Invaded over the centuries by the Vikings, Romans, English and the Third Reich, Normandy is simply steeped in history. This northwest region of sandy coastline and tranquil pastures has played a pivotal role in France’s past, both distant and recent. Contemporary Normandy, however, revels in its natural, cultural and gastronomic strengths; legions of Parisians make the two-hour trip west each summer to relax at the coastal resorts on the Cotentin Peninsula, while a steady stream of World War II veterans and their relatives make the journey to the D-Day beaches. In between times, visitors can enjoy ample opportunities to sample authentic French cuisine and tour a slew of historic sites.
D-Day Beaches
- On June 6, 1944, the largest maritime invasion in history disembarked on the beaches along Normandy’s English Channel coast. Still known by their code names – Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah and Omaha – the D-Day beaches juxtapose stunning stretches of golden sands with poignant reminders of a period of unrestrained carnage. Visitors can still see German gun positions, British Mulberry harbors where 2.5 million soldiers eventually came ashore and the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, featured in the film "Saving Private Ryan." Tours of the beaches run from Caen, but there are also museums and memorials at Arromanches and Juno beach.
Mont St. Michel
- Near the border with Brittany, where the rocky coastline receives the full force of Atlantic breakers during the winter, sits France’s third most-visited tourist attraction after the Eiffel Tower and Louvre museum in Paris. Mont St. Michel, dating from the eighth century, is separated from the mainland by a causeway that emerges only during low tides and presents an instantly recognizable silhouette of the 13th-century Gothic abbey rising 400 feet to a sharp pinnacle. While it is no longer possible to drive out to the island, which is one of France’s first UNESCO World Heritage sites, a tram service transports passengers to and from the mainland.
Bayeux
- Normandy’s golden coastline and bucolic landscape are dotted with exquisite fishing villages and market towns that date back centuries. The port of Honfleur on the Seine River, for example, traces its roots back a thousand years and inspired a legion of impressionist artists including Monet and Boudin with its narrow streets and timber-framed houses. The town of Bayeux, too, is dominated by the distinctive Romanesque cathedral dating back to 1077 but famed for the tapestry that depicts scenes from medieval life and the Norman invasion of England. The 230-foot-long tapestry is in its own museum, open seven days a week. Bayeux was a former capital of Gaul and was briefly a provisional capital of France in 1944.
Normandy Towns
- To really appreciate France’s history in context, Normandy’s historic towns provide a refreshing antidote to the typically Paris-centric view many visitors take. Normandy’s largest city, Rouen, predates the Roman invasion of Gaul and famously provided the location for the execution of Joan of Arc in 1431. Art lovers will instantly recognize Rouen cathedral, painted so often by Monet, which houses the tomb of Richard the Lionheart. Caen, on the other hand, fared less well during WWII when it was heavily bombed, but it is an ideal place to begin a D-Day tour and visit the memorial. Among the survivors of wartime bombing are two 11th-century abbeys and the castle built by William the Conqueror, which houses the Musee des Beaux Arts with works by Brueghel, Tintoretto, Poussin and Rubens, among others.
