Once in a Wheel, We Need a Long Drive

You have to visit Normandy- It was one of my favorite trips. Those who know me know I’m a girl on the go. As can be seen, we revere this epic 3-day road trip through Coastal Normandy, and I wanted to share what we did and how it went for us. Whether you follow the itinerary exactly or use it as a general guideline, I know you will find this helpful.

More Resources for Visiting Normandy

This post is a general overview of our 3-day road trip through Normandy. You will thus find links for the specific blog posts along the way. I strongly encourage reading the individual blog posts for all the fine points and tips!

The official Normandy Tourism website was also really helpful!

Normandy Tourism

Helpful Tips for your Visit in Normandy:

• Reservations are key!
  • Sit-down dinners basically require reservations. The restaurants are small and very busy. They typically cannot accommodate walk-ins during weekends and busy travel seasons.
• Have Euro coins handy
  • Overall, complimentary public restrooms are not typical in Europe. Be prepared to pay for public restrooms by carrying a few coins in Euros. 
  • We however found 1-2 complimentary restrooms at large commercial gas stations/rest stops.
  • Restroom stops are usually 50 cents or 1 euro. Some places will give you coupons for the amount you spend on the bathroom. You can use these coupons to put towards a purchase in their convenience store. However, you cannot use them for gas. 
• Bring snacks and water.
  • I always pack healthy snacks, like nuts and dried fruit, and our reusable water bottles in the car to help us save time and money. They are often lifesavers when we are slightly hungry but want to keep going.
  • I also bring our favorite road trip candies for when we start to feel a little tired. 
• Estimated drive times
  • I listed overall estimated drive times. They will change pending traffic and construction.
• Pack layers
  • The weather along the coast can vary, but it tends to be chilly. You will want layers for the evenings and when there’s a breeze. 

Some Local Eats and Drinks

I like to try regional foods when I’m traveling. Of course, there are a lot of delicious French foods that you will definitely want to try. Do not hesitate with the butter- it is divine. Here are some more specialty items you will want to try! 

• Have You Heard of Calvados?
  • Calvados is often made with apples, but sometimes pears. It is a brandy from Normandy. Calvados is Normandy’s signature spirit! In general terms, Calvados is made from distilled apple cider or a combination of pears and apples.
  • You will find Calvados in many shops and offered in many restaurant menus. It’s definitely worth a try! We had it in some of the food we ordered, which was very tasty. I thought it was a little too sweet to enjoy it on its own. I am not a huge fan of overall sweets. 
• Camembert de Normandie
  • Camembert de Normandie is Normandy’s cheese! I love cheese, so the more intense, the better for me. Although soft and creamy, expect a lot of flavor in this raw cow’s milk treat. 

Let’s Hit the Road and Visit Normandy!

Before we begin, there is A LOT to visit in Normandy. To help break up all the information, I included links to my posts that go into more detail per location. There is a lot of fun information, and I tried to make it easy to follow. So, let’s go!

Day 1: Let’s Visit Normandy!

Starting Point- Étretat

Firstly, Étretat is a beautiful starting point for our road trip through Normandy. This lovely coastal town is infamous for its rock formations carved out along the cliffs. These were some of the most magnificent views of my life.

You can find the details of Étretat in this blog…

5 Breathtaking Sights You Don’t Want to Miss in Étretat, France

Sights to Visit in Étretat

• Chappelle Notre Dame de la Garde on Amont Cliff
  • Although this church is not open to the public, it is an incredible spot with jaw-dropping coastal views. 
• Admire the Falaises d’Étretat
  • By and large, you DO NOT want to skip these world-famous cliffs. The cliffs are “Sites of Major National Importance” in Normandy.
• Chemin des Douaniers
  • This little trail will lead you to the best viewing spot of the Falaises d’Etretat. Some parts of this trail can be steep and slippery, but it is worth it. 
• The Perrey
  • The Perrey is the coastal boardwalk in Étretat. Don’t forget to stop by the plant nursery. 
• Low Tide Activities
  • Look for landmarks and native plants and animals, such as the red grass and sea cabbage.

