Normandy
Normandy is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Getting to Normandy
From Paris, take the A13 autoroute (motorway) in the direction of Rouen, which takes about 2 hr. Caen is around 2 hr 45 min from the capital, while Cherbourg is about 4 hr. The A28 links traffic from the south, i.e. Le Mans and Tours, for the A10 from Bordeaux and ultimately Spain. Those coming in from Rennes and the rest of Brittany should find the A84 helpful.
- 01Caen Carpiquet Airport
A small selection of year-round domestic services.
- 02Deauville Normandie Airport
A seasonal airport with a handful of summer flights from Mediterranean resorts.
Worth seeing
Both the 'ruined fortress' and 'fancy château' varieties are present in Normandy. A notable example of the former is Richard the Lionheart's Château Gaillard in Les Andelys, a seemingly-impregnable fortress commanding an impressive vantage point, but which lasted only a few years before being captured after a seven-month siege.
Things to do
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.
Where to eat
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. Foie gras — Though much more associated with the south west of France, production of this goose/duck liver pâté has been introduced to Normandy.
Getting around Normandy the local way
- Get inDriving times from the Calais ferry port and Channel Tunnel terminal are around 2 hr to Rouen using the A16 and A28 motorways.
- Get inAlternatively, you may wish to take it slow, by combining the train with a ferry crossing.
- Get inThree ferry ports in Normandy (Cherbourg, Le Havre and Dieppe) have railway stations served by regional trains.
- Get inThat being said, the majority of visitors who make a sea crossing will do so on board a ferry, and the blue infoboxes on the right (or above if you're on mobile) compile the various routes to Normandy and nearby ports from the British Isles.
- Go nextIreland is an overnight ferry crossing, but is well worth the journey.
From Wikivoyage: Normandy, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-07.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: ArildV (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.