Top Things to See and Do in Normandy

From cider to sea-faring, there’s something to entertain everyone in this fascinating region.

Follow the Route du Cidre

While in the Pays d’Auge area of Normandy, take some time to follow the Route du Cidre, a signposted (with an apple) route through bucolic countryside to discover pretty villages, apple orchards and 20 producers creating AOP Cidre Pays d’Auge. Begin the circuit in Cambremer at Cidre Pierre Huet.

Take a painting lesson

Never painted before? No matter. Honfleur artist Laurent Le Roy will help all abilities to create a watercolour memento of your visit to Normandy, leaving with your own painting following a two-hour private painting class en plein air in the beautiful gardens of La Ferme Saint-Siméon, the birthplace of Impressionism.

Go trout fishing

See a park from a different perspective with a half-day or day’s angling at Parc des Sources d’Elle. The best time to see the 35-hectare park is in May or June, when the rhododendrons are in full bloom. There’s a small fishing pool for children, with fishing rods available to borrow, and three lakes reserved for adult fishing. Picnic tables and barbecue areas help to make a family day out amidst lush Normandy greenery. It’s not to be missed!

Perfect your pâtisserie skills

Spend time perfecting your pâtisserie techniques with a workshop at La Pâtisserie de Guillaume in Bayeux. Discover the correct way to make famous desserts like Saint-Honoré, macarons or Paris-Brest in the dedicated studio within the pâtisserie, in a session led by a professional chef, patisserie-guillaume.fr

Visit the Maritime Museum of Tatihou

Discover the naval history of I’lle Tatihou and the Hougue peninsula at the fascinating Musée Maritime while on the island. Alongside tales of the sea, there are exhibitions on the ecology of the island, and a collection of traditional boats from the region, plus pieces from the wrecks of the Battle of La Hougue (1692).

Watch La Mora being built

An alternative to the Bayeux Tapestry is a visit to the new living history museum, La Mora, in Honfleur. Here, you can watch as boatbuilders authentically recreate the Viking-style warship, La Mora, in which William the Conqueror sailed to England before the Battle of Hastings. A clever exhibition depicts the lead-up, the Channel crossing and the battle itself.

See the Bayeux tapestry

Don’t miss your last chance to visit the extraordinary 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry before the museum, set in a 17th-century former seminary in Bayeux, closes this September for refurbishment. It is set to reopen in 2027.

From France Today Magazine