Mont St-Michel
Mont St-Michel's one main street, the Grande Rue, leads up the slope – past souvenir shops, eateries and a forest of elbows – to the star attraction of a…
Must-see attractions in Brittany & Normandy
Golfe du Morbihan
Predating Stonehenge by around 100 years, the Carnac (Garnag in Breton) area is the world's greatest concentration of megalithic sites, with no fewer than…
Le Mémorial – Un Musée pour la Paix
Caen
For a very insightful and vivid account of the entire war, with special focus on the Battle of Normandy, Le Mémorial is unparalleled – it's one of Europe…
Bayeux
The world’s most celebrated embroidery depicts the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 from an unashamedly Norman perspective…
Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet
Giverny
Monet’s home for the last 43 years of his life is now a delightful house-museum. His pastel-pink house and Water Lily studio stand on the periphery of the…
Étretat
It's impossible to miss this cliff, as the shingle beach bends around off to the southwest, with its natural arch and solitary needle. You will spy…
Honfleur
This unusual and intriguing complex captures the whimsical spirit of the eccentric avant-garde composer Erik Satie (1866–1925), who lived and worked in…
Normandy
Under Richard the Lionheart's command, Château Gaillard was built with unbelievable dispatch between 1196 and 1198, securing the western border of English…
Golfe du Morbihan
Guarded by its three round towers and overlooking the canal, the extraordinary town château is an formidable sight that remains the home of the Rohan…
Le Havre
Near the waterfront, this luminous and tranquil space houses a fabulous collection of vivid impressionist works – the finest in France outside Paris – by…
Normandy
Cherbourg’s art-deco Gare Maritime Transatlantique (Transatlantic Ferry Terminal), built from 1928 to 1933, was designed so travellers could walk from…
Rouen
For an introduction to the great 15th-century heroine and the events that earned her fame – and shortly thereafter condemnation – don't miss this…
Golfe du Morbihan
This unusual neolithic site on the eastern edge of the village of Locmariaquer (13km south of Auray) sits in an area rich in dolmens. This one features…
Finistère
This enormous ancient series of hilltop tombs is set spectacularly overlooking the Bay of Morlaix, on the edge of the modern-day village of Plouezoc'h,…
D-Day Beaches
These mammoth German artillery pieces remain in their colossal concrete emplacements – the only in-situ large-calibre weapons in Normandy. The first…
Finistère
Three kilometres southwest of Camaret, this spectacular and sublime headland is bounded by steep, sheer sea cliffs. On a peninsula known for its…
Golfe du Morbihan
Vannes' old town is surrounded by imposing ramparts and gates, which are in turn lined by a moat and, on the eastern edge, simply spectacular flower…
Golfe du Morbihan
One of the most special neolithic ruins along the Morbihan coast, this giant cairn is out on the island of the same name. Dating from 4000 BC and…
Rue du Jerzual & rue du Petit Fort
Brittany
Lined with half-timbered houses, this astonishing cobbled street has been here since at least the 12th century. It leads downhill at a steep angle all the…
Rouen
This largely empty 14th-century abbey is a gloriously sublime and quite stunning example of the Rayonnant Gothic style, with a colossal interior dappled…
Église Notre Dame de Kroaz-Batz
Finistère
With its spectacular Renaissance belfry rising above the flat landscape, the most arresting sight in Roscoff is this unique church at the heart of the old…
Finistère
This special walled town, fortified in the 14th century and modified by the architect Vauban two centuries later, sits on a small island linked to place…
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire Baron Gérard
Bayeux
Make sure you drop by this museum – one of France’s most gorgeously presented provincial museums – where exhibitions cover everything from Gallo-Roman…
Finistère
At the core of Locronan, this beautiful and very sacred church dates from the 15th century. It contains the tomb of St Ronan, as well as a green wooden…
Golfe du Morbihan
Just off the western side of the island, these magnificent rock stacks – depicted in a series of celebrated canvases by Claude Monet in 1886 – resemble…
Rennes
Extensive collections span the 15th century to the present at the Museum of Fine Arts, plus there is a section devoted to antiquities. The Pont-Aven…
Finistère
Beside the Cathédrale St-Corentin, recessed behind a magnificent stone courtyard, this superb museum over several floors showcases Breton history,…
St-Malo
Château de St-Malo was built by the dukes of Brittany in the 15th and 16th centuries, and is now the home of the Musée d'Histoire de St-Malo, which…
Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial
D-Day Beaches
White marble crosses and Stars of David stretch off in seemingly endless rows at the Normandy American Cemetery, situated on a now-serene bluff…
Caen
Looming above the centre of the city, Caen’s magnificent castle walls – massive battlements overlooking a now dry moat – were established by William the…
Bayeux
Most of Bayeux’ spectacular Norman Gothic cathedral dates from the 13th century, though the crypt (take the stairs on the north side of the choir), the…
Rouen
Rouen’s stunning Gothic cathedral, built between the late 12th and 16th centuries, was famously the subject of a series of canvases painted by Monet at…
Normandy
Built from 1175 to 1220 by Richard the Lionheart, towering Abbatiale de la Ste-Trinité was the most important pilgrimage site in Normandy until the…
Rouen
In a large, circular column on the waterfront, Panorama XXL is a massive 360-degree exhibition offering in-depth exploring of one astonishing landscape,…
Le Havre
Perret’s masterful, 107m-high Église St-Joseph, visible from all over town, was built using bare concrete from 1951 to 1959. Some 13,000 panels of…
Golfe du Morbihan
The massive burial mound of a neolithic chieftain dating from 3800 BC, the astonishing Tumulus de Kercado lies just east of Kermario and 500m to the south…
Honfleur
This museum features superb 19th- and 20th-century paintings of Normandy’s towns and coast, including works by Dubourg, Dufy and Monet. One room is…
Étretat
To your right and along off to the northwest as you walk onto the beach, the cliff of Falaise d’Amont is dotted with reclining or tottering figures taking…
D-Day Beaches
This excellent museum has an astonishing collection of restored WWII military equipment from both sides; the human dimension of the war is brought…
Brittany
A short drive from Cancale brings you to this sublime and stormy headland. Rock cleaves the water and fantastic views range over islands and rocks to the…