Shopping & Eating

This is a popular area for tourists. You will nevertheless find a variety of shops and restaurants along the neighboring streets.

Hungry?

• Le Petit Accent
  • A small and local bakery with delicious pastries.
• Le Belvédère
  • The coastal restaurant is a 15-minute drive southwest. They have gorgeous panoramic views and delicious food. I recommend making reservations. 

Time To Go! There’s More to Visit in Normandy

Before you know it, it’s time to go. The drive to Le Harve is about 30 minutes from Le Belvédère or 40 minutes from Étretat.

Le Harve

Secondly is our stop in Le Havre. This is a must-stop for our visit in Normandy. Le Havre is a historic port where the Seine and the English Channel meet. In effect, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can find more information on Le Havre here…

6 Must-Sees in Le Havre, France

Visiting Le Harve

• The Ship-Owner’s House
  • An old home that in summary reopened as a museum highlighting the city’s port history.
• Joseph’s Church
  • Visit the wonderful stained-glass bell tower at this cathedral that resembles a church. 
• Avenue Foch
  • Avenue Foch is a UNESCO site and the urban park of Le Harve.
• Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville
  • This UNESCO site is one of the biggest town hall squares in Europe.
• Notre Dame Cathedral
  • This beautiful cathedral was built from 1575 to 1630. The rose-stained windows and magnificent organ are unquestionably worth the stop. 
• Sea Wall (Digue), Beach, & Marina
  • The Digue is the sea wall that protects the marina. It’s a popular spot for surfing too! 

Back to the Car

Honfleur is the next stop following Le Harve. The drive from to Honfleur is about 1hr 40 mins, or 35 minutes if you take the toll road. We therefore took the toll road to save time.

Honfleur

Honfleur is another port town on our visit to Normandy. You will fall in love with the cobblestone streets and picturesque harbor.

For more details on my trip to Honfleur, you can click here…

Everything You Want to See in Honfleur, France

Notes for Honfleur:

• We found street parking by the Port of Honfleur and walked around.
• We got here generally after 6 p.m. All the sites were closed, but restaurants and some stores were still open. I do, however, wish we had more time to spend here. There seems to be a lot to see and do. I listed my wishlist in the blog post! 

What to See in Honfleur

• Saint Catherine Church & Bell Tower
  • You can’t miss France’s largest timber-built church.
• Port of Honfleur
  • The historic port is in brief the lively center of this beautiful town.
• The Old Basin 
  • Boats, boats, boats! My husband loved admiring the fancy boats here. 
• La Lieutenance
  • The former home of the lieutenant and governor. 
• Shopping & Eating
  • You have plenty of options here, but I recommend making reservations in advance.

Time for a Brake!

You’ve finally reached the end of the first day visiting Normandy! What a long yet rewarding one.

The drive to the D-Day Beaches is about an hour and a half from Honfleur. Choose a place that makes sense for you to sleep.

We chose to stay between the two sites to break up the drive and to get to sleep sooner rather than later.

Day 2: There’s More to Visit in Normandy!

I hope you got a good night’s rest… There’s so much to see on Day 2!

D-Day Sites

You can’t visit Normandy without seeing some of the infamous D-Day sites. D-Day occurred June 6, 1944, when The Allies invaded the beaches in Normandy. The 5 beaches are code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. This road trip itinerary includes some beaches and other important World War II sites.

There is a lot of in detail information about each site. You should check out that blog post here…

An Easy Guide to Visiting D-Day Sites

D-Day Sites to Visit in Normandy

Arromanches-les-Bains (Arromanches) 

This historic landing place is also the beach where artificial ports were installed to help with the high volume of disembarkation of war materials. Visit the beach to see some of the ports and materials that still lay on the beach and shores.  

Musée du Débarquement

In short, this is a commemorative museum of D-Day landings and the artificial ports at this site.

