, a free alternative (you can set your GPS to go around them) - it usually takes longer, but is much more picturesque.
Speed limits- city 50 km/h, countryside 90, highway - 110, autobahn - 130. Cameras everywhere!!!
Petrol- quite expensive and prices are not regulated, i.e. different at different gas stations (even at gas stations of the same company prices may differ!). Therefore, it’s worth taking a closer look at where it’s cheaper.
Parking- in small towns it is usually free, in the center and major cities There may be paid zones with a payment machine (color-coded) or paid parking. In general, there were no problems with parking, with the exception of the center of Rouen.
Tactical planning
We initially had a rough plan of what we were going to do on what day, but, naturally, it was adjusted along the way. For planning, we used the Rough Guide to Normandy and Brittany. We also actively used local tourist centers- they are in every village in Normandy!!! - you shouldn’t ignore them, they will tell you about current events, give you all sorts of useful waste paper and maps, and recommend a place to eat or stay for the night. Find festival dates and farmers market schedules in different cities- both are worth a visit.
- Pay attention to the opening hours of museums, farms and other attractions so as not to stumble upon a closed door. The schedule can be quite exotic - the cheese farm may close for a “lunch break” from 12 to 14, and the museum may not be open on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Hotel Stars Rouen is a basic hotel in a "marine style". A decent place to stay overnight, very reasonable price, free parking and easy access to the A13 - the main road from Rouen. Convenient only if Rouen is not the main purpose of the trip, and you have a car, because... not in the city center.
Hotel Le Canada, Hermanville-sur-mer - hotel in a small seaside town near Quesne and Bayeux, in a classic Norman half-timbered building, delicious breakfast, beautiful rooms. Disadvantage - in the middle of nowhere, the nearest cafe, for example, is a couple of kilometers away :))
Éthic étapes Patrick Varangot, Saint-Malo - a large hostel with a lot of different features and opportunities (common room, bike rental, various events for guests). Disadvantage - very spartan rooms (although new and clean), they don’t even provide soap :))
Visa
Regular Schengen. To be honest, it was boring for us to show all our movements at the embassy (especially since they were still in the planning stage at that time), so I booked
