The small and delightful village of Étretat’s dramatic coastal scenery – it’s framed by twin cliffs – made it a favourite of painters such as Camille Corot, Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet. With the vogue for sea air at the end of the 19th century, fashionable Parisians came and built extravagant villas.
Étretat has never gone out of style and still swells with visitors every weekend, who sit on the shingle beach, wander up and down the shoreline or clamber up to the fantastic vantage points above the chalk cliffs.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Étretat.
Natural Feature
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 miniature figures climbing up the precarious steps and over the grassy slopes to a viewpoint down to the needle, or Aiguille, a 70m-high spire of chalk-white rock rising from the waves. You can join them, or also walk out to the arch at low tide (but watch you don't get caught by the water).
Viewpoint
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 it easy or exploring the grassy plateau. It's a lovely climb to the windswept top, where you can find a church, and you can hike down some steps to the arch below and be rewarded with some astonishing views north along the Alabaster Coast.