A Historic Drive on our Normandy Visit

The following destination is the Longues-sur-Mer Battery. As you make the 10-minute drive, pay attention as you drive through Tracy-sur-Mer and Manvieux. Take notice of the bullet holes left behind on the gates along the road. It reminds me of those scenes in Saving Private Ryan, where the soldiers walk along the road to get to the next town. 

Longues-sur-Mer 

Longues-sur-Mer Battery is a World War II German artillery battery. In this case, you can see the original structures and guns. 

The next leg is a 30-minute drive. Enjoy the views along the way! 

Omaha Beach 

• Normandy American Cemetery
  • It is important to realize the site is a museum, memorial, and cemetery. 
• Pointe du Hoc Monument
  • Visit the 100-foot cliffs overlooking the English Channel. On D-Day, the US Army Ranger Assault Group scaled the cliffs to take control of this German area.

Utah Beach is a 40-minute drive from Omaha Beach.

Utah Beach

• Musée du Débarquement de Utah Beach
  • This is an impressive museum highlighting what happened at Utah Beach during D-Day.
• Utah Beach Memorial
  • The memorial is behind the museum, along the beach. 

Good Night to Day 2!

You made it to the end of day 2! Whew….

Now, it’s up to you to decide if you would rather stay close to Utah Beach or start making your way to Saint Mont-Michel, which is about 1hr 40mins.

While we were here, the Musée du Débarquement de Utah Beach closed at 6:00 p.m. (18:00), so we drove halfway for our overnight stay and dinner. We stayed in Sainte-Cecile and enjoyed the most AMAZING meal.

Dinner at Manoir De L’Acherie

• This markedly beautiful historic home is in the Normandy countryside. That is to say, the manor is grand with a beautiful garden. The regional food was probably one of my favorites from this trip. The dining room is cozy and inviting, complete with a beautiful fireplace. Bonus fun was that they also used the fireplace for cooking your meals.
• Reservations required!
• We each ordered from the tasting menu, which provided plenty of food. Our overall menu (for 2 people) included appetizers, main courses, a cheese plate, and desserts. We chose the following:
  • Appetizers
    • Au gratin of camembert andouille
    • Warm sheep’s cheese on salad and toast
  • Main Courses
    • Filet mignon grated over a woodfire.
    • Smoked country ham cooked in cider and grated over a woodfire. 
  • Cheese course, which included a lovely selection of local cheeses.
    • I ADORE cheese, and this was one of the best things of our visit around Normandy!
  • Desserts
    • Coffee ice cream topped with caramels d’Isigny and whipped cream.
    • Normandy tart flambeed with Calvados and served with vanilla ice cream. 
• Yea…. It was all amazing. I still have dreams of this meal and restaurant. 

It is unquestionably time to relax! Now have a good night’s rest, cause all this driving is tire-ing!

Day 3: Our Final Day on our Visit around Normandy!

Our last stop in Normandy is seeing the magical Mont Saint-Michel. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In sum, read the blog post for everything you want to know about visiting Mont Saint-Michel:

Everything To Know About Visiting Mont Saint-Michel, France

Visiting Mont Saint-Michel

• Parking is easy to find, but you have to pay. 
• Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel
  • The Abbaye is in brief the big draw for why people travel here. This place is legendary. 
• Walk the different streets around Mont Saint-Michel. 
  • There is the main walkway from the entrance to the abbey. However, several winding paths also lead you to the Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel. 
• Quick Stops
  • There are a few quick things that you may find interesting to see, including Église Saint-Pierre and the cemetery.
  • Therefore, take time to walk around and see what else you will discover. 
• Food Time!
  • There are lots of options for food here.
  • We chose to try La Mère Poulard. Their infamous light and puffy omelet tempted me right into their front door. 

Have a Wheel-y Fun Road Trip to Visit Normandy!

Our overall visit in Normandy was a dream come true. Sadly, this dream had to end. We had a long drive back home to Brussels, and my husband in effect had to be ready for work in the morning.

I hope you enjoyed the road trip itinerary visiting Normandy. Furthermore, I would love to hear if you saw any of these sites or if you took any tips from this itinerary!