Museums and memorials throughout the region stand as forceful reminders of this decisive period during World War II, when Allied Forces gradually advanced from landing beaches through villages, towns and countryside to free France from its invaders.

This magnificent architectural masterpiece, on the World Heritage list is with no doubt one of France’s most famous and visited sites. The uniqueness of this site lies in the location where the 11th century Abbey dominating the city, was built on an ancient mount surrounded by the sea. The story behind it is worth the visit.

Take a breath of medieval atmosphere. From Cider and Calvados distilleries to Camembert and Pont l’Evêque cheese makers, you will enjoy discovering the half-timbered manors and castles, thatched-roof Tudor style mansions and horse stud farms along the lovely little roads of the famous Pays d’Auge County. A taste of this Norman life will fulfill your expectations of the charms of Normandy.

It is in Le Havre, between the Seine and the sea that was born the impressionist movement in the second half of the 19th century. The artists, seduced by the particular and changeable light of the estuary, seized the moment by breaking with the academic principles.
In Le Havre, a visit to the Malraux museum is inescapable (the biggest collection in France of impressionist works, after the Orsay Museum in Paris). Starting out of Le Havre, there are several possible routes to discover the impressionists, one of which, the Val de seine leads to Giverny (Claude Monet’s gardens), the famous spot of impressionism.

Follow the first steps of the Dukes of Normandy. From Le Havre to Rouen, 9 abbeys were built between the 7th and the 13th centuries along the magnificent loops of the Seine River. The abbey of Montivilliers, situated in Le Havre district, is notable for its self-guided audio tour : thanks to the most recent audio-visual techniques, you will enter a world of dreams and emotions retracing the prestigious story of the great Norman monasteries and French towns over the centuries.

Starting from Le Havre, the Albâtre coast, a countryside overhanging chalk cliffs, is crisscrossed by numerous paths and many little rivers carving intimate valleys and cliffs, such as Etretat and its famous Needle, known all over the world as well as Fécamp’s distillery, famous for its Benedictine liquor and its fantastic palace.