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Region in France
Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
Normandy (French: Normandie, Norman: Normaundie) is a region of northern France, bordering the English Channel. Once the centre of a powerful medieval empire that controlled a significant area of continental Europe, and most of England and Wales, Normandy has an incredibly rich heritage to draw from. Many visitors come to be enchanted by historical attractions such as the triple peaks of Rouen cathedral, the Bayeux Tapestry's engrossing tale of vengeance and conquest, and the fantastical abbey atop Mont Saint-Michel.
By car
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.e.
By train
Normandy is not connected to any high speed rail (TGV) lines, so services to and around the region are rather slow by French standards.
By boat
If you have a seagoing vessel at your disposal, why not make the journey across the English Channel yourself?
By plane
Normandy is not overly blessed with air links, and has only two small international airports:
By public transport
Regional public transport (trains and coaches) is provided by Nomad. Use the Nomad website to plan journeys and suss out maps.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Deauville · Regional · DOL
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On 6 June 1944, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops disembarked on French sand across five named beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword - stretching from near Cherbourg in the west to Ouistreham in the east. The ensuing Battle of Normandy and ultimate victory on the western front is commemorated at hundreds of cemeteries, memorials, services and events across the area.
The country home of the best-known painter of the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet. Visit the gardens which Monet considered his best work, and enjoy the bucolic village surroundings of rural Normandy.
Perhaps the most recognisable French landmark outside Paris, this real life Minas Tirith is a rocky pinnacle of an island capped with a benedictine monastery and flanked by a steep and winding town.
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